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Guild Wars 2 Writers Fired For Calling Out Fan On Twitter
After a Twitter spat erupted into a mob of fans going after a narrative designer for Guild Wars 2 studio ArenaNet, the developer said that it has fired two employees: Jessica Price and Peter Fries. On July 3, Price, a writer on Guild Wars 2, published a Twitter thread on the challenges of creating a…
By Nathan Grayson Published July 6, 2018 -
YouTuber’s Board Game Tutorials Teach The Rules Wrong, And Way Better
Jeff Kornberg’s YouTube channel, The Dragon’s Tomb, does not stand out from the throng of other channels hosting tutorials for board games. Like his peers, Kornberg explains the rules in a slow, gentle voice with frequent cutaways to each game’s pieces, cards, and setup. The difference between Kornberg’s channel and the others is that every…
By Maddy Myers Published July 6, 2018 -
It’s Now Even Easier For Overwatch Players To Throw Games
“We deranking u cool?” asked the creator of “LOSING GAMES/TROLL/DERANK,” a group queued up for a game of Overwatch. I agreed. “I’ve never done this before,” I said over comms. “How does it work?” My new teammates explained that we would draw out the game for as long as possible, frustrating our opponents by whatever…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 6, 2018 -
Conan Exiles Is Still Buggy, Even With 1.4 Million Copies Sold
Yesterday, Funcom announced its barbarian survival game, Conan Exiles, has sold 1.4 million copies, making it the company’s best selling game yet. This news coincided with the release of a large patch aimed at fixing a number of ongoing bugs. Funcom called it “The Mother of all Patches,” promising over 500 fixes to the PC…
By Ethan Gach Published July 6, 2018 -
Octopath Traveler Is Nothing Like Final Fantasy VI
The producer of the gorgeous upcoming Switch game Octopath Traveler made waves this week with a quote in which he said that mechanically it was a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy VI. Other people have made similar comparisons. But Octopath is nothing like Final Fantasy VI—it’s more like a SaGa game, with some experimental ideas…
By Jason Schreier Published July 6, 2018 -
The Truth About ‘Video Game Addiction’
When one of World of Warcraft’s top ten guilds recruited Cam as their chief hunter, his suicidal thoughts surged. To earn the enviable invitation, Cam had spent 16 hours a day grinding on WoW, to the detriment of everything else. He told his father he’d scored a job at a local restaurant, but every day…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 6, 2018 -
Everyone’s favorite cartoon about aresentful red panda squirming under the suffocating grip of corporate life will return for a second season. Yes, that’s Aggretsuko, the Netflix sensation that has pencil-pushing women everywhere screaming, “Literally me!”. Season 2 will be released sometime in 2019.
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 6, 2018 -
English Teacher Corrects Student’s Professional Gamer Dreams
Twitter user Zyirue is studying English but has big pro gamer dreams. “I want to be progamer [SIC],” Zyirue wrote on a recent test. The teacher marked the word wrong, correcting it as “programmer.” Zyirue lamented the correction This tweet has gone viral in Japan. Replies included suggestions for how Zyirue could have avoided confusing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2018 -
The Sailor Moon Theme On Traditional Japanese Instruments
You might have heard “Moonlight Densetsu,” Sailor Moon’s opening theme song before, but probably not like this. As Japan Trends points out, shamisen player Nami Kineie has done a more traditional version of the song, accompanied by such instruments as the fue, koto and shakuhachi The resulting arrangement and performance works surprisingly well Kotaku East…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2018 -
The Kill la Kill Game Sure Looks Nice
As teased last month, Arc System Works is releasing a Kill la Kill game. Here is its debut trailer. Trigger, who did the original anime, is collaborating on the game, titled Kill la Kill the Game: IF. APLUS is handling development duties, and Kill la Kill the Game: IF is slated for a 2019 release…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2018 -
A Very Cute Lil’ Persona 5 Figure
Good Smile will be releasing this Nendoroid version of Persona 5’s Futaba in December. Set to cost around $40, she includes a “standard expression, a downcast expression as well as a grinning expression.” She also comes with Morgana, a keyboard, phone and cup of noodles.
By Luke Plunkett Published July 5, 2018 -
Albums Are Getting Patches Now
In video games, updates are such old news that it’s weird when a game isn’t consistently tweaked for months or years on end. Other mediums, however, are only just catching on to the magic of patches—and patch notes. Earlier this week, fans of professional rapper, sadboy, and Ninja Fortnite duos partner Drake noticed that his…
By Nathan Grayson Published July 5, 2018 -
Gucci Is Here For The 1990s Console War Veterans
Gucci’s new Rhyton sneakers have been designed to do two things: cost a lot of money and inflict visual trauma on survivors of the first great console wars. The company’s subtle branding (I don’t know if you’ve noticed it) on the side of the shoe is written in Sega’s trademark font, while bearing the colours…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 5, 2018 -
Far Cry 5 Gets Photo Mode In Latest Update But Not Much Else
A little over three months since release, Far Cry 5 finally has a photo mode. I had issues with the game, but its sprawling, coniferous forests and beautiful Montana sunsets were not among them. A photo mode feels like a no brainer. Unfortunately, the rest of this update serves more as a reminder of everything…
By Ethan Gach Published July 5, 2018 -
Bowser’s Terrible Son Is Ruining Mario Tennis Aces
It’s been established that Mario Tennis Aces isdefinitely a fighting game, so like any good fighting game, players have come to despise its strongest character. Unfortunately, that character isn’t someone cool like Street Fighter’s Cammy or Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Cell. No, the most powerful member of the Mario Tennis Aces roster is freaking Bowser Jr.…
By Ian Walker Published July 5, 2018 -
Player Makes Mario Kart-Style Racetrack In Fortnite
Fortnite’s Playground mode is a good way for players to practice their skills among friends, but it’s also becoming fertile ground for ambitious creations. Instead of building towers to snipe from, players can build non-competitively, similar to a shared Minecraft server. As a result, you can get glorious monuments like “Tilted Track,” a Mario Kart-inspired…
By Ethan Gach Published July 5, 2018 -
Why You Should Watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one the most outrageous and joyous series I have ever watched. You owe it to yourself to experience it. Describing what JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is about is much harder than describing its pedigree. It’s one of the most famous and influential mangas ever, which was finally adapted into an anime in…
By Gita Jackson Published July 5, 2018 -
Here’s A Proper Look At A Mission In Anthem
At E3 last month, publisher Electronic Arts showed an abridged version of Anthem, saving the full demo for behind closed doors. Now you can finally see it all. BioWare’s upcoming online shooter, which comes out February 22 for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, feels great to play. You probably can’t discern that from this new 20-minute video,…
By Jason Schreier Published July 5, 2018 -
Games Make Me Carry Too Much Stuff
Games give players countless tools to help turn the tide in their favor. But as players survive in a game longer, they unlock and gather more and more gear until their pockets are brimming with potions, antidotes, and bombs. The feeling of rummaging through your inventory in the middle of a fight is as tense…
By Heather Alexandra Published July 5, 2018