In Dustnet, You Explore The Ruins Of One Of Video Games’ Most Beloved Maps

Even within the internet’s vast digital memory, nothing is guaranteed to last—especially not games. Maybe a company runs out of money and has to cut the cord. Or maybe disinterest turns servers into ghost towns, with not even a pixelated tumbleweed in sight. Dustnet takes the latter idea to its utmost extreme, positing a world…

Announced at Marvel’s games panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the first chapter in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 paid season pass is Marvel Knights, starring Moon Knight and three other guys. The other two chapters feature the Fantastic Four and X-Men, though not Colossus or Cyclops. Those two come to the game for free on…

Permadeath Doesn’t Matter If You Have Enough Save Files

From XCOM to Fire Emblem, it feels bad to watch your team die in a tactical game. It’s way better to save a million times so that you can re-do part of a battle to keep everyone alive. On this week’s Kotaku Splitscreen, Kirk and I brought on Gita Jackson to talk about Fire Emblem:…

Apex Legends Will Make Cheaters Play Against Each Other

Since launching in February, battle royale Apex Legends has suffered its share of cheaters. Some are even making good money developing cheats for players to use. The game’s developers recently detailed some of the steps it’s taking to squash cheating, including a new system that will match known cheaters into the same games. Cheating is…

Please Let Me Buy Individual Joy-Cons To Mix And Match

Earlier this week Nintendo announced two new sets of Joy-Cons that will release in October. Once they’re out, the Switch will have over 100 different color combinations, an impressive number of options even by the standards of the most devoted Nintendo fan. But the Joy-Cons are still only sold in pairs, making true customization an…

In Night Call, You’re A Taxi Driver Who Has To Find A Killer

There’s a serial killer on the loose in Paris. The taxi that you drive is running low on gas, the police detective in your back seat is strong-arming you into gathering information, and if you don’t make rent, you’re gonna end up on the streets. This is Night Call, a slice-of-life mystery game that mixes…

Fake GTA Online Money Streams Are Popping Up Ahead Of Casino Update

Grand Theft Auto Online’s upcoming casino update has a lot of players hoping for expensive cars, new clothing items and lots of other things to buy. Some scammers are taking advantage of players’ excitement using fake online streams claiming to drop in-game money, sometimes in exchange for real money donations. Money drop streams aren’t a…

EVE Online Feels Empty After In-Game Event Hides Players In Chat

Parts of EVE Online have changed radically in the last week, altering the way that some people play the game. Typically, when a player’s ship enters a star system, they’re added to a shared chat channel called “Local.” This channel provides a list of every player who is in the star system, as well as…

Forget Everything You Know About Gravity In This Beautiful Puzzle Game

Playing Etherborn is like taking a hike through a series of colorful terraria that have been warped and torn apart by mysterious cosmic forces, causing gravity to shift like the sides of a Rubik’s Cube. It can be bewildering, but it’s never unpleasant—like a dream you can’t quite make sense of, but don’t want to…

Splatoon 2’s Final Splatfest Begins, Though The Stakes Are Unclear

Splatoon 2’s final official Splatfest popped off today. It’s pitting order against chaos in what Splatoon 2 is calling the “Splatocolypse.” Splatfests are multi-day events that invite the Nintendo game’s player base to choose a faction and then earn points for their side by playing multiplayer matches of the paint-based shooter. Splatfests are usually just…

The Strange Guilt Of Changing Jobs In An MMO

As I continue to lose myself in the world of Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion, writing guides on how new folks can get started and fighting terrifying raid bosses, I’ve also taken the time to experiment with new jobs. I followed my co-worker Mike Fahey’s lead and started the new Dancer job. And oh my…

At San Diego Comic-Con this week, Hasbro revealed possibly the best action figure of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Putty enemies ever. On sale this fall of $40, the six-inch Lightning Collection Fighting Spirit Green Ranger and Putty two-pack also features Dr. Tommy Oliver with real coma-fighting action. Expect to see lot of him on eBay as…

GTA Online‘s Casino Will Have Horse Racing, Private Arcades, And Penthouses

GTA Online’s casino update launches July 23. The update is about the opening of the Diamond Casino & Resort in Los Santos. Rockstar has revealed more information about the long-teased update via a separate website, a first for GTA Online expansions. The update sounds ambitious and potentially very expensive, with slot machines, horse track betting,…

Role-Locking Is Coming To Overwatch, According To Leaked Video [UPDATE]

Today, a pre-recorded Overwatch League video leaked sharing news that Blizzard is apparently implementing role-locking in Overwatch and the Overwatch League. [Update—4:45 pm ET]: Overwatch’s game director Jeff Kaplan confirmed that players will now queue for specific roles in Overwatch games, too. Starting soon, all team compositions in the Overwatch League will consist of two…

Sea Of Thieves Gets Monthly Updates And The First One Is Pretty…Explosive

Sea of Thieves, Rare’s chill pirate hangout game, has been on the upswing lately. After an expansive (and excellent) Anniversary Update that brought story quests and cooking to its cartoony high seas in May, Sea of Thieves is upping the ante yet again with monthly updates. Log into the game now on Xbox One or…