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CultureKotaku Game DiaryFall Guys‘ Catchy Music Is What Keeps Me Coming Back
I keep losing at Fall Guys and if it wasn’t for the weird and peppy music hammering my brain after every failure I would have given up by now. Games don’t have to be fun and I certainly haven’t been having fun getting chewed up and spit out by Fall Guys’ multiplayer chaos over and…
By Ethan Gach Published August 7, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Hate This Rope In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
I don’t think I’ve ever been as frustrated with an inanimate object in a video game as I have with this goddamn rope in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order I’ve been messing around with Fallen Order in brief spurts since it launched last November, but only recently set my mind to a serious playthrough. It’s…
By Ian Walker Published August 5, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Thought I Missed Out On A Free Rare Warframe Suit, And It Sent Me To A Dark Place
Sometimes, you don’t know how much you want something until you realize it may have already slipped through your fingers. That’s what I told myself on Saturday, as sunk-cost fallacy convinced me to feverishly calculate how much it would cost to buy a Warframe suit that had been completely free less than an hour prior.…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 4, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryJumpstart‘s The Only Way I Wanna Play Magic: The Gathering Arena
Magic: The Gathering’s new format Jumpstart is the only way I want to play Magic for the rest of my life. I love playing Magic, both paper and online with Arena. I love opening new cards. I love the art. I love beating dudes who are much better than me, like I did this weekend…
By Ash Parrish Published August 3, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Love Ghost Of Tsushima‘s Hot Springs
I tend to ditch the main story in open world games as soon as I can in favor of exploring, so I’ve barely made a dent in Ghost of Tsushima’s plot. I’ve parkoured my way to a lot of shrines and chased a lot of foxes. Mostly, though, I’ve been looking for more hot springs,…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 2, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThrowing Paper Mario‘s Confetti Is My Happy Place
Sadly, it feels like I’m reaching the end of my time with Paper Mario: The Origami King. I’ve loved everything about it—well, almost everything—but my favorite part has got to be the simple act of tossing confetti around. The Mushroom Kingdom is in total disarray by the time you get to explore it thanks to…
By Ian Walker Published July 30, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryHalo: The Master Chief Collection Is So Fun Right Now
I’ve played Halo: The Master Chief Collection off and on—more off than on—since it released in 2014. The serious connectivity issues that persisted well past launch were one thing, but the game also hit that fun wall all first-person shooters hit. Sometimes it takes months or years, but the run-of-the-mill players always abandon ship for…
By Ari Notis Published July 27, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Finally Clearing My Gaming Backlog, And It Rules
We all have backlogs of games we keep meaning to get to, all those games we promised ourselves we would totally, for sure, for real, play eventually. Recently, I’ve started actually finishing up some games on my backlog. It feels amazing. I love finishing a game. It’s satisfying to see the credits roll, and even…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 24, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryPaper Mario: The Origami King Is A Rare Game I Actually Want To 100%
I don’t 100% video games. Most of the time, I don’t even finishthem because I hate ending journeys I’m having so much fun on, or my brain goes “ooh shiny” and I bunny-hop to the next big thing. For the most part, all I want in a video game is to mainline rails of story.…
By Ash Parrish Published July 23, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryStuck At Home, I Can’t Stop Upgrading My Gaming Setup
If you give yourself an absurd but subtly practical gamer chair, you’ll ask yourself for a new microphone. When you give yourself the new microphone, you will ask yourself for an all-in-one audio mixer with a studio-quality preamp. When you have the microphone and mixer, you will look into your monitor and realize it is…
By Nathan Grayson Published July 17, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryTo The Random No Man’s Sky Players Who Gave Me Free Stuff
Hi. You probably don’t remember me. I was the chubby Gek pilot exploring the Nexus for the first time when you both handed me some supplies. I didn’t catch your names, but I want to say thank you! I’m betting all the credits in my spacesuit that I looked pretty lost. My last go at…
By Ian Walker Published July 17, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryBattle Chef Brigade Helps Me Navigate A Complicated Relationship With Food During Covid-19
(Note: This post contains discussions of disordered eating.) During the pandemic, there are days when I don’t eat. I’ll be hungry, and I’ll have food, but I’ll just simply decline to eat. Quarantine robs me of my desire to eat, and depression from said quarantine robs me of the energy to cook. But what I…
By Ash Parrish Published July 10, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Last Of Us 2‘s Scariest Scene Has A Gameplay Problem
Between the screaming fungus zombies and the overtones of mindless militarism, The Last of Us Part 2 is basically one big, playable nightmare. But the scariest moment of the game comes at the midway point. At the end of Abby’s “Seattle Day 2” chapter, you end up at the Washington Liberation Front’s hospital base. Your…
By Ari Notis Published July 9, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Love Cracking Safes In The Last Of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part 2 has 14 locked safes scattered throughout its world. In contrast to the rest of the game, where resources are limited and ammo is scarce, these safes are loaded with supplies. In a game where visceral fun isin short supply, cracking these safes is a pleasurable experience that forces you…
By Kevin Wong Published July 9, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryIn VR You Can’t Escape The Loading Screen
Loading screens are something we all deal with while playing video games. As long as they are brief many of us will just grab our phone and check Twitter or grab a bite to eat. But in virtual reality, with a headset strapped to your face, you are trapped and forced to awkwardly stand and…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 5, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Gathering Animations In Among Trees Are Very Good
Survival games are, by nature, pretty intense. Among Trees, which entered early access on the Epic Games Store last week, is a bit more zen, thanks in part to its gorgeous visuals and dense soundscapes. In my first few hours with the game I even found myself enamored with the elaborate animations, particularly when gathering…
By Ian Walker Published June 15, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryAll The Times I Ate Shit Trying To Land One Trick In Session
Session has been in early access on Steam since late 2019, but it made the jump to Xbox One this week with a time-limited demo. As someone who flailed around on a skateboard a bit as a youth, I’ve always had a soft spot for skateboarding games. I immediately fell in love with Session, so…
By Ian Walker Published June 12, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryIn Star Wars Battlefront II, I’d Rather Play A Grunt Than A Hero
I’ve seen heroes and villains do incredible things in Star Wars Battlefront II. Yoda, so small that he easily evades blaster fire, cutting through battle droids like butter. Darth Maul choke-holding an entire platoon and capturing a control point on his own. These powerful characters can single-handedly turn the tide of a match. But for…
By Ian Walker Published June 9, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryLet Me Keep My Damn Weeds, Animal Crossing
I’m new to the Animal Crossing world. Outside of a short-lived stint in Pocket Camp, New Horizons is the first time I’ve ever played a major Animal Crossing title. Part of getting into an established series late means learning things seasoned players know implicitly, like that you’re supposed to pick the weeds. But I don’t…
By Ash Parrish Published June 3, 2020
