The face of masked murderer Jason Voorhees has never been revealed in fighting game , praised for its solid fighting mechanics and the challenges offered, but criticized for its monetization model.
Nintendo's Amiibo toy figurines have become quite the rage in the collectible market. While the typical retail price for an Amiibo is only $12.99, their relative scarcity has caused prices to skyrocket. For example, this legless Princess Peach, the result of a manufacturing defect, sold for $25,100 on eBay.
2. Dual Cannon Samus
Metroid's famous bounty hunter, Samus, gets a serious price upgrade when she dual-wields her iconic arm cannon. For thrifty shoppers, two-can Sam can be found for a mere $2,500–ten percent of the cost of her compatriot, legless Peach.
3. No-Lefty Luigi
Rounding out the collection of top-tier manufacturing defects, this Luigi Amiibo showed up on eBay missing his left hand. The auction winner is now out $500. Beyond Peach, Samus and Luigi, though, most defects don't seem to positively impact the value of Amiibo figures.
4. Villager
If you're not into factory mistakes and want to focus on collecting intact Amiibo, finding the Villager from Animal Crossing is a quest in itself. Unless you spot one in the wild, expect to pay upwards of $70 on auction sites to grab the little guy.
5. Greninja
Good luck grabbing a pre-order for the elusive Pokemon ninja. As is often the case with Amiibo figures, Greninja sold out long before he even hit store shelves.
6. Little Mac
Little Mac became one of the most popular Nintendo fighters after his inclusion in the new Super Smash Bros. That new stardom led to his Amiibo becoming a hot commodity, too. Pro tip for winning him in an auction: Dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito.
7. Gold Mario
He's not quite worth his weight in gold, but if you manage to find a Gold Mario Amiibo, he's currently valued at around around $60. Mama mia.
8. Marth
Marth's come a long way. He flummoxed many players in his first Smash Bros. appearance, but after the surprising success of Fire Emblem in the West, Marth has received a huge popularity boost. Acquiring his coveted Amiibo will cost you more than $50.
9. Pit
After languishing on the sidelines for more than a decade, Kid Icarus has officially made a comeback, thanks to the tireless efforts of Nintendo designer Masahiro Sakurai. Some Amiibo figures are rare because they're relatively unknown. Other characters, like Pit, are rare because they're so loved.
10. Wii Fit Trainer
That's it, feel the burn ... in your wallet, that is. Considered a rare unicorn by serious Amiibo collectors, the Wii Fit Trainer still goes for more than three times her retail price.
11. Ness
In a more just universe, the words "rare" and "Earthbound" would never appear together, but sadly, this is the timeline we inhabit. The consummate yo-yo artist Ness is an upcoming GameSpot exclusive. If you didn't pre-order, though, you'll need to cast PSI Hypnosis to persuade someone else to fork him over.
12. Meta Knight
Meta Knight got an avalanche of nerfs in the recent Smash Bros. game, but his weaker range didn't affect his popularity as a toy. Rumors abound that he'll be restocked in stores, but expect to pay close to $40 until then.
13. Ike
If you've kept your ear close to the ground, then you know the mercenary Ike is rumored for a summer restock. The smart bet would be to wait out his current price spike–$40–until then, just in case this royal bodyguard becomes a mere commoner.
14. Shulk
Behold the power of the Monado! Thanks to his rabid fanbase, Shulk's Xenoblade title became a bonafide hit in the West, and his Amiibo proved just as popular. Unfortunately, like the Wii game from which he hails, Shulk is a difficult man to track down.
15. Captain Falcon
Winning isn't about being lucky. It's about being bold. And you'll need to be bold to hunt down your very own Captain Falcon figure. Once you do, he'll cost you close to $35.
16. Rosalina
Who knew Rosalina would become such a lightning rod for controversy? One collector managed to frustrate the entire Amiibo collecting community by purchasing huge numbers of Rosalinas simply to keep her off store shelves. Luckily, the truly committed can still find her for around $30.
17. King Dedede
For the longest time, Dreamland's king has been unfairly maligned. Maybe Nintendo fans are finally celebrating his heroic nature, because his Amiibo has been one of the most popular.
18. Lucario
A well-trained Lucario can identify creatures more than half a mile away. We wish we had the same telepathic ability to spot which Toys "R" Us has the fabled Amiibo in stock. Expect to pay twice his retail price for a Lucario in the wild.
19. Fox
Fox McCloud may have what it takes to save the Lylat Galaxy, but you'll have to find him first. He's not impossible to discover, but he still remains one of the less common Amiibo originals.
20. Dankey Kang
What's a collector to do after tracking down the rarest and most valuable Amiibo figures? Well, there's a cool niche market of custom painted Amiibo characters to explore. Creators offer unique spins on classic characters, like the famous Jeopardy-themed meme "Dankey Kang," pictured above. While not officially produced by Nintendo, a custom painted work can be truly one of a kind.
It's not so outlandish as other vehicles in Mad Max: Fury Road, but this beat-up Ford Falcon with a classical rust patina is one of the most iconic cars in the Mad Max series, appearing in all four of the films.
14. The Nux Car
Nicholas Hoult stars as the psychopath Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road, but his ancient, turbo-charged Chevrolet may steal the show. The prominent front grill looks convenient for catching roadkill.
13. The Big Foot
It's only natural that the WWA World Heavyweight Champ Nathan Jones would drive this massive, reconfigured Dodge pickup for his role as Rictus Erectus. When you need to cross the desert after catastrophic worldwide calamities, this beast is your top choice.
12. The Dodge
The Dodge is a junkyard attack dog: a modified hot rod that spews flames across the citadel.
11. The Mack
The Mack is an R-series wrecker with mounted harpoons. It's tasked with bringing up the rear of the Australian armada, scooping up the spoils of war left behind.
10. Buggy #9
Buggy #9 looks like a Corvette that's been to hell and back. It's got a custom gunner seat mounted to the rear for fending off all the maniacal death gangs of the desert.
9. The War Rig
The War Rig strikes a formidable pose. A semi-truck with precious cargo needs an Apocalypse-Now-esque number of skull trophies to scare off plundering bandits.
8. Prince Valiant
This muscle car comes equipped with an outlaw arsenal of molotov grenades and a rear-mounted flamethrower. Those fierce licks of fire across the hood aren't just for decoration.
7. The Cranky Frank
The Cranky Frank is a chopped-top rat rod with a mean tower of carburetors. This vehicle also serves as the trailblazer in the main villain's military entourage, a predatory gang known as the War Boys.
6. Elvis
With nitrous injection and twin GMC V6 engines to power it, Elvis boasts the top acceleration of the war rig convoy. Not bad for the ghost of a three-window coupe.
5. The Ploughboy
The Holden EH Station Wagon was a popular Australian car in the 1960s, but after the apocalypse, it was necessary to outfit it with a hydraulic plough and an off-road frame.
4. FDK
Punch buggy brown! The first thing that jumps out about this rugged Volkswagen monstrosity is those fuel barrels attached to the side, perfectly engineered to spew flames into the face of any bloodthirsty fugitive daft enough to come near.
3. The Peacemaker
The Peacemaker belongs to the Bullet Farmer, and it's another piece of classic Mad Max iconography. This vicious vehicle looks like a roadster mashed up with some makeshift tank tracks.
2. The Gigahorse
The Gigahorse is like the conjoined twins of Cadillac Coupe DeVilles. They're both carried aloft on the chassis of a giant monster truck with two massive V-8 engines spilling forth from its intestines. It's truly the stuff of nightmares.
1. The Plymouth Rock
If Beetlejuice drove a Plymouth sedan through a field of sand worms, we imagine it might look close to this. This nasty piece of work scavenges the desert hunting for the decaying flesh of dead animals, and it's officially the wildest we've seen so far from Fury Road.
You knew this one would be on here. Mortal Kombat tops our list with official bans in Brazil, Germany, South Korea, and Australia. With this year's new release easily earning the distinction of the most violent game in the series, we wouldn't be surprised if even more bans followed.
2. Red Dead Redemption
John Marston's gritty adventure through the Wild West was banned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for scenes containing nudity. The UAE ultimately repealed the ban two months later, presumably because officials actually played the game and realized how great it was.
3. Left 4 Dead 2
A German court outlawed the original version of L4D2, saying it "trivializes violence due to its high killing rate and explicit graphical representation of mutilation." Australia also refused to classify the game for commercial sale, citing "copious amounts of blood spray and splatter."
4. Sonic Blast Man
America has a strong tradition of free speech, but it doesn't tolerate safety hazards. The unique arcade game Sonic Blast Man was recalled because of injuries and safety concerns about its punching pad. It was never redistributed. (Image via Arcade Flyer Archive)
5. South Park: The Stick of Truth
South Park is known for pushing buttons, and The Stick of Truth is no exception. Ubisoft censored the European, Russian, and Australian releases of the game, while Lebanon and Saudi Arabia banned the game outright. Turns out the world's just not ready for that level of alien probing.
6. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Injustice itself is pretty tame for a fighting game, considering it was designed by the creators of Mortal Kombat. However, it still received a ban in Kuwait for including the word "gods" in the title.
7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
GRAW 2 was banned in the Mexican state of Chihuahua after Juarez Mayor Héctor Murguía Lardizábal labeled the game "a crime against the intellectual capacity of Juarez residents." The problem originated with a mission in the game depicting a battle with Mexican rebels.
8. Pokémon
Pokémon seems like the least controversial game, but that didn't stop Saudi Arabia from banning it for promoting gambling and for featuring religious iconography and Freemasonry symbols. This may be a case of looking for something that was never there.
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Black Ops II sold more than 24 million copies worldwide, but very few of those purchases were made in Pakistan, where the game was banned. A local manufacturers association recommended the injunction for showing "the country in a very poor light."
10. EA Sports MMA
Denmark has a law restricting the use of energy drink product placements in games. Rather than sacrifice the game's "authentic recreation" of MMA corporate sponsorship, EA refused to alter the game and did not ship it to that region.
11. Mass Effect
BioWare's space opera epic was initially banned in Singapore for featuring a cross-species alien love scene. Who knows what the government would do if they watched an episode of Farscape?
12. Battlefield 3
Iranians were upset with a plotline involving an invasion of Tehran, leading the deputy police chief to prohibit stores them from selling the game. The Global Islamic Media Front later reskinned an anti-US version of the game titled "Night of Bush Capturing."
13. Bully
Anti-video-game attorney Jack Thompson isn't the only one with a grudge against Bully. The country of Brazil banned the game because its violence takes place within a school setting. A Brazilian state prosecutor called the milieu "unacceptable."
14. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
BlazBlue is a victim of the United Arab Emirates' restrictive National Media Council, which proclaimed the fighting game's sexy costumes too raunchy. The artsy relationship puzzle game Catherine was also banned in the UAE because of its sexual themes.
15. Football Manager 2005
FM05 was prohibited in China because "Taipei of Taiwan, the Hong Kong-Macao region, and China's Tibet are represented as independent countries," instead of Chinese territories, according to China Daily.
I like to think of Action Henk as a retired action hero on the fast road to retaking the spotlight. A distended beer belly hanging far over his belt, Henk is a small action figure sporting a wide, yet determined grin separating an impressive set of 1980s sideburns. It’s hard not to root for him as he slides down ramps and over obstacles at a relentless velocity. This side-scrolling, speed-running platformer has the rush of a classic
There is still some stress involved. At the end of most sections, you face a tough boss challenge. These races can require a lot of patience and restarts as they test your speed-running skills. The final section missions, however, are the most difficult. Some of them can be downright sadistic in their challenges. Earning a gold medal in every level of a section unlocks a touch bonus mission to collect coins. The medal also unlocks the rainbow medal ghost, as well as the ghost for the top player of the level--both of which are the hardest challenges you can face. Beyond that, the game does suffer from some minor issues. A few levels tend to lag in spots, while the level select menu sticks on occasion.
Though reaching the final "Hard as Henk" levels is possible in only a few hours, there is still a lot of extra content to experience and discover. Completing challenges such as boss battles unlocks new characters and skins--the Sonic costume for Henk with his belly bursting through the front is an easy favorite. Action Henk is a community-focused game, and includes tools to build and share your own custom level and download other users’ levels from its Steam page. I tried a few of the higher rated tracks, many of which are great. Some send you through enough loops to make your head spin, while others are designed for pure speed. Action Henk also has an online racing mode, but I wasn’t able to give it a whirl, as the developer kept it offline for advance review copies.
Getting too close to the floor causes it to turn to lava.
Completing Action Henk will set you back only several hours, but you will be at the edge of your seat for most of that time. The speed is immensely satisfying, and earning those precious gold medals after replaying levels feels good. It’s a heart-pumping adventure starring action figures and toy tracks, so give yourself a break and come play.
I'm a firm believer that all skills, even the ones we often think of as innate--artistic talent, athletic ability, imaginative writing--can be taught. It's just a matter of putting the time and effort into learning to excel (or at least be competent) at something. Rhythm is the exception to that rule. You either have it or you don't. And I do not. The only reason I could play drums in
And despite the great soundtrack and the trance-inducing interplay between music, game art, and mechanics, the platforming and art are merely good. Your dash mechanic is key to traversing many of the game's obstacles, but it feels loose and imprecise, which is rarely a major issue but becomes frustrating when it does rear its head. The art can become a phantasmagoric, psychedelic delight, but the game also embraces staid, bland cyberpunk electroscapes that feel rote by the end of the game. Boss fights against a cyber-spider crop up at the end of the game, and they are more aggravating than hypnotic. Inside My Radio also suffers from the inclusion of an occasional puzzle where you might not even realize you're trying to solve a puzzle at first, and it interrupts the musical momentum of the game.
Inside My Radio never quite reaches the synergetic highs of its most obvious peer, Sound Shapes, but it's still an entrancing experience. Although the main campaign is very short (it takes less than two hours to complete), the Time Attack mode adds legs to the game for those who wish to truly master the game's levels. If you're wanting a game that is perfect for a chill evening where you want to relax with music and a video game, Inside My Radio is worth a spin.
The survey GungHo shared last month focused on properties by Game Arts, the studio behind the much-beloved JRPG series Grandia and Lunar, with several questions specifically referencing interest in PC games. Responses indicating a desire for a remastered Grandia II were "overwhelming," according to GungHo, so the company has chosen to move forward with the port.
"With the rise of digital downloads, it is especially important that classic games continue to remain available to play in some form," said president of GungHo America Jun Iwasaki. "Grandia II was chosen for a PC re-release because it represents both a hallmark of the Grandia series and an example of how great JRPGs can be."
What other classic GameArts games do you think should be remastered? Let us know in the comments below.
Finally, the May Xbox One update introduces dedicated servers for party chat. Microsoft is starting the rollout now, and availability will be expanded in the coming weeks.
What do you think of these new Xbox One changes? Let us know in the comments below.
Before Duke Nukem there was… a crapload of other games! Dan and Ed revisit their 90’s PC gaming childhoods by racing through the 3D Realms Anthology!
The Witcher 3 passes 1 million pre-orders, a Fallout 4 cinematic trailer could be coming, and find out what’s in the newest Xbox One system update!
With The Witcher 3 on the horizon, Jess gives you a list of five other awesome video games that were originally based on or inspired by books!
Check out Official Xbox One Gameplay with dynamic scaling from 900p to 1080p.
