November 1, 2024 | admin

5 Great Games To Clear Off Your Backlog

Play it on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Current goal: Get some gaming spooks in for the season

This year, Halloween fell on a Thursday, and I was so busy with work and other things that I didn’t manage to make much time for spooky gaming in the days leading up to it. I still have a hankering for some interactive scares, however, so this weekend, I hope to play one of the landmark games in the history of survival horror, officially translated into English and released in the States for the first time: Clock Tower. The new version, Clock Tower: Rewind, comes to us courtesy of WayForward and represents my first real chance to play the 1995 SNES horror classic.

I actually don’t know much about the original Clock Tower, and I’ve kept it that way on purpose, as I want to go in knowing as little as possible and figure it out for myself. It’s scarier that way. But in short, it’s a 2D, survival horror point-and-click game that tells the story of Jennifer, a teenage orphan who’s adopted by a family with a big, spooky manor, and finds herself stalked by a horrifying entity known as Scissorman. WayForward’s release lets you play an enhanced version of the game “which features numerous gameplay additions and quality-of-life refinements,” and I may check that out as well, but for starters, I’ll be playing in Original mode, and experiencing the game just like it was when it scared the socks off of so many Japanese players way back in 1995. Sure, it may be November now, but I’m gonna linger in late October for just a little bit longer if it’s all the same to you. — Carolyn Petit

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November 1, 2024 | admin

Everything You Need To Know About Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Image for article titled Everything You Need To Know About Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Screenshot: Sony / Kotaku

Since Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the same game as the original, returning players should have a pretty good idea of its length and content. If you’re new to the game, though, you may be curious how long it’ll take to complete.

An average playthrough of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered should take you around 20 to 25 hours. This includes casually dabbling in a few side activities but mostly focusing on the main story. Of course, the remaster also includes the game’s only DLC, The Frozen Wilds, which can take another 10 to 15 hours to experience.

However, those seeking to see and do everything the main game and DLC has to offer can spend up to 80 hours exploring its stunning landscapes, to clear all the bandit camps, climb all of the Longnecks, and finish a wide variety of other optional but rewarding tasks—doing that ultimately results in earning its coveted Platinum trophy.

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November 1, 2024 | admin

Chappell Roan’s SNL Look Has Dragon Age Fans Excited

Chappell Roan, John Mulaney, and Ego Nwodim stand on the SNL stage.

Screenshot: NBC / Kotaku

We love Chappell Roan here at Kotaku. The “Good Luck, Babe” singer puts out queer bangers, dresses up in chainmail at award shows, and has cultivated a fanbase of gay nerds who record her shows on Nintendo handhelds. So when she shows up on Saturday Night Live this weekend on November 2, I will be tuned in and seated. But before the show airs, Roan has already appeared in some promotional material for the show, and her outfit has activated Dragon Age fans, as if they aren’t already having a stimulating week after the launch of The Veilguard on Halloween.

Roan is scheduled to be the musical guest for this week’s Saturday Night Live, with stand-up comedian and former SNL writer John Mulaney set to host the show. Both appeared in some promotional videos for the episode, and yeah, Mulaney is there, but Roan’s elaborate outfit is the star of the show. The green and gold outfit features a huge crescent headpiece with gold waist pieces stretching out to the side that seemingly double as armrests. The whole fit is something straight out of a fantasy RPG, and folks in fandoms like Final Fantasy are jumping on the jokes. However, Dragon Age is fresh in everyone’s minds and I, too, had to laugh at how Roan’s outfit is evocative of Ghilan’nain, one of the elven gods the player faces in The Veilguard.

Ghilan’nain looks up at the sky with her arms outstretched.

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Ghilan’nain is a blighted elf, and without getting too into the weeds, that means her body has been twisted into a monstrous eldritch horror. This lady has multiple sets of arms and tentacles, and her face is hidden under a mask connected to a crescent headpiece. In close-up shots you can see her face is just as horrifying beneath the mask, and why she was so willing to become this monstrosity is part of the story you’ll uncover in The Veilguard. With the headpiece and tendril-like appendages, Roan’s outfit calls to mind the elven god of guides and navigation, so Dragon Age fans are all making the same joke.

Ghilan’nain is nothing like Chappell Roan, though. Is the elven god a queer icon? I mean, not yet, but she could be. But all I’ve ever seen her do is try to kill the queer friend group that is The Veilguard. That’s not very “ally” of her.

 

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November 1, 2024 | admin

The Veilguard Sets Launch Day Steam Record For EA

A generic Rook from Dragon Age: The Veilguard marketing material

Image: BioWare / EA

Long-time fans of the Dragon Age franchise impatiently waited for ten years between the launch of Dragon Age: Inquisition and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Despite the lengthy downtime between entries and the drastic changes in gameplay and art style in the latest release, it appears BioWare didn’t lose its magic touch for the series. It’s been revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is EA’s biggest single-player game launch on Steam to date, outshining even Star Wars Jedi: Survivor last year, which topped charts and broke player records for the publisher.

On launch day, Dragon Age: The Veilguard enjoyed an all-time peak player count of just over 70,000, which is truly impressive for a single-player game. The day after launch—a work day for most people—saw those numbers sitting around 62,000. Now, I know many people will think 70,000 isn’t all that impressive, as it doesn’t break the top ten most-played games on Steam, but it did surpass Baldur’s Gate 3 for a time, which is no small feat. Even more impressive is that, on day one, Dragon Age: The Veilguard outsold Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Steam, pushing the FPS down a spot on the top seller’s leaderboard.

If you spend any amount of time online today, you’ll find plenty of discourse surrounding Dragon Age: The Veilguard. A vocal minority continues downplaying its significance, claiming the Monster Hunter Wilds beta test outperforms the full Dragon Age release. Yeah, it does. But Monster Hunter Wilds is a free-to-play, limited beta. So, obviously it’ll outperform a full-price RPG. We can celebrate both!

So, why is Dragon Age: The Veilguard outperforming EA’s other single-player hits? It’s a well-crafted RPG with action-combat mechanics, impressive world design, perhaps one of the best character creators in the genre, and an expansive storyline spanning nearly 100 hours to complete. Oh, and it’s Steam Deck compatible and doesn’t require the EA App!

If you’re jumping into Dragon Age: The Veilguard this weekend, pay close attention if you want to unlock the game’s secret ending!

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November 1, 2024 | admin

The Veilguard’s Most Important Quest Is Missable

Solas looks at something off-screen while the blight ravages the city behind him.

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has a ton of side quests throughout its multiple hub worlds, but one stands apart as probably the most important in the game, if not the entirety of BioWare’s fantasy RPG series. If you’re concerned about spoilers, don’t worry, we won’t get into them here. This is just a PSA to everyone playing the game that if you want to see some of the most important story and character work in The Veilguard, you should seek out Solas’ memories in The Crossroads.

These questlines are twofold: First, you’ll find short quests that depict playable flashbacks to the original elven rebellion led by Solas eons before the events of The Veilguard, then you’ll have a debrief about them with your team. Solas, the Inquisition party member who turned out to be the elven god of lies, has existed throughout large swaths of Dragon Age history, and to learn about his history is to understand the past of the fantasy world of Thedas. Each of these quests will end with you collecting a wolf statue to bring back to your home base. Once there, you can view an artistic depiction of one of Solas’ regrets from his time among the elven pantheon. These include some of the biggest lore drops BioWare has ever put in a Dragon Age game, and fundamentally change our understanding of this world.

You can find these memories early on, but there’s a point in the main story quests when a character will give you one of the wolf statues that puts the questline in your journal, complete with waypoints to guide you to where you need to go. Some will require you to fight mini-bosses in and out of The Crossroads, but they are worth the effort. Not only do they provide some of the best story reveals in all of The Veilguard, they’re also required to unlock the game’s secret ending, among other changes to the endgame worth seeking out.

For more on The Veilguard, check out Kotaku’s review.

 

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October 31, 2024 | admin

How To Unlock The Secret Ending

Dragon Age: The Veilguard wraps up a lot of ongoing storylines for fans of BioWare’s fantasy RPG series. But it also has some new threads to pull on, one of which is the focus of the game’s secret post-credits stinger. Unlocking this final revelation is a hefty affair that will span several quest lines. If you want to see everything The Veilguard has to offer, here’s a spoiler-free guide on how to unlock the secret post-credit scene. We’ll go over the requirements first, then we’ll throw up a spoiler warning and talk about what it all means.

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October 31, 2024 | admin

Should You Save Minrathous Or Treviso

Lucanis looks up at Rook from a bench.

Screenshot: BioWare / Kotaku

Many of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s choices are personal and focus on your team’s relationships and life paths. However, one of the big, world-changing ones comes early on, shortly after you recruit Davrin, the Grey Warden companion. Right now, you might be staring at a choice between helping either the Tevinter city of Minrathous or Treviso, the home base of the Antivan Crows, from coordinated dragon attacks. If you’re unsure of what decision to make and want to know what the results of each option are, we’re here to lay them out for you.

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