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Opinion
Santa Claus Flight Sim Is A Neon Cheer-Fest
Christmas has come and gone, but there’s still time to celebrate and spread some cheer. SantaCorps is an arcade flight sim and present delivery game by Ethan Redd all about zipping around and giving gifts. Fast and cheerful, it’s this week’s indie pick. It is the near future, 20XX, and Santa is getting tired. Worn…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 29, 2017 -
Bloodborne Hackers Find Way To Fight Two Hidden Bosses
Bloodborne’s chalice dungeons offer hundreds of thousands of possible crypts to explore. Dedicated players have found lost enemies and keep looking for more. Thanks to dataminers searching the game’s files, a new group of dungeons have been found containing developer test areas and unused bosses. Earlier this month, dataminers finally managed to unlock Bloodborne’s files…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 28, 2017 -
Breath of the Wild’s Best Stories Are Our Own
Breath of the Wild’s vast open world is full of discoveries. The most important discoveries we make come when the game’s systems interact to help us imbue the world with our own interpretations and meaning. We take a closer look in this video essay. This piece originally appeared 3/9/17. Transcript: The Legend of Zelda: Breath…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 27, 2017 -
Danganronpa Captures The Feeling Of Real-Life Arguments
It can be difficult to make video game dialog seem natural. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony’s trial scenes use various mini-games to turn dialog into an stressful battle of wits that captures the feeling of real life debate. In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, like in previous Danganronpa games, 16 students are tasked with playing a “killing…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 26, 2017 -
ReviewsMultiplatformPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds: The Kotaku Review
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is straightforward. Dump 100 players onto a map, tell them that only one person can win, and watch them tear each other apart. It is brutal and base, violent and wonderful. It’s a game that could only be made in 2017, for better or worse. Battlegrounds, which officially launched on PC this week…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 22, 2017 -
Heather Alexandra’s Top Ten Games Of 2017
I’ve played approximately two billion video games this year. Narrowing that list down to 10 was a painful and bloody process, but I finally managed to choose my favorite games from one of the most exciting years in recent memory. 10. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy Getting Over It is the closest we’ll ever…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 20, 2017 -
This Is A Good Video Game Door
Look at this door. The end of the year is a time for sneaking in all those games you missed when they came out. I’ve been playing The Evil Within 2, an astonishingly good horror game that occasionally drops players into semi-open world areaspacked with enemies, hidden items, and sidequests. Players take the role of…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 19, 2017 -
Ten Video Game Alloys That May Or May Not Be What The US Government Apparently Has
This weekend, the New York Times reportedon the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, which apparently found unidentifiable alien alloys. While we have no clue what the hell those alloys are, here are some video game alloys that might as well be real now. The information the New York Times outlines a strange alloy that caused…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 19, 2017 -
I Completely Missed The Best Part Of Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0 is one of 2017’s sleeper hits, a prequel to the popular crime drama that brought it to a wider audience. While most of the game is about criminal intrigue and martial arts brawls, a surprisingly robust club management mini-game is one of its most entertaining activities. Yakuza 0 follows two protagonists as they…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 18, 2017 -
Breath of the Wild‘s DLC Boss Has A Funny Weakness
Breath of the Wild’s new DLC focuses on Hyrule’s past, telling stories of Link’s companions and the ancient world that came before them. The final boss, a centuries old foe, has a surprising weakness. The Champions’ Ballad’s final challenge is a boss fight against Monk Maz Koshia. The ancient Sheikah tribe warrior employs a variety…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 18, 2017 -
Splatoon 2’s Lobby Ain’t What It Used To Be
Splatoon 2’s hub world of Inkopolis is a place to relax, try out new gear, and share awesome art. When the game launched in July, it was a metropolis brimming with positive illustrations. Five months later, it looks like a shitpost disaster town. The quality of art in Splatoon 2 has long been dependent on…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 15, 2017 -
CultureNew Ocarina of Time Glitch Lets Players Roll Through Fire and Water Temple
Throughout Link’s adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time he must find new tunics in order to survive the extreme heat and cold. These items have been considered essential for completing dungeons, but speedrunners have found a risky way to never use them thanks to a new glitch. In order to survive the…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 15, 2017 -
Adding Predator To Ghost Recon Is A Cool Idea That Doesn’t Work
Ghost Recon Wildlands, a game about mindlessly blowing stuff up because some CIA bigwig said so, added the alien hunter from Predator in an update today. What’s it like to face off against such a deadly creature? A bit like high tech whack-a-mole. A small update to Ghost Recon Wildlands adds the Predator from today…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 14, 2017 -
Opinion
A Game About Making A Socialist Society
Post Capitalism by Colestia is a short city-building and puzzle game about finding the weak links in capitalism and replacing them with alternatives in order to create a functional socialist society. It’s this week’s Indie Pick. Games like Sim City allow players to build block upon block of city streets and utilities to form a…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 14, 2017 -
Battlefront II DLC Tries To Close Story Cliffhanger, Disappoints
Star Wars Battlefront II’s latest DLC features an expanded story and new worlds from The Last Jedi. It does its best to reinvigorate the game, but it ultimately falls short. Spoilers Ahead Battlefront II’s latest collection of DLC continues the story of stormtrooper Iden Versio in an additional campaign called Resurrection. At the end of Battlefront…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 13, 2017 -
Resident Evil 7‘s New DLC Drops The Horror For Action
Resident Evil 7 embraced an unsettling horror presentation built around claustrophobia and dread. Players were fragile and death lurked around every corner. The game’s latest downloadable content switches things up. It’s all about making the monsters fear you. Spoilers Ahead At the end of Resident Evil 7, players were shocked to encounter series regular Chris…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 13, 2017 -
ReviewsSwitch
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild: The Champions’ Ballad: The Kotaku Review
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s second piece of downloadable content, The Champions’ Ballad, is a distillation of everything the game does well. Its collection of puzzle shrines holds some of the most inspired moments of the series, culminating in a wonderfully complex final dungeon. It is a strong end to the DLC…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 12, 2017 -
Why Some Video Games Are In Danger of Disappearing Forever
Years of neglect are eroding gaming history. Cartridges rot in garages, companies hoard demos that they will never release, and obscure titles fade into the ether. Some games may even be lost forever. What is happening? The biggest threat to game preservation is the degradation of physical media. Over time, game data and features literally…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 12, 2017 -
Splatoon 2’s Lobby Full of Fans Rallying Behind Banned ‘Bike Cuck’ Player
Splatoon 2’s lobby is a place to share art and shitposts. While many squid-kids are expressing their allegiance in the upcoming socks versus sweater Splatfest, others are rallying behind a player who says he was banned for the dubious username “Bike Cuck.” Spend a moment wandering Inkopolis Square today and it’s likely you’ll find posts…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 11, 2017 -
Breath of the Wild‘s Best Shrine Is A Spike-Filled Death Maze
Breath of the Wild’s shrines are unconventional puzzle boxes where players must do everything from guide balls through motion-controlled mazes and complete complex electrical circuits. The Champions’ Ballad DLC introduces a dangerous gauntlet where a single misstep means death. At the start of The Champions’ Ballad, Link receives a “one-hit obliterator,” a weapon that allows…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 11, 2017
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