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OpinionImpressionsPetting The Bird In The Pathless Serves A Purpose
I’m playing The Pathless, and am concerned about my eagle. It can lift heavy weights, such as its human companion (me), which, while cool and necessary to the game’s progression, seems rather dangerous. It seems unfair that my bird is doing literally all the heavy lifting, carting my character’s no-doubt heavy ass all across Creation.…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureMorning MusicWorld Of Warcraft Had The Perfect Playlist To Kill Hogger To
Good morning children of the Alliance and welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make.. Today we’re vendoring trash, cleaning out our bank tabs, and disenchanting for dust as we prepare for the launch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands with a musical nostalgia roadtrip…
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OpinionImpressionsWorld Of Warcraft: Shadowlands’ Pre-Launch Event Is A Nostalgia Road Trip
The pre-launch event for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, now live, serves as the story lead-up to Shadowlands’ main event. Key leaders of the Alliance and Horde factions have been kidnapped on the orders of Sylvanas Windrunner. But before adventurers can rescue them, they must deal with a Scourge invasion. The pre-launch events detail your efforts…
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CultureOdds and EndsThis Is A Blog About Bloodborne
After the events of this weekend, I’m reminded of when I finally beat Father Gascoigne in Bloodborne. I remember being dead silent after delivering the final blow, worried that somehow he would rise again, fully healed and stronger, to resume the fight. I held my breath until “Prey Slaughtered” finally left my screen. Only then…
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CultureOdds and EndsXbox Series X Has Too Many Horrifying Holes
As reviews for the Xbox Series X arrive, I’m here to talk about one aspect of the console that could impact your desire to buy one, as it has mine. I am a trypophobe, and I cannot own an Xbox Series X because of all its damn holes. [Since this post discusses a phobia, we…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsI Miss The Crazy Batshittery Of The Original Tomb Raider Trilogy
Since mounting anxiety has robbed me of higher cognitive thought, let’s talk about dinosaurs—specifically, why the hell are there dinosaurs in the first three Tomb Raider games? To be clear, I don’t mind that they’re there—they’re challenging to fight and make for some thrilling jump-scares. I’m also aware of how odd it is to focus…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryAs Destiny 2‘s Commander Zavala, Lance Reddick Finally Gets To Be The Good Cop
I am a lapsed Destiny 2 player. In anticipation of the Beyond Light expansion coming out November 10th, I thought I’d reacquaint myself with the game which I hadn’t touched in years. Even though I probably should have waited for Beyond Light and its promise of a revamped and heavily streamlined new player experience, one…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsDawn Of The Final Day
While doomscrolling through Twitter the past few days, I noticed a lot of people making the same Majora’s Mask joke. Today does feel like the Final Day, doesn’t it? Either the moon will crash into the Earth, or the clock will reset and Americans will have another chance to maybe get it right this time.…
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OpinionImpressionsHyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Demo Is More Breath Of The Wild And Less Dynasty Warriors
The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity demo plays like a game that inherited more from its Zelda: Breath of the Wild parent than its hack-and-slash parent Hyrule Warriors. Developer Koei Tecmo repurposed major elements of Breath of the Wild’s gameplay—from the Sheikah slate, to cooking, crafting, and even Korok hunting—and integrated them into Warriors’ musou-style…
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CultureOdds and EndsYakuza 0 and Part Time UFO Are Giving Me My Crane Game Fix
Crane games are sinister, alluring bedevilments with their bright flashing lights and happy jingles that tempt suckers like me into feeding them money. For just a few dollars you too can own this ugly yet endearing horse plushie you have no space for but look how precariously it’s perched and how its long neck is…
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CultureOdds and EndsCase Closed: Mankrik’s Wife Found In Shadowlands
The folks at Blizzard: SVU have finally put to rest a 16-year-old cold case—Mankrik’s wife has been found. As reported by Wowhead, Olgra, wife of Mankrik, can be found in World of Warcraft Shadowlands’s Maldraxxus zone, where vengeful and warlike spirits are sent to rest. According to Wowhead, reporting on the Shadowlands beta, Olgra is…
By Ash Parrish -
OpinionImpressionsAmnesia: Rebirth Makes Motherhood Scary
The only scary thing in Amnesia: Rebirth is motherhood. The monsters are rare and dispersed enough to be manageable threats, and the atmosphere is less oppressive than other Amnesia games. Rebirth did not scare me the same way The Dark Descent or its far more terrifying older sibling Penumbra: Overture did. But it’s a game…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureControl Is Now Available To Stream On The Switch
Control, the atmospheric suspense game from 505 Games is now available on the Switch as Control Ultimate Edition- Cloud Version, but there’s a catch. Since the Switch is not powerful enough to natively run Control, players can only play the game if their internet connection is stable enough to stream it. Players are invited to…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsToo Many Baldur’s Gate 3 Players Choose Basic-Ass Romance
Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has been steadily releasing updates on the progress of their new game, including information on popular player choices. A couple of weeks ago, they jokingly chided players for choosing boring character creator options. This week’s new peek into the data includes how many times players have pet the dog…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryOn The Eve Of PlayStation 5 Season, Let’s Remember My PlayStation 2
Today, a handful of my colleagues have published PlayStation 5 impressions, detailing where the power button is, how it fits in various spaces, and how those slick-ass Dual Sense controllers feel. But did you also know that this week marks the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation 2? How can we appreciate where the next-gen consoles…
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Geguri, The Only Female Overwatch League Player, Leaves The Shanghai Dragons Amidst Off-Season Roster Changes
The weeks immediately following the crowing of the Overwatch League grand champion are generally a stressful and melancholy time for fans. Not only do they have to contend with long winter months without League matches (which is a fine time to catch up on the goings on of its academy league, Contenders) but they also…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryThanks To My Childhood, I Can’t Throw Out My Console Boxes
My first console was a PlayStation, a gift from my mother’s boyfriend. I don’t remember asking for it; I think it was a gift to curry favor. My mother had an antipathy towards video games that bordered on hostility, so while she didn’t outright ban my sister and me from playing them, it was very…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Can’t Stop Playing Picross, Send Help
I’m going to make this quick so I can get back to the game that’s making me write this in the first place: Picross has taken over my life. Mario’s Super Picross (pronounced PIE-cross) is a free puzzle game on the Super Nintendo service available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. (Yes, I know the…
By Ash Parrish
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