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Beat-'em-ups have been through a bit of a rough patch lately. The arcade-style brawler suffered a decline that coincided with the downfall of arcades themselves, and aside from standout efforts like Castle Crashers and Double Dragon Neon, little has been done in recent years to progress or revitalize the genre.

Vanillaware breathes new life into a worthwhile but rarely attempted style of gameplay with Dragon's Crown, a brilliantly executed tribute to arcade gaming's past that offers up an endlessly satisfying loop of questing, looting, and character progression.

In comparison to its Vanillaware-developed predecessors Odin Sphere and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Dragon's Crown forgoes in-depth RPG elements in favor of traditional beat-em-up gameplay. Combat in Dragon's Crown is fluid, satisfying, and intense, and represents a major, necessary evolution of the style introduced in Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons series.

With hits like Walking Dead and Last of Us getting more and more popular, what does it say about us as gamers?

IGN reports that the lovely, meme-tastic PSN action-platformer Guacamelee! is coming to PC on August 8. For $15, you get the base game, two pieces of DLC, and, should you buy Guac during its first week on Steam, a copy of the developers' earlier game, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.Read more...

The Aveline featured in the PlayStation-exclusive content coming to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will be an older heroine than what we've previously seen in Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation. Ubisoft has revealed that Aveline will have three missions, each taking place some time after the conclusion of Liberation.

"It's a ways forward so Aveline is a bit older," Ubisoft lead writer Darby McDevitt revealed during a panel at Comic-Con that has since been transcribed on the Ubisoft blog. "It's not directly related to the end of her story. If Assassin's Creed 4 is like a novel, Aveline's missions are like a short story."

Aveline is of French and African descent, born to a wealthy French merchant and his African common-law slave wife in 1747.

This is it. It's the final pre-launch trailer for Dragon's Crown, the fantastical brawler notorious for all sorts of huge reasons. Dragon's Crown will hit PS3 for $50 and Vita for $40 on August 6, along with DLC that's free for one month after release. Are you brave enough to watch one more video?

If you think you're good at old-school platformers, Cloudberry Kingdom will make you think again.

Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Plus subscribers can download puzzler Dokuro for free to their Vitas. Dokuro joins PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD on the portable system, which is discounted to $11.99 for PS Plus users this week.

Lastly, Max Payne 3 and Max Payne 3: Ultimate Edition are on sale starting this week for $7.99 and $11.99, respectively. The Ultimate Edition version includes the Rockstar Pass, which grants access to maps, items and other DLC such as the Local Justice pack.

Tearaway, the lovely paperized platformer for PlayStation Vita, has been bumped back from an October release date to November 22. Read more...

Best Buy kicked off its Back to School deals last week, and is entering a new round of sales today with a slew of games discounted until Saturday, August 3.

Among this week's deals include Skylanders: Giants starter packs, which are down to $40. Project X Zone is on sale for $30 and Company of Heroes 2 is discounted to $50. God of War: Ascension, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops with the First Strike content pack, Telltale's The Walking Dead, Ni No Kuni, Rocksmith and Lego Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey are all on sale for $20 each.

Interceptor Entertainment's revival of Rise of the Triad highlights this week as video games close out a slow July and look to a hotter August. Other releases include Cloudberry Kingdom and a collector's edition for Terraria.Read more...

Formerly Stealth Bastard, the indie puzzle platformer from Curve Studios is now on PS3, Vita, and home computer systems. It's got 80 levels, a level editor, and handy messages to demoralize you for making mistakes.Read more...

We played through a preview build of Killzone Mercenary, just for you. Turns out it's not half bad if you're looking for a way to stab some necks on your Vita. Check out the video to see how to touchscreen swipe someone to death.Read more...

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Team Ninja shows off new features for offline play plus character customization features

I don't care if this is the Japanese PlayStation equivalent of a ShamWow commercial, it's still captivating/horrifying to watch.Read more...

Guacamelee will unleash its next DLC pack, "El Diablo's Domain," on PSN tomorrow. Europe will get the DLC on July 24.

El Diablo's Domain adds 17 new trials and a trio of new outfits for protagonists Juan and Tostada, all for $2.99. One outfit is based on noted Mexican soccer player Jorge Campos' colorful training garb. Another is based on Mexican folk art, while the third outfit is Diablo himself, provided you can best some tough trials with style.

Guacamelee is a 2D action game by Drinkbox Studios starring Juan, a Mexican luchador who can travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. With the aid of mystical female luchador named Tostada, he sets out to defeat the evil Carlos Calaca and pile-drive so many chickens.

Indie developer Grip Games has released its first footage from Atomic Ninjas, a competitive multiplayer platformer coming soon to the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita.

Announced back in May, Atomic Ninjas challenges players to take out the competition using environmental hazards and traps placed throughout each level. Though the Atomic Ninjas are unable to harm each other directly, power-ups like rocket-powered jetpacks, grappling hooks, and telekinesis modules will allow you to turn the tide in battle, often with humorous and unexpected results.

Atomic Ninjas will debut on the PlayStation 3 this summer, and a PS Vita version will launch soon afterward.

Metal Slug XX, compatible with both PSP and PS Vita, is this week's new recruit for the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection. PS Plus subscribers can grab SNK's run-and-gunner gratis starting tomorrow - the usual asking price is $20.

Metal Slug XX is an altered version of Metal Slug 7 on the Nintendo DS. It features additional ad-hoc co-op and mini-games on top of the core DS game. The series is known for its expressive sprites, powerful weaponry, insane boss battles and blatant disregard for bullet rationing.

Mickey is back, and his old adventure is now in HD. Here's how SEGA made it all happen.

Well alright then. The Smurfs 2 it is this week, a movie adaptation doing every single platform like it's still 2008 or something. Not much else to discuss.Read more...

Telltale Games CEO Dan Connors told San Diego Comic-Con panel attendees that The Walking Dead darling Clementine "will definitely be a part of" the game's second season. Likewise, the fate of another character, Kenny, "will be explored."

Further details concerning Season 2 were not offered. The Walking Dead: 400 Days was released this month and served as a short bridge into the next season.

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational drops onto PS3 in next week's PSN update in North America, a treat for those awaiting the console port of the Vita game. Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment quietly mentioned a while ago the PS3 version, released in Japan last year, was in the works for the west. Similarly quietly, this week's PlayStation Blogcast spills the beanies on the arcade golfer's PSN arrival - there's no news of a physical version.

In Japan the PS3 port, which supports cross-platform play, features additions including two new characters, two new courses, and two new modes, including one completely devoted to those short-but-sweet Par 3 holes. We'll keep our ears to the fairways for further details on the western version.

Conversation with the various denizens of Oddworld has been a staple of the series since it began back in 1997, when Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee's GameSpeak engine made farting in a video game easier than ever. There were also important gameplay uses for the system, and it served as a vital cornerstone in establishing the charm and character of the game's universe by giving voice and personality to its NPCs.

Now, developer Just Add Water wants to give your voice and personality to the Mudokons in its forthcoming remake, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee New 'n' Tasty. Throwing your voice into the ring is relatively easy, provided you've got the right gear: A "decent microphone," an audio capture device capable of recording at 24bit/96kHz, some noiseless/feedback-free cables and a Soundcloud account.

A short script of required phrases has been posted on Just Add Water's official blog - once your takes been recorded, they are to be uploaded to your Soundcloud account as .wav files (remember those?) and shared with the official Oddworld account. The deadline for submissions is next Friday, July 26.

Those purty Retro+ graphics added last month to the PC version of Retro City Rampage have made their way to Theftropolis on the PS3 and PS Vita. The latest version is available on PSN now, bringing the PS3 and PS Vita versions of Retro City Rampage up to par with the PC version.

Retro+ ups the overall visual fidelity of Retro City Rampage by doubling on-screen color count and turning on dynamic soft shadows. Purists can take it the other way with "Rom City Rampage," a true 8-bit version of Retro City Rampage scaled down to mirror how the game would run on NES hardware. The final piece of this update increases the length of Retro City Rampage's trial version for all.

Coincidentally, Retro City Rampage is on sale for $5 right now across PC, PS Vita and PS3. The PS3 and PS Vita versions are cross-buy enabled.

A NIS America newsletter in the Joystiq inbox says the publisher is bringing Vanillaware co-op hack-and-slash Dragon's Crown to Europe, although no further details were noted beyond a fall release window. The Vita and PS3 game, mixing the Muramasa and Odin Sphere studio's hand-painted visuals with a diverse array of brawling heroes, comes to North America on Atlus' shoulders August 6.

Sony has a big ol' pile of props, costumes and artwork left over from the production of its "Greatness Awaits" trailer that debuted during this year's E3. An auction website will now unload everything - but don't pull out your just wallet yet. You're going to use a different currency.

The site is called Bid for Greatness, and rather than dropping huge wads of cash for one-of-a-kind memorabilia, users will instead bid the Gold Trophies associated with their PlayStation Network accounts. Sony will place a new item up for auction every day for the next fourteen days, with each auction lasting 24 hours. Available items range from concept artwork to complete costumes, such as this Killzone: Shadow Fall outfit that (as of press time) has a high bid of 975 Gold Trophies.

Sony points out that Trophies bid on items will not be removed from their respective PSN accounts, so not only will the person who outbids you on something get that thing you wanted, they'll also have more trophies than you at the end of the day. Harsh.

Sony has significantly altered its DRM policies for the PlayStation Network's Video Unlimited service, allowing users to download purchased content across multiple devices.

Previously, buyers had one-time access to videos purchased through the PlayStation Network, which effectively prevented the copying, redownloading, or transfer of Video Unlimited content. Sony's new policy, discovered by Shacknews, adds support for persistent cloud libraries, along with the ability to redownload content across supported devices like the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP.

The change in policy applies to new purchases as well as content bought prior to Sony's recent Terms of Service update. "If you purchase a copy, the video or TV show download will be available infinitely and can be transferred to other enabled devices," Sony's Video Unlimited website now states.

This isn't just an excuse to post the amazing trailer for The LEGO Movie again, I promise. Read more...

The person who is playing the upcoming video game Luftrausers in the GIF here understands a basic rule of the game: don't shoot, and your plane will heal. Games are made of simple rules like these. Occasionally, those rules can feel profound.Read more...

The definition of insanity is pulling full price over and over again and expecting things to get cheaper. There's a whole world of deals outside the Steam Summer Sale, and you can explore it in this very post. The console gaming sections are not exactly stacked today, but we've got a great selection of apps and an even better Media category. Best of all, I've brought over the Dealzmodo deal of the day on the awesome BenQ 24" 120Hz 1080p LED monitor for your saving pleasure. It's an awesome monitor stuffed with features, and we highly recommended it even if all your matches are unranked. [Amazon] PC All of today's PC game deals have been rolled in to the Steam Summer Sale coverage. • Far Cry 3 [Physical] ($20) | Amazon Mac All of today's Mac game deals have been rolled in to the Steam Summer sale coverage. PS3/PS4 • Defiance ($30) | Amazon • Fuse ($40) | Amazon • Far Cry 3 ($20) | Amazon • 500GB PS3 w/ Assassin's Creed 3 ($230) | eBay (Newegg) via TechBargains 360/One • Defiance ($30) | Amazon • Fuse ($30) | Amazon • Dead Island Riptide Special Edition for Xbox 360 ($30) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • Far Cry 3 ($20) | Amazon • Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel ($22) | Amazon | Within $2 of lowest price ever Wii U • Nintendo Land ($21) | Amazon Vita There was a Gravity Rush deal but it expired. 3DS • Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon ($31) | Amazon iOS • FREE Pokedex | via 9to5Toys • McPixel ($1) | via TechDealDigger • FREE Vio | via Gizmodo • Prince of Persia Classic ($1)/Prince of Persia Classic iPad ($1) • FREE Call of Mini Zombies | via TechDealDigger • FREE Table Top Racing | via 9to5Toys • FREE Hoppetee! | via 9to5Toys • King of Dragon Pass ($5) | Normally $10 Android • Beat Hazard Ultra ($1) | AppBrain via TechDealDigger • Ingenius ($1) | AppBrain via TechDealDigger Media • Pre-order Sharknado [DVD] ($12) | Amazon • Dark Knight Trilogy [Blu-ray] ($25) | Amazon • Toy Story 3 [Blu-ray] ($13) | Amazon • The Amazing Spider-Man [Blu-ray] ($15) | Amazon • Batman The Animated Series [DVD] ($18/season) | Amazon • Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz Double Feature [Blu-ray] ($13) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • Sherlock: Season One [Blu-ray] ($20) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • Amazon has Adult Swim DVD's on sale including Sealab 1-4, Frisky Dingo 1-2, Superjail 1-2, and Harvey Birdman 1-3 • Popular Anime Movie Sets at Their Lowest Prices Ever Starting at $12 | Amazon via Deals Kinja | Lowest price ever • Avatar: The Last Airbender Books One, Two, and Three ($13 each) | Amazon via Deals Kinja | Lowest price ever • Best Buy will Give You $5 Off any Blu-Ray When You Ditch a DVD | Best Buy via Deals Kinja | Puts several BD movies at $5 Comics • 25 random comics for $20 | woot! Tech Want even more Tech deals? Check out Gizmodo's Dealzmodo, now written by yours truly. • BenQ XL2420T Professional Gaming Monitor ($280) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • Panasonic Viera 600Hz 65" Smart Plasma ($1288) | Amazon via DealNews • AmazonBasics 3.5mm Aux Portable Speaker ($7) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • Plantronics GameCom 780 Headset ($50) | Amazon via Deals Kinja | Lowest price ever • Eye-Fi 8 GB Mobile X2 SDHC Class 6 Wireless Memory Card EYE-FI-8MD ($41) | Amazon | Lowest price ever Rigged • Samsung 840 250GB SSD ($150) | eBay Inventory • AQUA ZOOKA AZ-18 Quick Fill 18-Inch Water Bazooka ($9) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • Intrigo Board game ($14) | Amazon | Lowest price ever • 48” Foosball Table ($45) | Sears | $35 off, likely on clearance • Banana Republic 40% off | Use code BRJULY40 • Denny's 20% off your whole check #moneysaver Free Ruffles Crispy Fries at 7-Eleven today with app http://t.co/X7KXzfXblp — Shane Roberts (@ShaneOSX) July 15, 2013 Keep up with Shane Roberts on Kinja and Twitter. Check out Dealzmodo for more great tech deals, and Deals.Kinja.com for even more discounts. Join us every weekday at 2:15pm ET for the full Moneysaver roundup, brought to you by the Commerce Team. We're here to bring Kotaku readers the best gaming deals available, and to be clear, we also make money if you buy. We want your feedback.