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CultureValve, Capcom & Bethesda Fined $9.5 Million For “Geo-Blocking” PC Games
The EU have fined Valve and five publishers a total of €7.8 million (USD$9.5 million) over their practice of “geo-blocking” PC game sales on Steam. This basically means forcing users in a country (say, Germany) to only pay the German price for a game, instead of letting them buy a cheaper version of the same…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsBernie Memes Are Here For All Your Curmudgeonly Needs
Today at noon Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, but online it was another super-old white guy who stole the show thanks to a photograph by Brendan Smialowski showing Bernie Sanders sitting in a chair emanating such levels of sass and “I don’t have time for…
By Ethan Gach Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureRust, As Told By Steam Reviews
If you even casually follow the Grimace-colored streaming monolith that is Twitch, you’re well aware that the current flavor of the month is Rust, a survival game that originally came out in 2013. This means new players are discovering the genre oldtimer for the first time. While some enjoy the game’s inhospitable chaos, others are…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureTwitchDonald Trump has been indefinitely suspended from Twitch. After the Capitol Building insurrection, Twitch suspended the then-president, now-professional angry baby man (who is no doubt weeks or even days from a TV deal), but with the caveat that it would “reassess his account after he leaves office.” In a statement, Twitch said that it’s turning…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 20, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesHow To Ensure Your Old Hitman Data Follows You To Hitman 3
Hitman 3, out today for pretty much all of the platforms, sees Agent 47 continue his spree of heinous crimes, including murder and travel journalism. Like the previous entry in IO Interactive’s sumptuous Savile Row simulator, you can import levels and character progression from prior games. It’s only a matter of knowing what to do—and…
By Ari Notis Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureOcarina Of Time Demo Fragments Reveal A Much Earlier Version Of The Game
Nintendo preservationists Forest of Illusion recently got their hands on a Nintendo 64 development cart containing what appears to be the demo version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time shown at the Space World ‘97 trade show. This early build includes maps, items, abilities, and even story beats that didn’t make it into…
By Ian Walker Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureNew Mod Makes It Possible To Play Skyrim At 60 FPS On PS5
Nearly a decade after it released as a bit of a mess on PS3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on PS5 can now be played at 60 FPS thanks to the work of one of the game’s console modders. Created by a modder who goes by Wrighton, “Skyrim @ 60fps” is exactly what it says…
By Ethan Gach Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsIt’s me staring into a giant toilet waiting for the second chapter of Deltarune to release. It’s been just over two years since the first one came out, but the Undertale creator Toby Fox says “development is going well!” on the follow-up.
By Ethan Gach Published January 20, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesTo Get Into Hitman Games, Try Starting With Hitman 2
Hitman 3 is out today. And while it’s pretty different from previous games in the rebooted trilogy, it’s still a lot of fun. If you’re new to the series or coming back from a while away, should you jump right into 3 or start with the earlier games? Personally, I’d say you’d be fine just…
By Riley MacLeod Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureThe New Hawkmoon Quest Is Solo Destiny 2 At Its Best
Destiny 2 has always primarily been, and will likely always remain, a multiplayer game best experienced with kind strangers or old friends. But occasionally there have been times where the loot shooter has invited and even encouraged players to see what troublesome fun they can get up to on their own, and the latest Hawkmoon…
By Ethan Gach Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureRare Sketches Of Donkey Kong Country Show Off DK’s Early Evolution
In the latest video from YouTube’s DK Creations (via NintendoLife), long-time video game artist Kev Bayliss shows off original sketches from Rare’s Donkey Kong Country, and talks about how he transformed Nintendo’s original cartoon ape from 2D villain to 3D-rendered platform hero. Using character design sketches he created while working on the 1994 Super Nintendo classic…
By Mike Fahey Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsPikachu Makes Everything Better, Even Casio Watches
Casio’s line of Baby-G watches are great. Know how to make the timepieces even better? Add Pikachu, that’s how. The iconic Pocket Monster is once again joining forces with Casio for the Baby-G Pokémon. (Back in 2019, Casio and Pikachu teamed up to mark 25 years of Baby-G.) The latest watch doesn’t just have Pikachu…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 20, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanTakaya Imamura, The Man Who Designed Tingle, Has Retired From Nintendo
In his three decades at Nintendo, Takaya Imamura worked on some of the company’s most iconic games, including F-Zero, Star Fox, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. He also designed Tingle, and for that, we will be forever grateful. Today, on his Facebook page, Imamura uploaded a selfie taken outside Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 20, 2021 -
CultureThe Art Of Cyberpunk 2077
While the game itself may not have entered full-blown development until 2016, some of the stuff you’ll see in this collection of concept and production art dates as far back as 2013. Below you’ll find a big collection of environment, character and 3D pieces from throughout Cyberpunk’s development, from the earliest sketches through to models…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2021 -
CultureHorizon Zero Dawn’s Last Big PC Patch Has Finally, Mostly Fixed The Port
While it was great that PC owners got to play a big Sony exclusive last year, what wasn’t so great about Horizon Zero Dawn’s port was that it ran like shit. Well, five months later things are looking much better. While players were initially beset by everything from sluggish performance to textures not loading, a…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2021 -
CultureSealed Box Of Pokémon Cards Sells For $408,000
As the great Nute Gunray once said, this is getting out of hand. As more and more people realise the value in old Pokémon cards, more and more people are flocking to opportunities to catch, if not them all, then at least once card worth a ton of money. Which probably explains why (via Polygon),…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsStreets Of Rage 4 Developers Have Ideas For A Mark Of The Wolves Sequel
Earlier today, Streets of Rage 4 developer Lizardcube shared a gorgeous mock-up for its concept of a Garou: Mark of the Wolves sequel. I want it to be real so bad. Garou: Mark of the Wolves was first released to arcades in 1999 as the final game in SNK’s Fatal Fury franchise before King of…
By Ian Walker Published January 19, 2021 -
OpinionI Am In Love With Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Wilderness
If you’d asked me between 2015-2020 why I loved The Witcher 3, I’d probably have drawn up a very long list of things. In 2021, though, following the release of both Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, that list is a lot shorter. It’s basically now just “the wind” and “the sun”. In earlier, more…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsI Hope Immortals Fenyx Rising’s First DLC Is A Lot Like Its New Bonus Quest
Last week, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Ubisoft’s don’t-call-it-a-Zelda open-world action game, received a bonus quest. It’s short, fun, and moderately challenging. Better yet, it supposedly gives a peek at what the game’s first expansion, A New God, will look like. If you’ve slept on it, reconsider. The quest in question, “When in Olympos,” was added to…
By Ari Notis Published January 19, 2021
