‘Shop Contest: Agent 47’s Vacation, Winners!

Last week, I asked you all to give Agent 47 of the Hitman franchise a well-deserved break. He’s been doing game stuff for so long, and I think he needs some R&R. You didn’t disappoint me. Dancing. Singing. Fishing. Relaxing by the beach. These are things that I am sure Agent 47 would do if…

This Week In The Business: Epic vs. Valve

QUOTE | “In our analysis, stores charging 30% are marking up their costs by 300% to 400%. But with developers receiving 88% of revenue and Epic receiving 12%, this store will be a profitable business for us.” – Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney explains the thinking behind the newly launched Epic Games Store while throwing a…

Steam Is Banning Sex Games With Young-Looking Characters [Update]

These days, anything goes on Steam, but not anything anything. If games are “illegal, or straight up trolling,” Valve says it’ll send them packing. In the past, that’s meant low-effort games with titles like Big Dick and MILF, achievement spam, and certain sex games Now, according to some developers, Valve is going after games that…

I Am Going To Play A Ton Of Hades

Hades, a new action game from Supergiant Games, released in early access last night in the new Epic Games store. It’s pretty limited right now, but even with only a handful of weapons and levels it’s got me extremely excited. Being trapped in Hell and dying over and over has never been so fun. Hades…

Europe’s Top Counter-Strike Team Eyes $1 Million Grand Slam Prize

Astralis have been on a roll lately. After starting out the year with an uncharacteristically disastrous performance at the ELEAGUE Boston Major in January, they rallied to take first-place at just over half of all tournaments they’ve competed in so far this year. Another win at this weekend’s ESL Pro League Finals would help them…

A Look At Smash Bros. Ultimate’s New Characters

Now that Smash Bros. Ultimate is finally here, and I’ve gotten over being shook by it, I asked our resident Smash Bros. expert Cecilia D’Anastasio to give me a quick rundown of the new characters and their new movesets. Joining the already massive roster are a handful of characters that all have some unique moves…

Figure Skaters’ Routines Keep Referencing Video Games

My roommate Hilary is obsessed with figure skating, and is watching the currently airing Junior Grand Prix. The competitions she’s watching keep crossing over with video games. Last night, as she watched the competition and I did laundry nearby, I looked up at the screen, and stopped what I was doing, in shock. “That’s Lara Croft,”…

Epic’s New PC Game Store Is Making Waves Even Without A Ton Of Games

Epic Games’ new digital storefront went live last night during the Game Awards and it already has an exclusive to call its own: Hades, the latest game from the developers of Bastion and Pyre at Supergiant Games. It’s one of the reasons to give the store, which lives inside Epic’s game launcher for Fortnite, a…

Gothic Puzzle Game Iris Fall Plays Beautifully With Light And Shadow

One of my favorite video game mechanics is harnessing the relationship between light and shadow for clever platforming puzzles. That’s why I’m excited about Iris Fall, a gorgeous new game from Chinese developer Next Studios. The visuals first drew me to Iris Fall. Heavy, dark and near-monochrome, the game’s art direction is exactly my sort…

The First Tree Offers A Beautiful, Pensive Break From Everyday Life

The First Tree is an exploration game about learning who you are. You take control of a fox in a colorful frosted forest. As the fox searches for her children, another story plays out, recounted by an unseen male narrator, that focuses on family relationships and regrets. Those thoughts come paired with intoxicating sights and…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for having been invited to a potluck/Christmas decoration party, which is so wholesome it’s kind of freaking me out. It’s also for playing video games. In my determination to get nowhere in Red Dead Redemption 2 I haven’t had a chance to check out so many recent games, so hopefully I’ll do…

Help, I Accidentally Bought Mario Party Instead Of Smash

After last night’s announcement that Persona 5’s Joker is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I finally decided I was going to buy the damn game. Then I bought Super Mario Party I don’t know how I made this mistake. Maybe I was just being hasty. Maybe after so many hours of Game Awards my…

Gengar and Mimikyu on one card? Either it’s a sign of the apocalypse, or it’s the Pokémon Trading Card Game Sun & Moon Tag Team expansion. Announced at the 2018 World Championships and launching February 1, the expansion features high risk, high reward Tag Team cards, which also serve as shipping fodder.

Avengers 4 Is Titled Avengers: Endgame And Here Is The Debut Trailer

Finally, the wait is over. This is the trailer for the next Avengers film. It’s titled Avengers: Endgame and will be out next April Well, what do you think?

The Russo Brothers Have Mastered Avengers 4 Trolling

Earlier this evening, the Russo brothers appeared on stage at the Game Awards to make a Thanos joke and give an award to Fortnite Their appearance at the Game Awards was promoted. Repeatedly. Nobody forgot! When Joe and Anthony Russo appeared on stage, people got excited. People thought it meant an Avengers 4 trailer or…

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate And The Pokémon Card Game Draw Lines In Japan

Today is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s big release day. People in Japan are definitely keen to get the game. Interestingly, there were also lines were for the newest Pokémon card expansion set. At the Akiba Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo, one of the biggest electronics shops in the country, there were around 20 people at 6:00…