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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 -
OpinionBrume Captures That Classic Adventure Game Feel
Like many kids, I used to explore the woods and get into all kinds of make-believe adventures. Often, that meant picking up a stick and questing for imaginary treasures. Brume is a low-fi adventure game that takes Dark Souls’ tough combat and adds a touch of whimsical exploration. Created by Sokpop Collective,Brume is an adventure…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 31, 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 -
OpinionAn Eye-Popping Neon Throwback To Classic Shooters
Bad Vibes is a colorful first person shooter that is a feast for the senses. Sometimes all you want to do is shoot some baddies and work through some negative feelings. What better way to do that then with some magic orbs and trippy sights? Bad Vibes, created by pfail, has been out since 2017and…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 18, 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 -
OpinionSantaCorps 2 Combines Christmas and F-Zero
Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you can’t spread some good cheer. SantaCorp 2: Starlit Waltzis a fast-paced game about helping Saint Nick and getting the highest score while doing it. If you’re looking for a neon rush that could make F-Zero jealous, this is the perfect place to find it. Created by…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 9, 2019 -
Opinion
Save The World By Building The Perfect Date For A Rampaging Monster
In the distant future, the world is beset by ferocious kaiju. These giant beasts threaten to destroy everything we hold dear. They are too strong to fight, which leaves only one option: romance. In Kaiju Super Datetech, which you can play on PC, Mac, or Linux, up to ten players work together to assemble a makeshift…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 20, 2018 -
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 -
OpinionFree Game Takes The Original Zelda And Twists It Around
Chances are good that if you play games, you’ve played The Legend of Zelda or at least seen a picture of the 1986 Nintendo Entertainment System original. The world was vast but made sense. North was north. In a free new downloadable game called Triforce, the land of Hyrule is twisted around and north could…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 12, 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 -
OpinionThe First Tree Offers A Beautiful, Pensive Break From Everyday Life
The First Tree is an exploration game about learning who you are. You take control of a fox in a colorful frosted forest. As the fox searches for her children, another story plays out, recounted by an unseen male narrator, that focuses on family relationships and regrets. Those thoughts come paired with intoxicating sights and…
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 -
Opinion
Quiet As A Stone Is A Game About Exploring Floating Islands
Quiet as a Stone is a contemplative game about finding secrets on floating islands and creating your own perfect little spaces. Each island has resources to collect, natural formations to find, and blank spaces to plant trees or arrange rocks. It’s a quiet and relaxing escape from whatever battlefield or wild open world you’ve been…
By Heather Alexandra Published November 28, 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