Culture

There’s A New Missile Command Game Out Today

Remember Missile Command, Atari’s 1980 missile-versus-missile game? There’s a new one out today for iOS and Android. Missile Command: Recharged gives the arcade classic a stylish neon makeover. What makes the original Missile Command so compelling is simple, immediately satisfying gameplay. Aim, fire, boom. There’s not much to it, but it’s powerful. Missile Command: Recharged from…

Track: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere | Artist: The Byrds | Album: Sweetheart of the Rodeo 

If The Witcher Was An Anime

Last year, artist Carolina Silva imagined what Game of Thrones would look like if someone went and made an anime series out of it. This year, she returns with the same deal, only for Netflix’s take on The Witcher We’ve seen some stuff like this before, like Lap Pun Cheung’s amazing piece from a few…

Another WW1 FPS Wants To Get Into The Trenches

Most WW1 games end up having very little to do with WW1, because to portray the conflict accurately would be both nightmarish and incredibly boring. Beyond The Wire, a new multiplayer FPS, looks like it’s trying to get right into the trenches that so many other games want to avoid. Developed by Offworld Industries, the…

Sega’s New Mascot Is The Son Of Sega’s Old Mascot

Back in the ’90s, around the time of the Saturn, Sega had the greatest console mascot of all time: Segata Sanshiro, a man who wanted you to buy Sega and would absolutely make you eat shit if you didn’t. Now, in 2020, his son is taking his place. First, some background. Here’s Segata Sanshiro in…

Australians Are Already Playing Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal isn’t supposed to be out for another week, but as chaos unfolds in the Australian retail sector following confusing government messaging about covid-19 precautions, national chain EB Games has just decided to say fuck it, and get the game out the door while their stores are still open. EB Games—the local subsidiary…

Employees At GameStop Competitor Say Their Company Isn’t Protecting Them From Covid-19 Either

Last week, Kotaku reported several times on GameStop’s ass-dragging procedure for operating during the coronavirus outbreak. But GameStop isn’t the only physical game store whose employees are feeling forced to choose between their jobs and their safety. Employees of the regional chain Game X Change are also unhappy with how their employer is handling the situation, several…

Why You Can’t Use A Crowbar In Half-Life: Alyx

In truth, the Half-Life series has always had two main characters: Gordon Freeman and his crowbar. The nondescript piece of curved metal is one of the best-known pieces of iconography in all of gaming. And yet, in Half-Life: Alyx, you cannot use a crowbar as a weapon or puzzle-solving tool. Not even once. Valve did…

There’s A New Final Fantasy Tactics Game Out Today, Sort Of

War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Square Enix’s new tactics RPG, is now available on iOS and Android. It combines the beloved turn-based battles of Final Fantasy Tactics with a whole bunch of free-to-play, collectible character RPG nonsense. Though positioned as an offshoot of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, the mobile RPG where players…

Track: Boogie Chillun | Artist: John Lee Hooker | Album: Whiskey & Wimmen 

Arashiyama After Hours. Kyoto, Japan. By Jeremy Lim | Official Site JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line 

Nintendo Donates 9,500 Facemasks To Local Responders

With a global shortage of protective facemasks endangering those on the front line in the fight against covid-19, Nintendo has looked in its back room and found 9,500 N95 particulate respirator masks, which are being donated to responders near the company’s American operations. In a “thank you” post on the city site for North Bend,…

Wake Up Mr. Freeman

Andrey Gritsuk is a 3D artist from Russia working in the games and movie industries. You can see more of Andrey’s stuff at his ArtStation page

NASCAR Drivers Are Racing Each Other Online, And It’s Going To Be On TV

All sports are esports now. After a successful first virtual NASCAR race over the weekend, where a mix of current and former drivers raced each other online and a lot of people watched, Fox and NASCAR have decided that they’re going to broadcast a whole season of it on TV. The first eNASCAR iRacing Pro…

It Sucks Being Player 2 In Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about working together and building a sense of community, but if you’re not the primary player account on the game, it’s a lot harder to participate. New Horizons lets you make one island per Switch, and up to eight players can live on it together. But only one of…

Playing Nothing But Half-Life: Alyx In VR Made Me Hallucinate

Late Saturday night, I removed my Valve Index VR headset. I’d done it. I had finished Half-Life: Alyx. As I blinked, a faint outline clouded my vision; I quickly realized it was the headset’s blue wireframe barrier, which flashes when you move too close to a wall. “That’s weird,” I said. It was about to…

Why Are There So Many Surveillance Cameras In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

A huge part of the fun in Animal Crossing is hunting down the perfect items to furnish your home. But things have taken an unsettling turn in New Horizons as several players have started to find creepy items in the trees around their islands. When I first started playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons a few…

Sony Slowing Game Download Speeds In Europe To Help With ‘Internet Stability’ [Update: Also In the US]

Today, Sony said it’s working with internet providers in Europe to manage PlayStation download traffic now that social distancing has brought more people online than ever. Players might experience slower game downloads during this time. “We believe it is important to do our part to address Internet stability concerns as an unprecedented number of people…

Control Is Getting Some Cool New Abilities

Grow my little rock friends, grow! Control is full of fun paranormal powers you can use to manipulate its world. The Foundation downloadable expansion coming to PS4 and PC on March 26 adds a few more. One of them is called Shape and it lets you sprout giant barnacles to create platforms you can hop…

How’s It Going?: Keep Your Distance Edition

Welcome to Tuesday, and also welcome back to our daily open thread. I thought getting a dog would be a great reason to have a purpose to get outside, but it’s making me realize how hard all this social distancing is on a practical level. I live in New York City, where it can feel…