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CultureKotaku Game DiaryMusings Of A Mass Effect 1 Newcomer
Mass Effect Legendary Edition has given me a chance I missed the first time around. Though I’ve played through the other games of BioWare’s long-running space opera—3, Andromeda, and, years later, 2, in that order—’m tackling the first Mass Effect for the first time ever. Playing Mass Effect in 2021 is, of course, very different…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Factory In Resident Evil Village Is So Damn Boring
I’m tired of Heisenberg’s Factory in Resident Evil Village. So much so that I, once again, might quit playing. The difference here from Village’s infamous Dollhouse—that also caused me to almost quit the game prematurely—isn’t because the factory is particularly scary or difficult. It’s just tedious. It’s a labyrinthine place filled with monsters that cause…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryReturnal Converted Me To 3D Audio
Returnal, a PlayStation 5 action game about dancing with death at an inescapable time-loop space rave, is a visual delight. It’s also an aural one. And at no time is that more apparent than when you play with a pair of 3D audio headphones. Let me put it this way: Before I picked up Returnal,…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryResident Evil Village‘s Dollhouse Almost Made Me Quit
I almost quit Resident Evil Village yesterday. It wasn’t because the game’s limited field of vision finally made me blow chunks across my living room, but because fear—true, gripping terror the likes of which I had never felt before—seized me while in Donna Beneviento’s Dollhouse. I knew going into the Dollhouse was going to be…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryResident Evil Village Is Proving A Great Intro To The Series, Even When It Makes Me Sick
Until Village, I had never played a Resident Evil game in my life because I am a gigantic baby who is ridiculously easy to scare. But I knew as soon as I saw that tall, glamorous, vampire woman that I’d steel my courage and give the venerable horror franchise a try, if only for her.…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryLet’s Discuss Returnal’s Bonkers Mid-Game Twist
Returnal, the PS5-exclusive action game about losing all of your hard-earned progress, features one of the most bonkers moments I’ve ever experienced in a video game. I don’t mean the ending (though, yes, that too is bonkers); it’s all to do with a series of events that go down at the midway point. For the…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMove Over Tall Lady, Donna Beneviento Is The Real Star Of Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village launched last Friday, giving folks plenty of time to play (and probably beat) it over the weekend. Capcom didn’t let me talk about it in my review, but I think it’s time to finally gush about the excellence of the House Beneviento segment. It should go without saying, but everything that follows…
By Ian Walker -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryApologies To The Pig I Absolutely Obliterated In Resident Evil Village
In my Resident Evil Village review, I said that the scares were a little light for an installment in the popular survival horror franchise. I stand by that critique, but I’d be remiss to ignore one of the game’s best jump scares. That it’s provided by a pig is neither here nor there. I’ll take…
By Ian Walker -
CultureKotaku Game DiarySkate City Filled The Skate-Sized Hole In My Heart
Help, I can’t stop playing Skate City, a lo-fi skateboarding game that landed on consoles and PC yesterday following a period of exclusivity on Apple Arcade. I’m of the belief that, when it comes to games based on action sports, players fall into one of two camps. You’ve got your players who favor impossible tricks…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Met A Very Immature Serial Killer In The Elder Scrolls Online
A few nights ago I was minding my own business in Elder Scrolls Online when I stumbled upon a bunch of corpses laid out in a shape. Confused, I zoomed out and saw the bodies were part of that video game mainstay, a giant penis—a piece of art created by one player. I wasn’t the…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryHow Did I End Up In An Elder Scrolls Online Parkour Contest
When I booted up The Elder Scrolls Online last week I didn’t expect to take part in a player-created large-scale parkour contest, but life can be weird that way. So that’s how I ended up running and jumping around like a mad-orc in the shopping market of Vivec City in The Elder Scrolls Online. You…
By Zack Zwiezen -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy New Favorite Stormblood Character Is A Random Pirate
In a development shocking to absolutely no one, Stormblood is fucking awesome. I started Final Fantasy XIV’s second expansion mere days ago, and it’s already made the leap from, “this is not Heavensward. I want Heavensward back,” to, “Ok, give me more of this.” I was prepared for Stormblood to underwhelm me. In the FF14…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryClone Hero Is So Much Fun I Don’t Mind The Carpal Tunnel
As the last of the notes disappeared from the screen, I put my fake, plastic guitar down to look at my hands. They were shaking, and my fingers were curled as if they were still wrapped around the fretboard. I felt pain twisting around my wrist and creeping into my finger joints. Still, I wore…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Going To Miss You, Heavensward
Last time on my journey Heavensward, I said it was too hard to level my fifty ‘leven jobs evenly, so I decided to focus on solo-leveling my healer. Turns out, I may have been a bit premature in that decision. See, what had happened was I belatedly realized I fit the level requirements to pick…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryOde To The Bard Who Saved My FF14 Dungeon Run
My journey through Heavensward has slowed down considerably. I have other games to play and review. And generally, the steam that powered this expansion leading up to The Vault encounter has petered out significantly. That’s not to say Heavensward’s sluggish back-end pacing wasn’t punctuated with a few bright spots. After losing Haurchefant, I didn’t think…
By Ash Parrish
