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CultureValve Removes 1,000 Games From Steam As Punishment For Abusing Tools
There are more than 30,000 games on Steam. When Valve removes the odd offender for breaking the rules by, say, being a low-effort meme masquerading as a low-effort game or by being low-effort porn masquerading as a low-effort game, it’s like siphoning a drop from a bucket. Yesterday, Valve removed over 1,000 games from Steam.…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureExperts Say Geese Aren’t Actually As Bad As Untitled Goose Game Suggests
I love being a goose in Untitled Goose Game. I love to waddle, honk, and flap at people. But how much of what you do in Untitled Goose Game is true to goose life? I spoke to some waterfowl experts to get a read on how true to life Untitled Goose Game actually is. Isabella…
By Gita Jackson Published November 26, 2019 -
UncategorizedI’m playing Donkey Kong Country over on our Twitch channel. The game’s 25th anniversary was a couple days ago! In memory of the long-ago Thanksgiving Day on which I played through this whole game, I waited until today to stream it. Get Funky in the chat!
By Tim Rogers Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureSome Call Of Duty Players Find Themselves Spawning In Mid-Air
Call of Duty matches can be fast-paced slaughterhouses, which is why the game usually respawns you away from other players and, uh, on the ground. Recently, players have been noticing that’s not always the case. “Incredible, just incredible,” Reddit user McNugg2710 said in a November 22 post of a video showing them respawning out in…
By Ethan Gach Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureHow Fighting Game Developers Can Improve Online Play
Netcode, the set of technical protocols that determine online play in video games, is especially important in fighting games. Decisions are often split-second, with just a few frames determining whether or not a punish lands or a combo finishes the job. Netcode is often the main concern of competitive players looking for their next game.…
By Ian Walker Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThis Is What Happens When I Explore Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s Amazing World
Oh, cool. I found a secret area in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, everyone. I wonder what kind of reward I’ll find here. This place is way off the grid, so there’s got to be something incredible hidden in these chambers. I discovered this place because I spotted a little green icon on my map,…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 26, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe Elder Scrolls: Blades, the series’ free-to-play mobile spin-off, won’t come to Switch until next year, Bethesda announced today. The port was originally supposed to launch this fall, but the company said that it needed to be delayed due to work on improving the game, including an overhaul of how loot works.
By Ethan Gach Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureLooking Back On The Hypnotic Charm Of Breakout
Pilgrim In The Microworld, a 1983 book by professor, sociologist, and musician David Sudnow, was far ahead of its time. As a book-length digression on a single video game—Breakout for the Atari 2600—it took the emerging medium seriously at a time when it was largely dismissed as a mere fad on the verge of dying.…
David Sudnow Published November 26, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsI Never Knew Dying In Borderlands 3 Could Feel So Brutal
Sometimes you really need to kill a dude, and you just can’t, and it sucks. Borderlands 3 is not a heavy game. It’s full of bright colors, fun sounds, and jokes (even if most of them aren’t very funny). I would no more liken it to a Dark Souls game as put orange juice in…
By Ethan Gach Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureSome Of Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Online Features Are Shutting Down In February
The Pokémon company announced overnight that its Global Link Service, which supports certain parts of online play in Pokémon Sun and Moon and their Ultra editions, will be going away on February 24, 2020. While Pokémon Sun and Moon players will still be able to trade and battle directly with one another, features related to…
By Ethan Gach Published November 26, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Best Cosplay Of Tokyo Comic-Con 2019
This year’s Tokyo Comic-Con wrapped up over the weekend. There were big stars, merch, comics, and yes, cosplay. Let’s have a look at the best get-ups of the show. Since this is Tokyo Comic-Con, the cosplays are typically Western comic book, movie, or TV characters—though, this isn’t always the case.
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 26, 2019 -
UncategorizedStarting November 30, One Piece fans can board a life-sized version of Thousand Sunny ship and take a short, thirty-minute cruise at Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki. The replica boat isn’t new (here’s a video tour from a few years back), but if you’re in Japan and like One Piece, maybe check it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 26, 2019 -
CultureData Suggests Most Steam Users’ PCs Aren’t Ready To Play Half-Life: Alyx
Deep-pocketed companies like Valve and Oculus have been pushing virtual reality for years, but mainstream interest in the practice of strapping video games to one’s eyeballs has remained relatively low. Half-Life: Alyx seems primed to give a whole new audience a very valid reason to hover a hesitant finger over a headset’s Buy button and…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 25, 2019 -
CultureThe Pokémon Company Wants To Hunt Leakers On 4Chan, Discord
Earlier this month, before the game’s release, leaked images of Pokémon Sword & Shield starting turning up online. That’s pretty normal for a big video game, but The Pokémon Company are taking the matter very seriously, so seriously that they’re asking a court if they can serve subpoenas on 4chan and Discord. As reported by…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 25, 2019 -
CultureBattleborn Is Shutting Down In 2021
Despite a small crowd of diehards who went so far as to organize events in an attempt to save the game, Battleborn seems destined to go down in history as a high-profile flop. Two years ago, developer Gearbox halted updates to the already-shot hero shooter. Today, publisher 2K announced plans to sunset the game entirely.…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 25, 2019 -
CultureWhy Does This Jedi: Fallen Order Mod Look Like Joe Jonas
The most popular mod for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order right now is a rework of the lead character’s face. It has the unintended effect of making him look like Joe Jonas. Two things are immediately apparent upon seeing Cal Kestis: he is definitely a Jedi, and he’s extremely ginger. The “Better Call Cal” mod…
By Gita Jackson Published November 25, 2019