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CultureOdds and EndsLet’s Check In On Star Citizen, Shall We
Star Citizen is currently free-to-play as the game enjoys its annual Invictus Launch Week celebration. I figured now would be as good a time as ever to take a peek at the ambitious space sim and see how things are going. Cloud Imperium Games has raised more than $365 million via crowdfunding since starting Star…
By Ian Walker Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureSega’s Tokyo Olympics 2020 Game (The One Without Mario And Sonic) Drops Next Month
With the real games delayed until July of this year due to covid-19, Sega’s had plenty of time to cobble together Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game, coming June 22 to PC, consoles, and Stadia. It’s a collection of 18 sports you can play with your own goofy-looking, costume-sporting avatar. Despite lacking…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureCall Of Duty Has Banned Over 350,000 Players For Racism And Toxicity In The Past Year
Call of Duty big. Now Call of Duty ban number big, too. Today as part of an anti-toxicity progress report, “Call of Duty staff”—which could include a large portion of the human population, given how many studios work on the series at this point—announced that they’ve banned over 350,000 accounts in the past year for…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureRoger Craig Smith Is Voicing Sonic The Hedgehog Again
Roger Craig Smith announced this morning that he will return as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in future games. “I can’t fully express my gratitude for the [Sonic the Hedgehog] crew and community,” Smith wrote on Twitter alongside a picture of a mended blue heart. “I hope to honor your support and passion.” Smith…
By Ian Walker Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureBlizzCon Is Skipping 2021 Due To Continuing Covid-19 Concerns
Citing the complicated nature of coordinating a live event for thousands of people, evolving California in-person event guidelines, and the fluctuating status of the global covid-19 pandemic, Blizzard has announced BlizzCon will be skipping another year. It was a year ago today that Blizzard canceled BlizzCon 2020 due to covid-19, leading to the all-digital BlizzConline…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
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 Published May 26, 2021 -
CulturePokémon Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, And Legends: Arceus Get Release Dates
Make sure to kiss your mom goodbye and stock up on your Max Potions, because the three latest Pokémon games finally have release dates. Today, The Pokémon Company announced that the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes will launch on November 19, and a new open-world game Pokémon Legends: Arceus will come later on January…
By Ash Parrish Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureFollowing One Final Update, Echtra Games Ends Work On Torchlight III
Yesterday Echtra Games released the “Cursed Captain” update for Torchlight III, adding a playable class, new pets, and applying several bug fixes and quality-of-life changes to the dungeon crawler. The developer also announced this update would be its last, due to its acquisition by Zynga in March Founded by original Torchlight studio Runic Games’ co-founder…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy XIV Patch Fixes The Ages Of Non-Playable Characters
Typically, patches correct bugs and glitches or add new features and content. The latest Final Fantasy XIV patch does that, but it also changes the ages of two non-playable characters, Mikoto Jinba and Menenius sas Lanatus Prior to the patch, the character Mikoto (pictured) was 29 years old, but afterwards, her age has been lowered…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureTotal Recall1994 Story On Video Game Crunch Is Brutal Reading
Widescale reporting of terrible working conditions at video game studiosis a relatively recent thing, but crunch has always been with us, and as we can see in this rare story about the practice from the 1990s, when it’s bad it can be life-threatening. Sega historian John Harrison has shared a translated version of a story…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureReport: Valve Is Making A Switch-Like Portable Codenamed SteamPal
If the Nintendo Switch has proven anything, it’s that being able to play previously PC-only indies on the go rules. Soon, though, you might not need to wait for Switch ports of your Steam-powered faves: a new report claims Valve is working on its own handheld. The report comes from Ars Technica and cites “multiple”…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsNintendo Patent Looks Like A Giant Shitpost
On June 5, 1997, Nintendo filed a patent titled “Video game system and method with enhanced three-dimensional character and background control due to environmental conditions.” I can’t even begin to parse what the heck that means on a technical level, but what I do know is that the document’s contents are ripe for absurd internet…
By Ian Walker Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureI Guess A Warhammer Streaming Service Was Inevitable
Games Workshop is launching a new streaming service called Warhammer Plus (also stylized as Warhammer+). The service was revealed by Games Workshop staffers Adam Troke and Eddie Eccles on May 22 during a Twitch stream on the company’s official channel. The company also announced that 11 shows are currently in development and based in the…
By Jonathan Lee Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSkyrim Is As Old As Morrowind Was When Skyrim Came Out
Wanna feel old? I sure don’t but I do now anyway, all thanks to one astute yet extremely mean tweet that popped into my timeline and instilled in me a sudden urge to burn my savings on a premium Botox job: As amateur video game historian Chris Chapman pointed out, Skyrim is officially as old…
By Ari Notis Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureVirtua Fighter 5 Coming To PlayStation 4 Next Week
After teasing the classic fighting game franchise’s return last fall, this morning Sega announced Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, a PlayStation 4-exclusive update to a game that’s almost 15 years removed from its original release at this point. Oh, and it’s launching June 1, also known as next Tuesday. Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown still…
By Ian Walker Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsOld Overwatch Bug Let Ashe’s Robot Vote On How Well You Played
In Overwatch, B.O.B., Ashe’s robot companion and ultimate ability, doesn’t do much beyond shoot where Ashe tells him to. But yesterday, an AMA revealed that the Big Omnic Butler initially had a lot of thoughts on how players performed in Overwatch matches. In celebration of Overwatch’s fifth anniversary, Blizzard held an AMA, or Ask Me…
By Ash Parrish Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureApex Legends Adds Penalty For Leaving Arena Games Early
Apex Legends introduced a new 3v3 Arena mode with Season 9 in early May, and I’ve been enjoying it for the handful of times when I’ve been able to play out a full match. Most of the time, a player will bail after a few bad rounds, leaving me at a severe disadvantage or giving…
By Jonathan Lee Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureThe New 3D Edition Of Catan Is Freakin’ Gorgeous
Settling the island of Catan in Klaus Teuber’s classic board game has never looked quite as eye-poppingly lush as it does in the new $300 3D edition. Announced this morning and shipping in August, the first official 3D version of the board game Catan since 2005 (back when it was called The Settlers of Catan)…
By Mike Fahey Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureNew Fuser Update Lets Players DJ For 250+ Fans Live
The biggest update to Harmonix Music System’s music mixing game since launch, Fuser’s “Headliner Spotlight” update brings players closer to the DJ fantasy by letting them take the Diamond Stage and play live to hundreds of live spectators in real-time. Fuser is a game about taking licensed music from big-name artists and remixing it on-the-fly,…
By Mike Fahey Published May 25, 2021
