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UncategorizedLoot Boxes Are Designed To Exploit Us
The influx of randomized loot boxes into games like Shadow of War and Star Wars Battlefront II has kicked off a discussion about their inclusion in games. Discussions of multiplayer imbalance and blocked off game content ignore an important truth: loot boxes are an ethical problem. They exist largely to exploit players and create addicts.…
By Heather Alexandra Published October 13, 2017 - Esports
Abandoned Television Earns Smash Competition A Bomb Squad Visit
It’s an unfortunate truth of our imperfect world that security concerns arise whenever a significant group of people gather in a centralized area. Competitive gaming tournaments are no different, but a uniquely Super Smash Bros. situation arose at a major event last weekend thanks to a piece of dated hardware that continues to be necessary…
By Ian Walker Published October 13, 2017 - Culture
Popular Battlegrounds Streamer Apologizes After Falsely Accusing Player Of Hacking
Shroud, one of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ most popular streamers, isn’t somebody who loses very often. A former Counter-Strike pro, he’s rarely outsmarted or outgunned. It’s not uncommon to see would-be rivals try to level the playing field with hacks. Every once in a while, he calls out cheaters on stream. Recently, however, he seems to have…
By Nathan Grayson Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition has been delayed from October 19 to “early 2018,” the developers announced today. They say that they “will instead be inviting thousands more players from the community into our closed beta” for more testing.
By Riley MacLeod Published October 13, 2017 -
UncategorizedRoad Redemption’s Motorcycle Violence Reminds Me Of A Kid From Middle School
Road Redemption is the Kickstarted love-labor of some guys who realized EA was never going to bring back Road Rash. It perfects Road Rash’s idea (“it’s hilarious to swing heavy objects at stuff while riding a motorcycle”) by adding modern hotness: random tracks, unlockables, splitscreen co-op, and all that stuff. It just so happens that…
By Tim Rogers Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
Destiny 2’s Revamped Iron Banner Is Missing Something
Destiny 2’s Iron Banner event made its debut this week, another carryover from the first game that’s been tweaked enough to require a reappraisal. Unfortunately, it’s lost something along the way. Iron Banner is a week-long event that comes around every six weeks or so. It centers on the competitive Crucible, and in the first…
By Kirk Hamilton Published October 13, 2017 - Esports
Smash Bros. Tournament Organizer Partially Pins Unusually Broad Controller Ban On Nintendo
A venue-wide ban on a modernized Super Smash Bros. controller at a major tournament last weekend has re-heated the debate about what kind of controllers should be used in Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. At The Big House 7, which featured everything from Super Smash Bros. 64 to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, controllers…
By Ian Walker Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
As reported by Gamasutra, IGN has acquired indie-game deal site Humble Bundle. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the site will continue operating independently, ensuring everyone has at least one cheap copy of RPG Maker that they never use.
By Heather Alexandra Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
The More We Learn About Mario As A Character, The More He Sucks
2017 has changed Mario for me, and not just because he might be mind-controlling poor Goombas. Nintendo has told me too much about Mario, and now I can’t look at him the same way again. In the latest episode of the Favecast, Gita Jackson and I discuss how factoids like ‘Mario is no longer a…
By Patricia Hernandez Published October 13, 2017 -
UncategorizedOf Course There’s Battlegrounds ASMR
“Hopefully, I can actually win one,” YouTuber Whisper Plays breathed into his microphone before he parachuted off a plane in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. His mechanical keyboard clacked loudly as he dropped down and collected his first few items: a few packs of 9 m.m. ammo and a P1911 pistol, which actually takes .45 ammo. “I’m not…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
People Are So Obsessed With Switch Icons, Now Developers Are Polling Them
Nintendo Switch owners really care about the icons that show up on their home screens, making so much noise that many developers are swapping them out. But not German indie studio Bplus. It’s asking fans to choose Puzzle Box Maker’s icon ahead of the game’s November release. In a post on the studio’s blog, Bplus…
By Mike Fahey Published October 13, 2017 - ReviewsHardwareGame Systems
Sega Genesis Flashback HD: The Kotaku Review
Let’s get the comparison we have to make out of the way: No, the Genesis Flashback isn’t as amazing as the SNES Classic. But it’s still pretty good, if you like the games. While Nintendo is setting the world on fire with its 90s nostalgia trip, let’s say your 16-bit desires are more unconventional. Perhaps…
By Chris Kohler Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
Scary Movie Recommendations For Horror Game Fans
What’s a fan of horror games to do when the final boss is vanquished and the credits roll but you’re not ready to say goodbye? What if you want the scary experience but you’re too tired to hold a controller and push buttons? The answer, my friends, lies in another form of entertainment: film. If…
By Stacie Ponder Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
Blizzard Bans A Ton Of World of Warcraft Botters
Last night Blizzard brought the banhammer down on botters and scripters in World of Warcraft, passing out six- to eighteen-month suspensions for players caught using a number of popular third-party programs. Watching the programs’ forums fill up with ban reports is a hell of a thing. According to reports posted on the World of Warcraft…
By Mike Fahey Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
South Park: The Fractured But Whole will get two downloadable story packs—“From Dusk till Casa Bonita” and “Bring the Crunch.” In the first, you’ll fight goths in Casa Bonita; the second will presumably feature Mintberry Crunch. They’ll each cost $12 or you can get them, along with some other challenges and costumes, as part of…
By Jason Schreier Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
Swery’s Cat Game The Good Life Moves To Kickstarter After Failed Fig Campaign
Yesterday, The Good Life, the next project by Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro, failed to meet its crowdfunding goal on Fig. In a letter to fans, SWERY announced the project would move to Kickstarter. The Good Life captured people’s attention for its strange premise: a reporter moving to a country village where everyone turns into cats at…
By Heather Alexandra Published October 13, 2017 - Uncategorized
The Most Popular D&D Races And Classes
Decades of D&D fans repeating the old adage “Friends don’t let friends play half-orcs” may have had some tangible effects. Yesterday, FiveThirtyEight publisheddataon the most D&D popular classes and races and, well, half-orcs only make up about five percent of all D&D characters played between August 15 and September 15. For comparison, more than fifty…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published October 13, 2017 -
UncategorizedEvery Big Game Coming Out In Fall 2017
Ahh, fall. The time for pumpkin spice lattes, long walks amongst colorful autumn trees, and watching scary movies underneath the safety of your favorite blanket. It’s also the time for some big releases in video games. We’ll update this list as new release dates are announced. September 26 Nioh: Bloodshed’s End | PS4 Megaton Rainfall…
By Chloe Spencer Published October 13, 2017
