Ian Walker

I Finally Found A Bug Blathers Doesn’t Hate In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing museum curator Blathers hates bugs. The owl has no problem detailing his disgust whenever you donate a new insect. Blathers’ disdain for bugs has become something of a meme over the last month, but he seems to have a soft spot when it comes to the dazzling Madagascan sunset moth. Like in previous…

Final Fantasy VII Remake Made Me Climb 59 Flights Of Stairs And I Loved It

I recently arrived at Shinra headquarters in my playthrough of Final Fantasy VII Remake. After Cloud and his squad fight their way through the parking garage, they enter the spacious reception area to find the place deserted. Our heroes have two ways to reach Aerith: take the elevator or climb 59 flights of stairs. I…

2K Games has responded to WWE’s recent announcement that the WWE 2K franchise won’t see a new entry in 2020. More details on the future of the series and some “exciting news” are expected next Monday at 10 am ET.

WWE 2K Is Skipping 2020 [Update: 2K Says More Details Coming Next Week]

If you’re still holding your breath for WWE 2K21 this year, exhale. WWE has announced that 2K Games will not be releasing a new installment of their annual wrestling series in 2020. During a call with investors, WWE interim chief financial officer Frank Riddick responded to a question about the release of WWE 2K21 by…

Binding Of Isaac Mod Helps Woman Propose To Her Significant Other

I’ve never proposed to anybody, but I can imagine it would be pretty anxiety-provoking. I totally understand why some folks prefer to let their favorite video games do the talking. Last week, an Australian woman sat her significant other down to play a modded version of The Binding of Isaac that included a special marriage…

When Final Fantasy VII Remake Broke My Heart, Chasing A Pig Proved Strangely Therapeutic

I recently hit an emotional low point with Final Fantasy VII Remake. It was hard to watch my favorite side characters suffer and Avalanche members Tifa and Barret grapple with their culpability in Shinra’s latest attack. I even took a day off to decompress. When I returned, however, I was greeted by a ridiculous mission…

A Video Game Halloween Costume Is Not Appropriate Covid-19 Protection

Halloween costumes always seem like such a rip-off. They’re really only appropriate for one day out of the year and kids usually grow too fast to use them again before the next Halloween rolls around. I don’t blame anyone for trying to find a way to repurpose a costume that would otherwise be gathering dust…

Doom Eternal World Record Speedrun Uses Secret Teleporter Room

You never know what you’re going to see in a speedrun. The players working on beating Doom Eternal as quickly as possible, for instance, have found a way to enter a secret developer room that allows them to grab a BFG and complete the Mars Core mission much faster. Doom Eternal is a big, wonderful…

Broken Valorant Skin Gives Players Better Vision While Scoped

“Pay-to-win” is one of the ugliest phrases in gaming, especially when it comes to a competitive game like Valorant. Players recently discovered that a paid skin in Riot Games’ shooter allows for a wider field of vision while scoped than should be possible with a sniper rifle, leading to player outcry and a promise of…

Final Fantasy VII Remake Gave Me A Chance To Examine My Own Anger

Although I’ve been made aware of the major story beats in Final Fantasy VII over the years through osmosis, Remake is the first time I’ve experienced them personally. I wasn’t prepared for the impact Shinra’s attack on Sector 7 would have on me as I played over the weekend, and now more than ever am…

Riot Offering Up To $100,000 For Finding Vulnerabilities In Valorant’s Anti-Cheat System

Riot has posted one of the biggest—if not the biggest—bounties in gaming, offering people up to $100,000 if they can find a security flaw in the company’s controversial Vanguard anti-cheat system. The bounty, announced today, is being hosted on HackerOne, where users can earn some scratch from tech companies for pinpointing flaws in their security.…

Aerith Is My Favorite Party Member In Final Fantasy VII Remake

As a complete newcomer to the world of Final Fantasy VII, I’m meeting (and, in some cases, falling head over heels for) its cast members for the first time in the updated and reimagined Remake. I’ve grown to appreciate every character Cloud has met during his journey, but one stands head and shoulders above the…

Paul Haddad, Voice Of Leon Kennedy In Resident Evil 2, Dies At 56

Paul Haddad, who voiced Leon Kennedy in the character’s Resident Evil 2 debut, has died at the age of 56, according to an announcement from Invader Studios. “Paul Haddad, our dear friend and an icon among the Resident Evil community, has passed away recently,” the statement reads. “We’ve been truly honored to have the chance…

Valorant Tournaments Will Have To Turn Off Blood

In a recent blog post detailing their plans for Valorant esports, Riot esports director Whalen “Magus” Rozelle provided a long list of guidelines community organizers will need to follow in their competitions. These include restrictions on event sponsors and a requirement to disable in-game blood. Valorant, despite its fantasy elements, is still very much a…

Final Fantasy VII Devs Wanted Sephiroth To Feel Like Jaws

Like many things in Final Fantasy VII, the main antagonist Sephiroth is an iconic part of gaming history. He’s a striking, menacing presence throughout the classic roleplaying game. Much of Sephiroth’s reputation has to do with the way the developers took cues from an entirely different piece of media: Steven Spielberg’s 1975 thriller, Jaws During…

Reno Forced Me To Use Parries In Final Fantasy VII Remake

Shocking though it may be, Final Fantasy VII wasn’t part of my childhood. As such, Remake has given me a great opportunity to learn more about this iconic roleplaying game. I’ve fallen in love with the bumbling members of Avalanche and find the overarching eco-terrorists vs. exploitative megacorp narrative compelling. And now the game is…

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Gave 10,000 Employees His Personal Cell Phone Number

Companies in the video game industry are handling the ongoing covid-19 pandemic in various ways, from retailers dragging their asses in protecting their employees to studios implementing work-from-home policies. Activision Blizzard’s plans include giving 10,000 workers a direct line to CEO Bobby Kotick. During a recent appearance on CNBC, Kotick spoke at length about how Activision Blizzard…

A high-definition remake of the classic Doom clone Chex Quest is heading to Steam over the summer. This updated version of the iconic cereal box prize will feature a new multiplayer mode and six playable characters. I’m from Chex Squadron, and I volunteer.

Voice actor and content creator Briana White had a super sweet reaction to hearing herself in Final Fantasy VII Remake White described the experience of voicing Aerith as both “overwhelming” and “life-changing” during a recent interview with Kotaku sister site io9

Riot Addresses Concerns Over Valorant‘s Always-On Anti-Cheat System

Players who install Valorant, the new first-person shooter from Riot, also add to their computer an anti-cheat system that activates whenever they boot up their computer. It’s practically always on, which caused quite a stir within the gaming community after being discovered yesterday. A Riot rep tells Kotaku that their anti-cheat system, called Riot Vanguard, needs…