Don’t tell Ray Just the other day, I was telling Ray that I’m liable to spend real money on cosmetic items if they’re for a game I’m super into and intend to play long-term. He concurred. That first purchase is dangerous, though — it opens the floodgates, making each subsequent purchase that much easier. It’s the main reason I’ve yet to pay for a Loot Box inOverwatchdespite adoring that dang game....

What can I say? Torch sent this to me. He said, “Feel like this is a Wes Tacos game.” He knows me better than I know myself. I’m putting this on my mom’s fridge. All’s I know is this is a game where naked men run around like inSplatoonand throw soup at one another. They can sprint and jump and everything, but they’re also naked. And throw soup. And also I don’t care about much else, because so far everything I wrote describes every single thing I want in a video game....

The release ofSecret of Mana Genesisis right around the corner, and while welinked to a teaser sitelast month that didn’t tell us a whole lot about what it would sound like, the folks over atOSVhave kept an eye out on theofficial webpageand have spotted a new update featuring the album artwork and four streaming samples from the album. Samples include the opening “Fear of the Heavens” and the ominous “Prophecy.”...

Sony has pinned some high hopes on PlayStation Move, but the PS3 platform holder isn’t expecting massive day-one success. It’s marketing campaign actually begins after the peripheral’s launch, and the publisher believes it’ll have sales that last, rather than sales that explode. “It is about creating that massive event spike during the launch week, pushing it out to new audiences and continuing on last year’s ‘The Game Is Just The Start’ campaign,” says Sony UK marketing manager Adam Boita....

Engine won’t be built around a licensing model Back at E3, Square Enix showed an impressivereal-time tech demonstrationof its next-generation engine, Luminous Studio. You’ll likely remember this demo as “Agni’s Philosphy,” the one with the magic and AK-47s. Yeah. It looked terrificvisually, anyway. Speaking to Shacknews, Square Enix CEO Mike Fischer has stated that Luminous Studio “is an in-house tool. We’re not building this around a licensing model.” One can only imagine what developers could do with it under such a model, but that’s whereUnreal Engine 4and others will happily offer their services....

This whole situation is out of control Strap yourselves in, it’s time for anotherStar Citizenstory. Depending on who you talk to,Star Citizenis somewhere in-between themost ambitious game of all time, or a completetrain wreck(the answer is likely somewhere in the middle at this point). Amidst allegations from all over the spectrum as to how developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) is handling development, a reportpopped up on The Escapist recently, with a few new claims....

Familiar faces in hidden places Eagle-eyedStreet Fighterfans, who understandably picked throughyesterday’sStreet Fighter 6gameplay trailerwith a fine toothcomb, quickly uncovered a “leak” (I see you, Capcom), that consisted of several flash frames — buried deep within the trailer — that named multiple characters for the exciting-looking sequel. And then… mere hours later, everything blewwideopen… Earlier this morning, multiple online communities, including 4Chan,Twitter, andResetEra, began sharing an image that seems to reveal theStreet Fighter 6launch roster in its entirety, spotlighting 22 characters via some pretty badass-looking artwork....

With E3 dead and buried, Summer Game Fest has truly taken over as the gaming industry’s big summer showcase, where developers and publishers come together to show off their upcoming projects. So, here’s everything you need to know about when it’s happening and how you can watch it. When does Summer Game Fest 2024 start? Summer Game Fest 2024 isscheduled to begin on Friday, June 7at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 10pm BST....

So long and thanks for all the beatdowns Motohiro Okubo, one of the longest-serving producers at Bandai Namco, has announced that they are moving on after a 25-year tenure with the developer/publisher. Okubo publicly announced the news yesterday via social media. “It’s been a while, but I will leave Bandai Namco Entertainment on August 31,”said Okubo in the translated tweet. “Starting tomorrow, I will be working at a game company located in Shibuya....

Ten minutes ofThe Witcher 2beta footage have spilled their way onto the Internet, and it has to be said that the game’s looking very nice. Although a lot of the footage is Geralt walking slowly around to show off the scenery, it’s damn fine scenery. The firstWitcherwas almost legendary for its glitchiness, so it’s heartening to see that even in beta,Assassins of Kingslooks more polished than its predecessor. Combat looks like it’ll be quicker and more action-packed as well, which is no bad thing....

A real shame Tuesday morning, I had a moment of weakness. After reading some stellar reviews (of the console versions) I allllmost pre-purchased the PC version ofArkham Knight. I’ve loved every other entry in the series and with those reviews echoing in my head, I really wanted to get it pre-loading and be throwing batarangs at criminal scum as soon as Batmanningly possible. I was just about to do it, my finger was quivering over the mouse button....

Check out everything Destructoid today So manyWatch Dogs! Hamza recently got a chance to check outWatch Dogs, and like your favorite neighborhood drug dealer, he brought every variety of what you’re looking for. Single-player preview, multiplayer preview, and a developer interview. So go check them out. All hits are free. Other than that, it’s been a pretty slow day around here. The next Xbox name and the PS4 slogan may have leaked,Half-Life 2gets Oculus Rift support, andSystem Shock 2finally makes its way to Steam....

Check out everything Destructoid did today SinceTerrariashowed up on consoles last week, I’ve been getting back into it (review incoming!). After thinking about nothing but digging, building, and fighting off goblin armies, I’m pleased to hear about the incoming update for the PC version. Rain! Clouds! Is that a flying sword? On Destructoid, the Podtoid crew released their newest episode, Vito wrote up a guide on collecting games, Jim reviewed the interestingEvoland, and we all lamented the loss of LucasArts while we looked back at some of our favorite games from the legendary studio....