The Wild Story Of Tie Fighter’s Illegal 1994 Pirate Leak

Software piracy in 2016 is so ubiquitous that we expect games to leak ahead of release. Back in the 20th century, though, it was a lot harder for pirates to get hold of video games before they hit retail shelves. As evidenced by this crazy old story about howthe classic TIE Fighter got out a…

Former Valve Employee Sues For $3.1 Million, Alleging Wrongful Termination [UPDATE: Jury Rules For Valve]

A complex lawsuit was recently filed against Valve, in which a former employee is suing for $3.1 million in damages, alleging transgender discrimination, misclassification of employment, retaliation for whistle blowing, and more. Update – 6:00pm, January 19, 2018: It was recently brought to our attention that on November 2 of last year, a jury ruled…

Spontaneous Windows 10 Update Prevents Game Dev From Checking Out Of Hotel

Microsoft really wants people to upgrade their machines to Windows 10, to the point that computers will now install the new operating system without your knowledge. This lead to a frustrating (but darkly humorous) situation today for Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail, while checking out of a hotel. “I woke up all chill and relaxed and…

15 Things You Should Know Before Playing Overwatch

Getting started in Overwatch can be pretty daunting: there are so many heroes to learn, maps to memorize, and loot crates to open, that it’s hard to keep track of it all. But we have a few quick pointers that should help. Here are the things I wish I knew before jumping into Overwatch. Start…

Peek-a-boo. Today’s shockingly viable Counter-Strike strat? The pyramid scheme, courtesy of ahmadyar17

I Am Setsuna Is Chrono Trigger In Everything But Name

It’s not clear why Square Enix isn’t making new Chrono games, but hey, at least there’s I Am Setsuna, which will be out for PS4 and Steam on July 19. (New trailer above.) In their press release today, Square was quick to note that the battle system is inspired by Chrono Trigger. The new trailer…

The Sound Of A Hit In Overwatch Is Made By… Beer

Overwatch is to big-budget release bonanzas what eclipses are to the rest of the sky. It’s a multi-million dollar production fueled by laser-targeted marketing. Even Game of Throneshad to glom onto its underbelly to avoid being unceremoniously forgotten. Anyway one of its most crucial sounds was made by a beer can. I’m talking about the…

Doom Is Even Better When Played On A Harder Difficulty

About halfway through playing the new Doom, I tried to remember the last time I’d died. Turns out, it hadn’t happened for hours. That was a problem. Doom doesn’t categorize difficulty the way other games do, but it breaks down roughly the same. Here’s how it’s listed, with my translation: I’m Too Young To Die…

Twitter’s Controversial New Changes Are Mostly Good

Twitter announced a bunch of changes to its service today. Some are useful, some are terrible. If the past informs the present, there will be a lot of hand-wringing before people reluctantly continue using a useful service that’s often misunderstood by the company that created it. Many of the changes outlined by Twitter todayare meant…

It’s Time To Stop Being Salty About Bastion In Overwatch

For months now, some Overwatch players have insisted that one hero is too strong, perhaps even overpowered. Now that the game is officially out and the hero balance is more or less set, however, I hope we can all agree that the bellyaching is all bunk. Meet Bastion, an automaton capable of turning into a…

The New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Feels A Lot Like Transformers: Devastation 

There’s a lot of Transformers: Devastation lingering in Platinum Games’ latest cartoon-based beat-em up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan. Watch us play through the game’s first mission and see for yourself. We’ve got the same cel-shaded art style that first popped up in Platinum’s poorly-received Legend of Korra game. A small number of…

The State Of The DC Universe

DC Comics has another line-wide reinvention coming up. It’s exactly the kind of thing I should be excited about, but I’m more worried than anything. This piece originally appeared April 8, 2016. Because of everything they’ve done in the last few years, it’s almost impossible to get amped up about what’s next for Superman, Batman…

Paradox Pulls Stellaris Mod That Makes All The Characters White

Stellaris, a grand strategy game set in space, has characters who come in a variety of species and races. Naturally, someone made a mod to turn all the humans white. The mod, “European Phenotype and Names Only,” makes it so your Stellaris rulers and heirs will all be white people with European names, which is…

TMNT Figures Based On Konami’s Classic 1989 Arcade Game

Oh man Note that, as good as these look, you’ll likely never be able to get your hands on them. Because of licensing restrictions, manufacturers NECA are only going to be able to sell these at conventions, not online or in stores. If you’re going to Comic Con, good luck! If you’re not, and you’re…

Dead Or Alive‘s Gust Costumes Are Almost Good Enough To Buy

Koei Tecmo has teamed up with one of my favorite Japanese RPG developers to create a set of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round costumes based on the delightful costume designs from the Atelier series and other Gust games. I’d almost pay $32 for them. Almost. Kasumi and friends decked out in outfits from the…

Fallout 4 Mod Takes The Game To Seattle

Fallout Cascadia is a new mod that is promising to create what’s essentially a brand new game—using Fallout 4 as a foundation—set in and around Seattle. The plan is to have the mod kick in as a completely separate adventure to the main game, so you wouldn’t even create a character or see Fallout 4’s…