Rayman Origins is now a retail title, coming this
holiday

post from Destructoid on 07 May 2011 10:06:42 PM. © Destructoid

Rayman Origins is now a retail title, coming this holiday screenshot

It's been a good long while since we last heard about about Rayman Origins, an honest-to-God side-scrolling Rayman platformer with naught a Rabbid in sight. It was supposed to be an episodic digital download game with the first episode arriving around Christmas 2010. According to the latest Game Informer, it looks like plans have changed.

In addition to new game details, such as the inclusion of four-player local co-op, it was announced that the game is now a full disc title. According to series creator Michel Ancel, this switch was made because it was more fitting for a "true sequel."

This news makes me happy. I have no issue with traditional side-scrollers arriving on digital services, but I'm not a fan of the assumption that they can't work as boxed titles anymore. This demonstrates confidence on Ubisoft's part that the game can succeed in the retail space.

Rayman Origins will touch down on the 360 and PS3 this holiday.

Game Informer 218 details (Assassin's Creed, Rayman Origins) [Game Informer via NeoGAF]

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Snark Busters: All Revved up

post from Hidden Object Games and Free Downloadable Games at Fenomen-Games.com on 07 May 2011 08:00:00 PM. © Hidden Object Games and Free Downloadable Games at Fenomen-Games.com

Snark Busters 2: All Revved Up tells the incredible story of Jack Blair, a world famous racecar driver who puts his career on hold to catch the Snark. Join Jack as he jumps between the real world and the inverted realms inside of mirrors in an attempt to catch his quarry. Solve whimsical puzzles, explore worlds of exquisite detail, and keep your eyes peeled for hundreds of cleverly Hidden Objects!

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Mystery Novel

post from Escape Games 24 on 07 May 2011 07:06:41 PM. © Escape Games 24

Mystery Novel is fantastic point and click adventure and puzzle type downloadable hidden object mystery games from Download Games 24. At the grand opening of a brand new prison, Mayor Lambert is assassinated! The killer is soon after put to death, but during the execution the electric chair causes a fire in the prison, burning the new building to the ground. As the new Crime Editor of the City

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Weekend Destructainment: I'm Gabe Newell

post from Destructoid on 07 May 2011 07:06:36 PM. © Destructoid

Weekend Destructainment: I'm Gabe Newell screenshot

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Sure, this is a bit old but whatever. It's too good to not share. Your weekend is a billion times better now.

Like crazy audio remixes? Good, cause there's another one related to Portal 2. Next up, it's Gaming's Next Top Princess. Then it's a Super Smash Bros. Brawl Easter Egg. Followed by a beautiful look at the Half-Life series. Then it's a Pokemon musical. The Destructainment ends with a Banjo-Kazooie cover.

Portal 2 sound effects done to a Zelda theme. Spotted on GoNintendo.

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Gaming's Next Top Princess.

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Princess Peach's Final Smash slowed down sounds quite familiar.

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Half-Life 2, Episode 1 and Episode 2 summed up to The National's "Exile Vilify." Beautiful. Spotted on Reddit.

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Pokemon: The Musical.

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Banjo-Kazooie cover. Yeah.

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Sit back and enjoy this gallery of our elbows

post from Destructoid on 07 May 2011 07:06:36 PM. © Destructoid

Sit back and enjoy this gallery of our elbows screenshot

Some weeks ago I asked our readers to follow @Dtoid on Twitter in order to help us rip through the e-penis milestone of 20,000 followers. "What's in it for us?", they said. As an independent publisher there is never enough damn vespene gas, so I offered up a thrifty photo gallery of our staff's ... elbows. Done.

"The things this job asks of us." -Jim Sterling

P.S. I would also like to call attention to the Guiness people, as this is surely the first Corgi elbow ever specifically incorporated into games editorial.

P.S.S. Kneecaps at 30.

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Star Wars: Old Republic Satisfying Exploration
Addicts With Codex System

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 07 May 2011 06:57:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Explorers and achievement hunters should be very interested in Star Wars: The Old Republic's newly announced codex system.

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Mini-Review: The M

post from Gaming Nexus on 07 May 2011 06:55:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Bengi Selcukoglu
NEWS - Title - The M
Developer - iFun4All
Price - $0.99, free version with ads
Other Platforms - ?

The M (for The M...ysterious Puzzles) is a classic jigsaw puzzle game. The game board is an image, broken up into several equal squares--nine in the easy level, sixteen in the medium level, and twenty-five in the hard level. There are two modes of play, one where the puzzle is made up of blocks that can be picked up, moved and rotated, and one where the puzzle is in slider form with one block missing. The puzzles are timed, and each one you solve unlocks the next one in both modes. The game supposedly links to OpenFeint and claims Facebook connectivity, but my phone didn't recognize the former, and I couldn't find where the latter was an option.

This seems like a pretty straightforward concept, but I actually struggled quite a bit with the controls. The touch sensitivity is spotty at best, especially in puzzle mode, and the pieces you pull out of place seem to jump erratically for no reason, particularly when you're trying to rotate. The game utilizes a two finger rotation for the pieces, and is clumsy and awkward--almost impossible in the hard level with the teeny tiny squares. A double-click rotation would be much cleaner and less hassle. I also had trouble with the app crashing on me quite frequently, though a recent update seems to have fixed this issue.

The images are nice, though a bit goth. I'd love to see something user-driven where different themes can be selected. I do like that I'm able to replay any image I've already completed, in any difficulty level, in either puzzle or slider mode; this is useful for those attempting to get a better time or try out a different styles of play.

In the end, The M just didn't have enough to hold my attention, and what I did find needs a bit of work from a usability standpoint. I would pass on the paid version of this app for the time being.

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Valve: Portal's Chell is Silent Because It's
Funnier

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 07 May 2011 05:36:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Valve writer Erik Wolpaw recently explained why Chell, much like Gordon Freeman, is a silent protagonist.

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The biggest mama's boys in videogames

post from Destructoid on 07 May 2011 05:06:21 PM. © Destructoid

The biggest mama's boys in videogames screenshot

Tomorrow is Mother's Day! It's the day to stop thinking of yourself for a change and to show your gratitude to that wonderful woman who shaped the person you've become.

Wait... that's not right, is it? Why must we only honor our mothers once a year? They've been there every step of the way, so it's only fair that we express our love and adoration whenever possible. Don't they deserve as much?

On that note, rather than a boring "gaming's best mothers" list that we've likely seen dozens of times before, I present a list of gaming's biggest mama's boys! We all think that our moms are the absolute bestest, but these guys go the extra mile for mommy's smile!

I consider myself a mama's boy -- you won't believe how many times I've badmouthed my brother just to make myself look like the more loyal son! Heck, I'm 25 and I still do my family's dishes and laundry and run errands of my own volition just to earn brownie points! But I have no shame, and why should I? I love my mom and so do the fellas below!

Well, duh! He's the poster child of this trope and and the inspiration for this whole feature!

Sephiroth's is a tragic tale. He was an elite soldier who, while still in the womb, was infused with the cells of a powerful alien creature. Growing up, he was told that his real mother was some woman named Jenova. When he discovers that Jenova and the alien are one and the same, well, he throws one heck of a hissy fit.

Those mean ol' scientists did nasty experiments on mommy! They deserve to pay! So Sephy goes out and kills a bunch of people, then he decides to turn the entire planet to ash. Why? Because that's what mommy would have wanted.

It's a heartwarming story of mother and son bonding after years of separation. And by heartwarming, I mean fucking psychotic.

Like Sephiroth, Paxton is just trying to help his poor, abused mother get revenge on all the evil science nerds who wouldn't leave well enough alone. He pursues this noble goal by eating people and telepathically commanding an army of super soldiers. Totally healthy behavior.

I'm glad that Paxton is able to look past the fact that his mother, Alma, has chosen to assume the form of a pre-teen girl. Coming to grips with having a parent who looks as young or younger than you can be difficult -- just ask the Presleys or the Rivers!

Thankfully, he can accept Alma just the way she is, as a psychokinetic murderess.

At the end of Metroid II, Samus was moments away from eradicating the Metroid infestation once and for all. There was just one infant left, and... D'AWWWWW! It thinks Samus is its mommy! How sweet!

Doesn't this remind you of those stories where, like, a kitten is raised by a dog? Or the movie Babe? Cross-species adoption is a special thing indeed.

Oh, what selfless devotion! The baby Metroid sacrifices itself to grant Samus a shot at defeating Mother Brain in Super Metroid. And if that wasn't enough to bring a tear to your eye, the baby's cells are used to save Samus's life a second time in Metroid Fusion. Even in death, this wonderful creature is looking after its mama's well-being!

Zell Dincht tries to act all cool and macho -- he shadow boxes in public and has a Mike Tyson tribal tattoo on his face. But everyone knows that he's mommy's ball of sunshine. She even printed his portrait on a playing card!

Zell may have been adopted, but that doesn't change how much he loves and cares for his mother. Some kids leave home to explore the world and never look back, but Ma Dincht knows that little Zell will always need a home to return to. That's why she makes sure his room is always super tidy -- you never know when he'll make a surprise visit!

Being Italian, Ezio is a mama's boy by default. It's like a Renaissance version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only not in the slightest.

After witnessing the wrongful executions of his father and brothers, he helps his mother and sister escape to their villa. Unfortunately, mama loses the will to speak, and this distresses little Ezio. He has to cheer her up somehow!

So in between assassination missions, Ezio scours the city to collect feathers that remind his mother of one of her departed sons, Petruccio. Waste of time? Sure, if you're a heartless monster. Any loving child would go to the ends of the earth if it means hearing mama's sweet voice again.

Servbots are short, yellow robots that look like Lego minifigs and pilot massive death mechs. Aren't they just the most adorable things EVER!?

Built by the air pirate Tron Bonne, these 40 (or is it 41?) munchkins assist her and the rest of the Bonne family in managing the ship and completing various other pirate-y tasks. The Servbots behave more like children than robots and are always getting scolded by their creator.

But that's okay! They are tough little workers and will do just about anything for "Miss Trooooooon!" That includes inviting Mega Man to become an honorary Servbot so that he and Tron can hook up!

Little matchmakers! Too cute!

In his father's absence, Hawke has to man up and become his family's caretaker. When he and his family take refuge in the city of Kirkwall, he has nothing to his name. However, he wants to make sure that his mother, Leandra, lives in the comfort she deserves, so he makes a name for himself and amasses a vast fortune.

Would you let your mama live in a dump? I don't think so!

That's why it's so heartbreaking when the necromancer Quentin plays taxidermist with Leandra's body in order to "rebuild" his dead wife. Hawke really doesn't get a break at any point in the game, actually. All he wanted to do was make his mommy happy!

Well, err... Lucca is a tomboy, so technically she is a...

No, you know what? Metroids are genderless, so I'm putting a girl on this list! I make up the rules!

She deserves to be on this list because of how big an impact her mother had on her becoming an inventor. As a child, Lucca witnessed a horrible mechanical accident that cost her mother's legs, and she vowed to study science so that nothing like that ever happened again.

One day she discovers a time portal back to that tragic event, giving her the chance to rewrite history for the better. I think I'll let Chad's wonderful Memory Card on the subject tell the rest.

The Lumas are those bubbly little star-shaped critters scattered across space that help Mario on his quest. They are just babies, though, and will one day become great big stars and galaxies. Until that time, they are under the protection and guidance of mama Rosalina.

They love their mama! She built them a home! She reads them bedtime stories! They'll gladly relinquish their self-awareness to become planets and other tools for Mario's benefit if it'll make Rosalina happy!

...

Come to think of it, that's kinda twisted.

Mamma is a giant man baby whose name is also the only word he can say. Need I say more?

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One of the most remarkable things I learned when compiling this list was just how many game characters have adoptive mothers but love 'em all the same. As long as the care and acceptance is there, it makes no difference who your family is. I really dig that message!

Are there any other good examples of mama's boys (or girls) in videogames that I failed to mention here? Drop some names in the comments if you want!

Don't forget to give your own mothers big hugs and kisses tomorrow!