“What am I fucking looking at?!” Maximilian Christiansen — better known to fans as YouTube and Twitch star Maximilian Dood — stares at his monitor in bewilderment, a flurry of Twitch chat messages buzzing up the screen. The June 2024 Nintendo Direct showcase, one of the last places he or …
Read More »How 'Tekken' Became the World's Most Popular 3D Fighting Series
For the past three decades, Tekken has been the dominant king of 3D fighting games. Plenty of competitors have come and gone, from the weapons-heavy Soul Calibur series to the highly technical Virtua Fighter, but as the generations passed and players migrated from arcades to home consoles, few have managed …
Read More »'Critical Role' Announces 'Dungeons & Dragons' Livestream to Benefit L.A. Fire Recovery Efforts
Critical Role will host a live one-shot Dungeons & Dragons adventure fundraiser to help those affected by the Los Angeles fires. The livestream, titled “Freaky Thursday,” will be held on Jan. 30 and will feature Bells Hells, and other key characters. The “chaotic and interactive” livestream will feature the characters …
Read More »'Shadows' Reinvents 'Assassin's Creed,' But Can It Appease the Haters?
The weight of the world — or, at least, one of the world’s biggest video game developers — rests squarely on Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Set in feudal Japan and starring dual protagonists Naoe (a slight, stealthy shinobi warrior) and Yasuke (a big, brawling samurai), Ubisoft is calling it the “ultimate” …
Read More »Xbox Reveals 'Ninja Gaiden 4,' the Next Generation of Brutal Action Gaming
Today, Microsoft unveiled new looks at multiple upcoming games during its Xbox Developer Direct 2025 presentation, livestreamed on the official Xbox YouTube channel. Although it was known that the showcase would provide new details on previously announced titles like South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Doom: The Dark …
Read More »Chappell Roan Reveals Love for 'Fortnite,' Teases New In-Game Collab
Looks like Chappell Roan is hot to go for a new collaboration with Fortnite. In an interview with BBC Radio 1‘s Jack Saunders this week, the 26-year-old singer revealed that not only is Epic’s online shooter her current obsession, but that her chart-topping 2024 single, “Good Luck, Babe!” will soon …
Read More »How 'Dynasty Warriors' Created One of Gaming's Best Action Subgenres
For anyone who loves gratuitous, over-the-top action games, it doesn’t get any bigger than the Dynasty Warriors franchise. With the release of Dynasty Warriors: Origins (out today), Koei Tecmo has brought back the hack-and-slash historical fiction series and reinvented it for a new generation. And although it isn’t for everyone …
Read More »Nintendo Finally Announces Its Newest Console, Switch 2
It’s officially (Mario) party time. After months of speculation, and multiple unconfirmed leaks from third-party accessory manufacturers, Nintendo has finally pulled back the curtain on the worst-kept secret in the gaming industry with the official announcement the successor to the Switch. It’s simply called the Nintendo Switch 2. No price …
Read More »'Dynasty Warriors: Origins' Is a Monotonous Power Fantasy That Does Too Much
There are certain video game franchises that excel at delivering sheer spectacle. In that regard, Dynasty Warriors: Origins (out Jan. 17) is unwavering from beginning to end. Twenty five years after the release of Dynasty Warriors 2, the entry that set the blueprint that the series currently follows, Origins takes …
Read More »Gamers Accuse Elon Musk of Cheating to Level Up
Elon Musk has long sought to augment his Silicon Valley celebrity with gamer cred, professing both skill and passion for a medium favored by tech geeks. A couple of years ago, he went so far as to explain why strategy video games are superior to chess. Yet his latest attempts …
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