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OpinionImpressionsTwo Weeks With My Xbox Series S
I’ve had an Xbox Series S since late October, and I am surprised at how I feel about it. I wouldn’t say I’m excited to have this new system. The word I’d use—a word that is actually a very high compliment—is “pleased.” I should clarify, before you judge me too jaded, too snooty, or too…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 9, 2020 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat’s Your Game Of Choice For Spacing Out From Reality?
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, in light of current happenings, we Ask Kotaku: What’s your game of choice for spacing out from reality? Fahey In order for me to free myself from reality’s brutal…
By Alexandra Hall Published November 9, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsBugsnax Is Much More Than Just A Meme Song
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and back when the PlayStation 5 was officially revealed in June, Bugsnax absolutely nailed it. Its sing-song-y trailer coated an otherwise standard next-gen presentation with a candy-sweet outer shell, and the song itself achieved meme status almost instantly. But is it actually a good game?…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 9, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsThere’s A Sequel To Fruit Ninja For Some Reason
There’s a sequel to Fruit Ninja now. Remember Fruit Ninja? It was 2010, you’d just got your first touchscreen phone, and you were desperate for anything to need it for. There, for just three little dollars, was this game about swish-swooshing about the shiny surface, chopping up fruit until fruit could be chopped no more. It…
By John Walker Published November 6, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsTeardown Is A Heist Game Where Levels Are Fully Destructible, And It’s Fantastic
Teardown’s central contradiction should be infuriating. True to its name, you can tear down basically any structure in a level, up to and including the ground beneath your feet. But you shouldn’t! I repeat: You, functionally all-powerful to an extent few video games have ever allowed, should not destroy everything the first chance you get.…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 4, 2020 -
OpinionWhat Call of Duty’s Warzone Needs For Cold War
Warzone will be coming to Black Ops: Cold War in December. While the battle royale is exciting to play and also spectate for major tournaments, improvements like better anti-cheat, improved challenges, and map changes could really enhance the Warzone experience for the upcoming year. Basically, stop all the hackers and take some notes from Blackout,…
By S.E. Doster Published November 3, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsHyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Demo Is More Breath Of The Wild And Less Dynasty Warriors
The Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity demo plays like a game that inherited more from its Zelda: Breath of the Wild parent than its hack-and-slash parent Hyrule Warriors. Developer Koei Tecmo repurposed major elements of Breath of the Wild’s gameplay—from the Sheikah slate, to cooking, crafting, and even Korok hunting—and integrated them into Warriors’ musou-style…
By Ash Parrish Published November 2, 2020 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat PS5 Or Xbox Series X Game Are You Anticipating Most?
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 PS5 or Xbox Series X game are you anticipating most? Brian I’ve often felt like the Gran Turismo games were a good way to kick…
By Alexandra Hall Published November 2, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSurprise: Pikmin 3 Deluxe’s Epilogue Is Some Of The Best Pikmin Ever Made
Twenty-two days ago, I wrote: “If Nintendo has hidden some amazing twist at the end of Pikmin 3 Deluxe, if the epilogue really delivers, the joke will be on me.” Today I am here to tell you there is no twist, at least not a plot twist at the end of the new Switch port…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 30, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsAmnesia: Rebirth Makes Motherhood Scary
The only scary thing in Amnesia: Rebirth is motherhood. The monsters are rare and dispersed enough to be manageable threats, and the atmosphere is less oppressive than other Amnesia games. Rebirth did not scare me the same way The Dark Descent or its far more terrifying older sibling Penumbra: Overture did. But it’s a game…
By Ash Parrish Published October 29, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSo Far, Watch Dogs Legion Is One Of 2020’s Most Fascinating Games
Watch Dogs Legion, out today for a bunch of major video game platforms, is one of the most elaborate anecdote generators ever created. So, before we get into how the game handles its ambitious design goals, its politics, and even its Ubisoft-ness, let’s start with an anecdote that could only have happened in Legion About…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 29, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsHere’s How We’ve Set Up Our Xbox Series X and S
Yesterday, we showed you what the PlayStation 5 looks like in the wild. But that’s not the only next-gen console coming out next month. In the event you’ve been living under the planet’s most soundproof rock, on November 10, the Xbox Series X—and its less-expensive, less-powerful counterpart, the Xbox Series S—will be out. Earlier this…
By Ari Notis Published October 28, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsHere’s How We’ve Set Up Our PS5s
Roughly two weeks from now, the PlayStation 5 will be out in the wild. First (officially) revealed in June, Sony’s next-gen console promises the de rigueur next-gen improvements: shinier graphics, faster performance, killer exclusives, all that jazz. But when the curtain was pulled back, the general consensus seemed to coalesce around one talking point, which…
By Ari Notis Published October 27, 2020 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat’s A Game That Really Scared You?
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 Halloween week we Ask Kotaku: What’s a game that really scared you? Alexandra In a prior Ask Kotaku I revealed that I was a mark who purchased an Atari Jaguar,…
By Alexandra Hall Published October 26, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsPokémon Sword and Shield’s Latest Expansion Doubles Down On Legendary Pokémon
I captured a Suicune ten minutes into playing The Crown Tundra, the second part of Pokémon Sword and Shield’s expansion pass that released late last night for Nintendo Switch. Everyone knows what a Pikachu is, but Suicune is another mascot of the series, albeit an understated one. While the expansion is unafraid to introduce some…
By Ari Notis Published October 23, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSo Far, Immortals Fenyx Rising Is More Than Just Ubisoft’s Take On Breath of the Wild
I like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey quite a bit; in fact, I think it’s the second-best game in the entire franchise. Immortals Fenyx Rising seems to be a natural evolution of Odyssey, and also makes it seem like some folks at Ubisoft have played a lot of Breath of the Wild. After spending an hour or…
By Zack Zwiezen Published October 22, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsRed Dead Online’s Halloween Update Is Disappointing
Last month, Red Dead Online dataminers found what appeared to be zombies buried in the game’s files after an update. These new zombie models, along with other creepy content found via datamining, pointed towards a new Halloween event. That event is finally, here and it’s pretty disappointing. The Red Dead Online Halloween update went live…
By Zack Zwiezen Published October 22, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsDodging Death In Disc Room Is A Lot Of Fun
Disc Room is top-down puzzle game where you dodge giant saw blades. That’s pretty much it. It’s also fantastic. The combined work of Jan Willem Nijman (Nuclear Throne), Kitty Calis (Minit), Terri Vellmann, and doseone (who both made Sludge Life), Disc Room is frenetic, precise and oozing with sound and color. Planning and forethought are…
By Ethan Gach Published October 22, 2020 -
OpinionMarvel’s Avengers Is Fantastic Once You’re Fully Powered Up
When I first played Marvel’s Avengers, I thoughtit had a fun campaign and some great moments of escapism, but was hobbled by a repetitive, slow-paced endgame. Since then, I’ve put many additional hours into the game and changed my mind. Once your superhero is fully powered up—with the best Gear and all of his or…
By Kevin Wong Published October 22, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSpellbreak‘s New Mode Isn’t Quite Deathmatch, But It’s A Very Good Time
When I first wrote about Spellbreak, the battle royale whose battles royale evoke Avatar: The Last Airbender more than Battle Royale, I said that its combat was so good that it could form the backbone of a myriad of other kinds of games, including a more traditional deathmatch. Now that’s exactly what’s happening. And by…
By Nathan Grayson Published October 21, 2020