Kotaku Game Diary Archives - Page 30 of 31

I Love When An Intense Game Forces Me To Take A Break

I’m a sucker for Flat Heroes’ simple look and how good it feels to bounce around putting off death, but my favorite part of this minimalist Switch platformer is the moment before the levels actually start. Flat Heroes claims to have over 300 levels, though I’m still in the first of its 10 worlds. Each…

By Riley MacLeod Published August 7, 2018

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It’s 2018 And I’m Hooked On Mega Man X Again

I’ve never enjoyed a single movement in a video game as much as the Mega Man X dash jump. I could dash jump all day—off ledges, up walls, across pits filled with spikes. For all the double jumps, dodge rolls, and infinite sprints I’ve encountered since, nothing has filled my heart with so much joy…

By Ethan Gach Published July 27, 2018

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The Unexpected Difficulty Of Choosing Who To Play As In Hunting Simulator

I’ve always been curious about hunting sims, mostly because I want to vicariously wander around the woods. I’m excited to check a recent one that just got ported to the Switch, but right now I can’t decide which character to pick. Hunting Simulator launched for consoles and PC last year and arrived on Switch last…

By Riley MacLeod Published July 18, 2018

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The PS1 Strategy Game That Nails Robotic Destruction

In Front Mission 3’s 18th battle, I’m on a naval base facing down two giant walking artillery cannons, four Gundam-like mechs, and an apache helicopter. It isn’t the most challenging tactical role-playing game from the PS1 era, but like lots of games from that era it’s prone to the occasional difficulty spike. Unlike many other…

By Ethan Gach Published July 16, 2018

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I’m Hooked On A Game About Cleaning Up Murder Scenes

Playing a preview build of Body of Evidence, I found myself working against the clock to clean up crime scenes and hide dead bodies. As I meticulously scrubbed blood out of hardwood floors and tabletops, I felt exhilarated to play a role in a situation I hope I never take part in. In Body of…

By Keoni Nguyen Published July 12, 2018

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The Star Ocean Mobile Game Is Easy To Hate And Still Play Anyway

There’s finally a new Star Ocean game after 2016’s barebones Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness. Unfortunately, Star Ocean: Anamnesis, the latest entry, free-to-play, only on smartphones, and a gacha game to boot. The first of those would be forgivable if not for the second, but as a slot machine for collecting characters from Star Oceans…

By Ethan Gach Published July 11, 2018

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The Long Dark‘s New Cooking System Is Too Real

Last month, snowy survival game The Long Dark got a new cooking system. Like in real life, it requires timing things just right. I couldn’t pull it off in my last game, as well as in most of my own home cooking. The Long Dark added manual cooking in its June update. While you used…

By Riley MacLeod Published July 10, 2018

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I’m Glad I Started Playing The Witcher 1 Last

The Witcher came out on PC in 2007. That feels like a lifetime ago. The series is now easily one of my favorites, but a decade ago I, like a lot of people, had no idea it even existed. That’s created a weird dynamic as I play The Witcher 1 for the first time knowing…

By Ethan Gach Published July 3, 2018

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My First Hours With The Crew 2 Were Mostly Forgettable

Last night in The Crew 2 I drove from New Orleans to Manhattan in about 20 minutes. Behind the wheel of the free, workmanlike 2016 Mazda MX-5 the gamegave me to start, I zig-zagged between other cars because one, I was going 150 miles an hour and they were not; and two, narrowly avoiding collisions…

By Ethan Gach Published June 27, 2018

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Help, I Can’t Decide Which Octopath Traveler Character To Start With

I’m in a pickle. The new demo for the upcoming JRPG Octopath Traveler lets you play the first three hours of the game a few weeks early. Instead of making three hours’ worth of progress, I’ve spent that time trying to figure out which main character to choose. Octopath Traveler is out on Nintendo Switch…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 22, 2018

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Whoops, I Started Playing Bloodborne Again

You know how you tell yourself you’re gonna finally try some new restaurants, then a week later you’re back at the same pizza place you always go to? I’ve been doing that same thing, except with Bloodborne Over the last two days, I’ve spent a good dozen hours replaying FromSoftware’s 2015 PlayStation 4 monster-slicer. I…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 7, 2018

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Every Game I’m Trying To Play Is Patching

Last Saturday, I expected to finally, finally, get through God of War. That was my first mistake. Games aren’t just finite, complete objects anymore. They’re not something I can play whenever I want simply because I can hold them in my hand. Sometimes, developers have other plans. God of War exists on a disc inside…

By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published June 4, 2018

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Stick Fight Is A Perfect Game To Play With Non-Gamers

Most of the time, I want to be gaming. If you’re here, probably, you can relate. In the grand scheme of personality traits, that one isn’t so bad; just not 100% satisfiable in every circumstance. Sometimes I find myself in an unfortunate situation involving me, chilling, and several other people who don’t play games, also…

By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published June 1, 2018

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I Love Complaining About Destiny 2 While Playing Destiny 2

I love the feeling of getting back into Destiny. No matter how long I’m away, picking it back up again is like slipping my hand into a well-worn baseball glove. After hundreds of hours exploring planets and killing everything in sight, things like the light double-click of the jump button to glide while sprinting as…

By Ethan Gach Published May 18, 2018

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Far Cry 5‘s Ending Answers The Game’s Biggest Questions

While on vacation last week, I finally finished Far Cry 5. Though I’d already spoiled myself on the ending (occupational hazard), I was surprised by how moving I found it when I finally got there. The end wraps up the game’s biggest questions in a satisfying way. The characters in Far Cry 5 are deeply…

By Riley MacLeod Published May 16, 2018

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A Game That Turns Item Shops Into Torture Chambers

I love video game item shops. Even when I can’t afford the curios on display it’s always fun to examine them, read the flavor text, and plan a wishlist of future acquisitions. Item shops also often act as respites from a long and tiring video game journey. In the PC game Roulette Knight, though, they’re…

By Ethan Gach Published May 8, 2018

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Dating Sim Monster Prom Rewards Some Pretty Ghoulish Behavior

In most dating sims, it’s obvious how to romance your crush. You just talk to them over and over, selecting the nicest dialogue responses until your persistence is rewarded. Monster Prom flips that script by introducing both character stats and a competitive multiplayer component. In Monster Prom, you’re a monster attending a monster school who…

By Maddy Myers Published May 2, 2018

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I Can’t Stop Building Churches In Frostpunk

At a certain point in Frostpunk you get the option to choose a path: order or faith. This opens up a new set of laws you can enact, with their own progression. In my playthrough I chose faith. I haven’t used it to much practical benefit, but I like having it around. Frostpunkis a city-building…

By Riley MacLeod Published April 26, 2018

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New City-Building Game Frostpunk Is Great For Those Of Us Who Love The Cold

In Frostpunk, a new snowy city-builder by This War of Mine studio 11 Bit that is out today, the player develops a city in a frozen wastelands. You must fuel the churning generator at the heart of your town, feeding it enough coal to keep your people alive. The cold is your first and greatest…

By Riley MacLeod Published April 24, 2018

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The Demonic Strategy Game I Love Playing Before Bed

Golem Gates is a surprising mix of strategy and card game elements that’s beautiful to look at but rough around the edges. While I started playing it because of its weird hybrid mechanics, what I really came to appreciate was its serenely empty world and relaxing ASMR voice overs I commute long hours and often…

By Ethan Gach Published April 18, 2018