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CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Seem To Be Having Commitment Issues In Outriders
Over the past week or so I’ve sunk about 25 hours into Outriders—on top of the dozen-ish I spent repeatedly running the demo. And yet, I still haven’t committed to a main class. That’s not indicative of indecision on my part (okay, fine, maybe a tiny bit). That’s a testament to how awesome all the…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryWhen My Disco Elysium Character Gave Up I Was Like Yeah, I Get It
I have never felt more in tune with a video game character than when Disco Elysium’s detective protagonist, his morale utterly devastated after a series of failed skill checks, tells his partner to fuck off and prematurely brings the game to a close. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut arrived on PlayStation 5 (as well as…
By Ian Walker -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMonster Hunter Rise Is Tough To Get Into As A Newcomer
Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get into Monster Hunter Rise. Fans of the kaiju-killing series are legion, and this latest entry, out last week for Nintendo Switch, is arguably the buzziest game in the world right now. But it sure doesn’t make things easy for newcomers. For all intents and purposes, I am…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryFallout 76 Was Right, It Was Time To Stop Playing
Bored and without a large, engrossing game to play until Disco Elysium: The Final Cut drops later this month, I did the unthinkable: I downloaded Fallout 76 onto my PlayStation 5. I was almost immediately met by a game-breaking bug that, while easily rectified with a reboot, felt like a sign that I could give…
By Ian Walker -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryFinal Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Is Even More Heartbreaking In French
I do not speak a lick of French, and yet the first thing I did upon (finally) unlocking Heavensward, Final Fantasy XIV’s first expansion, was switch to French audio. It was a recommendation of a dear friend who’s further into her first journey through FF14 than I am. Neck-deep in Heavensward’s main story quest, (I…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Having Some Trouble With Outriders’ Crossplay
Last month, a demo for Outriders dropped on most every platform but the Switch. Then, yesterday, Microsoft announced that this latest buzzy looter-shooter would join the Xbox Game Pass library on launch day, April 1. Presumably, whatever overlap exists between the 18 million people who subscribe to Game Pass and the however-many-millions-or-not-millions of people who…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryFeels From Heals: Healing In Final Fantasy XIV Is Super Rewarding
The first thing I did upon setting foot in Foundation, the hub world central to Final Fantasy XIV’s Heavensward expansion, was sign up for the Astrologian and Dark Knight job class. This is extremely out of character for me because I only play damage dealers in MMOs, and Astrolgian and Dark Knight are healer and…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryOddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty Guilted Me Into My First 100% Completion
I started playing Oddworld: New ‘N Tasty and oh god, I’m going to have to save all 299 of these Mudokons, aren’t I? In 2014’s Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty, you play as the Mudokon Abe, an overworked, underpaid alien wo’rking for a company that destroys the ecosystem and drives indigenous creatures extinct—so your typical Amazon…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Finally Beat Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection‘s First Level, But The Victory Feels Hollow
I’ve done the unforgivable: I lowered the difficulty in Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection because I wasn’t getting anywhere close to beating the first level. But now, after finally doing so, I have zero motivation to keep playing. I was beyond excited to get my hands on Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection when it landed on Switch…
By Ian Walker -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryAfter Almost Three Years Away, Returning To Overwatch Feels Amazing
I have a confession to make: Despite being Kotaku’s number one Overwatch fan, I haven’t played it myself in two years. But buffeted by my optimism for Overwatch 2 and being unable to get my Overwatch fix because Overwatch League won’t be back for another month, I decided to play again, hoping to recapture what…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryBravely Default II’s Beastmaster Job Is Basically Pokémon
Creating your party in Bravely Default II is less about the characters you use than it is the jobs with which you equip them. It’s a smart strategy to always have basic healers and damage-dealers on hand, sure, but when it comes to my party, I don’t foresee ever not having at least one Beastmaster…
By Ian Walker -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThese Final Fantasy XIV Characters Ain’t Sh*t
Last night, I finished the true ending of A Realm Reborn and made it, at long last, to Heavensward. This means yes, I saw the event that was basically FF14’s equivalent of the Red Wedding (refresh your memory here), Instead of discussing my feelings regarding what the absolute flying fuck I just witnessed, I—like Cersei—choose…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMaquette‘s Love Story Has Already Broken My Heart
Ever listen to a song so powerful you stop, drop, and roll to frantically figure out what it is? That’s what happened to me last night while playing Maquette, a puzzle game out this week for PC, PS4, and PS5. Yes, the game’s fantastic, which we’ll get to in a moment, but first: that song.…
By Ari Notis -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryBravely Default 2’s Level Up Screen Is So Satisfying
Sixty hours later I still love watching these numbers go up. Like many other JRPGs, Bravely Default II is extremely long and extremely grindy, but the game is also full of small touches that occasionally punctuate the tedium with joy. One of those is the level up screen. After killing a mob of enemies you…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryA Realm Reborn‘s Ending Was Kind Of A Letdown
I rolled credits on A Realm Reborn a couple of days ago, ushering in the new Seventh Astral Era, and yet I feel kinda hollow. Compared to my gut-wrenching experience toward the middle of my journey, the end of A Realm Reborn’s storyline feels like a huge-ass letdown. I’ve said before how I love when…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryPersona 5 Strikers’ Menus Are As Vibrantly Alive As Its Cast
Video game menus are like assholes—every game has them and more often than not, they stink. They are often the least-pretty, least splashy part of an otherwise beautiful game, partly because they aren’t central to gameplay (unless it’s Crusader Kings or something). But Persona 5 Strikers shows us a world in which menus do not…
By Ash Parrish
