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CultureKotaku Game DiaryMore Games Could Use Invincibility Modes Like Control’s
Control’s latest update added an assist mode that makes protagonist Jesse into a paranormal killing machine with the click of a button. It’s an option I wish more games had. While many games launch with multiple difficulty modes ranging from chill strolls to brutal death marches, Control only had one when it came out last…
By Ethan Gach Published September 2, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryIt Took 12 Years, But I Finally Got A Platinum PlayStation Trophy
Sony introduced trophies for PlayStation 3 games in July of 2008. Since then I’ve earned more than 3,000 virtual accolades on PlayStation consoles, but it wasn’t until last weekend that I finally joined the Platinum trophy elite, thanks to Hello Games’ The Last Campfire. I wasn’t looking for fame and notoriety as I wound my…
By Mike Fahey Published September 2, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryIt’s Damn Near The Apocalypse, But At Least My Blaseball Team Is Doing Well
Shit sucks. Our government continues to expand the boundaries of its fascist power. The ostensible opposition party lacks the strength or willingness to do anything. Society continues to buckle under the weight of a preventable pandemic. The only “hope” we have is a doddering politician who promises to change nothing if he becomes president. But…
By Ian Walker Published September 1, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMoon Taught Me To Appreciate Its Weird World The Hard Way
Moon: Remix RPG Adventure is a niche “anti-RPG” from 1997 that last week made its way westward, for the first time ever, via Switch. While the digital manual provides some much-appreciated assistance, I recently found myself stuck in a game-ending situation that would have been entirely avoidable had I respected the game’s world. The main…
By Ian Walker Published August 31, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryWasteland 3, From The Perspective Of A Wasteland Newcomer
Early on in Wasteland 3, you’re forced to make a choice. The family of one of your party members, a young woman named Lucia Wesson, was recently killed. An early quest has you stumble upon a camp of downtrodden apocalypse survivors, where you meet Lucia’s ex-boyfriend. Even if he didn’t technically pull the trigger, he’s…
By Ari Notis Published August 31, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Returning To Dragon Age: Origins
I knew this would happen. The second I saw that Dragon Age 4 video at Gamescom, I knew I’d be back on my particular brand of Dragon Age bullshit. I want you to know I tried. I fought against the siren’s call as best as I could. But like many an ancient sailor, I too…
By Ash Parrish Published August 31, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryYes, I Have Bagged Red Dead Online’s Most Elusive Bovine
Gather round folks, and let me share with you the absurd tale of my week-long hunt to find a stupid bull in Red Dead Online. A few weeks ago a new role involving animals, the naturalist, was added to Red Dead Online. The role’s main focus is collecting samples from most of the game’s animals,…
By Zack Zwiezen Published August 31, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryWarframe‘s Big Twist Knocked My Brain Clean Out Of My Head
When someone first starts playing a long-running video game, a ritual begins. Friends who’ve spent considerably more time with the game immediately start asking “Have you gotten to [part that is so iconic as to have become revered]?” You reply “No” repeatedly, but that only builds anticipation. Will the moment live up to expectations, or…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 28, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryBeware This Pack Of Deadly Beavers In Red Dead Online
I never thought I would be afraid of beavers. But after playing a legendary animal mission recently, I’m terrified of the buck-toothed bastards. However, I’m also excited that Rockstar finally seems to be adding more creative, exciting, and silly content into Red Dead Online. The latest big update for Red Dead Online arrived last month…
By Zack Zwiezen Published August 27, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Love How Skaters Get Hype In Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
I’ve spent a lot of time with the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 demo despite being confined to short, two-minute runs in a single level. It’s an incredible achievement that feels almost exactly like the iconic franchise’s earliest installments. My favorite part, however, is a new addition that sees your skater of choice…
By Ian Walker Published August 24, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryConfessions Of A Fall Guys Grabber
If you’ve played Fall Guys, this has happened to you: You’re about to cross the finish line. Everything’s looking great. Then, out of nowhere, some jerk grabs you. A bunch of other pastel-colored beans sprint by. Just like that, you’re disqualified. The person who disqualified you was me—and I’m not sorry. Fall Guys is a…
By Ari Notis Published August 21, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Love How Easy It Is To Play With High-Level Friends In Warframe
The other night, I played Warframe with some of my actual, flesh-and-blood friends for the first time. I was worried; after all, my friends have been playing the space ninja MMO for hundreds of hours. I, with a paltry 45 hours, am a scrub by comparison. I worried that our hangout would be a waste…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 14, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy Fall Guys Bean Is Very Stylish
I don’t deal with stagnancy well. If I have a bad run in Fall Guys, for instance, I’ll often tinker with my bean dude’s costume for a sort of fresh start. Keeping in mind that I’m constantly messing with color palettes and patterns, here are a few of the major evolutions my bean’s fits have…
By Ian Walker Published August 14, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryNote To Self: Stop Slashing Horse In Ghost Of Tsushima
The sun is setting on the island of Tsushima as I call over my trusted horse after defeating some deadly Mongols in combat. I am a noble samurai warrior, ready to do whatever I can to help my people and sav—Ahh shit, I just smacked my horse with my sword. Again. I’ve been playing Ghost…
By Zack Zwiezen Published August 13, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Better At Fall Guys When Blasting Death Grips
I prefer games that don’t require much auditory attention so that I can listen to music while I play. Fall Guys is perfect for this since I can grind out match after match and not really miss out on anything. And while I generally prefer softer fare like The Mountain Goats or Phoebe Bridgers, I’ve…
By Ian Walker Published August 12, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Has The Best ‘Squeezing Through Narrow Passage’ Moments
I, uh, have to make a confession: I like those moments, now ubiquitous in modern gaming, where you squeeze through narrow passageways that obviously exist just to hide asset loading. Not sure why, to be honest. Maybe it’s Freudian? In any case, what I do know is that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has the…
By Ian Walker Published August 10, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiarySlime Climb Should Never Be The First Fall Guys Round
Fall Guys is the game of the moment. Everyone, including myself, is absolutely enamored with these terrifyingly talljellybean friends competing to see who can win at this game show battle royale. Games are divided into rounds of mini-games, some of which are definitely more fun than others. One game that is always bad, though, is…
By Ty Galiz-Rowe Published August 10, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryPlayStation 4’s Firewatch Theme Is My Window To A Better World
The world is cold and unfeeling, so it’s a small comfort to know I’ll always have the Firewatch theme on my PlayStation 4. I’m a pretty basic dude. I like my user interfaces clean and as free of clutter as possible. But when Campo Santo’s first-person adventure Firewatch arrived on PlayStation 4 a few years…
By Ian Walker Published August 7, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Really Into That New Dragon-Dating Sim, Ring Fit Adventure
Can I tell you a secret? Is this a safe place? Because what I’m about to say could potentially expose some of my stranger… predilections, let’s say. Are you ready? Okay. I think the bad guy in Ring Fit Adventure is smokin’ hot. He’s a tall, dark, and dummy thicc dragon traipsing about in a wrestling…
By Ash Parrish Published August 7, 2020
