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Photo: Valve / Kotaku / Roman Samborskyi (Shutterstock), Image: Bethesda, Kotaku / Sega / Ubisoft/ Bandai Namco / Square Enix / Brilliant Eye (Shutterstock), Square Enix, Rockstar Games, Warner Bros. / Sony / Kotaku, Kotak / Larian Studios / Touchr / nopparada samrhubsuk (Shutterstock), Microsoft, Screenshot: Bandai Namco / Kotaku
From a secret Santa at Valve making one user’s day to a look at what how an upcoming Star Wars game could fulfill our Han Solo dreams, here are some of the best news stories from the past week.
Photo: Valve / Kotaku / Roman Samborskyi (Shutterstock)
A Steam user on Christmas Eve had a question: How do you earn just one measly little Steam Point? They were at 68,999 points and wanted to hit 69,000 because, you know, it’s a nice number and all that. However, because of how Steam Points are earned, there seemed no simple way to get that one measly point. But then a Christmas miracle happened. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Image: Bethesda
Hope you had a nice holiday, because a certain open-world space RPG certainly did not. As of right around December 25, 2023, Starfield had received enough thumbs-downs on Steam to push its user rating status into “Mostly Negative” territory. It’s an upsetting fall for such a hyped title from one of the most celebrated developers of the modern era. - Claire Jackson Read More
Image: Kotaku / Sega / Ubisoft/ Bandai Namco / Square Enix / Brilliant Eye (Shutterstock)
2023 was a messy and horrible year that, despite itself, gave us some excellent games. You could even argue that this year gave us too many games! If you were looking for a break to catch up on what you missed, well, next year doesn’t seem to be offering much of a reprieve—at least not at the outset. Big titles like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Suicide Squad, Tekken 8, and Skull & Bones (and more) are all dropping early in the year. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Image: Square Enix
Before there was a PlayStation 4 remake that blew the doors off its own canon, Final Fantasy VII lived on through various spinoffs that expanded the world of the classic RPG. One of those was Advent Children, the 2005 CG film which followed on from the events of the original game. If you’ve never seen it, or it’s been forever since you have, you’re in luck—it’s getting a brief return to theaters next year. - Justin Carter Read More
Screenshot: Ubisoft
Announced in 2021, this slice of star-hopping space opera sidelines righteous Jedi and scowling Sith in favor of a less preachy protagonist. Shifting the focus away from the well-trod Imperial and Rebel conflict, Outlaws zooms in on Star Wars’ criminal underworld, placing you in the dusty boots of hardened outlaw Kay Vess—someone less concerned with the fate of the galaxy, and more about her next payday. - Tom Regan Read More
Image: Rockstar Games
On Christmas Day, a big GTA 5 leak revealed that Rockstar Games had some single-player DLC planned for the open-world crime sim. Though none of them were released, what was uncovered by online sleuths is interesting all the same. - Levi Winslow Read More
Image: Warner Bros. / Sony / Kotaku
I didn’t think it was still possible, but Twitter just served up my favorite crossover of the year: Lord of the Rings Moneyball. You see, you take the plot of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then talk about it using Moneyball quotes. It’s simple, stupid, and so satisfying I can’t believe nobody thought of it before. - Ethan Gach Read More
Image: Kotak / Larian Studios / Touchr / nopparada samrhubsuk (Shutterstock)
Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios’ award-winning role-playing game (which you’ll find ranked rather high on Kotaku’s Game of The Year list), is known for its incredibly immersive world, its fantastic characters, and the tough choices you’ll have to make during its 50 to 100 hours of gameplay. But it’s also garnered plenty of attention for its cast of cats, which players can speak with if they have a character who knows the Speak To Animals spell, or the scroll of the same name. These feline friends (or foes) can be found in Acts 2 and 3, and there seems to be just ten of them spread throughout the world of Faerûn. - Alyssa Mercante Read More
Image: Microsoft
‘Tis the season to promote indie games with AI-generated junk, apparently. A Microsoft Twitter account recently posted low-effort, energy-intensive art promoting indie games on Xbox before later deleting it after getting roundly mocked by fans and developers alike. - Ethan Gach Read More
Screenshot: Bandai Namco / Kotaku
I know you all were worried and losing sleep about this, so I’m happy to be the one to bring you this very important news: Kuma the bear will be in Tekken 8. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
