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18 Hades 2 Character Portraits That Are Hot As Hell

Hades 2 is now available in Early Access on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store and let me tell you folks, it’s great to be back in Hell. The highly anticipated title is just as fun as the first game—maybe even more so—and it has an intriguing story that I can’t wait to unravel during its Early Access period. It’s…

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Crow Country: The Kotaku Review

Playing retro-inspired games is like returning to a beloved theme park as an adult. Instinctively knowing where to go first, remembering what it was like to be there as a child —it plays to a very specific kind of nostalgia. Retro-inspired games often include familiar mechanics, recognizable art styles, and tropes of…

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Helldivers 2 Community Manager Seemingly Gone After PlayStation Login Meltdown

Things in the world of Helldivers 2 are going back to normal after Sony reversed course on a controversial PSN login requirement for the popular sci-fi shooter on PC. But not everyone appears to have made it out of the public relations fiasco in one piece. Arrowhead Studios community manager Spitz is seemingly no…

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Report: Devs Were Working On Redfall's Offline Mode Up Until They Were Fired

Earlier today, Redfall development studio Arkane Austin was closed by Xbox alongside Tango Gameworks and Alpha Dog Games. And it sounds like, before the shutdown, the team was working on new content and updates for the vampire-hunting shooter that, now, won’t ever be released.

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Microsoft Tried To 'Steal' Little Big Planet From Sony

According to Media Molecule’s co-founder Mark Healey—the creative director on Little Big Planet, its sequel, and Dreams—early on in LBP’s creation, Microsoft was “on the prowl” and trying to “steal” the game from Sony.

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Cyberpunk Edgerunners Won't Get A New Season, But It's Getting A Tabletop Epilogue

Cyberpunk Edgerunners is an excellent anime. Some might even say the Netflix series is one of the best video game adaptations of all time. That being said, there are no plans for a second season, and given how definitive its ending was, it probably doesn’t need one. However, R. Talsorian Games, publisher of the Cyberpu…

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10 Star Wars Songs They Should Add To Fortnite

Fortnite’s big Star Wars update arrived last week and added plenty of new content based on the popular sci-fi franchise to Epic’s massively popular free-to-play game. It also added a new Star Wars song to the game that can be played in the Guitar Hero-like rhythm game, Fortnite Festival. Sadly, the song is the Cantina…

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Hades 2: Essential Settings To Tweak

Hades 2 hit Early Access on May 6, giving those eager for a sequel to the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning action RPG roguelike a chance to jump in. We’ve already covered some starting Hades 2 tips, whether you’re a newcomer or a Hades vet, as well as some essential info for taking down Headmistress Hecate.

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Hades 2: The Best Cauldron Incantations To Unlock First

Hades 2, released on May 6 in Early Access, is already surpassing its predecessor’s feats. The sequel will feel familiar enough to those who fought their way to the surface as Zagreus in the first game. Some existing systems, however, have been iterated on, with perhaps the biggest example being the incantations…

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It's Time To Stop Giving Xbox Boss Phil Spencer A Pass

On May 7, Xbox announced that it was closing four studios: Arkane Austin (Redfall), Tango Gameworks (Hi-Fi Rush), Alpha Dog Games (Mighty Doom), and support studio Roundhouse Games. The news is yet another example of Xbox—which has spent billions buying up studios—cutting costs, laying people off, and rearranging…

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'A F***ing Gut Stab': Game Industry Reacts To Shocking New Studio Closures

One of the worst years for cancellations, cuts, and closures in the history of the video game industry has just claimed its next victims, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Developers and fans alike are in disbelief. “Great teams are sunsetting before our eyes again, and it’s a fucking gut stab,” wrote Dinga…

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Hi-Fi Rush Was The Hit Xbox Needed, And It Still Wasn't Enough For Them

Today, May 7, Xbox announced it’s shutting down three studios and merging another. This includes Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Mobile Doom studio Alpha Dog Games, while Roundhouse Games is being absorbed into Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios. But perhaps most shocking of all is the closure…

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Sekiro Meets Bikini Bottom In Another Crab's Treasure

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Helldivers 2 Community Rallies To Rescue The Game's Steam Reviews

Co-op shooter Helldivers 2 was enjoying tons of success in the months since its February launch. Then, a few days ago, Sony announced that PC players had to link (or create) a PlayStation Network account to continue playing the game. This enraged fans who have been playing for months, resulting in a massive…

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This Underrated 2023 Gem Is Getting A Second Chance On PC, PS5, And Xbox

One of 2023’s most criminally underrated games is getting a second chance. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is Spike Chunsoft’s spiritual successor to its beloved murder mystery series Danganropa. It launched on Switch to decent reception last year, but several reviewers noted some technical trouble on Nintendo’s…

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In One Day, Hades II Doubled The First Game’s Record For Concurrent Players

After a short technical test, Supergiant Games started this week with a bang by releasing Hades II into Early Access. The sequel to the studio’s 2020 action roguelite has been eagerly awaited by fans of the original, but it turns out the audience for Hades 2 is much bigger than anybody was expecting. Not even 24 hours…

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Warhammer's About To Get A Bit More Expensive

Money is imaginary, and yet we imagine the worst possible version. As we all agree to pretend that swapping numbers on a computer, or paper and metal in person, makes sense as a transaction for goods, we also for some reason pretend that said goods get more expensive. As a result of this, Games Workshop is putting its…

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Microsoft Promises 'Make-Good Offers' As It Cancels Redfall DLC Players Already Paid For

Just days after Redfall’s one-year anniversary, Microsoft has announced it’s shutting down the studio behind it, Arkane Austin, and ending all further development on the vampire shooter. That includes its promised Hero DLC which some fans already paid for in the $100 Bite Back edition of the Xbox console exclusive.

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Microsoft Closes Studios Behind Redfall, Hi-Fi Rush, And More To Prioritize 'High-Impact' Games

Xbox is shutting down four studios in its first-party stable, specifically ones that fall under the Bethesda/ZeniMax umbrella. The brutal cuts will affect Redfall developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks, and Mobile Doom developer Alpha Dog Games. ZeniMax subsidiary Roundhouse Games will be…

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How To Defeat Headmistress Hecate In Hades 2

Hades 2, surprise-released into Early Access May 6, has no shortage of challenges. Even with the help of the mighty Olympians and a strike of luck with loot during runs, bosses are likely to put a stop to your ventures until you’ve familiarized yourself with their attacks.

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The 16 Biggest Haters In Video Games

It is prime time to be a hater right now. The Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef has been a spectacle to watch unfold over the past few days. Lamar is dropping some of the harshest disses of his career, while Drake says “nuh uh” over a beat. I finally understand why Ancient Rome held gladiator fights.

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Nintendo Finally Confirms Switch Successor’s Existence, Says It’ll Officially Announce ‘Within This Fiscal Year’

Folks, it finally happened…sort of. Nintendo formally (and remarkably casually) acknowledged its successor to the Nintendo Switch, stating that it will be announced “within this fiscal year” as part of an investor meeting this week, meaning we’ll hear about it before April 2025. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa…

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9 Things To Know Before Starting Hades 2

Hades 2 is now in Early Access, ready to overtake your evenings, lunch breaks, and weekends for the foreseeable future. Playing as Melinoë, you’re tasked with defeating Chronos, aka time itself, to rescue her family and defend Olympus. It’s quite a lot to take in, especially if you go unprepared.

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Activision Reportedly Ditched Tony Hawk 3+4 For More Call Of Duty

Once upon a time, developer Vicarious Visions was working on a follow-up to 2020's excellent remake collection, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. The project would’ve consisted of remakes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4, which would’ve been dope. Unfortunately, according to a new investigation by YouTuber Liam Robertson…

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16 Things The First Metal Gear Solid Doesn’t Outright Tell You

1998’s Metal Gear Solid is widely available via the recently released Master Collection containing it and a number of other essential Metal Gear titles. While this collection isn’t the best way to explore these games, given its lacking features and technical issues, the strengths of these classic titles often…

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Why I Won’t Be Playing Hades 2 In Early Access

As of Monday, May 6, Hades II is now available in Early Access. That’s an exciting development for fans eager to play the sequel to developer Supergiant Games’ 2020 action roguelite. But while plenty of gamers around the world will be diving into Early Access, I won’t be one of them.

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Final Fantasy XIV Suffers DDoS Outage As Devs Work On A Fix

Players are currently having a tough time logging into Final Fantasy XIV after the MMORPG was hit with DDoS attacks on May 6. Square Enix has acknowledged the issue but hasn’t yet updated fans on when the outages will be fixed.

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The Kendrick/Drake Beef Is Made For The Internet

Late Sunday evening, I logged onto Fortnite to enjoy all the newly added Star Wars content, solo-queuing up for a No Build quads match right away. As I waited for the battle bus to pick me up, I could hear one of my teammates loudly playing Canadian actor-turned-rapper Aubrey “Drake” Graham’s song, “The Heart Part 6,”…

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PlayStation Reversing Course On Helldivers 2 Is Both Smart And A Sign Of How Inept It Is

Last week, Arrowhead Studios announced that an upcoming update to its hit co-op shooter Helldivers 2 would require existing PC players on Steam to make a PlayStation Network account to continue playing. If they didn’t, they’d lose access to their Helldivers accounts, and that news did not land well. The move was bad…

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Finally, Cal Kestis From Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Is Getting A Lego Minifig

After online rumors (and a cameo in a teaser video), it’s official: Later this year Cal Kestis, the main character from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Jedi: Survivor, is getting his very own Lego miniature character figure, aka a minifig.

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