This week in video games, July 10, 2017: long-awaited Destiny 2 beta here in a week

This week, Nintendo is bringing Switch to the PNE this summer; Limbo and Inside get packaged together this fall; and South Park returns to video games in October. But first, the Destiny 2 beta arrives next week.

Destiny 2 beta begins next week

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Bungie has my number. That's why I'm clearing my schedule for the weekend of July 21 through July 23, when the game developer releases the beta for Destiny 2.

If you preorder the game, you get access to the beta early. PS4 players can start on July 18, and Xbox One players can start on July 19.

The Destiny 2 beta experience will, says Bungie, feature the opening-story mission, Homecoming, as well as samples of both cooperative and competitive modes of play.

Play Nintendo Switch games at the PNE this summer

Starting on August 19 and running through September 4, Nintendo Canada will be giving PNE visitors a chance to play a bunch of fun Switch games.

At the Play Together kiosk at the fairgrounds, you'll be able to try the frantic ARMS, the furious Splatoon 2, and the fast Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

There will also be a competition zone where gamers can play for prizes.

Nintendo will be giving things away, too. And Mario himself might just make an appearance now and then.

Limbo and Inside double pack coming this fall

In the past couple of years, indie game developer Playdead has created two games notable for their unique gothic tone.

On September 12, the two games, Limbo (2010) and Inside (2016) are being released together for PS4 and Xbox One (US$30).

Both games are side-scrolling platformers with puzzle elements. Limbo has a distinct black-and-white style, while Inside's muted colours and otherworldly ambience make it a perfect companion to something like the TV show Stranger Things.

South Park kids return to video games with The Fractured But Whole in October

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park, love themselves a pun, and they are exploiting that fancy in this new game.

Where 2014 debut The Stick of Truth was a send-up of fantasy tropes, this sequel has Eric Cartman and the gang assuming their superhero identities and visiting the seedier side of their small Colorado town.

I played one mission of the game at E3 in L.A. The sequence of events took place in a strip club, and I felt guilty about every uncomfortable laugh the game drew out of me.

There's an entirely new turn-based combat system that is great, though, and the game still has you looting and crafting as you go.

Preorder The Fractured But Whole, for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One and you'll get a copy of The Stick of Truth for free. 

In the meantime, you can play the South Park mobile game Phone Destroyer. It's available for Android and iOS devices in Canada now. The rest of the world has to wait until later this year.