Kotaku Game Diary Archives - Page 28 of 31

A Strategy Game That Finally Made Me Take Stealth More Seriously

I’m not very good at stealth games. I like the idea of trying to sneak around undetected, but as soon as I get caught all hell breaks loose. In real life I’m happy to be a wallflower, but in games I often want to be at the center of the action, or violently creating it…

By Ethan Gach Published December 4, 2018

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Damn, It Feels Good To Be A Healer

Lately I’ve been playing a lot of violent games for work. In the last week, I’ve thrown knives and lit people on fire in Battlefield V, blasted people away with my revolver in Red Dead Online, and engaged in all sorts of wacky assassinations in Hitman 2. It’s often a lot of fun, but every…

By Heather Alexandra Published December 3, 2018

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I’m Playing Assassin’s Creed Rebellion For The Haystack Assassinations

I am living the true modern gaming experience these days when I fill the empty moments during Assassin’s Creed Odyssey load times by playing the mobile game Assassin’s Creed Rebellion on my phone. I won’t keep this up for long. Rebellion is too much of a Modern Mobile Game for my taste, but I’ve discovered…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 30, 2018

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Farming Is A Lot Of Fun When You Aren’t Actually Farming

“I’m the farmer. I work in the fields all day.” The chorus from Barenaked Ladies’ “Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank” plays on repeat in my head as I sit in front of my computer tending virtual crops in Farming Simulator 19. That’s as close to hard outdoor work as I like to get. I…

By Mike Fahey Published November 29, 2018

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My Nice Guy Approach To A Red Dead Redemption 2 Train Robbery Went Very Wrong

I’ve been mostly playing as a good guy in Red Dead Redemption 2, or at least as much as the game will let me. This is more of a cowardly choice than a moral one. Bounties and lawmen stress me out. Nevertheless, I recently decided to rob one of the game’s trains. It did not…

By Riley MacLeod Published November 28, 2018

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The Criminal Minds Game Gets Right To The Grisly Bits

Based on the long-running television show about a crack team of FBI profilers hunting serial killers, the new Criminal Minds mobile game has no qualms about depicting cartoony atrocity by murdering a family of four in the first minute. I got into Criminal Minds while I was hospitalized earlier this year. Forced to watch commercial…

By Mike Fahey Published November 27, 2018

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A Sims 4: Get Famous Story

Three generations ago, my grandmother came to Del Sol Valley, trying to make it big as a movie star. I’m the same as she was when she first started now, and from my new home in the desert, it’s hard not to think about what she went through as I embark on my own journey.…

By Gita Jackson Published November 26, 2018

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The Fun And Frustration Of That Doctor Robbery Early In Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn’t force many of its myriad activities on players, though it it’ll often send characters your way to tempt you to try certain things. Those of us who’ve played the game haven’t all seen the same sights, but a good chunk of us have at least have robbed the doctor’s drug…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 23, 2018

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I Can’t Stop Talking With This Red Dead Redemption 2 Character

There’s a lot to do in Red Dead Redemption 2. There’s so much going on that even when I head into a town for a few errands I’m besieged by things to buy, strangers to help, and places to rob. But there’s a guy in Valentine I always make time to speak with, whether I…

By Riley MacLeod Published November 22, 2018

CultureKotaku Game Diary

My Son And I Have Issues With The Latest Paw Patrol Game

Paw Patrol: On A Roll is a capable, kid-friendly platform game. Heroic hounds of every rescue discipline travel left to right, collecting items and using their special skills to save humans and animals in peril. It’s fun, but after a dozen missions, its endless instruction repetition and a lack of equal puppy representation frustrates even…

By Mike Fahey Published November 21, 2018

CultureKotaku Game Diary

Pokémon Let’s Go‘s Leveling System Raises Some Morbid Questions

If Pokémon Let’s Go is banking on my nostalgia, it’s working, but it’s also bringing to mind some disturbing questions about the nature of Pokémon. ’90s kids’ idle fantasies of weed-whacking our way through forests alongside some loyal, sweet Pokémon companion are realized in the latest Pokémon game, which even lets you pet and play…

By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published November 20, 2018

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Shadow Of The Tomb Raider‘s New Tomb Is As Awkward As The Rest Of The Game

Some games’ post-release plans are stingy, others generous, some comically convoluted. And then there’s the seven-part plan for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an awkward game that is now getting some awkward expansions. On paper before release, it all seemed pretty good. Shadow of the Tomb Raider would be a sequel to the excellent Rise…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 19, 2018

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Hitman 2016 Taught Me A Better Way To Play Hitman 2

Usually when I play a single-player game, I go through it from start to finish. I play each new level after the last one, until I stop playing or get to the end. That’s not how I played 2016’s excellent episodic Hitman, however, and it’s not how I’m playing its fantastic new sequel. I’ve played…

By Kirk Hamilton Published November 16, 2018

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Pokémon Let’s Go Helped Me Connect With My Son

“Dad, can we play Pokémon together?” my seven-year-old son Seamus asked as I wandered about Kanto in Pokémon Let’s Go! Eevee. It was the first time he’d asked to play a video game with me. It led to the first time we played a video game together. Seamus and his twin brother, Archer, love video…

By Mike Fahey Published November 15, 2018

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Let’s Go Are The Prettiest Pokémon Games Yet

The story is familiar and the players are the same, but the scenery has never looked so good. Gorgeous visuals abound in our latest trip through the Kanto region, making Pokémon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Eevee the prettiest pocket monster games yet. Take a look! Before we begin our tour of the sights of the…

By Mike Fahey Published November 14, 2018

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The Spyro Reignited Trilogy Preserves The Excellence Of A PlayStation Masterpiece

Back in 1998, Insomniac Games gave us a small purple dragon who’s a joy to control, colorful free-roaming playgrounds and backed with exquisite music. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy looks different, but it feels just as good. Released in 1998 for the original PlayStation and followed by a pair of sequels in 1999 and 2000, Spyro…

By Mike Fahey Published November 13, 2018

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Hitman’s Deadliest Weapon Is A Coin

Before leaving for missions in Hitman 2, you can choose to bring a handful of gadgets and gear. You have your trusty silenced pistol, remote controlled mines, and lockpicks. These dastardly tools of the trade pale in comparison to the game’s most deadly accessory: the humble and unassuming coin. Coins have been a part of…

By Heather Alexandra Published November 12, 2018

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PSVR Remains My Sixth Choice For Gaming

When I’m in the mood to play a video game, I’ll grab my Switch, a PS4 controller, maybe my Xbox One controller or my 3DS or perhaps my phone. I’ve got lists of games I’m eager to start or continue on those devices. None of them require me to unwrap the cords of a special…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 9, 2018

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One Of My Favorite Red Dead Redemption 2 Details Exists Outside The Game

Many a critic will discuss a game’s verbs: the things you do in the game. That’s too general an approach for me. I’m here to praise Red Dead Redemption 2’s present participles. If you’ve played Red Dead Redemption 2, you may have not noticed them. You may have not noticed them because you can’t see…

By Stephen Totilo Published November 7, 2018

CultureKotaku Game Diary

I Don’t Want Fortnite’s Cube Monsters To Go

For the last couple weeks, cube monsters have been rampaging through Fortnite matches (don’t call them zombies or you’ll hurt Epic Games’ feelings). But on Sunday, they, along with their namesake, disappeared from the game. It was beautiful, but I was sad. Cube monsters have been my favorite thing to happen to the game since…

By Ethan Gach Published November 6, 2018