Staff Writer Heather Alexandra is going live with Battletech right now on Twitch The mech repair bills will be terrifying.

Aww Gee, Here’s Some Rick & Morty Behind-The-Scenes Art

Tommy Scott is an artist who has worked in both games and TV, perhaps most recognisably with some concepts and environments for Rick & Morty’s third season. Scott was responsible for the sketches below and the design of the backgrounds, while the painting of said backgrounds was done by Hedy Yudaw, Brianne Neumann, Matt Bauer,…

A Board Game That’s Also Every Cop Movie

I’m a sucker for board games with an interesting premise and cool art, so I’m very interested in Brook City, an upcoming release by the same guys behind Street Masters The inspiration is cop movies. Everything from Lethal Weapon to Dirty Harry to Miami Vice is clearly represented here, as players choose a police officer…

The Nintendo Labo Can Make Some Serious Music

Oh, you thought you were cute playing a little piano on the Nintendo Labo? Here’sJapanese musician Geniway showing just how good the software’s suite of music tools can be. Here’s a Final Fantasy XIII tribute he stitched together: And here’s some Splatoon for good measure: If you’re wondering why he keeps shaking the thing: it’s…

Overwatch‘s Placement Matches Are Just Telling Us What We Know

It’s placement time in Overwatch and, as you’re reading this, players are haunting the servers like cursed ghosts forever bound to relive their past lives. After ten seasons of this, players have noticed an unnerving and demoralizing truth: a lot of the time, players’ competitive rankings turn out to be basically whatever they were last…

20 Years Of Crunch Take Their Toll On A Game Developer

Game developer Shane Neville is no stranger to crunch. He claims that while he was at Electronic Arts in the late ‘90s, he once worked nearly four months without a day off, averaging 90 to 110 hours per week making Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Eventually, after seeing the toll it took on him, he…

Sims Developer Responds To ‘General Unrest’ Among Series Fans

One of the public facing members of The Sims’s dev team took to the forums to address rumors of the end of The Sims 4‘s development. The Sims’ fandom has had a fraught relationship with the most recent game in the franchise. Some fans see the game as a step down from The Sims 3.…

Photon Highway Is The Perfect Racing Game To Play On A Lunch Break

Sometimes, you just want to hit the road. Photon Highway takes cues from games like Audiosurf and Temple Run to create a randomized highway through the stars. It’s great for those times you want to sit back and cruise away from life’s problems. Created by Sirnic, Photon Highway is a moody racing game with a…

Dead Secret Is A Short, Spooky Murder Mystery

I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve seen more episodes of Murder, She Wrote than is healthy for someone under age 70. I’d like to think that the hours I’ve spent watching Jessica Fletcher do her thing have made me an expert in being a busybody and in solving crimes. How fortuitous, then, that the…

Now’s A Good Time To Clean Up Your PS4’s Hard Drive 

We’re weeks into spring and finally free of the cold, damp reach of late winter. It’s time to clean out your closets, mow your lawn or at least get your PS4 running faster by rebuilding the system’s database. I did, and it made my console run faster. I tend to close a browser tab the…

So Is It Okay To Kill A Westworld Robot, Or What?

The HBO show Westworld is largely focused on a single question: what does it mean for people to kill and abuse robots that look, act, and possibly even feel like humans? Westworld challenges viewers by showing “robots” who are played by flesh-and-blood actors. It tells us they’re not real, but of course, we all know…

Fortnite‘s New Hop Rocks Are Making The Game Wild

Not a sticky-sweet candy or an obscure club drug, Fortnite’s new hop rocks are popping off in the survival shooter’s gameplay. The hop rocks, which developer Epic Games introduced yesterday, are a consumable item players can find in Fortnite’s new Dusty Divet crater. After using them, players jump through the map with low-gravity physics that…

Struggle Just To Act Like A Normal Human In This Physics-Based Dating Game

I love going on dates. What’s not to like about nice food, a good movie, and someone cute to get to know? Check Please casts my assessment of dates into doubt. Billed as a “physics based dating sim,” the game is as painfully awkward and hilarious as your worst date ever. In this game you’re…

FTC Warns Nintendo, Microsoft, And Sony To Review Warranty Terms

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gave Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony a 30-day window in to change their console warranty language to let consumers know they can make repairs or use third-party replacement products without voiding them. The FTC said in a press release on April 10 that various companies, including some in the video game…

Bayonetta Dance-Off Backfires During Crucial Super Smash Bros. Match

Bayonetta might be too strong to live forever as a Super Smash Bros. character, but she’s been a fantastic addition to the cast for at least one reason: players have a ton of fun with her, sometimes even at their own expense. At last weekend’s Glitch 4 tournament, notable Bayonetta players Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth and…

My Battletech Pilot Died From A Heartbreaking Stray Shot

Battletech’s giant robot brawls can last a long time before one side claims victory. The recently released tactics game embraces a slow, deliberate pace that can lull the player into false comfort. Thanks to an unlikely dice roll, a single critical attack this weekend became one of the most shocking moments I’ve ever had while…

Dating Sim Monster Prom Rewards Some Pretty Ghoulish Behavior

In most dating sims, it’s obvious how to romance your crush. You just talk to them over and over, selecting the nicest dialogue responses until your persistence is rewarded. Monster Prom flips that script by introducing both character stats and a competitive multiplayer component. In Monster Prom, you’re a monster attending a monster school who…