Nathan Grayson

Husk is a horror game that deals with themes like domestic abuse and childhood trauma. It’s being billed as a tribute to horror classics like Silent Hill. Also, it takes place in a town called “Shivercliff,” because everyone makes mistakes. The game will be out next month.

None Of 2016’s Most-Played Steam Games Came Out In 2016

The sheer number of games on Steam is overwhelming, and more new ones come out per day than ever before. Despite that, Steam’s upper echelon has calcified, with an Old Guard looking down from the top of the most-played list at all the peasants below. GitHyp, a tool that tracks Steam’s most-played games (among other…

Mod Turns Fallout 4 Into A ’90s-Style Shooter

Revolted is the least Fallout 4-looking Fallout 4 mod I’ve seen that doesn’t involve Thomas The Tank Engine’s abyssal stare. It’s ‘90s-style shooting recreated inside Fallout—graphics, platforming, and rampant ‘tude-spewing included. Here’s what it looks like: And here’s a description, which rightly points out that this is The Future Of Gaming: “Revolted is a video…

Hacker Leaks 1.5 Million Profiles From Game Site After They Refuse To Pay $100,000

The ESEA is an esports community that runs a popular online Counter-Strike league. In late December, its security got breached in a big way. Now the details of that breach are coming to light, with 1.5 million users affected after the ESEA refused to pay a hacker $100,000. It all began with an announcement from…

Overwatch Heroes Ranked, According To Pornhub Searches

Overwatch porn is a damn phenomenon. Our original report on the scene was one of our biggest stories of last year, and “Overwatch” ended up outranking “anal” on Pornhub’s top 20 search terms of 2016. I was curious, though: which heroes are most popular among the porn-seeking masses? Hint: not Bastion. Pornhub gamely complied with…

Counter-Strike League Shuts Down After Players Organize Against Owners

Earlier this year, a new esports league, The Professional eSports Association (PEA), burst onto the scene. It was unique in that it was owned by bigtime esports teams, rather than a third party. Immediately there were worries of impropriety. Now, in the wake of a recent controversy, the PEA has suspended its Counter-Strike league. It…

Stardew Valley Made More Money On Steam Than Most Holiday Blockbusters

Steam Spy just released a big 2016 data dump, and it’s certainly revealing. Valve revealed the top 100 most money-making Steam games of 2016, but they didn’t provide any data beyond vague rankings. Steam Spy, on the other hand, offers data for days, but it’s all estimated, albeit fairly rigorously. Here are their most interesting…

Blizzard Says They’ll Punish Overwatch Players Who Use Mei’s Ice Wall Cheat

For weeks, an Overwatch exploit that lets players use Mei’s ice wall ability to get outside levels and become invincible has been wreaking havoc on 3v3. Good and righteous players who abhor cheating in all its ghastly forms are sick of it. After prolonged silence, Blizzard’s finally said they’re gonna do something about it. Blizzard’s…

Someone made a coaster planet in Planet Coaster. “Wrapping itself around a sphere no larger than the average asteroid, Planet Coaster launches itself up to speeds surpassing 100 km/h,” writes creator Silvarret. Props to them for this truly inspired goof.

World Of Warcraft Now Has A Secret Cow Level

The cow level has been ensconced in gaming lore since the hoary old days of Diablo, when it was a ridiculous rumor, and Diablo II, when Blizzard gave it life. It’s a gag that evolved into a rallying cry, a reminder of good times long-passed. Now, as part of Diablo’s 20th anniversary, it’s been added…

An Uncensored Sex Game’s Difficult Journey To Steam

Ladykiller In A Bind—which Heather found to be a bold exploration of sexual experiences and perspectives—is finally coming to Steam on January 9. It’ll be fully uncensored, despite the way Valve usually handles these things. For creator Christine Love, reaching this point wasn’t easy. (Warning: this game is definitely NSFW.) Ladykiller In A Bind is…

Hearthstone Devs Want To Be More Open, But Are Worried About Harassment

The Internet is not always a kind place, especially when you’re a public figure. In the wake of questions about Blizzard’s “Designer Insights” video series, Hearthstone game director Ben Brode articulated a sentiment that’s far too common in the world of game development. He and other members of the dev team, he said, would like…

Overwatch Players Are Sick Of Mei’s Ice Wall Exploit

If you’re a frequent player of Overwatch’s 3v3 mode, you’ve probably experienced the Mei ice wall glitch. It allows players to get outside the level, at which point they can shoot you, but you can’t shoot them. It is, in short, total bullshit. The glitch has been an issue for weeks now, but it only…

2016, As Told By Steam Reviews

Taken on their own, individual Steam reviews don’t offer a whole lot of value. But taken together, they spin a yarn about a game that’s equal parts fascinating, weird, and occasionally funny. This piece was originally published on December 23, 2016. We semi-regularly round-up the best Steam reviews of the year’s biggest (and/or strangest) games.…

Nathan Grayson’s Top 10 Games Of 2016

“Pa,” said the girl, “famine took everything from us, and disease the rest. Also the other day a pack of wolves plain stole old man Edwards, and they didn’t even ‘splain what they was plannin’ to use him fer.” The father studied his daughter, gaunt but strong, face hollowed by months of uncertainty. “The video…

How Frog Fractions 2 Stayed A Secret For Two Years

Jim Crawford, the man who just released the most well-hidden video game of the last two years by smuggling it inside another one, misses a time when video games had more secrets. “One thing that’s been lost about games since the ‘80s is that they’re no longer particularly mysterious, because of marketing, because they’re cheap…

Streamer Faces The Challenges Of Coming Out As Transgender On Twitch

When DistractedElf decided to transition, she worried that it could be the end of her stream. It was a big change, and she figured a lot of her audience would be pissed. But she couldn’t deny who she was. “I can’t pretend I’m not trans,” she said. DistractedElf first started streaming on Twitch after she…

The Steam Winter Sale Begins

It’s officially winter. Deep Winter. You know what that means: Steam Sale. This is the big one, or at least, the final big one of the year. If you need to get some last-second (Christmas is in three days WHAT ARE YOU DOING) holiday shopping done, here you go. This year’s sale is pretty barebones.…

Track: Desperada | Artist: Megosh | Album: Apostasy Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Sounds like Overwatch is gonna get some cool additions next year. Jeff Kaplan said multiple new heroes and maps are in the works for 2017, as are a custom game server browser, esports features, and custom spray/emote wheels. Blizzard still hasn’t confirmed that every hero is gay, but I think it’s only a matter of…