Zelda and Robin Williams get sappy in OoT 3D commercial

So that big,mysteriousfilm shootstarring Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda turned out to be… a commercial forThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Okay, so I might have set my expectations too high on that one, but whatev. It’s not just Zelda taking up screen time, though. Her father is present as well. Rather than crack some kind of offbeat joke the only way Robin Williams knows how, however, he plays it straight as the loving father father spouting off sappy lines about how his kid and the in-game princess are “both pretty magical....

August 6, 2025 · 1 min · 182 words · Melissa Moore

ZEN Studios wants you to guess what this logo is for

ZEN Studios sent along the above teaser logo, with the intent of…well, teasing us for an announcement, set to be revealed tomorrow. They tell us that the news will drop on the PlayStation Blog tomorrow, so consider that a hint. As for the guessing, let’s see: it looks like a perturbed Ryu (Street Fighterseries) to me. Maybe Ryu is pissed off because he has an big-assed, illegible silver ball on his left shoulder....

August 6, 2025 · 1 min · 116 words · Samantha Bradley

2K: Borderlands can rival the biggest games this Christmas

Triple A titles likeModern Warfare 2andAssassin’s Creed 2have intimidated a lot of publishers whether they want to admit it or not, and have undoubtedly forced a number of the 2010 delays we’ve seen lately. Gearbox’sBorderlands, however, has remained resolute, withpublisher 2K Games believingthe RPG shooter will be able to rival the hottest games of the year. “Borderlandsis an incredibly strong offering for this Christmas,” says UK marketing manager Simon Turner. “Created by veteran developer Gearbox, we think thatBorderlandscan stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any game — it’s slick, fast-paced, tremendously polished, and incredibly stylish....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 183 words · Kevin Garrett

3DS video: See how Street Pass Quest and Puzzle work

You may have heard a bit about the Nintendo 3DS functionality called Street Pass. It’s awesome, but you may not get how it works yet. It goes like this: Nintendo wants you to keep your 3DS on at all times, in your bag or pocket, so that you may pass other 3DS owners on the street. When that happens, there’s an exchange of game data that quietly happens. The next time you open your 3DS you’ll find new data from other gamers to see and interact with....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 169 words · Charlene Clayton

68% of households play videogames

That’s a pretty high number, right? The ESA recently completed a study called ‘Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2009’ that looked at the demographics of those playing video games and how they’ve changed over the years. The 68% number in the title is a 3% jump from last year, but a decent chunk of those people are only gaming on their computer — only 42% of homes have an actual console....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 188 words · Ashley Short

A glimpse into madness: The best of Tom Tommy

In my short tenure at Destructoid, I’ve done a lot of things I never thought I would. I’ve eaten cocktail sausages with games companies, I’ve been stranded in the Hilton Hotel withPure Pwnageand angry Norwegians. I’vetelephoned Uwe Bolland I got the blame for creeping out Cliffy B. In this short career of mine however, I had until now glimpsed not into a whole other realm — a realm where madness rules like a pied jester king and that which once made sense now addles perception in a drunken haze....

August 5, 2025 · 2 min · 301 words · Patrick Bruce

According to Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed plays no favorites

Although both Microsoft and Sony would rather forget about the shortcomings of their respected consoles, interviews that zero in on those nasty blemishes are never in short supply. Buried somewhere in the words of developers who recount first-hand experience of working with projects on competing consoles, lies personal opinion, which we hope is equally mixed with truth. Such interviews tend to show thefrustrationsand joys of developers, as they try to make a game as great as it can be across all platforms — each with its own set of complexities to take into account....

August 5, 2025 · 2 min · 393 words · Matthew Nelson

Activision donating $1 million to veterans

This week sees the release of three newCall of Dutygames across multiple platforms from Activision. This Wednesday is also Veterans Day here in America. To honor both occasions, Activision will be donating $1 million to create a non-profit organization that will assist soldiers with finding jobs and re-integration back into civilian life. The organization will be named Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) and a long list of retired veterans will be heading up the group....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 174 words · Dr. Kevin Hernandez PhD

Agarest War 2 gets Move support for massage, bath scenes

Compile Heart has updatedRecord of Agarest War 2in Japan with a horny patch, available now. Players will now be able to use the PlayStation Move controller to explore motion controls to the game’s bathhouse and massage mini games. According to the site, “the mini games that are full of eroticism can be played more direct and sensuously.” Somehow I see those old Magic Wand jokes coming back. The patch also brings a new minigame that seems like you’ll be poking around girls with only a post-shower towel on....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 139 words · Robert Gibson

Arkham City gets some beautifully hideous new screens

Four more screenshots have been released forBatman: Arkham City, and I have to say that this may be the ugliest Joker I’ve ever seen. I mean that as a complete compliment, too. He looks gorgeously horrific. Same can’t be said for Harley Quinn though, who is far from grotesque. Gawp over the pictures if you like, and join me in being quite excited. Loved the first, can’t wait to try the second!...

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 72 words · Cindy Harris

Atomic Games on the difference between sims and games

You may already know this as it isn’t actually top secret information, but Atomic Games, developer of the upcomingBreachand controversialSix Days in Fallujah, is owned in part by the CIA and does extensive simulation development for the military. While they can’t actually discuss what they do in detail they say that their games are often influenced by their sims — but not too much. “But it’s also fundamental with what we’re doing that we don’t make training systems for the commercial market, and we don’t make games for the government,” he toldBitmob....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 189 words · Tanya Scott

Banjo-Kazooie is coming to XBLA this Wednesday, can you dig it?

Anyone who pre-orderedBanjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Boltsalready got early access to the Xbox LIVE Arcade port of the original Nintendo 64 classicBanjo-Kazooie, but for the rest of us, it’s finally going to be made available starting on Wednesday. Admittedly, the price of admission (1200 Microsoft Points) is kind of high forBanjo-Kazooie, but if for whatever reason you missed out on the platformer/collectathon back in the day, I’d urge you to not pass this opportunity up....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 129 words · John Johnston

Battlefield Heroes finally comes out of beta

Pigs apparentlycanfly after all. DICE’s microtransaction-supported, free-to-playBattlefield Heroessilently launched today after being in beta for what, five years? Alright, so it wasn’t really that long, but it’s been a significant amount of time. Upon hitting up thegame’s Web site, I noticed there’s now the option to purchaseBattlefield Heroes‘ currency, Battlefunds, with actual money, and you can even use PayPal. For those not in the know, players can essentially buy stuff that will change their hero’s appearance (among other things), such as goofy outfits and the like....

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 124 words · Heather Gibbs