Blockbuster closing 960 stores before end of next year

I remember when I was a teenager I used to go to Blockbuster so many times a week to rent games and anime all the people that worked there knew me by my first name. At one time, it was a truly awesome service, but now that you may just go to a website like Netflix or Goozex and load up a queue of stuff you want to watch and play and never have to leave your house, well, stores like Blockbuster are on the decline....

July 19, 2025 · 1 min · 204 words · Frank Ewing

Bloggers Wanted: When did you start loving videogames?

Get your blog on Destructoid’s front page! We all have our origin stories. My first videogame memories are of watching my uncle play his ColecoVision and Atari 2600 in the early ’80s at my grandma’s house.Q*bert,Frogger,Asteroids,Battlezone,Dig Dug,BurgerTime,Donkey Kong Jr.,Yar’s Revenge— my uncle was so cool. This was followed by the NES my brothers and I got for Christmas a few years later, and playing Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo at my friends’ houses in the late ’80s and early ’90s....

July 19, 2025 · 2 min · 230 words · Jeffrey Williams

Civilization: Beyond Earth pre-order deal breakdown

All the deals before this Friday’s release Deals brought to you by the crew atDealzon. FYI: sales from certain retailers go toward supporting Destructoid. If you spot more Beyond Earth pre-order deals and pre-load info, let us know in the comments! Mission Control, we are T-minus 3 days and change to the October 24th launch ofCivilization: Beyond Earth. If you’re looking to get in the action on Day One, there are a few reasons to pre-order, including a bonus DLC, the ability to pre-load, and most importantly – discounts....

July 19, 2025 · 3 min · 546 words · Ian Maldonado

Deus Ex writer agrees with the criticism about the Mankind Divided ending

Come August, it will be nine years since we had aDeus Exgame,Mankind Divided,released in 2016.Some of you unfamiliar with the series may be shrugging your shoulders right now. “So what?” you may say, “we’re stillwaiting onHalf-Life 3.” However, much like the elusiveHalf-Lifeinstallment, fans of the exploits of Adam Jensen also never got closure. You see,Mankind Dividedended on a rather disappointing note, with the closing moments of the game strongly suggesting more was to come....

July 19, 2025 · 2 min · 343 words · Taylor Contreras

Disney Dreamlight Valley seems to be teasing its next big villains

Disney Dreamlight Valley’sDapper Delights update marked the release ofPrincess Tianaand her restaurant alongside the grand finale for the Rift in Time expansion. However, as you dive deeper into the game’s new content, you’ll catch a glimpse of a peculiar pair of villains, possibly alluding to the introduction of these characters in future updates or a second expansion. Spoilers for the finale ofDisney Dreamlight Valley‘s Rift in Time expansion follow. During the Rift in Time expansion’s finale, you’llenter Jafar’s castleand finally confront him on his plans to take over the world by spreading time rifts around Eternity Isle....

July 19, 2025 · 2 min · 299 words · Richard Bennett

Doom Eternal for Nintendo Switch will be a digital-only release

Physical pre-orders canceled across the board As Nintendo Switch owners eagerly wait to Rip ‘n’ Tear throughDoom Eternal, new information from publisher Bethesda suggests that the hellish shooter sequel’s physical edition may have been canceled. Flags were first raised after Gamestop started automatically refunding all customers who had pre-ordered a hard copy ofDoom Eternalfor Switch. Gaming news site IGNthen received the following statementfrom Bethesda. “WhileDoom Eternalis 100% on track for an imminent digital-only release on Nintendo Switch, the absence of a physical release at retail resulted in cancelled pre-orders....

July 19, 2025 · 1 min · 173 words · Courtney House

Dragon Ball FighterZ to run ‘free trial’ for its DLC characters next month

Gogeta joins the fight today Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for Gogeta (SSGSS), the latest face-pounder to be added to the roster of its greatDragon Ball FighterZ. But also of note is a short message that appears at the trailer’s climax, announcing an upcoming free trial for the title’s run of DLC characters. As of October 12,DBFZwill allow players the opportunity to test drive some of its recent DLC characters, giving you the opportunity to feel them out before making a decision on whether to pull the trigger on a purchase....

July 19, 2025 · 1 min · 169 words · Jennifer Garcia

Final Fantasy 25th anniversary: PAX event, new concert

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series, and the company has a couple of special events planned for this year that you should know about. The official Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary event will go down in Tokyo, but Square Enix is hosting an event at PAX Prime in conjunction. Experience Final Fantasy will go down on Friday, August 31 from 1-9 p.m. at the ACT Theater in Seattle....

July 19, 2025 · 2 min · 228 words · Elizabeth Lee

Fulgore closes out season one of Killer Instinct

When I think “Killer Instinct,” I think “Fulgore.” How could I not, given that iconic, badass black Super Nintendo cartridge featuring the cyborg front and center? It’s nice, then, to finally see him added to the game today as the last character of the season one content rollout. The game has also received an important new update which adds Arcade Mode, Spectator Mode, and online lobbies for up to eight players per room....

July 19, 2025 · 1 min · 121 words · Dr. Jaclyn Martin

Game Debate to the Death! 3 most anticipated games of 2008?

In ourlast debate, we wanted to know what your favorite game of 2007 was. It was a heated discussion, with over one hundred votes cast for dozens of different games, but the only close competition was the fight for second place: This week we take on another huge debate topic: your most anticipated games of 2008. Since there’s so many to choose from, I want you all to narrow it down tothree ranked choices....

July 19, 2025 · 2 min · 253 words · Jennifer Brooks

GOG.com have ‘blink and you’ll miss ’em’ Insomnia deals

They’re running limited flash deals. Pay attention! Whilst the site doesn’t have the largest catalog of games, I always appreciate the effort GOG.com puts into making its sales interesting. Right now, there’s anInsomnia sale happeningwhich is taking a novel approach to flash deals. Each deal has a limited number of “copies” and once they’re sold out, that’s the deal over. There’s a counter on the main page of the site showing you how many copies are left and it’s compelling viewing....

July 19, 2025 · 1 min · 121 words · Joshua Short MD

Here’s two charity marathons you should watch in August

from our community blogs Mods, I swear to all that is good, proper and covered in casserole that my account hasn’t been taken over by Russian spambots. I can send nudes if you need convincing that this is still me and that I’m doing this shilling out of my own volition. But first, some backstory. I am a connoisseur of fine let’s plays, that there revolutionary new internet medium ripe with potential....

July 19, 2025 · 4 min · 734 words · Dr. Victor Sullivan DVM

Here’s what Half-Life looked like a year before release

Look at those derpy faces! Half-Life, one of the most loved series in existence. It’s a wonderful game, but do you want to know how it looked like in its Alpha state? Well here you go! The first video here shows off some tech stuff, while the second video below is supposedly a developer playthrough. Want to play it for yourself? Reddit hasgot you covered. Half-Life alpha tech demo is a glimpse into the legend’s awkward adolescence[PC Gamer]...

July 19, 2025 · 1 min · 78 words · Melissa Colon