Heather Alexandra

Player Crushes Atari Record Using A Glitch Thought Impossible

A speedrunner using a glitch never performed on consoles has set a new record time in the Atari 2600 game Barnstorming. The glitch creates a new speedrun category for the game, whose scores were once held by the controversial video game player Todd Rogers. The 1982 game Barnstorming has various mode to play. The goal…

Tacoma, an experimental narrative game by the makers of Gone Home, is out now on Playstation 4. It first released last year and is pretty darn good. For a secret test of endurance, maybe consider beating the game by standing around. (Or maybe don’t. The story is really good and worth seeing.)

Ambitious Mod Reworks Breath of the Wild To Make Zelda The Hero

Princess Zelda spends most of Breath of the Wild sealed away in Hyrule Castle along with Calamity Ganon but an ongoing mod project is working hard to give her an adventure of her own. The Zelda Conversion project will let players explore the world as Zelda, adding new armor and story tweaks. The project started…

I Met A Genuine Pirate Legend In Sea Of Thieves

This weekend, I sat down to play Sea of Thieves. As I sailed on my lonesome, passing time until my friends could log on, I returned to port and ran into another group of players. This type of encounter usually leads to disaster, but I was instead treated to a surprise: I had come face…

Monster Hunter: World‘s Sakura Costume Is Adorable But Not Very Useful

Monster Hunter: World is drowning in crossover events, from the recent Devil May Cry event to a Street Fighter V promotion that allowed players to dress up as Ryu. The Street Fighter love continues with a new event quest that unlocks a Sakura costume. It’s a fun but difficult mission, though the reward is a…

Watch Us Blow Up Giant Robots In Battletech

Battletech is a really good tactics game that combines giant mechs with X-COM. I’ve spent many hours building experimental robots and taking dangerous jobs to keep my mercenary corps afloat. Kotaku video producer Paul Tamayo was curious about the game, so I ran him through a mission to learn the basics. This mission is a…

Why Star Wars Episode 1: Racer Is Still One Of The Best Racing Games Ever

It’s May the 4th, and that means there’s no better time to talk about one of the best racing games ever: Star Wars Episode 1: Racer. Recently re-released for the PC, wannabe podracers and grizzled veterans can return to the tracks once more. Staff writers Heather Alexandra and Ethan Gach look back at what made…

I Hate How Much I Want A PlayStation 4 Pro

When I first heard about the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, I thought they were the dumbest things. Upgrading a console at the midpoint of a generation was unfathomable to me, and I think developers should design for whatever framerate they want rather than whatever gamers demand. But as more games come out…

Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro’s The Good Life, a mystery game where people turn into cats, is finally funded. After failed Fig campaign, the project succeeded on Kickstarter. Which is a good reminder to never give up on your dream projects, friends.

Staff Writer Heather Alexandra is going live with Battletech right now on Twitch The mech repair bills will be terrifying.

Photon Highway Is The Perfect Racing Game To Play On A Lunch Break

Sometimes, you just want to hit the road. Photon Highway takes cues from games like Audiosurf and Temple Run to create a randomized highway through the stars. It’s great for those times you want to sit back and cruise away from life’s problems. Created by Sirnic, Photon Highway is a moody racing game with a…

My Battletech Pilot Died From A Heartbreaking Stray Shot

Battletech’s giant robot brawls can last a long time before one side claims victory. The recently released tactics game embraces a slow, deliberate pace that can lull the player into false comfort. Thanks to an unlikely dice roll, a single critical attack this weekend became one of the most shocking moments I’ve ever had while…

Ikaruga, the definitive bullet switcharoo bonanza, will come to the Nintendo Switch eShop on May 29th. Be sure to flip your Switch vertically.

How To Get Monster Hunter: World‘s Rarest, Japan-Only, Armor

If you’re playing Monster Hunter: World outside of Japan, you’re missing out a quest for one of the game’s most striking armor sets. The Azure Starlord set requires a code that you can only obtain by going to the Universal Studios theme park in Japan, but if you’re tenacious, there’s still a way to get…

Super Mario Odyssey, Six Months Later

Super Mario Odyssey came out last October and continues to delight players. Datamined secrets, awesome glitches, and a fancy balloon hunting mode have kept players exploring the game’s vibrant world long after other games have come and gone. There’s been plenty of ups and downs to Super Mario Odyssey including broken scoreboards, awesome speedruns, and…

Speedrunner Beats Super Metroid With Horrifying Vaseline-Covered Controller

Sometimes, it just isn’t enough to speedrun a game. Sometimes, you need to get your hands dirty. One speedrunner took those words to heart this weekend, completing a Super Metroid speedrun with their hands and controller covered in vaseline. V0lrat is a speedrunner who plays multiple games like A Link to the Past, Claymates, and…

Monster Hunter: World‘s Devil May Cry Gear Is Worth The Grind

Monster Hunter: World’s wild crossover events are now ten times more stylish with the arrival of a quest to unlock armor and weapons from the pizza eating simulator Devil May Cry. The limited-time event quest has players fight some of the game’s best monsters and grants amazing gear that’s absolutely worth grinding for. Hunters looking…

Battletech’s Character Creator Is About More Than Just Looks

Battletech’s character creator isn’t really about how your character looks; it’s about who they are, where they’re from, and what they believe. Battletech is a long established property and mainstay of tabletop wargaming. The original game came out in 1984 and there’s been a swath of spin off games like the MechWarrior series, lore sourcebooks,…

A Hand Drawn RPG With Great Boss Fights

Lucah looks like it leapt right off a chalkboard, with a distinct hand drawn style somewhere between wild scribblings and hallucinations. It mixes tense combat and exploration into a wild action-RPG. Created by melessthanthree, Lucah takes place in a dream world full of monsters. The player takes the role of Lucah, a young adventurer seeking…

Amazing Celeste Speedrun Includes All The Extras

Speedrunners can rush through Celeste in about thirty minutes but collecting everything and completing all challenges is much trickier. Last night, someone finally completed a 114% speedrun, collecting all hidden items and completing the game’s most difficult levels without dying. Achieving 114% in Celeste is difficult even when you’re taking your time. It involves collecting…