Ari Notis

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Replaces Archaic Subway Tokens With Soon-To-Be-Archaic MetroCards

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, out today for PC, PlayStation4, and Xbox One, is a tour de force—a rare redux that modernizes the original games while staying true to what made them such hallmarks in the first place. The remaster has also, finally, after decades, brought Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 into… the early ‘90s?…

Tips For Playing Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel’s Avengers, officially out today for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, send players directly to the uncanny valley of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As with the source material, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes operate uniquely, and reaching black-belt status with each character is something that only comes with time and effort. Still, there’s some general starting…

So, Is Marvel’s Avengers An Endless Grindfest Or Not?

There’s a cloud hanging over Marvel’s Avengers. Since the third-person action game was confirmed to be a Destiny-style online game, one question has persisted: Just how much of a grind are we looking at? Is Marvel’s Avengers, officially out tomorrow for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, more of an endless toil than an entertaining…

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Turns Mario Kart Into An AR Game With Real Toys

For some time, Mario Kart has famously been playable in virtual reality, which you can do at the VR Zone, in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Now, Nintendo’s long-running racing series is getting the augmented reality treatment. Announced today during a Mario-themed video presentation, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit will bring Mario Kart to the entire living room.…

Here’s How Microtransactions Work In Marvel’s Avengers

Ever since Marvel’s Avengers was revealed to be an endless online game, a la Destiny, prospective players have wondered about potential microtransactions, and just how bad they are. To just be out with it: Yes, there are microtransactions in Marvel’s Avengers. No, you can’t pay your way to a superpowered character (or, well, a more…

Pokémon Masters EX Hashtag Looks Real Bad In Lowercase

Last month, the mobile game Pokémon Masters underwent some changes. In addition to new story events and trainer pairings, it also received a new name: Pokémon Masters EX. But we’re not here to talk about any of that. We’re here to talk about how the game is getting promoted on Twitter, chiefly through a hashtag…

Wasteland 3, From The Perspective Of A Wasteland Newcomer

Early on in Wasteland 3, you’re forced to make a choice. The family of one of your party members, a young woman named Lucia Wesson, was recently killed. An early quest has you stumble upon a camp of downtrodden apocalypse survivors, where you meet Lucia’s ex-boyfriend. Even if he didn’t technically pull the trigger, he’s…

Windbound Nails The Terrifying, Calming Peace Of Being In Open Waters

Six minutes into Windbound, I died. Shortly after the game started, I found myself stranded on an island with nothing but my wits and a knife. I saw a boar-like creature. It wasn’t bothering me, but it had something I needed. So I did what video games have taught me to do and struck it…

Here’s More Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Running On The PlayStation 5

We’ve seen glimpses of PS5 gameplay before—including in one seriously impressive tech demo from May—but today’s Gamescom “Opening Night Live” showed off a deeper look. Capping off the two-hour (!!) event was a lengthy gameplay demo of Insomniac Games’ PS5 exclusive, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Here’s a look: In an interview right after the…

Fall Guys‘ Second Season Is Medieval Themed

If you ever wished your local Renaissance Faire was more colorful, you’re in luck. Fall Guys’ second season will be themed after the medieval era, developer Mediatonic revealed today during Gamescom’s “Opening Night Live” event For those who’ve spent August under the rock or in the woods (hey, I wouldn’t blame you), Fall Guys is…

Today, during the Gamescom “Opening Night Live” event, Bethesda announced the release date for Doom Eternal’s first expansion It’s called The Ancient Gods and is split into two parts. The first comes out October 20. Rip and tear!

Here’s Where To Watch Gamescom’s Opening Night Live Event

Gamescom’s “Opening Night Live” is the last major not-E3 event of the summer. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, pretty much every heavy hitter in the industry—from EA and Gearbox to Bungie and Bethesda—is making an appearance. Expect to get a taste of upcoming games (Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War)…

How Much Call Of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War Will Cost (In Plain English)

Earlier today, after a week of hype, Activision revealed release-day information for Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War. It comes out on November 13 and will cost some amount of U.S. dollars. Yes, today’s info dump spawned some confusion around pricing, chiefly because there are a vexing amount of purchasing options for even the…

Here’s Everything In Nintendo’s Surprise Mini Partner Direct

If there’s one thing everyone wants from 2020, it’s a new Nintendo Direct. This morning, seemingly out of nowhere, Nintendo dropped a Nintendo Direct Mini focusing on third-party games. The result wasn’t exactly electrifying: Instead of any ground-breaking announcements, the 12-minute showcase could largely be summed up in two categories: “Games we already knew about”…

Help, This A Cappella Cover Of The Fall Guys Theme Is Stuck In My Head

Even if you (somehow) haven’t played Fall Guys, you’ve probably heard the theme song—through streams, through viral social media clips, through the walls as your neighbors or roommates crank the volume to listen to this wholesome battle royale in all its zany glory. The theme, by Jukio Kallio and Daniel Hagström, is the type of…

The Last Borderlands 3 DLC Goes Inside Krieg’s Psyche

Today, Gearbox announced the fourth and final planned campaign expansion for Borderlands 3. It’s called Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck, and it goes inside the psyche of a Psycho. It comes out on September 10. Psychos, of course, are a common enemy type in the Borderlands series. Borderlands 2 gave players a chance to…

How To Use ‘Primary’ Console Settings To Share Digital Xbox One, Switch, And PS4 Games

In 2013, during the runup to the launch of the PlayStation 4, Sony released an “instructional” video on how to share PS4 games with friends. The 22-second clip features Shuhei Yoshida, then the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, handing a PS4 game to Adam Boyes, another Sony exec. At the time, it was a dig…

Confessions Of A Fall Guys Grabber

If you’ve played Fall Guys, this has happened to you: You’re about to cross the finish line. Everything’s looking great. Then, out of nowhere, some jerk grabs you. A bunch of other pastel-colored beans sprint by. Just like that, you’re disqualified. The person who disqualified you was me—and I’m not sorry. Fall Guys is a…

Hey, Spiritfarer’s Couch Co-Op Is Pretty Good

This week introduced a fine entry into the couch co-op compendium in Spiritfarer, the watercolor management sim about the afterlife.

How Deathloop, Gran Turismo 7, Spider-Man: Miles Morales Will Use PS5 Controller’s Fancy Features

At first glance, the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller doesn’t look like a huge level-up over its predecessor, the DualShock 4. The shape is similar, the layout is near-identical, and the iconic button quadfecta (Square, Triangle, Circle, X) sure hasn’t gone anywhere. But there are a few subtle improvements. One Sony has trumpeted in recent months…