Games Should Let You Skip Boss Fights, Nintendo Shouldn’t Brick Switches Over Piracy, And More Of The Week’s Top Takes
Screenshot: Compulsion Games, Daggerfall Unity / Bethesda / Kotaku, Rockstar Games, Image: Xbox / PlayStation / Kotaku, Rockstar Games, Nintendo, Nintendo / Kotaku
This week, weâve got some pipinâ-hot takes on offer. For one, South of Midnight gives you the option to skip boss fights, and our own John Walker argues that a lot more games should. John also has thoughts on the new revelation that Nintendo has updated its account user agreement to expressly give itself permission to brick your Switch if you modify it, the latest move in the companyâs ongoing crusade against piracy. Elsewhere, Zack Zwiezen celebrates a cool aspect of the new GTA VI trailer, and Kenneth Shepard explains how a gameplay demo at PAX East sold him on the Switch 2’s mouse controls. Read on for all this and more.
Screenshot: Compulsion Games
In a gaming world increasingly built out of Soulslikes, where the concept of the boss battle becomes the central game mechanic, some of us have been left behind. I have always hated boss fights, and while I have no interest in convincing anyone else to agree with me, I have long lamented the lack of accommodation made for the many other people who are already with me. But, sniff the air, somethingâs changing. – John Walker Read More
Image: Xbox / PlayStation / Kotaku
On May 5, Xbox announced a new remaster of the original 2006 Gears of War. Yes, this is the second time Xbox has remastered Gears of War. But this time, Xbox is doing something that a decade ago would have seemed extremely unlikely: Gears of War Reloaded is coming to PlayStation 5. And while itâs not the first time Xbox has brought an exclusive to PlayStation, itâs still really weird! – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Screenshot: Daggerfall Unity / Bethesda / Kotaku
Screenshot: Rockstar Games
As youâve probably heard, Grand Theft Auto VI just got a brand new trailer, giving us our best look yet at the world, characters, and story of Rockstarâs upcoming crime epic. The trailer tells us a lot more about the gameâs leading couple, Lucia and Jason, and takes time to emphasize the atmosphere of GTA VIâs Florida-inspired setting, at one point showing Jason cruising down the highway listening to âEverybody Have Fun Tonightâ by Wang Chung as an airplane flies overhead. And man, am I here for it. However, I see some folks on social media criticizing the trailer for not showing gameplay, suggesting that we canât know if GTA VI is actually worth our interest until we see what itâs like to play it. I donât fault anyone for feeling that way, but itâs not an argument that lands with me. For me, at this point Grand Theft Auto is probably more about vibes, environment, characters, story, and immersion than anything else. We know Rockstar can handle the gameplay stuff. Itâs everything else I still need to be sold on. – Carolyn Petit Read More
Image: Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto 6’s second trailer is packed with a lot of action, crime, and vehicular mayhem. This is the kind of stuff you expect to see in a GTA game. But what it also contains is something weâve never really seen before in a Grand Theft Auto sequel: a couple cuddling and having a real relationship. And thatâs the part of GTA 6 that surprised me the most. – Zack Zwiezen Read More
Image: Nintendo
I finally got to play the Switch 2. It happened as part of a demo here at PAX East, and though my time with the system was brief (and I wasnât even allowed to look at the console itself as it was hidden beneath a demo station), it did give me a chance to play around with one of the features I was most curious about: the mouse controls. I donât typically play games on my PC, and when I do, I donât often use my mouse if I can help it. However, Iâm always interested in control methods that can bridge the gap between styles of play we typically associate with other platforms. PlayStationâs touch pads have given console players a trackpad equivalent, for instance, so naturally, someone needed to build a proper mouse into a console controller at some point. I found a surprisingly convincing tech demo for the Switch 2âs mouse controls in Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster. The specific playing experience I had wasnât ideal, but it did sell me on the tech. – Kenneth Shepard Read More
Image: Nintendo / Kotaku
Nintendoâs crackdown on all things tangentially related to potential piracy continues, but this time the company is turning its ire on its customers, rather than those who might distribute hacks or ROMs or, um, join a Reddit. According to a change in the Nintendo Account User Agreement, as spotted by Game Fileâs Stephen Totilo, the Mario monolith claims the right to deliberately brick your Switch if youâre caught modifying your hardware. And, look, Nintendo, none of this is going to achieve anything youâre hoping for. – John Walker Read More
