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OpinionImpressionsExcellent New Detective Game Has You Snoop Around The ’90s Internet
It was right about when I scrolled past the virus festeringchunk2 (1) in my Download Manager and again heard the desktop assistant Professor Helper’s appeal to guide me to a free cruise and credit report site that I realized my computer was trashed and the game Hypnospace Outlaw is a work of genius. Hypnospace Outlaw,…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published March 13, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsA Puzzle Game Where You Rewrite The Rules Of Each Level
Baba Is You is a puzzle game for Switch and PC, out today. You start by playing as Baba, a rabbit-like creature who can push blocks of words around to change a level’s rules. Soon, though, you’ll be playing as keys, rocks, flags, lava, or any other object you can become or manipulate by rearranging…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 13, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
Damn, Yoshi’s Crafted World Looks Gorgeous
I’ve been playing Yoshi’s Crafted World for Switch in advance of its March 29 release, and the thing that’s sticking with me the most is how just plain beautiful it looks. I know we all enjoy playing our Switches in handheld mode, but you should consider docking that sucker for the duration of your Crafted…
By Chris Kohler Published March 13, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Occupation Is A Thrilling Investigative Game Where Every Second Counts
I’ve got 10 minutes until my big interview with a member of a group that’s trying to demonize immigrants and radically alter government policy. My leads are solid, but they unravel into an unsightly tangle of loose ends. Oh, have I mentioned that I’m sneaking around inside a ventilation system? And that if I get…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 7, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
The Xbox One Version Of Black Desert Is Missing Three Years’ Worth Of Content
Black Desert Online, the massively multiplayer fantasy role-playing game with the gorgeous character creator, launched in North America for PC in 2016. Over the past three years, the developers have introduced multiple character classes and the game world has grown by several large expansions. The new Xbox One version doesn’t have those classes or expansions.…
By Mike Fahey Published March 4, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsApe Out Is A Violent, Musical Game About Rampaging Primates
Ape Out is one of those games where every move could be your last. Ape Out is one of those games where you shout “FUCK, ARGH, NO” all the time, but you actually mean “OK yeah, one more time.” Ape Out is one of those games where you play as an ape who shoves humans…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 1, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsBaptiste Is Fun To Play, But He Probably Won’t Shake Up Overwatch Just Yet
Shortly after Overwatch’s newest hero, Baptiste, was announced, I started seeing Blizzard devs position the Haitian combat medic as a counter to GOATS, the game’s unpopular defense-oriented meta. “Alright,” I said to myself. “This seems promising.” But then I played him, and now I have mixed feelings. Overwatch’s current meta is heavily reliant on heroes…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 27, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
Six Hours In, Anthem Has A Lot To Love
I’ve played about six hours of Anthem, a game where players fly around in mechanical suits blowing stuff up in search of ever more rare loot, and while I’m still getting my bearings I already feel a lot better about the game than I did back during its two demos. The game launched earlier today…
By Ethan Gach Published February 15, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
30 Hours With Metro Exodus
Before starting Metro Exodus, I replayed the entirety of its predecessor, cult hit post-apocalyptic shooter Metro: Last Light. Exodus’ first hour felt like it could’ve been part of that game. I skulked around in train tunnels, got chomped on by mutants, and listened to underground denizens chatter endlessly about their sad, sunless lives. Then, the…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 15, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsJump Force Does A Lot Of Stuff Wrong, But The Fighting’s Fine
There are many things that bother me about Jump Force, Bandai Namco’s all-star anime fighting game. There’s the massive roster that has only three female characters. The jarring dissonance between the plastic, lifeless anime characters and the realistic textures of their clothing. The jilted gait my character affects while exploring the game’s expansive yet largely…
By Mike Fahey Published February 15, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsGod Eater 3 Is Like Monster Hunter But Simpler
The God Eater series is Bandai Namco’s take on Monster Hunter, and while not nearly as big or deep as the best games in that series, God Eater 3 does a good job of making up for those shortcomings with flashy combat and an apocalyptic backdrop that helps raise the stakes. God Eater 3, which…
By Ethan Gach Published February 6, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsApex Legends Adds Some Good Twists To Battle Royale
Titanfall development studio Respawn’s free-to-play battle royale game, Apex Legends, came out yesterday afternoon for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. I played it into the night and was intrigued by the ways it tweaks the battle royale format. Apex Legends is set on a futuristic map full of mountains, rivers, and clusters of buildings. There’s…
By Riley MacLeod Published February 5, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsTwo Hours With Anthem‘s New Demo
Today BioWare’s demo for their upcoming online coop shooter Anthem went live, sort of. An apparent problem on the back end and some weird infinite load screen bug have made it difficult to actually explore the game for any sustained period of time. At the time of writing, the game still isn’t accessible for a…
By Ethan Gach Published January 25, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
Bowser’s Inside Story Holds Up Nicely 10 Years Later
Anyone who hasn’t played the original on DS shouldn’t bother at this point. The remake is better-balanced and better-looking, arriving with a fair bit of extra side content as well. For everyone else, it’s worth remembering that you can still play DS games on your 3DS, and unlike 2017’s remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga,…
By Ethan Gach Published January 11, 2019 -
OpinionImpressions
Below Is Finally Out, And It’s Not Screwing Around
Below came out today on Xbox One and PC, after five years in development. I’ve spent about five hours with the game. Despite going in with very few expectations, the game still managed to defy them. First revealed at E3 2013, Capybara Games’ minimalist roguelike dungeon crawler has been in development for over five years,…
By Ethan Gach Published December 14, 2018 -
OpinionImpressions
Kingdom Two Crowns Doesn’t Feel Like A Sequel But It’s Still A Great Minimalist Strategy Game
Kingdom Two Crowns is a clever, streamlined side-scrolling strategy game filled with beautiful pixel art and a great sense of atmosphere. I’ve had a hard time tearing myself away from it these past few days. While it doesn’t feel like a full sequel, it brings a bunch of worthwhile additions that make it superior to…
By Ethan Gach Published December 12, 2018 -
OpinionImpressionsI Am Going To Play A Ton Of Hades
Hades, a new action game from Supergiant Games, released in early access last night in the new Epic Games store. It’s pretty limited right now, but even with only a handful of weapons and levels it’s got me extremely excited. Being trapped in Hell and dying over and over has never been so fun. Hades…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 7, 2018 -
OpinionImpressions
Command And Conquer Mobile Game Would Be Great If It Weren’t Pay-To-Win
Command and Conquer: Rivals, out yesterday, takes the beloved real-time strategy series into the controversial world of free-to-play mobile games, which tend to be fueled by loot boxes and microtransactions. This game is, too, and it goes to absolutely zero lengths to mask that. Worst of all, the game’s still fun despite those things, making…
By Ethan Gach Published December 5, 2018 -
OpinionImpressions
As If I Wouldn’t Love Two New Persona Dancing Games
Surprise, everybody! The Kotaku writer who loves Japanese RPGs and rhythm games is completely enamored with two rhythm games starring beloved Japanese RPG characters. It’s like Atlus made a pair of games just for me. You might like them, too. Back in 2015 Atlus released Persona 4: Dancing All Night, a game that took the…
By Mike Fahey Published November 28, 2018 -
OpinionImpressions
Darksiders 3 Is A Mess
Here we see Fury, apocalyptic horseperson, facing off against Wrath, one of the Seven Deadly Sins she’s tasked with dispatching as the star of Gunfire Games’ Darksiders 3. Looks like an epic battle is about to unfold. Not really. Perhaps it’s just his nature, but Wrath isn’t much for tactics. Following an elaborate opening battle…
By Mike Fahey Published November 27, 2018