-
CultureValve’s Card Game Is Officially Dead
Artifact has now failed twice. After a messy launch and a failed attempt to reboot it last year, Valve announced today it’s calling it quits on the beleaguered Dota 2 card game. “It’s now been about a year and a half since the current Artifact team began work on a reboot in earnest,” the game’s…
By Ethan Gach Published March 4, 2021 -
CulturePSA: The Witcher 3 Is Leaving Game Pass
The cycle of Game Pass continues unabated. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will depart Microsoft’s games-on-demand service on March 15. This is usually the point where I’d say something trite like, “If you haven’t played this tremendous open-world masterpiece, which many consider one of the best games of all time, be sure to check it…
By Ari Notis Published March 3, 2021 -
OpinionTrans Inclusion Means More Than Just Adding Potential Gender Options To Hogwarts Legacy
Upcoming Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy will feature some customization options related to gender, according to a report by Bloomberg. It’s a step toward trans inclusion in a game mired in controversy, even if it still shows the limitations of video games’ handling of trans people. Hogwarts Legacy players will reportedly be able to choose…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 2, 2021 -
CultureDestiny 2 Glitch Lets You Launch 12-Player Raid Parties [Update]
Destiny 2 fireteams are usually capped at six, but players have recently discovered a glitch to bump up the size and are using the exploit to take on game’s raids in massive groups. Twelve-player parties might be chump change for a traditional MMO, but in Destiny it can transform even the deepest, darkest stone crypt…
By Ethan Gach Published March 1, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsFight Sans Undertale Right In Your Browser
Sans is unique in that he’s the most popular character in Undertale while also providing one of the most frustrating boss fights the game has to offer. If you’d like to relive the experience of wrapping up a Genocide run without playing through the whole game again, this “Bad Time Simulator” lets you face the…
By Ian Walker Published February 26, 2021 -
CultureTwo Minor Changes Could Mean Big Things For EVE Online
This month has seen a flurry of announcements about EVE Online’s immediate future. Alongside the usual spaceship changes and rebalancing, a brand new, somewhat controversial skill system will be introduced, as well as what sounds like a largely cosmetic change to the game that could have huge implications for players. In almost every big science…
By Lee Yancy Published February 26, 2021 -
CultureEarly Bugsnax Idea Had You Skinning And Butchering Them
Look, we knew Bugsnax was a cute game with a dark heart, but this is particularly bleak. The game’s developers have been sharing some early, ditched ideas for the game on Twitter today, like the fact it was originally an on-rails experience: And, uh, that you would “have to peel and dismantle their bodies before…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureSquare Enix Announces Two More Final Fantasy VII Games
Just after wrapping up Sony’s media show this evening with some Final Fantasy VII x PS5 news, Square Enix announced that there are two more Final Fantasy games coming, both based on the Final Fantasy VII universe. First up is Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, which is a “battle royale game set in Midgar…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureAfter Anthem‘s Failure, Dragon Age 4 Will Reportedly Be Single-Player Only
We praise dancing in the Chantry y’all! According to a report from Bloomberg, EA is allowing BioWare to ditch “all multiplayer components” originally planned for the latest game in the Dragon Age series. EA is a company known for its dogged insistence on adding multiplayer and microtransactions to every one of its games, pushing its…
By Ash Parrish Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy XVI Is Taking Steps For Players Who Don’t Like Action Gameplay
During a recent radio interview, producer Naoki Yoshida was asked about Final Fantasy XVI. Despite some earlier wariness about spilling any beans, he revealed that following the very action-focused trailer, they’re developing a mode for people who prefer to focus on story. Previously, Yoshida has mentioned that Square Enix didn’t want to say “something that’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 24, 2021 -
CultureStardew Valley Is Now A Co-Op Board Game
For the past two years, designers Eric Barone and Cole Medeiros—who met while playing Stardew Valley online—have been working on turning the idyllic video game into something folks can play on a table. Their work is now done, and in addition to announcing the board game, they’ve also announced that it’s available for purchase, right…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureBlade & Soul Revolution Launches Worldwide Next Week
NCSoft’s martial arts epic Blade & Soul is one of my favorite massively-multiplayer online role-playing games in recent memory. Launching March 4 for iOS and Android, Blade & Soul Revolution is the free-to-play mobile adaptation of the PC game. And half of you left. I really should save the free-to-play bit for after the jump.…
By Mike Fahey Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureValheim, As Told By Steam Reviews
I’m getting the impression that maybe, just maybe, Valheim’s five-person development team might be onto something. Since the Viking survival game’s Steam release earlier this month, it’s sold 3 million copies. Over the weekend, more than 500,000 people played it at once. But what do players actually think? That you should avoid falling trees, mostly.…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureThe Half-Life 2 RTS Is Finally “Out” After 13 Years Of Development
For over a decade now, a group of fans have been working on Lambda Wars, a real-time strategy game set in the Half-Life universe. Originally a Half-Life 2 mod, and later a standalone beta, the thing is now finished, or as finished as a game ever gets these days, anyway. Having begun development in 2007,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureEpic Settles Real Lawsuit With Fake Money
Fortnite players who purchased one of Save The World’s randomized Loot Llamas will receive 1000 V-Bucks, developer Epic announced today. The move comes as part of a preliminary class action settlement regarding loot boxes. “Whether you were a fan of random item Loot Llamas or not, with preliminary approval for a class action settlement, we’re…
By Riley MacLeod Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureWhy Diablo IV Is So Obsessed With Ears
Ears. If you watched the debut trailer for Diablo IV’s rogue class, that was your main takeaway—at least, if you’re anything like me. The rogue showed up to “confession” with a big ol’ bag of ears. The priest had a whole darn trophy case of ears. This might have struck you as strange—most regular people…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsDestiny 2 Players Are Jumping Off Cliffs To Avoid Playing Trials Of Osiris
It happened to me: I was looking for groups on the Destiny 2 app to play Trials of Osiris with, joined one, and then found myself jumping off a clif for the next few minutes in a tribute to just how unfun the game’s competitive PVP loot grind can be. Trials of Osiris was lauded…
By Ethan Gach Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureWatch Dogs: Legion Gets Co-Op On March 9
Watch Dogs: Legion is about to become legion. The multiplayer mode for Ubisoft’s open-world hacking game comes out March 9. The multiplayer mode was initially planned to launch on December 3, 2020, but was delayed to a broad 2021 release in order to allow developers time and space to patch out the game’s many bugs…
By Ari Notis Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureWorld Of Warcraft Leak Includes Showdown With Sylvanas, Burning Crusade Classic [UPDATE: Confirmed]
[Update 5:20 p.m. February 19: During Blizzconline’s opening ceremony, Blizzard debuted the newest story trailer for Shadowlands and a trailer for Burning Crusade Classic confirming some of the information leaked a day prior. Original story follows.] A leak surfacing the day before Blizzconline’s opening ceremonies revealed possible details of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands’s first major…
By Ash Parrish Published February 19, 2021 -
CultureNew Subscription Service Is JUST For Crusader Kings II
While you may be increasingly used to paying a monthly fee to get access to a lot of games, Paradox is trialling a new subscription service where you pay to play just one. Which sounds slightly mad until you realise that one game is Crusader Kings II For $5 a month, you’ll be able to…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 18, 2021