Heather Alexandra

Weird Stuff Happens Off Screen In Kingdom Hearts II

Kingdom Hearts II contains dozens of worlds to explore and hundreds of cutscenes to watch. The latest episode of YouTube show Boundary Break sheds light on some of the tricks behind the game’s awesome presentation. These include squishing characters’ heads and building entire cityscapes that the player never gets to explore. Boundary Break is a…

Seven Years Later, Goldeneye Speedrunner Finally Ties World Record

Speedrunner Marc Rutzou has held the world record for Goldeneye 007’s Train level since 2010, improving on times that no other runner could match. His long reign has finally come to an end as another runner finally managed to tie his record. Goldeneye 007 speedrunning is refined to the point that even saving a second…

Let’s Just Appreciate God of War‘s Snow For A Second

God of War’s combat is exciting but it’s the little things that really leave an impression. A snow-covered walkway is making people freak out thanks to some crunchy sounds and dusty footprints. Kratos wants to do one thing in God of War: get to the top of the land’s highest mountain and scatter the ashes…

Sea of Thieves Players Compete To See Who Can Find The Most Treasure

Finding a single treasure chest in the Xbox One pirate game Sea of Thieves can involve up to 30 minutes of sailing and riddle-solving. Sail longer, and players can stack their ship with loot. Some intrepid pirate crews are doing that, waging a treasure “arms” race as they cover their decks with hundreds of chests…

I Thought Yakuza’s Hero Wasn’t A Killer, But He Keeps Stabbing People With Samurai Swords

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is the final chapter of Kazuma Kiryu’s story, a deeply personal tale of family and fatherhood. He’s a quiet ex-yakuza who reminds people not to kinkshame and helps manage cat cafes. Which is why it’s so strange to watch him stab and shoot dudes in random fights. Murder is…

Monster Hunter: World’s Big New Dragon Battle Is The Best Yet

Monster Hunter: World’s latest event adds a golden dragon for players that players really should make the necessary preparations to hunt. Dealing with the Kulve Taroth is a massive undertaking where up to 16 players can cooperate in order to get some of the most stylish and powerful loot around. The event ends in a…

Sea of Thieves, One Month Later

Sea of Thieves released one month ago, offering a massive ocean playground for cool player stories along with a frustrating lack of activities and grindy progression. Developer Rare has outlined new content plans for the future, but even without fancy new ships or expansions, the story of Sea of Thieves has as many ups and…

What happens if both players finish each other off at the end of a battle royale? In Radical Heights, you come in 0th place. Here’s the finale to a match where I achieved this coveted and mathematically perplexing score.

Star Wars: Battlefront II, Six Months Later

Star Wars Battlefront II stirred up controversy at launch with grindy progression systems and questionable loot boxes. Over the last six months, the game has added new modes and done its best to win back players. Here’s where things stand today. The lead up to Star Wars Battlefront II’s release is its own saga following…

PUBG Is Getting Map Selection

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is getting a level select, presumably so everyone can avoid playing on Miramar. The option will come to the test server soon, allowing players to choose exactly where they get to blow each other up. In a Steam Community post today, PUBG developers announced that a level select will come to the game.…

I Finished Monster Hunter: World Overnight With Your Help

Monster Hunter: World added a new elder dragon last night that can only be fought by working together with 16 other players. I was eager to join the hunt until I realized that my hunter rank was too low. I had to slay five more dragons of my own first. In order to accomplish that…

Indie Brawler Has Some Of The Best Punching Ever 

Beat the Art Breaker is a game about dashing around and punching folks. It’s not done yet, but a new playable demo gives a glimpse at an indie game that has a fast and exciting take on hand to hand combat. Beat the Art Breaker is designed by Jesse Burnett, whose work I’ve shared before.…

Battlefront II’s New Microtransactions Are An Improvement, But Unlocks Are Still Grindy

Star Wars Battlefront II’s latest update brings microtransactions back to the game, allowing players to spend premium currency on cosmetic outfits. It’s an improvement over the ability granting loot boxes from early access but pricey skins add an unwelcome new grind to a game. Microtransactions in Battlefront II initially allowed players to use a premium…

I Love Unfinished and Broken Games

I’ve been playing a lot of incomplete and glitchy games lately, from Radical Heights to Far Cry 2. Their messy imperfections often annoy players looking for sleek and polished experiences where everything runs smoothly but I find unfinished textures and falling out of bounds is strangely beautiful. When Final Fantasy XV’s demo Episode Duscae released…

PUBG Players Are Turning The Start of Matches Into A Loud Door Hellscape

PlayerUnknown Battleground’s upcoming map, Savage, returned to experimental test servers yesterday with a new coat of paint. In addition to adding more buildings and new textures, the update brings incredibly loud and annoying doors to the starting area. I played the new Savage test period last night and immediately took note of some loud iron…

Monster Hunter: World’s latest free update adds a new a new elder dragon, the Kulve Taroth and tons of amazing armor and weapons. You can fight the beast as part of a new “siege” mode involving everyone in your online session. The event starts April 18 at 5pm PT.

Dusk Gets What Made Classic Shooters Great

Dusk is a throwback first-person shooter that released earlier this year. Comparing it with another shooter, Strafe, shows that one of the most important factors in recapturing classic FPS magic is memorable level design. Dusk has everything you’d expect from a Doom tribute game: chunky shotguns, secret rooms, and waves of demonic monsters eager to…

A Ton Of Classic Sega Games Are Coming To The Switch

Sega is bringing a library of its classic games to Switch as individual downloads, including Sonic The Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, and Alex Kidd The collection will be released worldwide beginning in the summer, all under the banner of “Sega Ages.” The games will be developed by M2, the developer of the Sega 3D Classics releases…

This cannot continue…except it is! We’re streaming through Nier: Automata right now on Twitch

PUBG Works Great As A Team Deathmatch Game

PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds’ new event, War, turns the battle royale game into a regular multiplayer shooter full of large teams and quick respawns. It’s loud, messy, and a damn good time. Following the clumsy flare gun event, which was far too dependent on finding the damn gun, PUBG’s events have ramped up the intensity. This improvement…