-
OpinionI’m Finally Happy I Bought An “Old” Graphics Card
Let me tell you about an emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on for the past eight months. It’s a cautionary tale, about the perils of obsessing over PC hardware, but also one of celebration, a triumph against the odds. In 2015, I purchased an all-new, pre-built gaming PC—the first time I’d ever done that—and had such…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Year Is 2021 And I Just Played A New Official Halo 3 Map
The Master Chief Collection’s latest season, Season 6: Raven, launched last week on April 7 for Xbox and PC. I’ve been busy with Outriders, so I didn’t get to check it out until now. This update adds a lot, but the most exciting new piece of content is a new map for Halo 3 The…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionMarvel, Give Me A Dora Milaje Video Game Already
Marvel Studios, Disney, whoever’s in charge of licensing Marvel properties nowadays, come, let me bend your ear for I have a proposition that is guaranteed to increase your already-incalculable fortune. Are you ready to hear my 1000% foolproof money printing idea? Here goes: Dora Milaje video game. If that declaration wasn’t enough to sell you,…
By Ash Parrish Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat’s Your Worst Gaming Habit?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take. This week we Ask Kotaku: What’s your worst gaming habit? Lisa Marie My worst gaming habit is easily never finishing games. I’ve played a ton of games, but I’ve finished very…
By Alexandra Hall Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionFuck The Snipers In Outriders
Having a good time in Outriders? Well sorry, here come the snipers to ruin your fun. Has this happened to you: You are playing Outriders. Running around, shooting bad guys, and firing off cool powers. When suddenly a sniper pops up from across the map and a second later shoots you, possibly killing you or…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 10, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsOddworld: Soulstorm Has More Heart And Less Farts
My name is Abe, and I have to save my friends. I’m locked in a multi-level, two-dimensional room. In the distance, I see my buddies, all 200 of them, climbing a ladder that will lead them to safety and where. they can reach the lock that will free me. Suddenly, a loud crackling noise alerts…
By Ash Parrish Published April 9, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsClap Hanz’ First Non-PlayStation Golf Game Is My New Happy Place
Japanese developer Clap Hanz has been making colorful cartoon golf games for PlayStation consoles since 1999’s Hot Shots Golf 2. The studio’s first non-PlayStation game, Apple Arcade’s Clap Hanz Golf, is more of the same, only now all it takes for me to tee up is a few taps of my iPad screen. Hot Shots…
By Mike Fahey Published April 7, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsFree From Stadia, Lost Words‘ Story Hits Hard
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is poised to snag a second lease on life. First released last spring as a Stadia exclusive, the idyllic puzzle-platformer from Sketchbook Games, officially released yesterday for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Switch (where I’ve been playing). Lost Words sports the sheen of star power: Rhianna Pratchett, of…
By Ari Notis Published April 7, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsMansions Of Madness Deserves A Better Video Game
Fantasy Flight’s Mansions of Madness, the standout game from the publisher’s Arkham Horror line-up, is one of my favourite board game experiences of all time, a near-perfect blend of occult investigation and unforgiving combat. Both things that its new video game adaptation is terrible at. Which shouldn’t be too surprising, given this game’s rocky history.…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 6, 2021 -
OpinionThere Are Too Many Warhammer Video Games
Back in 2016, Mike wrote a blog called “There Are Far Too Many Warhammer Games”. In 2021, things have only got worse. Here is a list of every Warhammer game—both 40K and fantasy—I could find that has been released or announced since 2014, the same year Mike started counting from: Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon (2014) Warhammer…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 6, 2021 -
OpinionHey, Magic: The Gathering, Your Story Is Doing Great Without The Racist Tropes
Ever since Jordan Peele gave us Get Out, there’s been a trend in pop culture entertainment that upsets the shit outta me—everything (and oh my Lord, do I mean everything) is centered on Black Pain. It feels like the only shows or movies that prominently feature Black people involved in fantastical or heroic shit has…
By Ash Parrish Published April 6, 2021 -
OpinionWhile Xbox Game Pass Gets Better, PS Now Gets…Avengers
Outriders came out last week on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It also immediately came to Microsoft’s Game Pass, adding yet another big new game to the subscription service’s already-impressive library. Meanwhile, PS Now users can get excited to play last year’s mediocre Avengers game, and just for a few months.…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 6, 2021 -
OpinionAsk KotakuHave You Ever Raged And Thrown A Controller?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take. This week we Ask Kotaku: Have you ever raged and thrown a controller? Fahey While I have never thrown a controller myself, I have been around someone who has. In fact,…
By Alexandra Hall Published April 5, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsPrime 2D Is The Coolest Metroid In Over A Decade
A group of independent developers known as Team SCU recently released a demo for Prime 2D, an impressive side-scrolling remake of 2002’s Metroid Prime that has been in the works for over 15 years. After spending some time with it, I can say it was definitely worth the wait, even if Nintendo’s lawyers are no…
By Ian Walker Published April 5, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsStar Trek Legends Is A Fun Time, Not An Annoying Grind
Star Trek Legends, recently released on Apple Arcade, plays a lot like Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, Disney’s Sorcerer’s Arena, DC Legends and countless other turn-based mobile RPGs. But without any energy meters or annoying microtransactions. As a result, it feels like a game and not a treadmill designed to ferry you to a store.…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 4, 2021 -
OpinionGames Like Outriders Really Need Offline Modes
Earlier today, I was playing Outriders. I was in the middle of a mission, about to beat a tough enemy, when I was disconnected from the servers. An error message popped up and that was that. But I was playing alone, in an area only filled with NPCs in a game with no PVP. So…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 3, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsDoom 3 Is Better In VR
Most folks don’t love Doom 3, often citing how much slower the game feels compared to old Doom titles. But that slower speed plus its focus on creating a dark, scary atmosphere means that nearly 17 years after its release, Doom 3 ends up being a great VR game. It might even be a better game…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 3, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsFinal Fantasy Creator’s New RPG Is Out And Painfully Pretty
I’m having a problem playing Fantasian, the new turn-based RPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker released today on Apple Arcade. I can’t stop pausing to look at how gorgeous the game’s real-life miniature diorama sets are. I didn’t say it was a bad problem. If you have access to Apple Arcade and you…
By Mike Fahey Published April 2, 2021 -
OpinionMicrosoft Is Supporting Old Games, While Sony And Nintendo Are Leaving Them Behind
Yesterday, Microsoft made it possible to instantly stream a bunch of older Xbox 360 and original Xbox games to any device compatible with Game Pass. It’s another piece of evidence that Microsoft is taking backward compatibility very seriously this time around, and that Sony and Nintendo have fallen behind in a big way. Sony in…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 1, 2021