Overwatch 2 is almost here, arriving as a free-to-play game on October 4 that will totally supplant the OG hero shooter. While it isn’t playable to the general public yet, a handful of gaming outlets got early access to Blizzard’s upcoming sequel, publishing prereviews just in time for launch day. We here at Kotaku…
Source: Kotaku – Overwatch 2 Pre-reviews Think It’s Worth A Sequel, But Say The Grind Is A Major Bummer
The Steam Deck, Valve’s mini PC, is a wonderful gaming device with plenty of excellent titles to choose from. But as a straight-up handheld computer, the Deck isn’t too shabby for non-gaming computing needs. Whether it’s using the Deck as a dockable desktop computer, a portable coding station, or even a tool for game…
Source: Kotaku – 6 Ways To Push Your Steam Deck Beyond Gaming
Few thought Google’s troubled streaming service, Stadia, might ever become a dominant player in the gaming industry, but almost no one expected it to shut down so abruptly, including the company’s own employees. Stadia VP Phil Harrison, fast becoming the grim reaper of new gaming initiatives, informed staff of the…
Source: Kotaku – Game Devs And Stadia Employees Alike Were Blindsided By The Sudden Shutdown
2022 is a great year to be an RPG fan, particularly of Japanese games. The holiday season is usually crowded with new game releases, but this year Square Enix appears to be releasing games like it’s Christmas all year round. With so many out already, and so many more to come, are SE’s profligate ways good or bad for…
Source: Kotaku – Square Enix Is Drowning 2022 With New RPGs, And We’re Here For It
Almost a year after it came to every other platform, Skyrim: Anniversary Edition surprise-launched on the Nintendo Switch today. The newest version of the beloved 2011 open-world RPG includes a bunch of DLC, mod content, and fishing. It’s also $70 on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid. Gotham Knights and Callisto Protocol…
Source: Kotaku – Version Of Skyrim Quietly Appears On Nintendo Switch
Earlier today, Google confirmed that its shutting down Stadia, its short-lived cloud gaming service. While the company plans on refunding all software and hardware purchases related to Stadia, the future of the few remaining exclusives on the service is less clear. And if they don’t get ported to other platforms…
Source: Kotaku – All The Games We Might Lose Forever When Google Stadia Dies
It’s dark out, and I’m scared. I’m hiding behind a small chest and a rock. Around me are a few flimsy walls made of leaves. Outside those walls, I can hear it: a giant, angry spider. I can’t spot it directly, but I can see the massive leaves and tall blades of grass surrounding my tiny shelter moving as it looks for…
Source: Kotaku – Obsidian’s Big Survival Game Turns The Smallest Things Into Your Biggest Terrors
Recently, the fighting game community has been at each other’s throats over how “anti-beginner” the Tekken series is. Tekken 7, the latest entry to forgo a tutorial mode, is at the discourse’s center, with one player suggesting it needs changes to stay relevant. A good tutorial wouldn’t hurt, along with design that…
Source: Kotaku – Tekken Players Are Debating How ‘Anti-Beginner’ The Series Is
If you watched Netflix’s new anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, chances are you’re still coping with its emotionally devastating ending and have brought it up to your therapist unprompted on more than one occasion. But the pain doesn’t stop there, friends. There’s a high probability Netflix’s aggressive autoplay feature,…
Source: Kotaku – Netflix’s Autoplay Means You Likely Missed A Cool Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Secret
While most anime have a muscle-bound hunk or an aloof loner as a protagonist’s romantic partner, the new film from the director of international box-office hit Your Name goes a slightly different route. Suzume, the film’s leading lady, romances a wooden chair. This isn’t an Onion article, that’s the for-realsies…
Source: Kotaku – Your Name Director’s New Anime Has A Girl Romancing A Chair
Remember the anal bead cheating controversy? As much as I’d like to forget, it turns out that a lot of people are still thinking about it. Some chess players have reported an uptick of computer-aided cheating in Chess.com matches ever since the story about Hans Niemann broke. One player has dubbed the recent surge in…
Source: Kotaku – Chess Players Are Convinced That The Anal Bead Controversy Is Causing More Online Cheating
Google is shutting down its video game streaming service, Stadia, on January 18th, 2023, the company announced today. All purchases will be refunded and the technology will still be used for YouTube and other parts of its business, but the consumer-facing app and storefront will be shuttered for good less than five…
Source: Kotaku – Google Kills Stadia, Its Cloud Gaming Service, Refunding Everyone
PlayStation Stars, a free-to-join rewards program Sony announced in July, is being gently rolled out to the whole world—it’s currently live in Asia, will reach the Americas on October 5, and Europe, Australia, and New Zealand will receive the service on October 13. Not as gently, PlayStation might be pushing players…
Source: Kotaku – PlayStation Could Reward Big Spenders With Better Customer Support
Filtering through the Northern American server of Among Us, users will stumble across a variety of oddly-titled lobbies. “HornyRPOnly,” or “SingleGirl,” even “Hrny Bakugo RP.” Inside these lobbies are a multitude of horny gamers, searching for like minded individuals to cyber with. As a 27-year-old looking to play…
Source: Kotaku – People Are Using Among Us Lobbies For Sex
When you pop an ultimate in Overwatch 2, beloved support-turned-damage character Symmetra tells the player that “reality bends to my will.” Anjali Bhimani, the voice actress behind the unforgettable Indian character, just wrote an entire book that aims to teach fans how to be that confident. It’s called I Am Fun Size,…
Source: Kotaku – Your Favorite Overwatch Voice Actress Is Here To Hype You Up
Limited Run Games is a business that has found its niche. In our modern digital world, in which many games get download-only releases, the company’s limited edition boxed copies provide a way for fans to enjoy the tactile, tangible pleasure of having a game they love in physical form. Sometimes, Limited Run gives…
Source: Kotaku – How Sony Launched The OG PlayStation And Brilliantly Won The Console War
Elden Ring throws all manner of fiendish monstrosities at you, but few will make your hair stand on edge the way a Runebear does after it catches your scent. I’ve only ever barely killed a few Runebears in the hundreds of hours I’ve put into FromSoftware’s open-world game; I’d literally rather fight Malenia or, more…
Source: Kotaku – Apparently There’s A Lore Reason Behind Elden Ring Runebears Being Such A Pain In The Butt
EA and Koei Tecmo are teaming up to create a Monster Hunter-style experience with Wild Hearts, they revealed today. A two-and-a-half minute debut trailer shows off lush environments, intimidating encounters, and some cool weaponry. The game also looks to be taking cues from Koei Tecmo’s monster-hunting Toukiden…
Source: Kotaku – It’s Like Next-Gen Monster Hunter, Except EA Is Making It
The year is wrapping up, and that means we’re nearing the busiest time for video game releases. And even though covid-19 has thrown a wrench in the entire industry and led to numerous delays, a few big games are still launching in the next few weeks. But if you want to enjoy them, you’ll need to fork over 70 bucks (or…
Source: Kotaku – The Era Of Games Truly Begins This Fall
Razer teased a new 5G gaming handheld made in collaboration with Verizon and Qualcomm today. It joins the growing list of Switch-inspired devices taking advantage of Game Pass and other video game streaming libraries. Because in 2022 everyone’s betting on the successor to the PS Vita that Sony never made. What’s dead…
Source: Kotaku – Everyone’s Making A New PlayStation Vita But Sony