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“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. Regardless of their varying types of gameplay, videogames generally portray their most emotional story beats within the confines of a safe and easy cutscene. Not to say doing this is a bad thing by any means — some of the most incredibly beautiful videogame moments I have ever experienced have occurred in cutscenes (three words:Palom and Porom)....

Whether you like it or not, a sequel to the 2007 original IP of the year,BioShock, is marching with irresistible inevitability to our consoles. Some gamers can’t wait to return to the underwater city of Rapture and do it all over again, while others are more guarded and dread the soulless franchise machine’s potential death-knell for one of recent gaming’s most inventive and unique adventures. Regardless of which you camp you fall into, it cannot be denied that a number of potential problems face those who would create a sequel to a game that stood up so well as its own complete package....

How was your Thanksgiving? That’s great (unless you answered that it was bad)! Now that it’s over you may officially start passing out your Christmas wish list without getting dirty looks (unless you don’t celebrate Christmas, in which case it might get a little awkward). Here’s something new to add: Mario plushes in all shapes and sizes. The good folks atSaneihave announced that these guys will be going on sale in early December....

You all know the drill by now. A newCall of Dutyis released, and promptly sits on top of the UK chart for six months as I struggle each week to come up with a new headline. Considering how crap this week’s headline is, it’s going to be a long and hard six months. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhooddebuts in second place, followed byNeed for Speed: Hot Pursuit. A surprisingly low debut was had bySonic Colo(u)rs....

I’m British by birth, and I must admit that screaming obscenities into a headset while trying to play videogames doesn’t appeal to me. Apparently this is something not exclusive to your humble writer, with Valverecently concludingthat Brits are too quiet. “One thing I wanted to add before I go for you Brits: communicate. Don’t be scared of a microphone,” urgesLeft 4 Dead 2writer Chet Faliszek. “You guys are notorious non-talkers on both 360 and PC....

Time once again to kick off another round of voting forBacklog. We’re just about finished withMega Man Legends 2and I’ve put together another list of candidates to be the 22nd game played. The theme this time around is “Screw the pen, gimme the sword” and features a selection of games which feature long, bladed instruments of battle. Every game in this particular list has been up for voting before, some many times and I’m interested to see how things shake out....

Hi gang! We love giving stuff away on Destructoid, and weknowyou love getting stuff from us. That’s why we’re pleased to announce that we have four copies ofA Boy & His Blobto give away, as well as a hot art book that will ship with each copy. We’re going to give one away a day, and allyouhave to do is comment. Here’s the very important rub, however.These games will be PAL version....

[Update]Contest closed! Winner is nygfan! Thanks to all that entered and to Square Enix for the prizes! Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Togetheris coming on February 15 and to celebrate, we’ve teamed up with the fine folks over at Square Enix for three weeks worth of fabulous contests. For the final portion of this contest, we’re going to be giving away a PlayStation Portable,Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together(PSP), theTactics Ogre: Let Us Cling TogethersoundtrackandFinal Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions(PSP)....

[Update] Contest closed! Winners are famousafterdeath, HEL105 and Avidgam3r! Twitter winners are @skrammas and @CommanderZim! Check your emails/DMs! The latest addition to theHalo: Reachexperience has launched today! The “Defiant Map Pack” offers two new multiplayer maps (Condemned and Highlands) and one new Firefight map (Unearthed) for 800 MS Points. Plus you get 150 additional Achievement points to hunt for too! Microsoft has provided Destructoid with five “Defiant Map Pack” codes to hand out BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!...

Worms: Battle Islandsis coming to both the PSP and Wii, but there’s been some changes to how it will be released if you’ve been following theWormsgames. Let’s start with the PSP, as that one is easy. The title is coming to Sony’s portable as a download only, slated to hit the PlayStation Network this winter. As for the Wii, the title was previously announced as a WiiWare title, but now it has shifted to a retail release....

Tomb Raider: Underworldis coming to just about every current gaming platform in the middle of next month, but only on the Xbox 360 can you download and play two new exclusive chapters. Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the AshesandTomb Raider: Underworld – Lara’s Shadoware both single-player downloadable chapters that extend uponUnderworld‘s story. Between the two, new environments, enemies, and even another playable character will be unlocked in the six hours of new gameplay they provide....

Thanks to theWii Uand even higher-end PC games, it’s starting to feel like the next generation of consoles isn’t too far off. Or is it? In an interview withMCV, Microsoft EMEA VP Chris Lewis said “We see [the Xbox 360] as about halfway through” its life cycle. Lewis did admit that the console “is defying the normal curve you might expect. There’s no doubt that Kinect put a huge shot of adrenaline into the business....

Have you always wanted a cardboard cut-out of a fictional author to look at you while you sleep? Well, as freakishly unlikely as it is, your prayers have been answered. Remedy has provided ahigh resolution copyofAlan Wake‘s cardboard likeness for no real reason. Not that a reason was ever needed. Simply print the image, stick it to some quality card, and then cut it out. Remember to ask a parent or guardian to help you when using scissors!...