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CultureKotaku Game DiaryAll I Want To Do Is Play 16-Bit Action RPGs
It was about two months ago when, reading the latest updates on the Sega Genesis Mini, I thought to myself: “Wouldn’t it be cool if the classic 16-bit action role-playing game Crusader of Centy was on this? That’s what I’d probably play first.” The next thing I thought was: “Idiot, you have a Mega SG!…
By Chris Kohler Published June 3, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryDeciding Whether To Restart A Video Game Is My Latest Debilitating Crisis
Sometimes, life presents you with a choice that you just know is going to Change Everything. It’s in these moments that we must take decisive action, plunge headlong into the abyssal unknown with nothing but resolute self-belief to shield us from the grasping black. Anyway, it’s with this in mind that I tell you I’ve…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 31, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Division 2 Replaced A Mystery With An Anticlimax
I don’t play games for rewards. I never minded much that collecting the flags in the first Assassin’s Creed gets you nothing, didn’t mind that grabbing all the stars in Mario 64 lets you talk to Yoshi but not ride him. The journey’s the fun and whatnot. There was, however, this one mission in The…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 30, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryFeedback Makes Me A Better Gamer–When You’re Not An Asshole
I’ve begun to think of my weekly, local Super Smash Bros. tournament as a sort of doctor’s appointment for my ego. Regulars tell me that it’s normal to just win one or two games at these things, yet selection bias mandates that the people who attend a lot tend to be confident that they’re really,…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 29, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryDungeon Crawlers Make Me Question What I’m Doing With My Life
I’ve been staring at my 3DS a lot lately. It sits on a shelf in front of my TV, not because I use it often but because I might pick it up again sometime. I do the same thing with books, leaving them out in sight so I remember to maybe try and read them.…
By Joshua Rivera Published May 28, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Both Love And Feel Embarrassed About All The Video Game Music On My Phone
An eight-hour road trip I recently took with a friend quickly turned into a musical deep dive. As we flew through conversations about bachata, gospel, R&B, soul, house, and more, my friend mentioned that ’90s music made up a significant portion of his palate. “You know, there’s a lot of anime and video game music…
By Natalie Degraffinried Published May 24, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryWarframe’s Gas City Is Now Stalked By A Giant Robotic Bird
The Ropalolyst stalks the Corpus Gas City on Jupiter occasionally feasting on the metropolis’ machinery as if the place were made of worms. Part of Warframe’s latest update, the Jovian Concord, the gigantic bird comes from an ancient race of AI terraformers called the Sentient. It’s also one of the game’s best new boss fights.…
By Ethan Gach Published May 23, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryStop Quitting Magic: Arena Games Before I Can Beat You Properly
Magic: The Gathering is a game about slowly (or quickly) squeezing the life out of your opponent until they’re demoralized, defeated, and feeling the weight of their many, many mistakes. That’s why I am unhappy with the lot of you serial conceders depriving me of that. I’m not a great player of Magic Arena, the…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published May 21, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m A Little Tired Of This One Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Bow
There may have been a time, a week or two ago, when I was excited to score my first Precursor Reflex Bow in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Thirty-seven Precursor Reflex Bows later? Not so much. While playing Odyssey’s Fate of Atlantis expansion, which takes the ancient Greek setting of this action-role-playing-game into an otherworldly realm crafted…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 20, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryCrackdown 3‘s Multiplayer Is Already A Ghost Town
Every video game with an online component has a hidden expiration date. No one really knows when it’ll hit. Maybe a game will be popular and have a long, storied life, full of memories and patch updates and people who write forum posts about the Good Old Days. Maybe it’ll be underappreciated, but still supported,…
By Joshua Rivera Published May 17, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryKilling Rage 2‘s Enemies Is As Satisfying As Popping Pimples
I know something about you that you probably won’t even admit to yourself, a fundamental human truth as undeniable as breathing: You like popping pimples. Slowly applying pressure until those tiny face volcanoes erupt into a gooey spew is one of life’s small pleasures. It is gross, yes, but so are a great many enjoyable…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 16, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryGames Are Better When You Come To Them Late
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney first came out in 2005. I’m finally playing it in 2019, courtesy of the recent Nintendo Switch port. I’ve never played a Phoenix Wright game before, even though I love mysteries and my friends spent the past decade or so telling me to play one. You know what? I’m glad I…
By Maddy Myers Published May 15, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiarySomehow, I Can’t Get Hooked On Anime Gambling Games
You know gacha games, right? Those free-to-play anime games with built-in slot machines you can play to collect new characters? They’re everywhere. Smartphone app stores are absolutely lousy with them because you can get them all for free, and people love things that are free, even if they ultimately end up being not free. As…
By Joshua Rivera Published May 14, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Can’t Go Through This Again, Final Fantasy VII
One of the most heartbreaking moments in gaming history has a new voice and a new face, thanks to last week’s Final Fantasy VII remake trailer. I have no idea how long it’s going to take for this game to arrive, but I’m already lamenting what’s to come. Aeris is going to die all over…
By Mike Fahey Published May 13, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryDota 2‘s New Battle Pass Has Some Unwelcome Changes
I’m playing Dota 2 again following the release of the game’s 2019 battle pass. There are new treasures to collect. Big tournaments are just around the corner. And I’ve spent another $10 on that battle pass. I can’t tell if this game is actually exciting again or if I just feel compelled to play because…
By Ethan Gach Published May 10, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Sims Changed How I Think About Moving Apartments
My brain is so poisoned by video games, that while I was recently moving my furniture into my new apartment all I could think about was The Sims My move, from one New York City apartment to another, was expensive and complicated ordeal. I’m so, so close to finally being finished with it. I’ve got…
By Gita Jackson Published May 9, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Got Caught In A Silent Pokémon Go Battle With A Stranger A Few Feet Away
Like many people, I played Pokémon Go for a few months when it first came out in 2016, then I abandoned it for three years. Since I work from home and the game’s leveling mechanics revolve around a pedometer, I could never seem to level up my Pokémon fast enough. For the past six months,…
By Maddy Myers Published May 8, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Finally Playing A MOBA
When you care for someone, I think one of the most important things you can do is move out of your comfort zone and participate in their hobbies and interests. My girlfriend is an avid Heroes of the Storm player, often squirreling away time with friends to play matches and participate in aod-hoc tournaments. I…
By Heather Alexandra Published May 7, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy Seven-Year-Old Son Is Going To Be A Sonic Mania Speedrunner Someday
My seven-year-old son Archer loves to play Sonic Mania on our PlayStation 4, but only in Time Attack mode. Watching him work his way through Green Hill Zone Act 2 for the umpteenth time in a row, I ask, “Are you going to be a speedrunner?” Archer, eyes locked on the television screen, replies “Yes.”…
By Mike Fahey Published May 6, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Forgot What It Was Like To Game Without Internet
I just moved to a new apartment, and we don’t have internet yet. Sure, I could read or explore the neighborhood, but sometimes I just want to sit down with a good video game and turn off my brain. Unfortunately, as I ran head-first into the reality of gaming without internet, I quickly realized that…
By Gita Jackson Published May 3, 2019