Minted Nintendo’sPokémon Sword & Shieldare so close now you’re able to taste them, (not literally, that would be hideous), and as the launch approaches the drip-feed of gameplay information continues, including this video newly-uploaded to the officialPokémonYouTube channel. Titled “Items and Features inPokémon Sword&Pokémon Shield,” the clip looks at a selection of food items, such as mint and candies, that can be used to balance yourPokémon‘sdiet, thus causing huge buffs and debuffs to their statistics....

Dreams and Madness Just two months ago,DmC: Devil May Crywas released and caused quite a ruckus. While this unique entry in theDevil May Cryfranchise didn’t exactly light up the charts, and remains a contentious title with series fans, at the very least it’s difficult to not admire the detail and creativeness with the art direction. At GDC, Ninja Theory’s Art Director, Alessandro Taini, spoke at a panel about the challenges of creating a new visual style for this reboot, and of course the many different designs they had to go through to nail Dante’s look....

OC ReMix alumnus halc, who you may remember recently produced aPilotwingstribute, has drawn inspiration from his musical peers in order to release an original album calledHydrocitythrough Dj CUTMAN’s GameChops net label. The title, named after theSonic the Hedgehog 3zone, submerges you in an aquatic ambience formed through chiptune beats, FM funk, and a dash of dubstep. halc even enlists the aid of fellow OC ReMixers Level 99 and WillRock on a couple of tracks....

Stealth rework, tower changes and more As seen at BlizzCon, Blizzard is shaking upHeroes of the Stormquite a bit leading into the new year. For starters towers have been re-imagined entirely, with infinite ammo. Forts and keeps now provide true sight for stealth heroes, all of which have obtained a massive rework. Now you’re able to more easily see the stealth outline, but dedicated stealthies have gotten some tweaks and buffs (especially Zeratul) to compensate....

My mind is telling me no, but my body is telling me yes! [As he is often wont to do, Cedi gets at the subject of overstuffing one’s self in games with the thought and analysis worthy of a scientific journal. Today’s topic: Grinding in RPGs/mobile games! Do you, like Cedi and countless others, find yourself compelled to grind just to get so OP that you wipe that flamboyant grin off Kuja’s face?...

And he’s getting his own level! During a roundtable presentation at E3 this evening,Super Smash Bros.creator Masahiro Sakurai revealed Pac-Man as a playable character in Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U and 3DS fighter. The Bandai Namco mascot will be receiving his own stage as a part of the deal. Sakurai asserts Pac-Man was planned for the title from the start of development, which seems to make sense since Bandai Namco is handling the project alongside Sora Ltd....

Mother Russia has never looked so cold PlayingCompany of Heroes 2at PAX was a trippy experience. Hamza previouslycovered the gameand hit the major points worth highlighting, but I still wanted to share my thoughts on the highly anticipated sequel as someone who isn’t especially into games about World War II, even if they are developed by the fine folks at Relic Entertainment. After getting the basics down in a beginner-style mission, I entered a more traditional real-time strategy skirmish with capturable control points scattered across the map....

Spoiler: you won’t Though arcade-style action games seemed to disappear with arcades themselves (go figure), they have been making a bit of a comeback recently. Games likeSuper Crate Boxor the upcomingWoah Dave!remind us that sometimes it is okay to just want to go for the high score.Penariumlooks like it might be joining the ranks of coin-grabbing score-focused death simulators. Willy, the protagonist inPenarium‘s deadly circus, is trying to collect as many barrels as he can, while avoiding environmental traps....

A whole new kind of console wars As we all know, the internet loves to get up in arms about… well everything. When I saw that Twitter was blasting Kotaku last week, I didn’t think much of it. That was until I saw what everyone was so upset about. In case you missed it, Kotaku put out an article that basically told players todownload an emulation ofMetroid Dread. They’ve since added an addendum that apologizes if their initial article was misinterpreted, they don’t condone illegal emulation, blah, blah, blah....

Stupid sexy Billy Resident Evil Origins Collectionisn’t out until next year, but purchasing it before its January 19 release date adds a bit of eye candy into the mix. Pre-ordering the HD collection now will unlock new costumes forResident Evil 0‘s Billy and Rebecca. Both costumes are throwbacks to Capcom classics likeStreet FighterandResident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. Rebecca’s practical nurse outfit fits right in to the gritty and injury filled world ofResident Evil, but Billy’s prisoner costume is a little much....

Another casual discussion from the Dtoid news room Had your fill of all the Sony news? If so, awesome, because we recorded this episode of Office Chat before any of that could happen! In this conversation from Destructoid’s news room, Jim Sterling, Jordan Devore and I somehow manage to wind up talking about thecontroversy surrounding game previewsdespite not having planned nor wanted to. We also have remarks regardingleaps in graphical fidelitywith the arrival ofCrysis 3and the universe plays a practical joke on me by way ofDC Universe Online....

Are you excited aboutSorcery? Can’t wait to wave your arm around, over and over again? Do you have the money for it, and just can’t wait tospendthat son of a bitch? Well Sony has you covered, enablingSorceryas the first PSN game you can pre-pay for and pre-download. Currently the only title to use this feature,Sorcerycan be bought right now, and will pre-load to your system, unlocked for play on May 22....

A definitive look at all the Star Wars games that I’ve played May thefourthbe with you! Ha-ha, just a little joke on today, May the 4th —Star Warsday, to the uninitiated. It’s perhaps our most American holiday: no day off from work and in tribute to consumption of a multi-billion dollar entertainment product. And in honor of this most American of holidays, I thought it would be prudent to rank the very best and very worst ofStar Warsvideo games (that I’ve played)....