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CultureGoogle Revolutionizes Stadia Experience With Search Bar
Today, Google Stadia announced it will add a search bar function to its web store. Yes: Google, the company that literally began as a search engine, finally realized its video game platform could use a search function. “Search bar on Stadia for Web is rolling out now and will reach all players this week,” Stadia…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy New Favorite Stormblood Character Is A Random Pirate
In a development shocking to absolutely no one, Stormblood is fucking awesome. I started Final Fantasy XIV’s second expansion mere days ago, and it’s already made the leap from, “this is not Heavensward. I want Heavensward back,” to, “Ok, give me more of this.” I was prepared for Stormblood to underwhelm me. In the FF14…
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CultureOdds and EndsGoing To See Demon Slayer Was The Perfect Post-Vaccination Celebration
Yesterday, my fully vaccinated partner and I (also fully vaccinated) decided to inaugurate our newly vaccinated life with one of the most bacchanalian things you can do in this mid-pandemic world—we went to the movies. The new Demon Slayer movie Mugen Train (its full title is so unwieldy that I refuse to name it here)…
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EsportsThe Overwatch League Paid Tribute To Jeff Kaplan With ‘Jeff’ Song
Last week, Jeff Kaplan announced his retirementfrom Blizzard Entertainment, ending a tenure at the developer that lasted for almost 20 years. Kaplan played an important role in developing Overwatch Esports, including the Overwatch World Cup and the Overwatch League. This weekend, the Overwatch League team paid homage to Kaplan with a musical tribute. It’s not…
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CultureOdds and EndsEnemy: Tempest Of Violence Is Pure Distilled Batshittery (And I Love It)
I’ve never owned an Amiga, but I am obsessed with Enemy: Tempest Of Violence, a Swiss-developed Amiga game released in 1997. Buckle up, this is about to be a ride. My partner and I have a ritual in which we watch Twitch on the weekends before bed. My partner is a cantankerous old man (even…
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ReviewsBacklogI Have Backlog Anxiety
We at Kotaku have designated April as Backlog Month, in which we, in light of a looming dearth of new video game releases, turn our attention toward the games that we have wanted to play but missed. But unlike my colleagues, I’m having a problem—I have no idea what to do for Backlog Month, and…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryClone Hero Is So Much Fun I Don’t Mind The Carpal Tunnel
As the last of the notes disappeared from the screen, I put my fake, plastic guitar down to look at my hands. They were shaking, and my fingers were curled as if they were still wrapped around the fretboard. I felt pain twisting around my wrist and creeping into my finger joints. Still, I wore…
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CultureNew Battlefield Game Promised For Later This Year
Today, EA announced it’s working on two new Battlefield games and promised a console/PC release for later this year. “We have our biggest team ever on a Battlefield game for console and PC,” wrote DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson. “Together, we are creating a jaw-dropping experience for you to enjoy later in 2021.” Gabrielson said…
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CultureHOLD IT! The Great Ace Attorney Games Are Finally Getting Released Outside Japan
Time to brush up on your jurisprudence, y’all, because today Capcom announced The Great Ace Attorney games are finally being released outside of Japan. Dubbed The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. The collection features both Ace Attorney spin-offs, The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney: Resolve, which will come to the PS4, Nintendo…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Going To Miss You, Heavensward
Last time on my journey Heavensward, I said it was too hard to level my fifty ‘leven jobs evenly, so I decided to focus on solo-leveling my healer. Turns out, I may have been a bit premature in that decision. See, what had happened was I belatedly realized I fit the level requirements to pick…
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EsportsAnatomy Of A Perfect Overwatch Earthshatter
Overwatch League season four kicked off this weekend, with new players, a couple of fantastic upsets and a perfect, game-winning Reinhardt Earthshatter by Houston Outlaws player Myung-heum “Jjanggu” Cho. Two-time Overwatch League Champions the San Francisco Shock played the no-time Overwatch League nothings Houston Outlaws on Sunday. Traditionally, this is a one-sided match. The last…
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CultureSony Reverses Course On PS3 And Vita Store Closure
Today, Sony announced it will no longer shut down the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita users. “Recently, we notified players that PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita devices was planned to end this summer,” wrote Sony Interactive’s president and CEO Jim Ryan on the PlayStation blog. “Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear…
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CultureMass Effect Legendary Edition Will Have Photo Mode
Today on Twitter, Mac Walters, project director of Mass Effect Legendary Edition confirmed that the remaster will have a photo mode. Fuck. Yes. Photo modes have become the standard for cinematic, single-player games and this will be the first time a Mass Effect game will have the feature. Fans will have the opportunity to capture…
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CultureKotaku Game DiaryOde To The Bard Who Saved My FF14 Dungeon Run
My journey through Heavensward has slowed down considerably. I have other games to play and review. And generally, the steam that powered this expansion leading up to The Vault encounter has petered out significantly. That’s not to say Heavensward’s sluggish back-end pacing wasn’t punctuated with a few bright spots. After losing Haurchefant, I didn’t think…
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CultureOdds and EndsHere’s What Would Happen In A Dragon Age 2 ‘Snyder Cut’
Yesterday on Twitter, former BioWare employee and Dragon Age 2 lead writer David Gaider explained what he’d do with the opportunity to give Dragon Age 2 it’s own “Snyder Cut.” The tweet thread covered a wishlist of changes to the game, including vastly altering the sequence of events and the ability to make different critical…
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CultureOverwatch League Live Games Are Back, But Only In China
Overwatch League Homestands are back, kinda. Today, the Overwatch League announced Homestands—live match events—will be returning during the 2021 season, but only in China. “Due to improved health and safety conditions in China, we are excited to announce the planned return of live events to three cities during the 2021 season,” the announcement read. Live…
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CultureOdds and EndsGarrus Vakarian, I Am Free For Dinner On Thursday
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a month away. Today, BioWare put out a new video and developer blog detailing the process that went into graphically updating the Mass Effect trilogy. Weeding through all the technical information, I have come away with an important conclusion: Somehow, some way, BioWare has made Garrus Vakarian hotter. Through…
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CultureBlack Is Magic: How Magic: The Gathering Is Transforming One Teacher’s Game Club
On the wall in Mike Lawton’s classroom rests a cardboard cut-out of a Black man. It’s not Martin Luther King Jr. or any other famous Black figure from history—it’s a mage—dark skinned and powerful-looking as a spell shoots from his fingertips. It’s Teferi, one of Magic: The Gathering’s most powerful main characters known as Planeswalkers,…
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OpinionMarvel, Give Me A Dora Milaje Video Game Already
Marvel Studios, Disney, whoever’s in charge of licensing Marvel properties nowadays, come, let me bend your ear for I have a proposition that is guaranteed to increase your already-incalculable fortune. Are you ready to hear my 1000% foolproof money printing idea? Here goes: Dora Milaje video game. If that declaration wasn’t enough to sell you,…
By Ash Parrish
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