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CultureWhat Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for being on a home decorating kick. I decided I needed more decor with colors, only to buy a bunch of stuff in shades of gray. Gray is a color, right? The weekend is also for playing video games while occasionally wondering if my monochrome apartment looks classy or sad. While chatting…
By Riley MacLeod Published January 31, 2020 -
CultureMicrosoft’s Bug Bounty Program Will Pay Players To Find Security Flaws In Xbox Live
Xbox Live has never suffered a major hack, and Microsoft would like to keep it that way, in part by rewarding people who report vulnerabilities in the gaming network with cash. “The Xbox Bounty Program invites gamers, security researchers, and others around the world to help identify security vulnerabilities in the Xbox Live network and…
By Ethan Gach Published January 31, 2020 -
CultureTrack: Keep Tryin’ | Artist: Utada Hikaru | Album: Keep Tryin’
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2020 -
CultureCloud Strife Looks Great In A Dress In Final Fantasy VII Remake
In the original Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife dons a dress as part of a rescue mission. Way back in 2015, Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura said the character would once again wear a dress in the remake, and now the character finally shows off those threads. The original Honey Bee Inn looked like it was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2020 -
CultureNintendo Says No New Switch Models Planned For 2020
Despite already announcing and releasing a new Switch model in 2019, rumors that Nintendo would release another variant of its latest console—a beefier, fancier “Pro” version—have refused to go away. So Nintendo has come out and just flat out said it: There are no new Switch models coming. At least in 2020. No doubt keen…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureSega Europe Ditches Plastic Game Boxes On PC, Everyone Else Should Follow
After what I guess wasa trial run with Football Manager last year, Sega Europe has made the decision to make all the boxes for its PC releases cardboard. They’ll be made from 100% recycled materials, and will in turn be 100% recyclable themselves. Here’s the announcement, with the first game being a compendium re-release of…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureNintendo Is Releasing An Animal Crossing Switch, And It Is Beautiful
To tie in with the release of New Horizons, Nintendo is releasing this new Animal Crossing-themed Switch console in March that has very strong animal vacation vibes. From the Nooks on the dock to the ocean-colored Joy-Cons, this is a beautiful console. There’s also an Animal Crossing motif on the back of the Switch itself.…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureCosplayShowcaseBlacksmith Creates Real, Flaming Overwatch Hammer
There are a lot of smaller, easier props you could make if you wanted to recreate a weapon from Overwatch, but nope, H-arthas skipped past all of those and forged himself an enormous replica of Reinhardt’s hammer. Unlike most replicas you’ll see, which will have been made with foam and/or wood, H-art torched, welded and…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureLuigi’s Mansion 3 Developers Explain Why Their DLC Is Multiplayer
The developers of Luigi’s Mansion 3 say they didn’t strongly consider making single player expansions for the hit Switch game, but they promise that the recently announced $10 multiplayer add-ons will satisfy players. They’re aware that it might be a tricky sell. “Most people buying or even thinking about a Luigi’s Mansion game just want…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureOverwatch Is Making Big Changes To Keep The Meta ‘Fluid’
By this point, I would imagine that Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan is sick of talking about the meta. It’s a perennial topic among vocal portions of the Overwatch community and a near-constant source of consternation. The meta over-prioritizes certain heroes, say some people. It changes too slowly, say others, asking for MOBA-style solutions like hero picks…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureNew Mortal Kombat Animated Film Releasing In April
Arriving on digital platforms April 12 with Blu-ray and DVD on April 28, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge will tell the story of the original arcade battle between Outworld and Earthrealm, before things got more complicated. Things were so simple during the events of the original Mortal Kombat. It was just warriors of Earth versus…
By Mike Fahey Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureMore Bans Are On The Way To Combat Idle Players Farming Experience In Halo: Reach
343 Industries says another wave of bans is on the way in response to the ongoing problem of players trying to farm experience points in matches without actually playing them. When Halo: Reach released on PC and console last month as a part of the Master Chief Collection, it brought with it a new battle…
By Ethan Gach Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureTwitchTop Streamers Are Leaving Twitch Amidst Big Money And Shady Deals
Let’s say you’re an up-and-coming streamer. You’ve done it for a while and you make decent money, although you’re no Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. But you’re on your way there, or so you hope. A while back, you got the opportunity to sign with an agency that promised to help you set up deals to advertise…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureUntitled Goose Fan Game Unleashes Havoc On Your Desktop
There’s a pixelated goose dragging my cursor all over my computer screen and every time I try to close the program that unleashed it more just pop up, threatening me with bad jokes and a chorus of honks. This is the unnerving magic of game designer Sam Chiet’s Goose Desktop, a riff on last year’s…
By Ethan Gach Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureTrack: Kiss Like the Sun | Artist: Jake Bugg | Album: Kiss Like the Sun
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 30, 2020 -
CultureGod Damn Just Look At This Anthem Art
Look, I get it, Anthem has not been a fun time, but there’s this beautiful and convenient thing with this feature where we’re able to separate the art from the gameplay and wonder, holy shit, even if Anthem does suck these character designs are amazing They were done by Volta, a third-party studio that has…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 29, 2020 -
CultureGoose Game’s Creators Are Helping Reckon With Australia’s Past
Acknowledging that their studio—like everything else in Australia—is built on stolen land, Untitled Goose Game creators House House have pledgedto pay “at least 1% of our income” as rent to Indigenous groups. This is a relatively new thing in Australia, born out of an increasing desire amongst many to fully reckon with the country’s colonial…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 29, 2020