Cecilia D'Anastasio

Pokémon Card Game Players Say They Can Tell Rare Cards Before Opening The Latest Packs

Pokémon card players are warning each other against buying loose English Pokémon Sun & Moon packs from retailers. An alleged exploit in Pokémon Sun & Moon’s booster boxes could lead to retailers scamming customers out of rare cards. Over the last few days, Pokémon card players have reported that Sun & Moon’s booster boxes are…

Microsoft just announcedthat the Xbox’s E3 briefing will air Sunday, June 11th at 2PM PST, and not on Monday morning, when it usually is.

My Quest To Push Everyone Off A Ledge In For Honor

Ubisoft advertised For Honor, released yesterday, as a game about skewering enemies with medieval weaponry. Man, did they bury the lede on this one. A few days in, I’ve discovered what For Honor really is, and it is undoubtedly a game about pushing people off ledges and laughing. I actually learned this last night, when…

For Honor‘s Tutorial Is Very Good

For Honor is a satisfying, layered fighting game that relies on “feel.” You’re fundamentally not going to get good at it unless you successfully program reactions to quick animation cues into your fingers. Without practicing the basics, you’ll be blocking and dodging like an idiot, totally unprepared for whatever this game’s meta will become. Developing…

For Twitch Streamers Who Spend Their Lives On Camera, It’s Hard To Know When To Stop

The booming industry of live-streaming yourself gaming is a largely unregulated one. Streamers are weed-whacking their way through the industry’s nascent years, struggling to find a work-life balance for a job that they can technically never stop doing. Launching a streaming career is like launching a cable network—a reliable, sustained source of entertainment—but on Twitch,…

Smash Bros. Mod Will Satisfy The Most Hardcore Of Players

An anticipated mod for Super Smash Bros. Melee is slated to streamline the 15-year-old game’s tournaments. 20XXTE, in beta now and released in full early March, sews the Melee community’s specific play preferences into the fiber of the game. 20XX “Tournament Edition” is a Melee mod for GameCube and Wii that players can download for…

Genital Jousting, a game that succinctly explains itself, just released its “Date Night Update” [NSFW]. It added new two-player modes, involving picnics and walking dogs and other date night activities that are manifestly less romantic when you and your partner are detached genitals.

The Hair Flips Of Madoka Magica’s Homura, Ranked

Among her many virtues, including strength and compassion, is her incredible hair, which often is in her face and needs a good flip.

Why Some People Love Playing As Smash Bros.‘ Bayonetta, And Why Some Hate It

On Wednesday, Super Smash Bros. 4 legend Gonzalo Barrios (“ZeRo”) declared that Bayonetta is the best character in the game right now. Since early last year, Bayonetta has gone from a despised, over-powered monster to a big question mark and, now, apparently, a balanced but elite pick. Following her February, 2016 release, maining Bayonetta could…

Riot Bans Huge Portion Of Oceanic Competitive League Players

Today, Riot banned 16 Oceanic League of Legends players for infractions ranging from toxicity to account sharing. That’s 40% of the Oceanic Challenger Series’ eight-team league. In a statement today, Riot says they’ll work with the compromised teams “to ensure they can continue to compete in the OCS.” With three players banned for the full…

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Pulls Through For 9th EVO 2017 Slot

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Pokken Tournament fans just closed out a weeks-long, neck-and-neck donation competition over a primetime spot at the prestigious Evolution Championship Series tournament. It seems that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will make an appearance at EVO 2017, having raised over $71,000 of the total $150,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation. But Marvel’s…

Tell Us What Ridiculous Overwatch Controllers To Make

Sometimes, a keyboard doesn’t cut it. Sometimes, a sterile console controller doesn’t really capture the true undertones of a video game character. For example, I bet a screaming blender controller would better put me in touch with Overwatch’s Genji. For McCree, maybe a couple Snap Dragons and a water gun. Readers, we need your help.…

Pokémon Go’s Valentine’s Event Isn’t What The Game Needs

For a moment, I ask you to take a deep breath and reflect on the unsolved mysteries of the games industry. Where is Half Life 3? Who is Wario, really? Why won’t Pokémon Go’s developers actually add the features the game so desperately needs? Okay, it is a little maddening. In the last day, all four…

The Fight Over How To Play Overwatch On Consoles

Since last weekend, Overwatch console players have flooded forums with denunciations of so-called “cheaters” who play with a mouse and keyboard set-up. That way, they’ll nail the headshots and swift movements that console players must work hard to master. Players stuck with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers call mouse and keyboard conversion devices…

Favorite Winter Anime By State

In the U.S., we aren’t quite in a united state of anime. According to a new graph published by anime streaming service Crunchyroll, half of America is in agreement over its favorite anime right now, while the other half’s tastes are pretty scattered. Action series Blue Exorcist is dominating the coasts and the South. 24…

How I Convinced Myself To Buy My First Gaming PC

Nothing tests your resolve to identify a certain way like a big, bank-breaking purchase. In December, after five years of back-and-forth, I took the dive and bought a gaming PC. Until I was standing in the Micro Center checkout aisle with a big, stately “PowerSpec” box in my cart, I kicked and screamed the whole…

Scum’s Wish Is A Disturbing Anime About Lovers Who Love Other People

In media, teenagers often possess a delicate balance of callousness and narcissism. In CW dramas like Gossip Girl, producers lean into their more sociopathic tendencies, not considering the emotional debates that lead them to cheat, steal or hurt others, all well-trod stereotypes of teenagers discovering themselves. Often, in real life, it is self-preservation driving these…

What’s The Best D&D Character You’ve Ever Made?

Rare are the opportunities for Dungeons & Dragons fans to geek out about their favorite character. It’s like explaining your dream to someone. A few seconds in, your poor non-D&D-playing friend’s eyes glaze over in a bored daze. Really, who can blame them? Unlike Fire Emblem’s cast, your character is yours from top to bottom.…

Oculus’ John Carmack Has Serious Doubts About $500 Million Lawsuit’s Expert Witness [UPDATE]

Oculus CTO and renowned Quake and Doom programmer John Carmack slammeda Dallas jury’s Wednesday decision against Oculus in a $500 million copyright and non-disclosure agreement lawsuit. On Facebook, Carmack specifically takes issue with an expert witness whose testimony, he says, is “just not true.” For two years, Oculus has battled allegations of intellectual property theft.…

Why Overwatch Hacking Is Such A Big Problem In Korea

In a now-famous Overwatch video, a Korean player is banned mid-match because of his shameless hacking. He’s streaming himself as Widowmaker, effortlessly flinging himself across the map and landing perfect headshots in-air. A Hanzo approaches, and in a moment, he’s gone. Widowmaker’s crosshairs, which were feet away from him, rubberband to his head. A few…