Single-player video games
South Of Midnight: The Kotaku Review
Many games are set in America, but few truly feel American. And I don’t mean that most games lack patriotism or red, white, and blue banners. I mean that, while they may use the country’s landmarks, stars, and cities, and even make reference to its politics, they don’t truly engage with American culture. South of…
12 Years Late, This Kickstarter-Funded Tribute To A Legendary Adventure Game Series Is A Complete Disaster
In 2012, renowned developers Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe launched a Kickstarter to spiritually revive their classic Space Quest series, a game to be called SpaceVenture. Some 13 years later, following numerous delays and botched half-launches, the game has finally arrived on Steam. And oh no, it’s so bad. But before we confront its awfulness,…
How To Survive Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
As we are all aware, the purpose of a ninja is to flip out and kill people. Nobody does this better than Ryu Hayabusa, which is why when demons want to take over the planet, they have to send, conservatively, 780,000 of them to try and stop him. Now, nobody’s saying Ryu isn’t capable–he is…
25 Assassin’s Creed Shadows Tips To Check Out Before Playing
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, out now, is a very good entry in Ubisoft’s long-running franchise. But it’s also a big, complicated game with a lot of different mechanics, systems, features, and options. And Shadows doesn’t always do a great job of explaining how all of this stuff works. The Week In Games: What’s Coming Out Beyond…
The Last Of Us Part III Should Break The Cycle Of Violence
In a recent interview promoting the second season of The Last of Us, the hit HBO drama inspired by the games of the same name, series co-creator Neil Druckmann had a surprising answer when asked if we should expect a third game to come along and continue the story. “I guess the only thing I…
Remembering Viktor Antonov, Beloved Artist Behind Half-Life 2 And Dishonored
It was announced last week that video game artist Viktor Antonov had died at the unreasonably young age of 52. With stints working at big-name studios like Valve and Arkane, Antonov’s work was a key part of some of the most loved games of all time. It was his unmistakable style that defined Half-Life 2‘s…
Avowed: The Kotaku Review
Avowed features plenty of commentary about empires, religion, colonization, war, progress, and other weighty matters. But what Avowed is really about, when you strip everything else away, is simple: Who are you loyal to? That’s the question at the heart of this new role-playing game. And more than any other element or theme, it’s that…
The New Game From The Makers Of Life Is Strange Is Off To An Excellent Start
I’ve finished the first half of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Don’t Nod’s latest supernatural teen drama, and it speaks to how well the game handles its dueling past and present storylines that even though I still don’t really know what the game is about, I’m nonetheless desperate to see what comes next. Don’t Nod…
15 Things To Know Before You Start Playing Avowed
Avowed, the newest RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, is out now on Xbox and PC, and it’s very good! But before you hop into this next big Game Pass RPG, here are 14 tips and tricks to keep in mind. And don’t worry, there are no spoilers below. This Narrative Adventure About Doomed Teenage Dinosaurs Feels…
Netflix Gaming Is As Confusing As Ever
In 2021, Netflix made the unusual move of purchasing Oxenfree maker Night School Studio. “We’re inspired by their bold mission to set a new bar for storytelling in games,” then-VP of game development Mike Verdu wrote at the time. Nearly four years later, Verdu is no longer head of development and Oxenfree, a bespoke, original…
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