ReportWire

Tag: Video gaming

  • Gift Guide 2025: Gifts for the person who has everything

    There’s something so tricky about finding a gift for that person who seems to have it all and want for nothing. We’ve got you covered. Here are some super cool gifts that are fun, interesting, unique, and indulgent… just because.

    The next evolution of Nintendo Switch systems, the Nintendo Switch 2, is here! With powerful processing speeds and a bigger, brighter screen, players can enjoy enhanced visuals, either with some of the new Nintendo Switch 2 games or compatible games from their existing Nintendo Switch libraries. The reimagined Joy-Con 2 controllers snap on magnetically and can even function as a mouse in compatible games, adding a new level of precision and play. And with GameChat, you can stay connected like never before. 

    The Brother P-touch PT-N10 Personal Handheld Label Maker is designed to help anyone easily personalize their world and organize practically everything in it. With a full QWERTY keyboard, typing personalized messages is familiar, fast, and fun, and the easy-to-read 12-character display screen lets you preview label text before you print. Plus, this convenient handheld label maker is battery operated so you can transport it wherever your labelling needs take you. 

    Who doesn’t dream about taking to the skies and being a pilot? Now you can with AviaSim, a one-of-a-kind simulation experience. Sit in a real cockpit alongside a professional flight instructor, take off from one of the 24,000 departure and arrival airports, and take in the incredible 180-degree views from thousands of feet in the air.

    The Epson Lifestudio Pop Plus Projector brings families together and is a great investment for the entire household. It comes with a built-in Google TV, sound by Bose technology, and a 4K PRO-UHD picture. The whole family can have a legendary watching experience as they cuddle up on the couch to watch holiday movies on over 10,000 streaming apps. From casual, cozy evenings to festive family gatherings, it transforms a simple wall into a big-screen cinematic moment (both indoors and outdoors).

    The Philips Sonicare Compact Flosser 1000Oral Irrigator is all about effective flossing in just 60 seconds. It’s fast, effective, and ready to take anywhere, and removes up to 99.9% of plaque from between your teeth and along your gumline in just one minute.

    The new Guinness World Records Gamers Edition is out and is the perfect gift for just about anyone. From the crew of Mass Effect to the Creepers of Minecraft, see where the biggest and best characters ranked. You’ll find timeless icons like Nintendo superstars Mario and Link, beloved Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft, and heroes whose stories transcend time and reality. Explore their incredible stories, groundbreaking achievements, and fan-favourite moments.

    Another universally great title is Guinness World Records 2026. From yellow giant objects to spooky ghost towns, jaw-dropping nature and human heroes, the new edition of the Guinness World Records brings you the brightest, biggest, and loudest in record-breaking.

    The Yankee Candle 3 Pack Holiday Mini Gift Set comes with three seasonal scents: Balsam & Cedar, Sparkling Cinnamon, and Christmas Cookie. It’s a charming gift that brings warmth and comfort to any space, whether you’re hosting or simply enjoying quiet moments at home. 

    For the person who has it all (or the family that loves to watch together), Fubo offers an unbeatable mix of live sports, entertainment, and news, all in one place. From exclusive coverage of the Premier League and Serie A, to live action from the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB, there’s always something to cheer for. And when it’s not game time, viewers can enjoy popular channels like CBC, HGTV, and Food Network. Subscribers can stream on any device, anywhere, with unlimited DVR, 4K resolution, and Multiview on Roku, making it a seamless experience for every fan. 

    The LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Retro Camera Toy transforms from a toy camera to a retro video camera to a retro TV set – that’s three retro toys in one box. Kids and kids at heart can build and rebuild three different pieces of vintage technology using the same set of bricks. 

    Ravensburger puzzles are great for anyone to enjoy, either by putting it together on their own or as a family. Their Christmas Slopeside Spirit puzzle by artist Greg Paprocki creates a beautiful and magical holiday scene everyone will love.

    Stranger Things: Catalyst is an immersive VR experience that stars Matthew Modine as Dr. ‘Papa’ Brenner and allows fans to step inside the global phenomenon series in an all-new immersive chapter that puts you at the heart of Hawkins’ darkest secrets. Become Dr. Brenner’s test subjects and explore the sinister halls of Hawkins Lab, the eerie glow of the Rainbow Room, the shadow-haunted woods of Mirkwood, and the nightmarish Upside Down. Fight like Eleven using your incredible telekinetic powers to hurl objects, crush obstacles, and fight back against supernatural threats like Demobats, Demodogs and even the terrifying Demogorgon. You’ve binged the show, now brave the Upside Down.

    By: Jennifer Cox The Suburban

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  • Pennsylvania Bans Three Adults From Casinos

    Posted on: October 24, 2025, 05:29h. 

    Last updated on: October 23, 2025, 01:34h.

    • Three adults in Pennsylvania lost their casino privileges after they left children unattended in their vehicles to gamble
    • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has also announced fines against three licensees

    Three more adults have been permanently excluded from brick-and-mortar casinos in Pennsylvania.

    Pennsylvania casinos unattended children
    The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently banned three adults for leaving children unattended in their vehicles while they gambled inside a casino. The three adults have permanently lost their privileges to gamble inside a physical casino within the commonwealth. (Image: Shutterstock)

    On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) disclosed that it recently levied several financial penalties against its licensees. The state gaming regulatory agency additionally announced that three adults had been added to the PGCB’s Involuntary Casino Exclusion List.

    In one incident, the state reports that a male and female patron left two children, aged 11 and 12, unattended in a vehicle outside of Hollywood Casino Morgantown. The PGCB detailed that the two guardians gambled inside the casino for more than half an hour while the children sat in the parking lot.

    In another incident, a female patron left three children, aged 2, 6, and 12, in a vehicle in the parking lot of Hollywood Casino York. The unidentified person, who is now barred from entering all casinos in the commonwealth, reportedly gambled on slot machines and table games for almost half an hour.

    Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children,” the PGCB said.

    Pennsylvania is home to 17 physical casinos. The state is additionally one of only seven jurisdictions in the country where online slot machines and live dealer table games are legal. Pennsylvania is also home to online and in-person sports betting.

    Regulatory Violations 

    Along with the unattended children incidents, the PGCB took action against a video gaming terminal (VGT) operator for regulatory violations.

    The Lucky Seven Travel Plaza in Lock Haven, Clinton County, was fined after it was determined that the truck stop gaming area wasn’t compliant with the state’s VGT statute. Law enforcement determined that the Lucky Seven gaming room was, at times, not properly staffed with board-credentialed employees. Individuals not at least 21 years of age were allowed to access the gaming terminals, and on at least two occasions, minors gambled on the machines.

    Vasas Inc., doing business as the Lucky Seven Travel Plaza, was fined $45K. The PGCB additionally fined the two owners of the facility $5K.

    The PGCB also executed consent agreements with two casinos that resulted in fines.

    Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia agreed to pay a $12K fine to settle a dispute regarding a compromised deck of cards being in play. Hollywood Casino York agreed to a $10K settlement after allowing an involuntarily excluded person access to the gaming floor. 

    September Revenue

    Pennsylvania retail casino revenue slowed last month as physical slot win was about 3% lower and table win was flat from September 2024. The in-person declines were easily offset elsewhere, however, as iGaming slot revenue surged 37% and online table games climbed 18% from the prior year.

    Along with sports betting, fantasy sports, VGTs, and online poker, total gross gaming revenue last month was $533.3 million. That represented a 5.4% improvement from September 2024, or a net positive difference of $27.5 million.

    Devin O’Connor

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  • Illinois Gaming Pioneer Rick Heidner Running for Governor

    Posted on: October 22, 2025, 12:11h. 

    Last updated on: October 22, 2025, 12:17h.

    • Illinois VGT businessman Rick Heidner is running for governor
    • Heidner has supported Democrats and Republicans, but will run as a Republican
    • Gov. JB Pritzker is the early 2026 front-runner

    One of Illinois’ most successful businessmen, whose wide-ranging interests include a major stake in the state’s slot-like video gaming terminals (VGT) industry, is seeking to replace one of the state’s wealthiest citizens as the top lawmaker in the Land of Lincoln.

    Illinois VGT Rick Heidner
    Illinois businessman Rick Heidner is seeking to run on the Republican ticket to oust JB Pritzker as governor. Much of Heidner’s wealth stems from his video gaming terminal business, Gold Rush Gaming. (Image: Rick for Illinois)

    Illinois is one of only 13 states without term limits on governors. Gov. JB Pritzker (D), whose mass wealth stems from his family’s ownership of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, plans to seek a third term in 2026.

    Pritzker, worth an estimated $4 billion, will eagerly await his opponent as the Republican Primary plays out. The latest to throw his name in the GOP gubernatorial pool is Rick Heidner, 65, whose business empire includes Gold Rush Gaming.

    Founded in 2012, Gold Rush Gaming operates over 700 VGT locations in Illinois, distributing thousands of the slot-like gaming terminals. The VGT host businesses include liquor stores, truck stops and gas stations, hotels, restaurants and bars, and fraternal organizations.

    In a D-I Statement of Organization filing made public this week by the Illinois State Board of Elections, Heidner registered a new political action committee to support his candidacy to become governor.

    Gaming Magnate Has Various Businesses

    Heidner’s Gold Rush is the third-largest VGT operator in Illinois. As of September, the Illinois Gaming Board said there were 8,758 VGT establishments with a combined 49,552 machines. Accel Entertainment is by far the largest VGT firm in Illinois, with 2,775 locations.

    Along with Gold Rush, Heidner’s business conglomerate entails managing over 280 commercial properties in the US. He also owns Prairie State Energy and Ricky Rockets Fuel Centers.

    Heidner’s betting big that his next venture will be in an elected position. His state campaign filing for “Rick for Illinois” shows the committee was formed with a $1 million contribution from Heidner. He lists his occupation as “real estate developer – entrepreneur.”

    Heidner hasn’t yet responded to numerous media inquiries for comment.

    In the past, Heidner has given money to both Democrats and Republicans. He contributed to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2023 election and the Democratic campaigns for Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

    Heidner also supported Republican Richard Irvin’s failed 2022 gubernatorial bid. Irvin was the mayor of Aurora from 2017 through May 2025.

    GOP Faces Long Odds in Illinois

    Pritzker is expected to run unchallenged on the Democratic ticket. Along with Heidner, the 2026 Illinois Republican Primary pool includes declared candidates Darren Bailey, a former state senator, and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick.

    Whomever is the GOP nominee will face long odds of upsetting the incumbent. Since 2003, Republicans have occupied the governor’s office for just four years (Gov. Bruce Rauner, January 2015 – January 2019).

    Illinois hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988.

    Devin O’Connor

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  • Off to the (bed) races

    Off to the (bed) races

    NEWBURYPORT — On a day when Newburyport firefighters were thinking of a comrade taken from his family and his community way too soon, they raced down Federal Street in a bed resembling a fire engine and won Thursday’s annual Newburyport Lions Club Bed Race for the third year in a row.

    Newburyport firefighter Brett Burkinshaw died July 1, 2021, at age 47, of brain cancer.

    The victory, witnessed by thousands of onlookers, was by the slimmest of margins as the Fire Department (1:13.35) beat out the Winner’s Circle Running Club (1:13.40) by .05 seconds.

    If the results feel familiar it’s because the same two squads came in first and second last year. That year, local firefighters won by an entire second (1:15 to 1:16).

    The bed race, which turns Federal Street into a drag strip, is one of Yankee Homecoming’s marquee events.

    It serves as a fundraiser for the Lions Club and sees teams of racers pushing beds decked out as clipper ships, fire boats and evening a squared circle.

    Per regulations, one person must ride inside the bed as their teammates chug down the road with crowds on both sides cheering them on.

    Teams from the Newburyport Youth Council, Theater in the Open, The Dojo and The Wolfe Club, among others, also competed in the race. Many of the teams focused on presentation rather than speed and made little to-no effort trying to go fast. Instead, they soaked in the applause, hoots and hollers hurled at them by a smiling crowd.

    Dispatcher and on-call firefighter Justin Burle took the role of team leader for the Newburyport Fire Department, overseeing a group of men who raced a bed that was, once again, made up to look like a replica of the city’s fireboat.

    He said the racing bed was dedicated in honor of Burkinshaw, as well as fellow late firefighter Tony Raven.

    Burle added his team’s slim victory this year was sweet.

    “We were just giving all we had, pushing the whole time and we’re all still standing,” he said.

    The Winner’s Circle member Peter Blake said coming in .05 seconds too late was another tough loss.

    “I feel a burning desire to be better, next year,” he said. “But I give props to the Fire Department. They are stronger, burlier men.”

    The Newburyport Recreation and Youth Services’ Youth Council went with a Mario Kart theme, with enrichment coordinator director Tara McGregor riding in the bed dressed as the eponymous video game plumber.

    MacGregor said the Youth Council enjoys playing Mario Kart after school, so they went with the theme.

    “It’s a nostalgic memory that everybody can share, regardless of age,” she said. “Who doesn’t love Mario Kart?”

    Youth Council member Georgia Macmillian had a large, red and white mushroom on her head to emulate another character: Toad.

    “I picked Toad because I wanted to make a mushroom hat,” she said. “It’s not too heavy, not too hot.”

    Museum of Old Newbury Executive Director Bethany Groff Dorau was dressed as an 1850s ship’s figurehead carving.

    In her white dress and clipper ship hat, Groff Dorau rode on a bed adorned with four grandfather clocks.

    “I’m an angel,” she said. “I’m flying through time. Hopefully, we’re flying into the wind.”

    Groff Dorau spent her time before the race fanning herself in the heat with a cardboard advertisement for the museum. But she said she expected to be going so fast, once her runners got moving, that she wouldn’t need any fans.

    Unfortunately, the museum’s bed suffered mechanical problems forcing crew members to slam on the brakes and fix what turned out to be a damaged wheel.

    Massage Only owner Cheryl Fisher was wearing a blue wig, along with the rest of her four runners, while her daughter, Isabella Schwind lay on a massage table, recording the whole event with her cell phone.

    “Blue is our color,” Fisher said.

    Racing a bed down Federal Street, Fisher added is a “lost art form.”

    “I’ve been really honing my skills and am ready to show up,” she said, before her team began charging down Federal Street.

    Michael Switzer, founder and president of the charitable men’s organization The Wolfe Club, was once again dressed as British Gen. James Wolfe.

    He carried a plastic sword and rode atop a foam horse that was sitting on a bed, complete with speakers playing galloping sounds in the background.

    “We’re going for speed but I think we have a nice combination for speed and style,” Switzer said.

    This year’s teams also competed to win in a number of other categories – most creative, fastest overall, most team spirit and loudest crowd cheering.

    The winners were scheduled to be announced over the weekend on the Lions’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NewburyportLions.

    Daily News editor Dave Rogers contributed to this report.

    Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.

    By Jim Sullivan | jsullivan@newburyportnews.com

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  • This Was The Best Xbox Showcase In Years (And The Hardest To Root For)

    This Was The Best Xbox Showcase In Years (And The Hardest To Root For)

    A Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign that looks like Mission: Impossible by way of an Adam Curtis documentary, a Gears of War prequel that shows fans E-Day and the birth of the series’ iconic “Lancer” chainsaw gun, and a trailer that showed Perfect Dark isn’t just still alive, it’s potentially thriving. Microsoft’s 2024 summer showcase was the best that Xbox has looked going back to the Xbox One years. But it’s come at a huge price, and one the company doesn’t seem ready to acknowledge publicly.

    Thank You, PS Plus, For Making My Backlog Even Bigger

    Insiders had been hyping the showcase for days, in part due to the fact that its full list of reveals and announcements had already leaked to some in the media and beyond. Fans have been burned before, expecting Xbox to finally turn a corner only to have the football pulled once again and realize the platform is still in another one of its inescapable “rebuilding” years. The proof is always in the games themselves, and how successful they are can only really be determined once they get into players’ hands. For now, though, the showcase delivered.

    There was over sixty minutes of games big and small, offering everything from zombie survival to nostalgic teen hangout, punctuated by massive first-party franchises and third-party teases. If you own an Xbox Series X/S there will be plenty to play this year and next. Xbox game studios head Matt Booty’s perennial promise for a steady cadence of quarterly Xbox games worth showing up for might finally come true. The only thing missing from the event was any accountability for what, and who, Microsoft has sacrificed to get here.

    It’s been just over a month since the company announced it’s shutting down three studios and reshuffling a fourth. One of the casualties, Tango Gameworks, and its 2023 hit Hi-Fi Rush, seemed to symbolize the best of Xbox in the Game Pass era: a hyper-stylized passion project from a newer team that wowed critics and won awards and wouldn’t have been possible without the “let a thousand flowers bloom” strategy behind the platform’s pivot to a Netflix-like subscription library. In a crushing reversal, however, the deep-pocketed tech giant cut the team, along with storied immersive sim makers Arkane Austin and others. According to internal comments from Booty and the head of parent company Zenimax, there just wasn’t enough bandwidth for one of the three most valuable companies in the world to manage so many studios.

    The bad news and bullshit explanation might not have gone down like a lead balloon if Microsoft hadn’t announced mass layoffs just months earlier across several departments, including newly acquired Activision Blizzard. The cuts hit everyone from the Overwatch 2 team to Call of Duty makers Sledgehammer Games, and included the cancellation of Odyssey, a survival crafting fantasy game that might have become the first new franchise from Blizzard in nearly a decade. Microsoft spent $69 billion on the acquisition, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer toured the Activision Blizzard King offices shortly after the deal was finalized last fall, and then in early 2024 the mask came off.

    Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer blamed the heel turn on a combination of investor pressure and the stagnation of the console gaming market in interviews with Game File and Polygon. In other words: capitalism. But the complete closure of Tango Gameworks, originally founded by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami to train a new generation of creatives, seemed especially capricious. The Xbox team didn’t mention the developers it’s laid off and their contributions in its remarks to a live audience ahead of the showcase today, or during the pre-recorded event itself. (Even after learning its fate, Arkane Austin worked hard to push out Redfall’s much-needed final update.)

    Instead, Spencer opened the showcase by promoting Black Ops 6 and the company’s desire to bring one of the most popular franchises to even more players through the power of a $17-a-month subscription. It maybe wasn’t surprising given the billions Microsoft paid to acquire the series, but the choice to open the show this way underscored the new reality of an Xbox brand that now needs to make a return worthy of all of those investments. “I haven’t been talking publicly about this, because right now is the time for us to focus on the team and the individuals,” Spencer told IGN later in the day, away from the hundreds of thousands of fans tunning into the showcase.

    He continued:

    It’s obviously a decision that’s very hard on them, and I want to make sure through severance and other things that we’re doing the right thing for the individuals on the team. It’s not about my PR, it’s not about Xbox PR. It’s about those teams. In the end, I’ve said over and over, I have to run a sustainable business inside the company and grow, and that means sometimes I have to make hard decisions that frankly are not decisions I love, but decisions that somebody needs to go make.

    The showcase, meanwhile, didn’t even clear the bar set days prior by Geoff Keighley at the Game Awards host’s own showcase. Xbox president Sarah Bond, who responded with corpo word salad when asked about studio closures last month, closed out the Xbox showcase by pointing to the future instead of dwelling on the recent past. “It’s our mission to make Xbox the best place to play, by including our own studios’ games on Game Pass at launch, by bringing your games into the future with our commitment to game preservation, by pushing the boundaries in our future hardware, and to empower you to play your games wherever you want on Xbox console, PC, and cloud,” she said. “This is what defines Xbox today and in the future, and we’re hard at work on the next generation.”

    It was a commitment aimed at reassuring fans still recovering from the shock of the brand’s recent pivots. But the future is built on the past, and every shiny new Xbox game now comes with the question of what will happen to the teams Microsoft has purchased or partnered with, once it no longer feels like they serve its bottom line.

    Update 6/9/2024 9:10 p.m. ET: Added comments from Spencer’s post-show interview with IGN.

     

    Ethan Gach

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  • The Best Video Game Surprises Of 2023

    The Best Video Game Surprises Of 2023

    Screenshot: Larian Studios

    You’d expect a new Bethesda game would be the biggest RPG of the year, but nope. Instead, it was Baldur’s Gate 3, which officially launched earlier this year to rave reviews. We’ve written a lot about the game already on the site and you should check out those posts, too.

    What I wanted to talk about here is how incredible it was to see a turn-based, PC-focused, Dungeons & Dragons game developed by an independent studio and released via early access explode like the latest Call of Duty or GTA.

    Everyone I knew was playing it. Everyone online was sharing screenshots. Everyone was talking about all the people they were digitally fucking in the game.

    It was wild to watch and a reminder successful games don’t always need flashy years-long marketing campaigns featuring big stars and Super Bowl ads. Instead, sometimes, you can just make a really good game that people want and you’ll sell millions of copies. And maybe end up inspiring a lot of erotic fan fiction.

    Any big 2023 video game surprises we missed? What unexpected developments got you all excited this year?

    Zack Zwiezen

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  • Secure a Gaming and TV Console Preloaded With Android 9 for Just $90 | Entrepreneur

    Secure a Gaming and TV Console Preloaded With Android 9 for Just $90 | Entrepreneur

    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Being a working professional can make time go by remarkably fast. With the days and weeks whizzing by you, it might be a surprise when the holidays are around the corner, the malls are packed, and you still have to do all of your shopping. Don’t let that happen this year. You can get a child- or adult-friendly deal with this discount on an Android 9.0 Gaming & TV Console with Preloaded Games, which is on sale for just $89.97 (reg. $149) through October 31st.

    Billed as a retro console, this gaming and television system comes preloaded with over 75 emulators and nearly 46,000 retro games. This well-equipped system includes a variety of game types, including puzzles, races, mazes, arcades, and so much more. In addition to the EmuELEC 4.6 gaming system included with this console, there’s also an Android TV 9.0, which is a verifiable smart TV that can support streaming with your favorite apps like Google Play, Netflix, Plex, Emby, and HBO.

    This easy-to-setup system also comes with Wi-Fi and ethernet connectivity capabilities, so you can set up your streaming the way you like. Its Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity also lets you pair your gaming and watching with the sound quality that best suits you.

    Video games can offer kids a great activity and families a fun way to bond. This retro console and TV combo will be on sale for a limited time only, so don’t miss this chance to save on a great gift.

    Get this Android 9.0 Gaming & TV Console with Preloaded Games on sale for only $89.97 (reg. $149) through October 31st at 11:59 p.m. PT.

    Prices subject to change.

    Entrepreneur Store

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  • Fan Art Turns Up In Destiny Cutscene, Bungie Will ‘Compensate’ Artist

    Fan Art Turns Up In Destiny Cutscene, Bungie Will ‘Compensate’ Artist

    Last week Bungie blew the doors clean off its convoluted and mysterious lore by releasing a cutscene that spelled out exactly what The Traveler—that big white moon central to the series’ storyline—was, and where it had come from.

    A Foe From The Next Team Ninja Game Is Giving Me Sekiro PTSD

    For Destiny fans that must have been extremely satisfying, but it was something else for artist Julian Faylona, aka ELEMENTJ21, who noticed that part of the official video sure looked like a piece of their own Destiny fan art that they first published online in 2020.

    “I just realized Bungie took inspiration from my piece for this week’s cutscene”, they tweeted last week. “Certainly took me by surprise when I watched the cutscene”. As you can see below, the similarities between Faylona’s piece (green, on the right) and the art in Bungie’s trailer (black, left) show that the word “inspiration” is being used very generously:

    In response, Bungie told PC Gamer over the weekend that they “are planning to compensate and credit them for their work.”

    “We discovered that an external vendor that helped to create this cutscene mistakenly used this art as a reference, assuming it was official Bungie artwork. We are currently waiting to hear back from the artist to take the necessary steps to remedy this situation.”

    While these “company lifts fan art” stories can often be acrimonious—and rightly so, given they are often outright theft—in this particular case Faylona has been surprisingly chill about the whole thing.

    “To be honest, I’m genuinely excited and happy that the piece I made 2 years ago—which, even back then, I fully acknowledged is based on the Destiny franchise—made it into the cutscene,” they said to PC Gamer in a statement. “It was totally unexpected and completely caught me by surprise. So much so that I wanted to make a shoutout about it.”

    The art in question was part of this cutscene

    Luke Plunkett

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  • Diablo IV Suffers Extended DDOS Attack

    Diablo IV Suffers Extended DDOS Attack

    Diablo IV was dealing with a DDoS attack, a message on the game’s main menu screen confirms. As a result, players kept getting disconnected from the alway-online action-RPG during one of the highest traffic periods of the week.

    The Week In Games: What’s Releasing Beyond Diablo IV

    “We are investigating the login issues affecting Diablo IV and working to resolve these as soon as possible,” read a message from the Battle.net customer service account tweeted early on June 25. “Players may experience queues while we work on the issue.” Later in the day, however, the company confirmed it was still investigating the issues, and that the game was in fact dealing with a DDoS attack. DDoS refers to distributed denial of service, meaning it’s a type of cyber attack, and refers to when a system is flooded with interactions so that actual users can’t user the intended service.

    “We are currently experiencing a DDoS attack, which may result in high latency and disconnections for some players,” read an in-game announcement greeting confused players. “We are actively working to mitigate this issue.” Blizzard didn’t immediately provide any additional information or timeline for when the DDoS attack might stop or online play might resume as normal. Some players have reported being unable to play for nearly 12 hours.

    Social media, including the game’s popular subreddit, were predictably filled with players who would normally be logging on to play on a weekend morning posting about how they’re just continually refreshing the game’s main menu and customer service help accounts instead. Of course, depending on how you play Diablo IV, continually clicking the same button over and over might not be that different.

    Forunately, if you’re reading this now, chances are very good that you can actually log into the game. According to Blizzard, after hours of downtime, the DDOS attacks it was monitoring have “ended.” However, in case some people are still having login issues, Blizzard recommends checking this out.

    While that’s good news, the situation overall is an unfortunate but familiar risk for any always-online game, and underlines what a bummer it is that there’s no offline way to play Diablo IV as a completely single-player experience. Diablo III was always-online as well, and in the years between the two games it’s become a much more commonplace requirement as more games pivot to being live services. Diablo IV has really leaned into that shift, including a controversial decision to force players to start a new character from scratch each season if they want to progress their corresponding battle pass.

    Then again, it wouldn’t be a Diablo launch without something for players to argue about.

    Ethan Gach

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  • This Diablo IV Quest Rewards You With Great Loot And A Heartfelt Story

    This Diablo IV Quest Rewards You With Great Loot And A Heartfelt Story

    Image: Blizzard Entertainment

    One quest line in Diablo IV is drawing in players not just for good loot, but because it has a strong mental health message that makes it feel meaningful beyond the actual perks.

    The Week In Games: What’s Releasing Beyond Diablo IV

    The quest starts with A Question of Self and follows Taissa, a character who is dealing with a mental health struggle tied into Diablo’s world. We don’t need to get into spoilers here, but according to senior quest designer Harrison Pink, Taissa’s story, even down to the flavor text on the equipment you receive for seeing it through, was meant to deal with mental health and grief.

    In a thread on Twitter, Pink explained that the quest line was about “overcoming grief and trauma,” and how you can’t force progress by brute forcing it.

    At the end of the quest, you receive the Mark of the Conclave, which is an amulet that includes a letter from another character initially meant for Taissa, and it includes words of encouragement for her that have been comforting to Diablo IV players. There’s a whole Reddit thread of folks talking about the message and how they’re dealing with their own mental health struggles. The flavor text for the amulet reads: 

    Healing is a journey. A series of steps. Some days you may stumble, but so long as you continue to put one foot in front of the other, you will reach your destination.

    Blizzard Entertainment / Coooley

    On top of having a lovely message, the Mark of the Conclave is actually a pretty good accessory to have. As YouTuber Coooley explains, the accessory can boost your Life stat, and because it’s a Rare item, you can reroll its stat boosts with the Occultist. Doing this means you can have a huge addition to your Life. So if you haven’t done these quests yet, take the time. You’ll get a good side story and leave with a great accessory.

    Kenneth Shepard

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  • Players Angry That OG Call of Duty: Warzone Will Shut Down This Fall

    Players Angry That OG Call of Duty: Warzone Will Shut Down This Fall

    It’s official: Warzone Caldera, formerly known as the original Call of Duty: Warzone, is shutting down later this year so developers can focus on the battle royale’s sequel and players are angry. The announcement came in a Call of Duty blog post titled “An update on Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera” published on June 22.

    The Week In Games: Crystal Crashers

    Read More: After Three Months Of Struggles, Ashika Island Saved Warzone 2.0

    “As of September 21, 2023, Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera will shut down, as our teams focus on future Call of Duty content including the current Warzone free-to-play experience,” the blog post reads. Warzone 2.0 launched in November 2022 as a completely separate experience from the original Warzone, which was tied to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and could only be played within that mainline game and launched back in March 2020.

    For fans of the original battle royale reluctant to move over to Warzone 2.0 (which was tied to Modern Warfare II and offered a brand-new map, new modes, new gameplay, and major UI changes, though it had its own separate launcher), Activision offered them Caldera, where the original Warzone experience and all its cosmetics would remain. Until now.

    Conspiracy theories were swirling back in March of this year that suggested cheaters were being paid to keep people from playing Warzone 1 after streamers and other esports pros refused to make the swap over to the 2.0. And though the claims were unsubstantiated, there was a noticeable delay in players warming to the sequel. Now, however, after many changes and updates, Warzone 2.0 has a healthy player base—though there are still those who play and prefer the original.

    But the announcement that Warzone Caldera will officially die this fall was met with some rather passionate responses from fans, as the responses to the tweet from the official Call of Duty account show. Several people pointed out that Blackout, a battle royale mode introduced in 2018’s Black Ops 4 and beloved by many, still has operating servers, but the original Warzone will not. Others pointed to all the cosmetics they purchased, while others were angry that the blog posts mentions work on Warzone: Mobile.

    I myself haven’t gotten into Warzone 2.0 at all despite being a pretty die-hard original Warzone fan—and I haven’t really been playing Caldera either, as I miss the first battle royale map Verdansk too much. But considering I spent an ungodly amount of time and money getting some really sick skins for my Operators, I am very annoyed that all of them will go bye-bye. I had an ‘80s workout skin, a ‘90s grunge skin, a Ripley from Aliens-inspired skin, and even some footy uniforms.

    Though I won’t be able to play with those skins in a battle royale ever again, the Call of Duty blog does note that “regarding purchased content in Warzone Caldera–from Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, or Vanguard–that will continue to be accessible in those specific games.”

    I suppose this was always bound to happen, and maybe this is a sign that I should give Warzone 2.0 a proper chance. But it’s an important reminder that live service games can appear, rise to prominence, and fade out in the blink of an eye.

    Alyssa Mercante

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  • Konami, Please Don’t Forget About Metal Gear Solid 4

    Konami, Please Don’t Forget About Metal Gear Solid 4

    During Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct, Konami showed off a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1. The upcoming collection of past Metal Gear games includes some of the earliest and biggest games from the popular stealth series. However, 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots isn’t included, and I’m worried Konami isn’t going to include it in a future, theoretical Vol. 2.

    This Akira-Like Boss Rush’s Grip-And-Rip Mechanic Has Me Hooked

    Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 was first announced in May. The collection contains the first seven games of the series and will be released on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and 5, and (just announced earlier today) Nintendo Switch. These games aren’t being remastered and they aren’t remakes. Instead, this is a new collection of classic MGS games that will make it easier to play these older titles on newer platforms. The collection will also include screenplay books of each game and some other goodies, too.

    However, not included in this collection is the PS3-exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, which is a shame as the game is currently only playable via emulation or on original PS3 hardware. At one point, MGS4 was available to stream via PS Now, but that is no longer the case. While most other MGS games have been ported to multiple platforms, MGS4 remains locked to the PS3. Why? What is the reason for never porting MGS4 to any other platform?

    Why is Metal Gear Solid 4 only on PS3?

    If you ask the internet about this, and you’ll not doubt see some of this in the comments, a popular theory that is often spouted off as if it’s a fact is that MGS4 is incapable of running on anything but a PS3. But that’s not true. You can, right now, download an emulator and play MGS4 at 60fps without much trouble.

    And assistant producer of the game Ryan Payton suggests in Steven L. Kent’s book The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2 that, at one point, MGS4 was actually running on an Xbox 360 and looked and played fine. Reportedly, that version never happened due to Microsoft’s console using DVDs and not Blurays. Konami didn’t want to spend the extra money on shipping multiple discs for the Xbox 360 version. This is more than likely the main reason MGS4 remained a PS3 exclusive and was even alluded to by former PlayStation boss Jack Tretton in 2008. Konami also said this was the reason in 2014.

    Now, in 2023, most consoles use Bluray discs and all of them support digital games—which can be as large or small as you want. So that problem is solved. Yet, I’m still not convinced Konami will actually bring MGS4 to modern machines or to PC. It’s certainly not easy to port a game to new hardware, especially one that exists natively on just one platform. Plus, this whole process wouldn’t be cheap, would involve a good deal of resources, and would likely require tweaks to how the game plays as it heavily relied on the Dualshock 3/Sixaxis controller. 

    Reports indicate MGS4 isn’t coming to more consoles

    Sadly, it seems Konami isn’t going to do the necessary work to help preserve this entry in the Metal Gear franchise. A previous report from Windows Central, which correctly revealed information about the Metal Gear Solid Collection and the MGS3 remake before release also stated that a potential Vol. 2 would not include MGS4, but instead would feature Peace Walker, Portable Ops, Metal Gear Rising: Revegance, and a few other spin-offs.

    Sadly, it seems Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots—with all its long cutscenes, weird live-action bits, creepy monkey, and cool stealth camo—will remain a PS3 exclusive. Likely due to technical issues, but also, maybe Konami just forgot about it. There are a lot of games in the series. It’s easy to forget one or two of them. I get it. I forget Metal Gear Acid exists.

    Still, I hope that one day, someone over at Konami remembers this game exists and that it deserves a second life on new hardware.

    Zack Zwiezen

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  • New Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Infinite Glitch Turns You Into A Frozen Meat Tycoon

    New Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Infinite Glitch Turns You Into A Frozen Meat Tycoon

    The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom is a big game set on a huge open world, and its codebase must be straining at all times to keep track of everything that’s going on. Which probably explains why it doesn’t matter how many times Nintendo patches the game to remove a resource glitch, people just keep on finding new ones.

    The Week In Games: Return To Hyrule

    The latest—which has been confirmed to work on every existing version of the game, from those still clinging by their fingertips to 1.0 to those running the latest update—revolves around the idea that you can trick the game into giving you loads of valuable resources by turning big hunks of meat into a weapon, then taking that weapon with you to the snow.

    That’s the concise version of what you need to do, of course. The full process is a bit more involved than that, as you can see in this nine-minute video by Austin John Plays below:

    How to get reach real quick selling frozen meat

    Or, for a much quicker version, here’s the text. Essentially, you need to make two meat weapons by attaching raw produce to sticks—ideally gourmet meat given its value—then glue two of those weapons together using ultrahand. Once you’ve done that, you can use autobuild to ctrl+c, ctrl+v until you’ve built 21 meat clubs (the most the game can remember and place at any one time) and fused them all together.

    Once you’ve built that 21-meat salute, it’ll be stored in your autobuild. You then need to equip another meat club as your primary weapon, travel somewhere cold and wait/sleep at a fire until your weather forecast is all snow. Once it is, you need to watch your equipped meat club; if after walking away from the fire it freezes and drops off, then you’re good to go.

    Simply start the process of rebuilding the meat slab from your autobuild, but don’t actually build it, just keep it hovering inside the purple circle; after a second or two all the meat will freeze and drop off onto the ground, and at 40 rupees a pop, the faster you can half-build-freeze-gather, the more money you’ll be able to collect. As Austin says, a full stack will sell for 39960 rupees in as quick as eight minutes, so if you’re short on cash it’s definitely worth your time.

    Given Nintendo’s previous urgency in patching this kinda stuff out of an…offline singleplayer game, you might want to get on this sooner rather than later!

    Luke Plunkett

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  • Diablo IV Devs Say Future Update Will Fix Annoying Gems

    Diablo IV Devs Say Future Update Will Fix Annoying Gems

    If you’ve been murderin’ your way through dungeons in Diablo IV recently, you’ve likely killed a lot of monsters, found a lot of loot, and also ended up with a half dozen (or more) gems in your inventory taking up space that weapons and armor could occupy. That can be annoying, and some players have asked for a gem bag. While that’s not happening, Blizzard understands the frustration and confirmed a change is coming in the future.

    The Week In Games: What’s Releasing Beyond Diablo IV

    Released earlier this month, Diablo IV is the latest action-RPG in Blizzard’s long-running demon-looting franchise. While I wish the game had an extra skill slot and players have complained about some issues with XP, overall the game’s release has been much smoother than most big games in 2023, as well as Diablo 3’s historically bad launch. But even a great game can be improved, and Blizzard acknowledged today that gems are causing a bit too much “inventory tension” in the game’s current state.

    Blizzard

    In Blizzard’s first Diablo IV campfire chat--a video series where devs will talk about upcoming updates and answer community questions—game director Joe Shely confirmed that the team is aware of the gem problem and has a fix on the way. But it’s not just a simple gem bag or gems tab.

    “The idea is to change the way you acquire gems so that they show up in your materials or currency tab, rather than your inventory,” explained Shely. “And then the way that will work is you go to craft your gem in the same way that you do today, and you just use a certain amount of that material, similar to the amount of equivalent, actual gem inventory slots that you’re using now, but as materials.”

    When is Blizzard changing how gems work in Diablo IV?

    What this should mean is that your inventory won’t be filled up with unused gems after every dungeon as they will live alongside your other crafting materials. (Which is really how this should have worked in the first place…)

    But don’t expect this change to happen too soon, as Shely was clear that this is something that won’t be added to the game until “around season two.” With seasons in Diablo IV lasting around three months and the first one starting sometime in July, it’s likely this gem change won’t happen until October or even early November. Still, it’s nice to hear something is being done.

    During the livestream, it was also confirmed that crafting resource limits are being increased, which should help people hoard more gems when the change to how they are stored goes live in a few months. In the meantime, I’ll just keep tossing them into my stash.

    .

    Zack Zwiezen

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  • 8 Games To Play This Weekend

    8 Games To Play This Weekend

    Diablo IV – Nostrava Stronghold

    Diablo IV – Nostrava Stronghold

    Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows (Steam Deck OK)

    My current goal: Conquer every Stronghold

    You read that right, on Steam Deck baby! The step-by-step process to get the just-released Diablo IV working on the Deck took me a little over 30 minutes and was relatively painless. However I do highly recommend using a Steam Deck dock and USB mouse, as there’s a decent amount of copy-pasting and the Deck’s touch-screen controls can be finicky.

    Since installing, I’ve played nothing else. Partly because I accidentally unmounted my Steam Deck library so it no longer recognizes what I’ve already installed on there through the store (oops) and partially because Diablo IV on the Deck is simply that rad.

    It’s impressive how well the Deck’s default controller scheme jells with Diablo IV. Blizzard’s action-RPG is perfect to play while listening to a podcast or catching up on the borderline dispiriting amount of quality spring anime series I have to watch.

    How’s performance you may ask? Pretty good, actually. After tweaking some essential settings, and turning off Cross-Network Play (yes that really did make a difference) I consistently get 40-60FPS let’s say…80 percent of the time. However, entering or leaving a major hub (Kyovashad for example) or a hectic world event has my poor base model Deck wheezing and running at single digits. Using an ultimate spell in a large crowd of enemies will also have your audio popping off, and not in a fun way either. And as you can imagine D4 is a battery Greater Evil. I recommend playing with your AC charger plugged in for sessions longer than 30 minutes.

    But like cmon, being able to tackle a Stronghold while laying on my couch? That’s objectively awesome and I look forward to parking my ass on aforementioned couch after I send Claire this blurb. Bye! — Eric Schulkin

    Claire Jackson

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  • Diablo IV Fans Won’t Stop Trying To Find The Cow Level That Likely Isn’t There

    Diablo IV Fans Won’t Stop Trying To Find The Cow Level That Likely Isn’t There

    Image: Blizzard Entertainment / Clara Bastian / Kotaku

    One of the recurring gags in the Diablo series is the secret cow level. This refers to a secret area that is filled with weapon-toting cows who attack the player should they be unfortunate enough to stumble upon it. It first debuted in Diablo II, then made an appearance in Diablo III. This gag is such a prominent fixture in the series that there’s even a Wikipedia page for it. However, it doesn’t sound like Diablo IV is keeping up with this long-held tradition, but that hasn’t stopped players from trying to find it.

    The Week In Games: What’s Releasing Beyond Diablo IV

    In an interview with Kinda Funny Games (thanks, IGN), producer Rod Fergusson said the cow level was omitted from Diablo IV in an effort to keep the world grounded.

    “We wanted to make sure it felt authentic to the kind of gothic, dark themes we have. We’ve been really focused on trying to keep it as grounded as possible,” Fergusson said. “And because of that, there’s no secret level in Diablo IV that people might be looking for as per previous games. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future.”

    Ladranas

    Fergusson says one thing, but parts of the Diablo community don’t believe him. There’s a lengthy thread on the game’s subreddit of fans coordinating searches throughout the game’s world. One user is convinced a “Mysterious Portal” could be opened to a cow level, and has been trying to figure out if an altar near Hell’s entrance might be key finding where the violent cows might be hiding, as well as checking on a fountain surrounded by four oxen pointing north, south, east, and west. Some of the reasons for doubt come from some pretty deep-reaching references to Diablo’s past. There’s a Bloody Wooden Shard item that has the letter “W” carved on the side that fans believe might be a reference to Wirt’s wooden leg, and a Musty Tome that could be a Tome of Town Portal, both of which were required to reach the original hidden level in Diablo II.

    Another user has been testing cows throughout Diablo IV’s world to see if they have any connection to the hypothetical secret level, such as killing them or using certain emotes around them. But as of this writing, no one has found the secret cow level in Diablo IV. Perhaps Fergusson is telling the truth, and there is no cow level in the new game. But he could also be lying. And that uncertainty keeps curious players searching.

    While we can’t help you find the army of cows intent on claiming your life, check out Kotaku’s extensive tips on being a better player.

    Kenneth Shepard

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  • Incredible Diablo IV Cosplay Photographs Bring Lilith To Life

    Incredible Diablo IV Cosplay Photographs Bring Lilith To Life

    Cinderys is a professional cosplayer from France who has been active in the scene for almost a decade now. Over the years she’s cosplayed as a bunch of Blizzard characters, from World of Warcraft to Hearthstone, but her latest Diablo work is terrifyingly good.

    The Week In Games: What’s Releasing Beyond Diablo IV

    Before we go any further: yes, I said professional cosplayer. As I’ve written about previously, there’s a certain level of cosplay where artists can engage in paid, sponsored work, and Cinderys has been doing this for a while. The Diablo cosplay here, for example, is the result of a collaboration between her, Blizzard France and peripheral company Steel Series, which technically makes this advertising, but also gives Cinderys the time and resources to make something that looks this incredible.

    As you can see in this quick making-of video, putting a costume like this together wasn’t easy. There was sewing, of course, but also loads of 3D model work (being sponsored can help with access to that stuff), 3D printing, prosthetics and make-up. Somehow—with a little help at the end from fellow French cosplayer Xia—Cinderys not only got it all together, but built the whole thing from scratch in just a month:

    Finally, here’s some footage from Diablo IV’s launch party in France, which shows that the costume not only looks incredible in photos, but was entirely (RELATIVE FOR COSPLAY) practical to walk around in for the night.

    If you want to see more cosplay work like this that’s just as good, Cinderys has a portfolio section on her personal website that has some absolute show-stealers, not just from Blizzard games but stuff like Monster Hunter as well. Her Savathûn from Destiny 2 is a particularly “holy shit” kind of photo gallery.

    Luke Plunkett

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  • Overwatch 2’s Story Missions Cost $15

    Overwatch 2’s Story Missions Cost $15

    Despite canning a PvE mode, Overwatch 2 is still going ahead with some story-based missions, and after showing them off earlier this week we now have some details on how they’re going to work and, more importantly I guess, how much they’re going to cost.

    The Yakuza Devs Should Cast These Celebs In Their Next Hostess Club Minigame

    And they’re going to cost a minimum of $15 (or $40 for a bigger download). Look, I know video game development is expensive, and this is a free-to-play game so money has to be made somewhere, but hrmm. Overwatch fans, drawn in large part to the series for its story, lore and characters, have put up with many missteps over Overwatch 2, but charging $15 for three story missions is certainly asking a lot, and the backlash—taking place mostly over social media, since Reddit is a bust—has been swift.

    Like, look at the terms of this announcement, presented in Blizzard’s own words so you can see how it’s messaged:

    In Overwatch 2: Invasion, you and your friends can take on three action-packed missions that take place in Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, and Gothenburg—massive maps with complex objectives, and an in-depth storyline that will guide you along the way. You’ll fight against the intensified forces of Null Sector, who will continue to attack until you’ve completely dismantled them. Stay alert for challenging enemies that haven’t been encountered before, such as the powerful Artillery and the deadly Stalkers.

    You can get started on your mission to save the world with the Overwatch 2: Invasion Bundle for $15 USD. This bundle includes:

    – Permanent access to the Overwatch 2: Invasion Story Missions

    – 1,000 Overwatch Coins (equal to the Premium Battle Pass, $10 USD value)

    – A brand-new Sojourn Legendary skin ($19 USD value)

    – Permanent access to Sojourn as a playable hero for new players: unlocked upon completing Story Mission challenges.

    The Overwatch 2: Invasion bundle is intended to give new and veteran players alike the opportunity to explore this brand-new story arc while giving them additional coins to unlock the Premium Battle Pass or to buy cosmetic content for their favorite Hero.

     You can also upgrade to the Overwatch 2: Ultimate Invasion Bundle for $40 USD, you will have access to all the above, as well as:

    – The Null Sector Premium Battle Pass with 20 Battle Pass skips ($30 USD value)

    – An additional 1,000 Overwatch Coins, for a total of 2,000 Overwatch Coins ($20 USD value)

    – Two additional Legendary skins for Cassidy and Kiriko ($38 USD value).

    I’m sure someone at Blizzard and Activision can and will defend this, pointing to earnings and metrics and forecasts and business strategies, but what are we even doing here when a video game has to be packaged and spelled out like this?

    Luke Plunkett

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  • Square Enix’s Splatoon Clone Isn’t A Complete Fraud

    Square Enix’s Splatoon Clone Isn’t A Complete Fraud

    When Foamstars, Square Enix’s Splatoon-esque party game where two teams of four face off in a giant foam-spewing battle, was announced at the PlayStation games showcase, it wasn’t clear what to expect. Was this just Splatoon in PlayStation-exclusive form? What was the gameplay like? Would it be any fun?

    Stylish Cel-Shaded Skating Shooter Rollerdrome Looks To Be Pure Joy On Wheels

    Foamstars is four-vs-four splooge-fest where you shoot pink and teal foam and one another until your character is completely trapped and then bounced off the stage. In Star mode, the only one we were able to try, each team gets seven lives. Once they are used up, one player becomes the “star” based on who has the best overall performance that match. They get enhanced health and attack, as well as slightly faster cooldowns for their abilities. But once the star player is killed, the game is over and the other team wins.

    FOAMSTARS | Announce Trailer

    The game is being developed internally at Square Enix with a team composed of developers from Dragon Quest, Nier, and other franchises. It definitely feels like Splatoon, but with a Persona-style presentation and the balancing of Overwatch. Each “VIP,” aka hero, has two normal abilities and a special that can be deployed throughout the match in-between cooldowns. There are DPS characters and tank characters, with variations in gun speed and spread. The fundamentals aren’t bad, even if they’re mostly cribbed from other established competitive multiplayer games, but it’s not clear it has the magic to standout in a crowded field of already successful live service shooters.

    When we sat down at Summer Game Fest for a hands-on demo, gratis beers in hand, we didn’t know what we were getting into.

    Alyssa Mercante: First off I’d like to say that I’m very upset you were better than me at this game.

    Ethan Gach: Get rekt. I like it. At least for the five matches we played. I don’t know that a successful live service game that makes, but the concept isn’t as dumb in practice as the PlayStation showcase reveal made it seem.

    Alyssa: It actually is pretty fun. I do sort of feel like I was struggling to get the aiming down even after five matches, but I am also admittedly not a Splatoon player. Is the assumption that this will just sort of mimic that, content-wise? Maybe new characters and new weapons coming out every so often? They wouldn’t tell you any details right?

    Ethan: “We want to focus on the foam right now” is not an exact quote but pretty close to what the Square Enix rep said when I peppered him with questions about microtransactions, unlocks, custom builds, alternative maps, and the other stuff that usually keeps players coming back.

    The shooting felt no worse than third person Fortnite to me, other than the fact that you’re aiming cum bubbles instead of bullets.

    Alyssa: Okay, it wasn’t as cummy as I thought it would be, it’s much more of a mousse. It’s very reminiscent of the shit I put in my hair in high school. I like that the foam can be used to change up the environment though, like build up walls and shit, which is definitely a nice differentiator from Splatoon.

    Ethan: There are shades of a build mechanic, but I wish it was more directed. You can layer foam by shooting the same areas but it takes a while to really change the topography or build up anything resembling a protective barrier.

    Alyssa: Yeah I wonder if different maps will be better for that kind of mechanic, as this one was pretty flat/open. Would be interesting to see it in play on a map that’s got two really distinct levels and you could use the foam as a means of cheesing certain height differences or something.

    Ethan: The map itself was a pretty small and bland arena, though I appreciate the city pop metropolis backgrounds and general Persona-like stylings. What did you think of the different characters’ abilities. Who did you like playing as the best?

    Alyssa: I liked Tonix, the burst-fire one. Her ultimate is a foam-shooting mech which is rad. I also, naturally, only picked the characters I thought looked really cool/want to dress like.

    Ethan: Jizz D.va you mean?

    Alyssa: Stop that’s definitely a Pornhub search.

    Ethan: The cooldown abilities and specials were neat enough, though I couldn’t quite figure out the the best way for it all to come together. A game like Overwatch has maps that funnel you into choke points that play nicely off of different heroes’ abilities. Here it felt a little more haphazard, though maybe with more time and practice those synergies would come into focus.

    Alyssa: Yeah maybe you need to really get in the weeds for it to feel like who you’re choosing matters in terms of team composition, because that sort of felt like we were just picking randomly. And that shotgun guy was OP.

    Ethan: While Splatoon is clearly the closest analogue mechanically and shoot-feel-wise, the overall package reminds me of Fall Guys in terms of its presentation, accessibility, and my skepticism of its longevity and what would keep me or someone else coming back in order to make it a sustainable online hangout.

    Square declined to answer any questions about what the meta-progression, microtransactions, or additional modes will be like, although they did promise a ranked-mode, which seems very premature.

    Alyssa: Ranked mode? I was already toxic during our hands-on, I can’t go anywhere near that. It’s definitely an interesting thing to have as a PS-exclusive, as well, so I’m veryyyy curious to see if it has legs. Can definitely see it being a fun, silly party game the same way Fall Guys was, but does anyone even play Fall Guys anymore? Is there longevity in this? More importantly, can I change the colors of the foam?

    Ethan: I’m very curious about the origins of the game. Was this a mandate handed to the devs and this is what they came up with, or did they arrive at the prototype on their own and then Square saw the potential to bring it to a full release? PlayStation doesn’t do Early Access but maybe it should.

    Alyssa: Also, what the hell is the single-player bit they wouldn’t give details on? Much to think about here.

    Ethan: I just hope there’s a hub world where I can leave spunk messages on billboards for other players to discover.

    Kotaku is covering everything Summer Game Fest, from the main show on Thursday to other events happening throughout the next week. Whether you’re into larger-than-life triple-A games or intimate, offbeat indies, you can keep up with all things SGF here.

    Alyssa Mercante

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  • Call Of Duty Pulls YouTube Streamer Nickmercs’ Skin Over Anti-LGBTQ Comment

    Call Of Duty Pulls YouTube Streamer Nickmercs’ Skin Over Anti-LGBTQ Comment

    Image: Activision / Kotaku

    Activision has pulled a Call of Duty skin based on the hugely-popular Nickmercs after he made an anti-LGBTQ comment on Twitter.

    A Foe From The Next Team Ninja Game Is Giving Me Sekiro PTSD

    Earlier this week broadcaster Chris Puckett tweeted about a local clash between “Pro-LGBT protestors” and bigots near his apartment, to which Nickmercs—referencing a popular rallying cry of the increasingly unhinged right wing media machine, which baselessly asserts that trans people and drag performers are somehow child abusers—replied “They should leave little children alone”.

    Nickmercs was swiftly condemned. As this Dexerto roundup summarises, he was rightly rounded on by many notable members of the Call of Duty and wider esports community, including broadcaster Goldenboy, who said “I’m disappointed in you Nick. Teaching acceptance and tolerance for EVERYONE is a valuable life skill for all ages.”

    Loopy, a coach at Vexed Gaming, had even stronger words, saying:

    I will never work/watch a MFAM event again. I cannot in good conscience work for a bigot. I am a Marine and swore to uphold and protect the constitution which protects protests and demands equality for all.

    “Peace and love” unless you’re gay or trans? What a loser.

    Earlier this morning Call of Duty site Charlie Intel reported that Nickmercs’ own skin—which had only been announced a month ago—had seemingly been removed from both Warzone and Modern Warfare II, with its store page returning a dead link. After initially stating that “Activision has not commented” on the matter, the official Call of Duty account later replied with a statement, saying:

    Due to recent events, we have removed the “NICKMERCS Operator” bundle from the Modern Warfare II and Warzone store. We are focused on celebrating PRIDE with our employees and our community.

    If you were wondering if Nickmercs ever apologised for his comment, that process went about as apologetically as you would expect:

    Luke Plunkett

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