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CultureBlizzConline Coming February 2021
After cancelling BlizzCon in May, Blizzard has announced an online version of its massive convention will be held February 19-20, 2021. “While circumstances are keeping us from gathering in person this year,” Blizzard wrote in a blog post. “We’re putting together a little something early next year to channel the spirit of BlizzCon into the…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsFinal Fantasy XVI’s Trailer Looks Like A Mix Of IX And XII (And That’s Great!)
One of the biggest surprises of the Sony PS5 event on Wednesday was the reveal of a new main-line Final Fantasy game, the 16th in the series (more like the 36th if you count all the sequels and spinoffs and Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus). Fans of the series are excited, and some…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureTransphobic Creator J.K. Rowling ‘Not Involved’ in New Harry Potter Game
Warner Brothers, publisher of the upcoming open-world Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy, released an FAQ on the game’s official Discord yesterday. In addition to answering questions about the game’s development and platforms, the FAQ asserts that Rowling, who’s recently drawn criticism for transphobic statements, has no involvement in the game. Teased in yesterday’s PS5 event,…
By Ash Parrish -
OpinionImpressionsBPM: Bullets Per Minute Is A Shockingly Fun First-Person Rhythm Shooter
“Rhythm FPS roguelike” is not a series of words I thought I’d see strung together to describe a video game. But the year 2020 is committed to surprising the hell out of me, sometimes for ill (mostly for ill nowadays) but sometimes for good. BPM:Bullets Per Minute is one of those good surprises. Out now…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureUndertale Creator Says Next Chapter Of Deltarune Is Almost Done
Nyeh heh heh! Today marks the fifth anniversary of the release of Undertale, and creator Toby Fox is celebrating the milestone with new information on the progress of its sequel, Deltarune It’s been two years since the first chapter of Deltarune was released for PC/Mac, PS4, and the Nintendo Switch. In a post today on…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsImmortals: Fenyx Rising Trailer’s Choice Of James Brown Sample Confuses The Hell Outta Me
As a rule, I am a big proponent of having more diverse music in my entertainment. I’m so used to hearing that poor brown woman wailing or the overused “Braaaam” in various movies and trailers that it’s nice when companies break the mold. I especially love when movies and TV shows put contemporary music in…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureEA Play Coming To Xbox Game Pass At No Extra Cost
Tucked into today’s announcement of the Xbox Series X pricing and release date was the announcement that EA Play, EA’s subscription game service, is coming to Xbox Game Pass at no extra fee. Available only in the PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate bundles, EA Play grants players access to exclusive in-game content, early access…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureXbox Series X Will Cost $499, Out November 10
This morning, Microsoft confirmed the price and release date of the new next generation Xbox. With a suggested retail price of $499, the Xbox Series X, Microsoft’s beefier, terafloppier, next-gen console, will be available for pre-orders beginning September 22, with a retail release date of November 10th. This news comes just one day after the…
By Ash Parrish -
EsportsOverwatch Team with 4-17 Record Could Somehow Win the League Playoffs
Over the weekend, the Washington Justice became the embodiment of Overwatch League playoff chaos. They are other teams’ spoilers and the playoff Cinderellas. They’ve gone from one of the worst regular season performances to knocking out one tournament champ and almost knocking out another. And although their chances of ultimate triumph are still mathematically slim,…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsI Can’t With These Confusing Xbox Names
With the price of one of the next-generation Xbox consoles confirmed and the other one likely forthcoming as Microsoft and Sony’s big game of next-gen pricing chicken drags on, there needs to be a frank discussion about the names of these consoles. A discussion wherein I sit down with Mr. Microsoft and ask a simple…
By Ash Parrish -
EsportsPlayoff Season Is The Best Time To Get Into Overwatch League
You do not need to have watched a single match of the 2020 Overwatch League season to follow the playoffs. Playoffs are the playoffs, you already know the stakes, no background information required. The playoffs themselves will provide their own self-contained narrative that newcomers can understand and invest in. The 2020 Overwatch League playoffs began…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsHe Comin’: Fall Guys Devs Tease The Arrival Of The Big Yeetus
Fall Guys developer Mediatonic hinted today on Twitter to the addition of a new element to maps called the Big Yeetus. The tweet features a gif of a Fall Guy being yeeted (yeet · ed verb to be thrown, punched, or otherwise flung over a great distance) by a big rotating hammer toward the Dizzy…
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CultureUpcoming Indie Game Nour: Play With Your Food Wants To Make You Hungry
At the elementary school lunch table, after I was finished with my chicken nuggets or whatever else the cafeteria had served up for the day, my friends and I would mix all our leftovers together. We’d use empty milk cartons as the vessel for our alchemical experiments, throwing in whatever we weren’t eating anymore to…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureIndia has banned the immensely popular PUBG Mobile game along with 118 other China-based mobile apps according to a press release from the Indian Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology. This is the latest round of Chinese app bans from the Indian government after TikTok and WeChat were banned in June.
By Ash Parrish -
CultureAdventures in the Forgotten Realms Will Bring Some D&D To Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering fans, get ready to get a little bit of Dungeons and Dragons chocolate in your Magic: The Gathering peanut butter. In today’s official Zendikar Rising preview, Wizards of the Coast announced a new card set coming in Q3 2021 that will bring some D&D flavor to the planes of Magic While Dungeons…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsPlayers Are Making Amazing Things In Overwatch‘s Workshop Mode
Overwatch turned four this past June, and despite attempts to keep the game fresh with new events, skins, and game modes, there’s only so many times one can tell a teammate to get on the damn payload. But one way players are keeping the game fresh and exciting is through experimenting in Overwatch’s Workshop, a…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Returning To Dragon Age: Origins
I knew this would happen. The second I saw that Dragon Age 4 video at Gamescom, I knew I’d be back on my particular brand of Dragon Age bullshit. I want you to know I tried. I fought against the siren’s call as best as I could. But like many an ancient sailor, I too…
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CultureEverything I, An Inquisitor Extraordinaire, Noticed In That Dragon Age 4 Gamescom Video
That ear-splitting screech you hear, that’s me screaming about new Dragon Age 4 information. While the 4-minute short played during yesterday’s Gamescom opener didn’t reveal any gameplay, story, or character information, nevertheless the keenest of Dragon Age stans (i.e. me) will have caught more than a few hints about what to expect from BioWare’s fourth…
By Ash Parrish