Heather Alexandra

Sea of Thieves‘ Producer Outlines A Promising Year-Two Plan

Sea of Thieves’ first year had as many ups and downs as a boat in a storm. A rough launch gave way to numerous updates and events that expanded the game world. The Anniversary Update, to be released April 30, will add a story mode and competitive PVP. I spoke with the Xbox One and…

The Elder Scrolls Is At Its Best When It’s Super-Weird

This weekend, I started playing The Elder Scrolls: Blades on my iPhone. While I do enjoy dungeon crawling, I also felt disappointed. The Elder Scrolls is a rich setting packed with some of the more evocative cosmology I’ve ever encountered. But there I was, fighting standard goblins as if it were any other fantasy game.…

Sekiro‘s Best Ninja Tool Is A Humble Umbrella

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice often boils down to intense sword fights between stern warriors, but a little trickery never hurt. One shinobi tool stands out with defensive capabilities that make difficult encounters much more manageable. It can turn even undead monsters and literal demons into pushovers. It’s also a humble umbrella. When I played through…

Oh wow! We’re playing Tales from the Borderlands right now on Twitch Come join chat to enjoy one of Telltale’s best series, and get excited about all things Borderlands.

Major Speedrunning Hub Forced To Roll Back Rankings After Security Breach

The most popular speedrunning website, Speedrun.com, has reverted all its rankings to their April 1 state after a security breach left many leaderboards at risk of tampering. After a similar issue in November 2018, the site’s owner is considering strengthened security measures to prevent future breaches. Speedrun.com is the place to go for a game’s…

I Video Gamed So Hard That I Broke My Xbox Elite Controller

I don’t have many strong feelings about video game controllers, except for this: The Xbox Elite Controller is the most comfortable thing on the planet. It’s a highly customizable and reliable option for any video game enthusiast. But last night, I encountered a problem. The shoulder button broke, turning limp and useless. My Elite controller…

The Glass Staircase Gets Why Retro Horror Games Worked

The Glass Staircase, released last week for PC and Mac, tries to capture the feeling of classic horror games like Clock Tower and Silent Hill. When I saw my coworker Luke Plunkett post the trailer on Kotaku, I was intrigued. My early time with The Glass Staircase has been tense, revealing a moody game that…

I Want To Delete Sekiro From My Brain So I Can Experience It Again

I finished Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice earlier this week and had a fantastic time learning its combat and tackling challenging bosses. I’m eager to play more and if I want to, I could start right over with New Game Plus. Taking that plunge, however, has me wondering about the experience I’ll have. If the joy…

Hack and slash and hackin’ some more! I’m streaming Devil May Cry 5‘s Bloody Palace right now on Twitch. Come join chat for combos, Devil Breakers, and maybe post-modernist criticism. (Though probably not that.)

Devil May Cry 5‘s Bloody Palace Is A Fabulous Hack And Slash Playground

The Bloody Palace has been a fixture of Devil May Cry ever since 2003’s Devil May Cry 2. It’s a mode that involves an exhausting climb through monster-filled rooms with hundreds of enemy arrangements and bosses along the way. But it’s also the best place to play around with combos test your skills in real-time.…

Chef Andrew Rea of Binging with Babish has a great breakdown on how to make Brock’s favorite—delicious jelly donuts from Pokemon! There’s also a version to make some wonderful onigiri, if you want to make some actual food.

After failing last night and staying up too late, I’m playing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and fighting the final boss right now on Twitch. Seriously, this is gonna be a good fight but also…. spoilers. 

‘Skyrim Grandma’ Will Be An NPC In The Elder Scrolls VI

Shirley Curry, the 82-year-old grandmother and YouTuber known for her Skyrim videos, will make an appearance in The Elder Scrolls VI. Bethesda will use photogrammetry technology to scan the legendary Skyrim enthusiast and add her to the game. Bethesda revealed new information about the technology behind The Elder Scrolls VI today at PAX East during…

Far Cry 4 Director’s New Game Is About Exploration And Commercialism

Journey to the Savage Planet was a bit of a surprise when it was announced at the most recent Game Awards. The development studio, Typhoon Studios, comprises several Assassin’s Creed alumni, and the wacky science-fiction antics in the trailer were a far cry from those games. It was hard to grasp exactly what the game…

Control Is As Weird As Alan Wake, But Much More Open

In some ways, development studio Remedy’s upcoming action game Control has slid under the radar. After an announcement at last year’s E3, Control quietly simmered in the background of upcoming game releases. I played some of the game last week at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco. It was an intriguing mixture of exciting…

Devil May Cry 5‘s Director Tells Us How They Made Combat Feel So Damn Good

Devil May Cry 5 is a fever dance of slashes, air-steps, and ball-crushingly powerful grapples—a bloody monster mash caught somewhere between street brawl and mosh pit. It’s also, according to director Hideaki Itsuno, a “good-feeling” game. When I met him at Capcom’s offices in San Francisco last Wednesday, I wanted to know exactly what that…

The Walking Dead‘s Final Episode Is A Satisfying Ending

The Walking Dead: The Final Season started strong, with Telltale’s talented storytellers crafting a compelling new scenario for Clementine to navigate. After the company’s closure, the fate of the season looked shaky, and Skybound Games took over finishing it up. Ultimately, the finale sticks the landing, closing the book on one of gaming’s best stories.…

Control, the upcoming sci-fi explorefest from Remedy Entertainment, releases on August 27th. I played some of the game last week at the Game Developers Conference and will have impressions and details later this week.

The People Behind The System Shock Remake Are Ready To Try Again

The production on Nightdive Studios’ remake of the PC classic System Shock hasn’t exactly been smooth. Kickstarted back in 2016, the project went on a “hiatus” after the studio decided it needed to reassess where everything was going. I looked at the latest version at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, and…

Dancers are coming to Final Fantasy XIV The new class will release with the Shadowbringers expansion, and is a ranged DPS class that can also buff allies. I… was really expecting it to be a healer, honestly.