[“Skyward Sword” artwork by boba2009] Alright, show of hands: who here has “forgotten” to deploy the sailcloth? Zeldaweek concludes with the release of the long-anticipatedSkyward Sword. Take this time to bid farewell toTwilight Princessby giving my retrospective feature some hits. Also go show Dtoider Magnalon some love for conquering every single (non CD-i)Zeldathis year. And just for fun, watch Conrad’s informative child-prevention video. Destructoid Original:Twilight Princess: One more for the roadHappy Skyward Sword Day!...

Maybe this production will go more smoothly Just ahead ofGears of War 4‘s release on Tuesday, Microsoft Studios and Universal Pictures have announced plans for aGears of Warfeature film “based on the Xbox video game series.” Aside from that quote and some initial production credits (producers Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark, who have worked onTedandPlanet of the Apes, respectively), that’s all there is to report on — the project’s existence, and the fact thatthis isn’t the first timethe property has gone after the big screen....

Tired of the classic tower defense games with the same mechanics and repetitive enemy waves? Switch toVillage Defense Tycoonimmediately! This Roblox experience combines strategy and tycoon-style gameplay and allows you to raid other players’ bases. However, you must get ready for attacks on your village, too! Since it is hard to come out as victorious in higher levels of this game that have more challenging opponents, feel free to useVillage Defense Tycooncodes for freebies (mainly Gold), which will help you upgrade your units....

North America only (Update: And they’re gone!) A closed beta for what could be the next big game on Switch is happening right now and we have some codes that will get you in on the action.Arena of Valor, the biggest mobile game in the world, is coming to Switch later this year. If you missed out on getting a code yourself and would like to try the game out, we’ve got just 50 of them to give away....

And I agree with him Some version of a real life, widespread virtual reality world has been an aspiration of sci-fi enthusiasts for decades, and as technology has improved in recent years, that dream has become closer than ever before. Meta (formerly Facebook) and Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse project have been the closest mainstream attempt we’ve seen, but if that’s the best we have, it’ll be a while until we see a VR world akin to something out ofReady Player One....

Miami: babes, cocaine, and NINJAS! Continuing to prove that there was no period better than the end of the ’80s to deliver flicks that have stood the test of time and have remained bad, meetMiami Connection. It was bad then, bad in the ’90s, and is just hilarious now. Terrible music? Yes. Bikinis. Absolutely. Ninjas … maybe! And scenes that should be what are calledestablishing shotsthat drag out into entire music videos for no reason whatsoever....

Ummmmmm [Update:This happened!] So Microsoft is fully pulling back the curtain on their E3 plans today. Yep, their Xbox briefing is very soon, yes, that makes sense. And sure, the Bethesda conference later tonight will probably have Xbox One games in it, absolutely: same with Devolver Digital. And Monday, same goes for the PC gaming Show, Ubisoft conference, and the Square Enix Live showcase. But wait: what’s this on Tuesday…Nintendo?...

New display mode for Steam platform aims to bring PC gaming into the living room Yesterday, Valve launched an open beta for a new Steam interface, “Big Picture Mode.” Designed specifically for large displays, such as living room televisions, it features a clean look and a number of usability features that once again affirm that there’s no company doing PC gaming better today than Valve. Check out this video I put together going over some of the features....

Followinglast week‘s “Insane Night Map Pack” forBatman: Arkham Asylumis the “Prey in the Darkness Map Pack.” Similar to the previous free content, this bundle will contain one Combat map and one Invisible Predator map. Also, it’s once again one-hundred percent free. The “Heart of Darkness” Combat map takes place in the pumping station area of Arkham Island while the “Hothouse Prey” Invisible Predator map will be at the abandoned glasshouse. My memory must be deteriorating, because I don’t really remember that first locale....

Games and apparel on sale Lunar New Year (a.k.a. Chinese New Year) is right around the corner, so Ubisoft is throwing a big Uplay sale to celebrate. Along with a ton of different games and accessories being marked down, you may nabAssassin’s Creed Chronicles: Chinafor freefrom the Ubisoft store. This offer is only available on PC until February 5. That being said, a ton of fairly recent Ubisoft games are on sale for quite cheap....

And if it isn’t, well, there’s always the multiplayer MostBattlefieldplayers don’t show up for the single-player campaign, but if it’s there, sure, I’ll probably go through it before switching over to the multiplayer. These stories have never been what I’d call “good,” but perhapsBattlefield 1will be the one to break through. This trailer has me feeling hopeful. Part of that stems from the “War Stories” approach, which splits the focus between multiple factions and protagonists rather than having some lone elite squad out to save the world....

No more updates for the Zone As DICE keeps ramping up to the launch of Season 1, anotherBattlefield 2042mode is taking a backseat. The studio confirms today that it’s shutting down future development onBattlefield 2042‘s Hazard Zone mode. The new mode, anEscape From Tarkov-like experience in theBattlefieldsetting, was one ofBattlefield 2042‘smajor pillars going into launch. Today though, EA and DICE are saying that future development will cease on the mode....

‘Oh no that’s horrible news’ said no one Remember that challenge editorthat was supposedto be added toRyse: Son of Romeafter launch? Well it’s been scrapped. Microsoft spoke withPolygon, stating that “after careful consideration, we have decided to cease development onRyse: Son of Rome’schallenge editor and focus on improving and expanding fans’ experience with the game through both free content updates and purchased add-on packs.” It’s believed this decision ultimately stems from how poor the game was received....