Why Katamari Damacy‘s Creator Left Japan

On March 18, 2004, Katamari Damacy was released on the PlayStation 2. The game was unlike anything else, and a sequel soon followed a year later. In 2009, Katamari’s creator Keita Takahashi released Noby Noby Boy. A year later, he left Bandai Namco and shortly after that, Japan as well. I’d always wondered why Takahashi…

Counter-Strike’s Iconic De_Dust 2, Remade In Unreal Engine 4

Counter-Strike’s most famous map has changed a bit over the years, but it’s never looked as good as it does here in this remake of part of the level by artist Wiktor Öhman. Öhman, who has worked on games like Far Cry 3, has “fond memories playing it with my friends at LAN parties in…

Japanese Man Arrested With Wario Drugs

A 27 year-old man has been arrested in Tokushima having been found with 50 MDMA/ecstacy tablets in his possession, most of them shaped like Wario. As Asahi report, it’s the third time this year the man, Satoshi Kishimoto, has been caught with narcotics, the other two being for dried cannabis and LSD. Kobe Customs told…

Modder Builds The Only Smash Controller You’ll Ever Need

There’s a lot of buttons in Smash, but really, there’s an argument that you only need one. Especially if you main with the spam-tastic Ness or Simon. Insert Controller Here built this controller to feature only two things: an input for a nunchuk, so you can actually move around, and a single giant button. Marvellous.…

Bloodstained Is Goth Fun In An All-Too-Familiar Package

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a very good solution to a problem we haven’t really had for years: a dearth of side-scrolling exploration games with role-playing bells and whistles. The long-gestating, Kickstarted return of celebrated developer and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night mastermind Koji Igarashi, Bloodstained, does fans of haunted cathedrals and combat whips…

Final Fantasy XV‘s Lead Designer’s New Game Is A Love Letter To Live Music

No Straight Roads is a rhythm game inspired by the strong visual storytelling of Psychonauts. Playing it feels like rocking out in front of a surreal, vibrant crowd. At E3 last week, I was able to play a short demo that included the first boss fight, and as someone who also loves live music, I…

Telltale’s Minecraft Currently Costs $700 On Xbox 360 (But You’re Not Supposed To Buy It)

If you really think about it, all video games—dazzling feats of technical mastery assembled over the course of countless man hours—are priceless. But if you think about it even harder, you probably still won’t want to pay $100 for a single episode of the soon-to-be-delisted Minecraft: Story Mode Currently, each episode of the eight-part narrative-driven…

Breath Of The Wild Is Getting A Sequel Because The Team Had Too Many DLC Ideas (And Other Info From Zelda‘s Producer)

Breath of the Wild is getting a sequel because the team had too many ideas for downloadable content, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma told me last week in Los Angeles. We also talked about how the Link’s Awakening remake came about, why Zelda games haven’t offered button remapping, and work conditions at Nintendo. Aonuma spoke…

Astral Chain Director Says It Actually Can Be Two-Player, But It Makes The Game Harder

Platinum Games’ upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive, Astral Chain, involves controlling two characters at the same time during combat. The game is not necessarily designed to be played by two people at once, but according to Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura, there is a way to do it that he described as both “challenging” and “really…

The Most Comfortable Gaming Headset I’ve Ever Worn

Audio-Technica’s ATH-ADG1X open-air gaming headset has a lot going for it. It’s designed and built by one of the most respected brands in audio. It’s got big 53 mm drivers that create a lovely, large soundstage. It’s even got a decent microphone for a gaming headset. But the best thing about the ADG1X is how…

Fortnite Competition Hosts Help Deaf Teen Player Feel Welcome

During last weekend’s Fortnite Summer Block Party, 13-year-old Deaf streamer Soleil “Ewok”Wheeler played in the event’s Celebrity Pro-Am and met some of her favorite streamers. While it was cool to see a young player have an awesome time, it was even cooler to see a high-profile example of accessibility in gaming. As reported by Dexerto,…

Konami is patching its arcade, Castlevania, and Contra collections today to add Japanese versions of most of the games. It’s also adding button remapping to Castlevania and Contra. Now you can play Castlevania III with the better music.