Ethan Gach

Artist Reimagines Pokémon Starters As Different Pokémon Types

I’ve played through Pokémon Blue, Red, and Yellow dozens of times. Those games’ starters will always have a special place in my heart. But I’d love to still play with them while having the option to explore different elemental attacks. One artist’s renderings give an idea of what that might look like. Over on the…

Microsoft And Sony Announce Vague Cloud Gaming Partnership

Microsoft said today that it will partner with Sony, its chief rival in the gaming console space, on “new cloud-based solutions for gaming experiences.” It’s unclear what exactly the new collaboration will ultimately lead to, but the move is still a surprising one given that the companies’ Xbox and PlayStation console lines are market competitors.…

New Switch Discount Program Is Unnecessarily Complicated

Rather than simply discount its digital games like every other video game platform, Nintendo is running a new Switch promotion where players can purchase special vouchers that can then be traded in for new games, turning the entire process into a convoluted mini-game of its own. They’re called Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers, and the way…

Riot Games Tells Rick Fox’s Esports Organization To Remove Investor Accused Of Bigotry [Update]

League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) commissioner Chris Greeley said in a statement today that if esports organization Echo Fox doesn’t remove an investor accused of making threats and using hate speech within 60 days, Riot Games would take action that could “adversely impact the future of Echo Fox in the LCS.” “The LCS has…

I’m Still Never Sure When My PS4 Will Automatically Update A Game

If you’re a PlayStation 4 owner, there’s an experience you’ve probably had many a time: Upon waking your console from Rest Mode, you’re greeted by a barrage of new game updates waiting to be downloaded, even though one of PS4’s most-touted features was supposed to prevent that from ever happening. To this day, I’m still…

There Are Some Decent Card Games On The Switch, And More On The Way

Hearthstone, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, and Gwent are nowhere to be found on the Nintendo Switch. While it’s unclear what’s holding the biggest digital card games back from the platform, their absence has opened up space for a handful of other decent card games. Despite being a perfect match for the Switch’s touch screen and…

Switch Outsells PS4 In Japan Despite Launching Three Years Later

In just over two years, the Nintendo Switch has sold 8,125,637 units in Japan, according to the latest sales figures reported by Famitsu. That puts it above the current lifetime total of 8,077,756‬ for the PS4. That’s especially notable given how much longer the PS4 has been around. The latest PlayStation launched on February 22,…

Riot Removes New League of Legends Animation That May Trigger Epileptic Seizures

Yesterday, a League of Legends player posted on the game’s forums to complain that a new animation was causing problems for those suffering from epilepsy. One of the game’s designers then apologized, noting that they didn’t have “time or bandwidth” to implement a toggle so that players could turn it off. Now, Riot Games says…

SteamWorld Quest comes to PC via Steam on May 31. The card-based role playing game has some of the most interesting turn-based combat I’ve encountered in a while and the SteamWorld universe is still as charming as ever. It’s also nice to hear a game is coming to Steam for a change.

Undertale’s Toughest Boss Fight Made Into A Fortnite Map

One of Undertale’s most memorable boss fights is against the friendly skeleton Sans. It’s now been creatively remade as a series of platforming puzzles in Fortnite Normally a friend, Sans is also the final boss fight for players who attemtp a genocide run in Undertale by killing every single thing in the game. His fight…

New ROM Hack Adds Ganondorf To Super Smash Bros. 64

The original Super Smash Bros. released 20 years ago with only 12 characters, leaving many classic Nintendo characters by the wayside until future installments were released. A new hack released over the weekend helps add some more variety by adding Ganondorf. Created by modder JSsixtyfour and titled “Smash Remix,” the hack swaps the Legend of…

Competitive Fortnite Is About To Experiment With Controlled Chaos

Last weekend, a vault opened beneath Loot Lake in Fortnite. Players were given the option of bringing back one of the game’s previously retired weapons. They chose the Drum Gun, one of the most overpowered weapons in the game’s history. Then, on Thursday, Epic announced the Drum Gun would be coming to the game’s tournament…

The Parental Struggles In 2018’s God Of War Echoed Those Of The People Making It

“A lot of this performance is a love letter to my kids and it’s an apology,” says voice actor Christopher Judge in a new in-house documentary about the making of the PlayStation 4 hit God of War. Judge played the game’s lead character, Kratos, and when he talked about his performance, he teared up. As…

Dota 2‘s New Battle Pass Has Some Unwelcome Changes

I’m playing Dota 2 again following the release of the game’s 2019 battle pass. There are new treasures to collect. Big tournaments are just around the corner. And I’ve spent another $10 on that battle pass. I can’t tell if this game is actually exciting again or if I just feel compelled to play because…

Louis Vuitton Fashion Show Uses Final Fantasy Music

Last night, European designer fashion brand Louis Vuitton took to the Kennedy Airport to show off its 2020 cruise collection, its latest line of fancy new clothes and accessories. The stylish show was packed with celebs, and…music from Final Fantasy VIII? The fashion show began with models slowly coming down the terminal staircases to a…

Reggie Fils-Aime Gives First Speech Since Leaving Nintendo

Reggie Fils-Aime, who retired from Nintendo after spending 15 years at the video game company, will deliver the commencement address at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida later today. The proceedings are set to begin around 3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on the college’s website, as well as…

Warframe’s next update, The Jovian Concord, is set to arrive on PC next week. The update brings a new boss fight, game mode, and a visual overhaul of the Gas City on Jupiter. You can see some before and after comparisons in the video above.

Fallout 76 Players Can Now Set Up Their Own Stores, But Bethesda Taxes Their Goods

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” wrote Benjamin Franklin in 1789 letter. Fallout 76 players have long been acquainted with the first, but following the addition of a new vending machine mechanic, they are being forced to come to terms with the second. Yesterday’s patch added a…

Magic: The Gathering Is So Complex It Could Stump A Computer

Anyone who’s ever tried to play Magic: The Gathering or listened to a friend explain it to them has had to reckon with the learning curve of all its intricate rules and even more confounding cards. Human players might not be alone in feeling overwhelmed: A new research paper argues that the game is so…

John Wick Hex is a newly announced “fight-choreographed chess brought to life” strategy game inspired by the films and being developed by Thomas Was Alone’s Mike Bithell. It’ll feature voice work by Ian McShane and Lance Reddick and come to consoles and be on PC as an Epic Store exclusive.