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CultureGotta Slay ‘Em All In Witcher Mobile AR Game Monster Slayer
Geralt of Rivia, the overworked, underpaid freelancer, is about to get some much needed backup in the monster hunter gig economy: you. In a teaser trailer released today, Spokko, a subsidiary of CD Projekt Red, announced a new augmented reality mobile game, The Witcher: Monster Slayer Set before the The Witcher games, Monster Slayer “challenges…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureGDQ’s Sonic 3 & Knuckles Speedrun Taught Me Something I Didn’t Expect
I thought I knew everything there was to know about the Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games. Those first four chapters—Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles—are the font of my earliest and fondest video game memories. They’re the bedrock of my video games persona, the kernel of dust at the center…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOf Course Pupperazzi Is My Favorite Game From the Wholesome Snack Indie Showcase
Kitfox Games knows what I like. It’s the developer of the forthcoming Boyfriend Dungeon—a dungeon crawler that also lets you smooch anthropomorphized versions of your weapons—and publishers of the new Pupperazzi Highlighted in today’s Wholesome Snack Indie Showcase, Pupperazzi is a very simple game with a premise that is exactly what you’d expect from that…
By Ash Parrish -
OpinionImpressionsRaji: An Ancient Epic Is A Beautiful Exploration Of Love And Gods
Raji: An Ancient Epic plays like an epic poem. Shadow puppet cutscenes help tell the story of main character Raji and there are murals all over the world displaying stories from Hindu mythology. The music aids the grandness of the storytelling, with a sitar frantically strumming in time with Raji’s spear swipes or the wail…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsCreepypasta Spins The Strange And Unsettling Circumstances Around Cancelled Tomb Raider Game
As I was doomscrolling (heh) Twitter early this morning (a deeply unhealthy part of my morning ritual) I came across a thread written by Xalavier Nelson Jr., former PC Magazine writer and Narrative Designer on ‘90s internet simulation Hypnospace Outlaw. Nelson’s thread hooked me from the very beginning, promising a never-before-heard story about a video…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureCall of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War Is The Next Call Of Duty
A teaser trailer released today revealed that the next Call of Duty will be Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War. Claiming to be inspired by true events, the teaser trailer features the story of a Soviet spy, codenamed “Perseus,” who was allegedly involved in attempts to sabotage the United States. Check out the trailer:…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsThis Lion King Speedrunner Is A Queen
Damn! Damn! I don’t think you understand how difficult this is to execute. Mere mortals who play this game have about a 50/50 chance of grabbing onto any swinging rock, with failure almost always resulting in insta-death. And she just… does it. On the hardest difficulty with zero lives. Eight is a straight-up badass.
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsSuperliminal Is My Favorite Game Of SGDQ So Far
God I love Games Done Quick. The biannual speedrunning charity event is like a video game holy week for me. I watch everything. It’s on when I work, when I’m eating (if I eat at all), it’s on when I sleep. I am always watching, which actually sounds kinda sinister. The 3D puzzle platformer block…
By Ash Parrish -
EsportsA Racist Overwatch Team Got Banned, But I Still Feel Like Shit
Despite having not played in a while, I love Overwatch. I love its bright and vibrant characters from every part of the world (with one glaring omission). I love its message of hope for better, and how we all have the capacity to affect positive change. As the heroine Tracer says, “the world could always…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsHelp! Fall Guys Is Ruining My Relationship
My partner hates playing online games, but this weekend I made him try Fall Guys and now our relationship is in peril. Online games just aren’t for him. He doesn’t think interaction with or dependence on strangers should be a requirement to finish a game. Plus, he’s social enough in his offline life to not…
By Ash Parrish -
Tips & GuidesA Parent’s Guide To What The Hell Is Going On With Fortnite
Maybe you’re a parent who, like a lot of parents nowadays, is working from home as the covid-19 pandemic still rages on. If you have tween-aged, gaming inclined children, they probably play Fortnite. Yesterday, that tween-aged gamer came to you wondering what’s going on with Fortnite. And you, dear parent, have no idea what to tell…
By Ash Parrish -
EsportsRinger Alert: Overwatch League Free Agents Can Now Compete In Playoffs
Now that the pandemic’s torpedoed all of Blizzard’s plans for the Overwatch League 2020 season, the League’s head office is making significant changes to its roster construction rules ahead of the 2020 Playoff season. “The League Office has established the following guidelines in place for roster construction, which includes significant changes to contract lengths and…
By Ash Parrish -
EsportsI (Almost) Miss When The Shanghai Dragons Were OWL’s Worst Team
Overwatch League’s Countdown Cup concluded over the weekend with the (unsurprising) crowning of the San Francisco Shock and the Shanghai Dragons as the winners of the North American and Asian regions, respectively. The Shanghai Dragons are my team. I braved their inaugural 0-40 season when the Dragons did not win a single game. I am…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsWhat Is The Forbidden Book, And Other Blaseball Questions Answered
As the baseball season hobbles on like a drunken three-legged cat with rickets, fans in search of an organized sports fix have found a new sensation on which to hyperfocus: Blaseball. Blaseball (and I’m going to kill my autocorrect function before this piece is over, I swear) is what would happen if the delightfully twisted…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Really Into That New Dragon-Dating Sim, Ring Fit Adventure
Can I tell you a secret? Is this a safe place? Because what I’m about to say could potentially expose some of my stranger… predilections, let’s say. Are you ready? Okay. I think the bad guy in Ring Fit Adventure is smokin’ hot. He’s a tall, dark, and dummy thicc dragon traipsing about in a wrestling…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureHere’s How Bugsnax Plays
Today’s PlayStation State of Play gave an in-depth look at gameplay for the “body-horror but make it cute” hit of the summer, Bugsnax. Check out the gameplay trailer below. “Use traps and sauces to capture Bugsnax,” developer Young Horses wrote in a press release. “On top of being tasty, each of the 100 different species…
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CultureStriking Lovestruck Writers Challenge Bosses And Win
Today the writers of Lovestruck, a popular visual novel romance game, announced a successful end to their unprecedented strike. Two weeks ago Kotaku reported on a writers strike for the mobile app, Lovestruck. Now, the writers have come to an agreement with their bosses at Voltage Entertainment whereby all of the writers will receive significant…
By Ash Parrish -
Meanwhile in not Fall Guys news, check out the latest trailer for Mortal Shell Mortal Shell is a Souls-like action RPG where players possess the bodies of fallen warriors—y’know their mortal shells—and use them to fight. Coming to PlayStation, Xbox One, and the Epic Game Store August 18th, Mortal Shell looks like it’ll fill the Bloodborne-sized…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryJumpstart‘s The Only Way I Wanna Play Magic: The Gathering Arena
Magic: The Gathering’s new format Jumpstart is the only way I want to play Magic for the rest of my life. I love playing Magic, both paper and online with Arena. I love opening new cards. I love the art. I love beating dudes who are much better than me, like I did this weekend…
By Ash Parrish -
AnimeThe Cowboy Bebop Soundtracks Just Hit Spotify So Excuse Me While I Freak Out
OK. I need to take a deep breath and steady myself, because what I’m about to tell y’all has me vibrating with excitement. The vast majority of Cowboy Bebop soundtracks just hit Spotify That’s a lot of Bebop music. Of course Spotify has your staple soundtracks—Cowboy Bebop, Blue, Future Blues. But! And god bless whomever…
By Ash Parrish