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CultureKotaku Game Diary
Anthem‘s Worst Boss Is So Bad It’s Not Even Worth Fighting
I’m well on my way to hitting the 100-hour mark in my time with Anthem, in part because it’s my goddamn job but also because I’m a glutton for the grind. In all my time with BioWare’s loot shooter, however, nothing in the diverse array of bugs nor the plethora of petty inconveniences has filled…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Apex Legends Has Me Caring About A Game’s Meta For The First Time
The Wingman-and-Peacekeeper combo is quickly taking over Apex Legends, and with good reason—it owns. The combination is also having an unexpected consequence on me: I found myself actually invested in a video game’s meta. The Wingman is a pistol that can kill a player in three headshots, and the Peacekeeper has the potential to deliver…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
I’m Obsessed With Anthem’s Mech-Entering Sequence
Anthem is not a particularly sensual game, especially for a BioWare joint. There are no romance options. There’s some light flirting while talking with computer-controlled characters, but nothing intimate. Gameplay outside of a mech suit is all first-person, so the player barely sees their character outside of cutscenes. But damn, the transition from first-person human…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Dead Or Alive 6’s Quest Mode Is Exactly The Single-Player Content I Wanted
There’s a hefty amount of solo content in Dead or Alive 6, including an expansive branching story mode that should keep players occupied for hours. But it’s the new DOA Quest mode, with its goal-oriented battles and costume unlocks, that’s captured my attention. It’s a series of bite-sized missions that I could play through all…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Shout Out To The Teen Who Played Apex Legends With Me Last Night
Last night, on my actually for real final Apex Legends game, I thought my squad was doomed. Our third squadmate had been disconnected, and I knew I was dead weight for the more experienced player I was tagging along with. I was content to get lost and then shot, because it was around midnight and…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThere’s A New Game Based On How To Train Your Dragon And It’s Actually Pretty Good
Movie tie-in games that pop up with little fanfare are seldom good, so I didn’t expect much from Dreamworks Dragons: Dawn of New Riders. I certainly didn’t expect a charming, puzzle-packed old school Zelda-style action role-playing game. What a pleasant surprise. Released last week on Xbox One, Playstation 4, Switch and PC in advance of…
By Mike Fahey -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Apex Legends Needs A ‘You’re Welcome’ Button
In Apex Legends, when you pick up ammo a teammate has dropped for you, or an item that they’ve pinged on the map, the game prompts you to press a button to say “thank you.” I press it every time, because it’s the nice thing to do. The game won’t let you say “You’re welcome,”…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Apex Legends‘ Mozambique Shotgun Sucks, And Everyone Knows
If there’s one thing that all Apex Legends players can agree on, a week since release, it’s that the Mozambique shotgun sucks. I’m not too picky about guns in video games. If I pick it up and it shoots, I’ll take it. One exception to that rule I have made is the Mozambique shotgun in…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Socialist Tabletop Game Reminded Me That You Have To Stop Infighting To Get Shit Done
On Wednesday night, a group of friends and I gathered to spark a revolution. We were playing Comrades, a tabletop RPG that puts its players in the shoes of leftist activists fighting for their causes. I make it no secret that I am a socialist. That’s right! I’m the political dissident the President is warning…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
Sadly, It’s Surprising That There Are Two Black Women In Apex Legends
Loading up Apex Legends for the first time, I saw two black women as playable characters. It was a strange and arresting feeling to see them. I’m still trying to understand my feelings about it. I’m usually quite wary of falling into what my coworker Riley MacLeod calls “the diversity trap,” which is to say,…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game Diary
A Game About The First Year Of Art School
Art Sqool sucked me in early on. My second in-game assignment was to draw slowly and deliberately. It was a tall order for drawing with a mouse, but I gave it a fair shot. I made sure I traced my lines slowly, with purpose, really considering each stroke and what it added or took away.…
By Gita Jackson -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryAnthem‘s Demo Ends With An Exciting Cloud And A Less Exciting Rock Monster
Anthem’s open demo, which launched this past weekend, had its first “mini-event” last night. A fiery vortex formed in the sky, and some big rock monsters appeared on the ground below. It made for a nice change of visuals and something new to hunt, but like a lot of what the demo has shown off,…
By Ethan Gach
