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CultureOdds and EndsOld Overwatch Bug Let Ashe’s Robot Vote On How Well You Played
In Overwatch, B.O.B., Ashe’s robot companion and ultimate ability, doesn’t do much beyond shoot where Ashe tells him to. But yesterday, an AMA revealed that the Big Omnic Butler initially had a lot of thoughts on how players performed in Overwatch matches. In celebration of Overwatch’s fifth anniversary, Blizzard held an AMA, or Ask Me…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsNo Need To Wait: Fans Made Their Own Version Of Overwatch 2
After last week’s Overwatch 2 developer livestream, one fan created some of the changes coming in the new game in Overwatch’s workshop mode. In workshop mode, players can create custom games that allow them to do anything from train their aiming skills to play an Overwatch-ified version of Flappy Bird or Bejeweled. Reddit user Ajfis3,…
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CultureOverwatch 2 Will Only Have Five Players Per Team
Today, during an Overwatch 2 PVP livestream, Aaron Keller, Overwatch’s new game director taking over for Blizzard veteran Jeff Kaplan, announced that teams in Overwatch 2‘s PVP will be reduced from six players to five. “Overwatch has changed over time. We’ve gone from having no hero limits…to having a hero limit. We ended up introducing…
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CultureFinal Fantasy XIV Players Mourn Berserk Creator’s Death With Touching Tribute
Kentaro Miura, creator of seminal dark-fantasy manga Berserk, died on May 6 of an aortic dissection. When his death was made public on May 19, Final Fantasy XIV players paid tribute with spontaneous memorials honoring Miura, Berserk, and its impact on the Final Fantasy franchise itself. Miura’s work deeply influenced the Final Fantasy franchise so…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryResident Evil Village‘s Dollhouse Almost Made Me Quit
I almost quit Resident Evil Village yesterday. It wasn’t because the game’s limited field of vision finally made me blow chunks across my living room, but because fear—true, gripping terror the likes of which I had never felt before—seized me while in Donna Beneviento’s Dollhouse. I knew going into the Dollhouse was going to be…
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CultureOdds and EndsHell Yeah! The Summer Games Done Quick 2021 Schedule Looks Amazing
The Summer Games Done Quick 2021 schedule is now out, and I’m so excited. Taking place from July 4-11, the online speedrunner charity event will feature over 100 full-tilt sprints through games famous and obscure, with the proceeds raised going to Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières. Games Done Quick marathons are my most…
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CultureGTA V Arrives On Xbox Series S/X And PlayStation 5 On November 11
Today, Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto V, a game with almost as many releases as Skyrim, will be arriving on current gen systems November 11. “The expanded and enhanced versions of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online are arriving on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with new features and more,” Rockstar…
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CultureValorant Pro Jay “Sinatraa” Won Suspended For Six Months Following Sexual Assault Investigation
Jay “Sinatraa” Won has been suspended from competing in professional Valorant matches for six months following Riot’s investigation of claims he sexually assaulted his girlfriend Cleo Hernandez. Announced today, the six month suspension will last until September 10 and require Won to participate in professional conduct training before he can resume competing. According to Riot,…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryResident Evil Village Is Proving A Great Intro To The Series, Even When It Makes Me Sick
Until Village, I had never played a Resident Evil game in my life because I am a gigantic baby who is ridiculously easy to scare. But I knew as soon as I saw that tall, glamorous, vampire woman that I’d steel my courage and give the venerable horror franchise a try, if only for her.…
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OpinionImpressionsMass Effect Legendary Edition Makes The First Game Required Playing
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out today, remastering BioWare’s space trilogy with 4K HD graphics and other kinds of tweaks and twinges to bring the games into the current generation. Of the trilogy, the original Mass Effect stands out as the game benefiting the most from graphical updates and quality of life enhancements. From what…
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CultureOdds and EndsNot Even Mass Effect Legendary Edition Will Compel Me To Make Different Choices
Vanguard class. Colonist. Sole Survivor. Paragon. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out tomorrow, and I’m positively giddy with excitement that I will reunite with some of my best friends in the galaxy in baby-bottom smooth HD. The primary appeal of Mass Effect (outside of its outstanding cast of characters) is that it’s a game meant…
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CultureOdds and EndsThe Wait Is Over: Calculator Debuts For Nintendo Switch
Today, after weathering a presumably blistering fan campaign (Project Nerdfall?), Nintendo added a Calculator app to the Nintendo eShop. For 10 whole-ass American dollars you can purchase what comes in every other phone, tablet, and computer for free. I’m trying to imagine who this Calculator is for. In the app’s description it says, “Calculator has…
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CultureOdds and EndsWhaddaya Buyin? (Ethan Winters’ House, Please)
My partner and I have been looking for our dream home, and I think we found it. It’s somewhere in Eastern Europe—possibly Romania—it’s probably owned by a shady government agency, and I have it on good authority that its previous occupants won’t be coming back any time soon. I’m talking about Ethan Winters’ house in…
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AnimeYasuke Is A Full-Circle Moment For Black Anime Fans
Watching the first episode of Yasuke, Netflix’s new fantastical animated show about the life of a Black samurai, I started to cry. I remembered how it felt to be a 16-year-old girl watching anime in the nighttime darkness of my living room. Watching Yasuke, with its titular Black character kicking ass to a soundtrack by…
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CultureOdds and EndsBRB, Making My Own Mass Effect Legendary Edition Logo
BioWare must have sensed that I had thoughts about the Mass Effect companions on my spirit today, as it released a new tool that lets you pick and choose among the Mass Effect companions to make your own version of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition logo. Would-be custom logo recipients answer a handful of questions…
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EsportsChinese Overwatch Teams Threaten Boycott Of Korean Player For Statements On Taiwan And Hong Kong [Update: Teams ‘Resume Normal Activities’]
One of the most beloved players in the Overwatch League is facing backlash over political comments he made in a stream. On Chinese social media site Weibo, several members of the Chinese Overwatch League teams stated they would boycott any events that include Korean player Jong-ryeol “Saebyeolbe” Park due to his apparent stance on Hong…
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CultureVinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker Leave Giant Bomb [UPDATE]
Vinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker, foundational members of the Giant Bomb team, announced today they are leaving the site. During a live podcast recording on Twitch, the three announced that their last day is Friday. Giant Bomb founder Jeff Gerstmann is staying at the site for now. Giant Bomb was established in 2008…
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CultureOdds and EndsPowerWash Simulator Is Why I Shouldn’t Be A Homeowner
Humans are fucked up, anxiety-ridden apes and there is absolutely no telling what causes our brains to light up with feel good juice. But one thing that does it for me is a good pressure washer video. Since being a millennial means I will likely never own a home, the magic of using a pressure…
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CultureRiot Will Record Valorant Voice Comms To Catch Racists
Riot announced updates to its privacy policy today that will allow the company to record and evaluate reported player voice communications in its team-based shooter Valorant. “In order for us to take action against players who use voice comms to harass others, use hate speech, or otherwise disrupt your experience, we need to know what…
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OpinionSorry, Your Cis White Woman Protagonist Isn’t Progressive
The future is bright for the current and upcoming crop of AAA releases. Reviews for Returnal are positive. I’m gassed as hell to have Lady Dimitrescu chase me around in Resident Evil Village before I let her snap me in half. Rift Apart looks so sharp on the PS5 that it might become my first…
By Ash Parrish
Ash Parrish
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