The first part, I agree with completely. Which is why I didn’t have an issue with Kirk or anyone else bringing it up. The second part is where the complication comes in. This is much much bigger than something the industry can “move in the right direction with”, even though things can be improved drastically. Macro,…

The 'idiot neutralizer button' I call it. I'm a guy, and someone people don't care in the slightest what he has to say, therefore I haven't had to use it a lot in regards to my own experiences and dealings with people on Twitter, but it's definitely a feature people should take full advantage of. 

Invalidity of this or any piece isn’t in question (by me, anyway). My point, if its truly about working conditions and crunch, can’t (ethically) pick and choose when to include in reviews (the most consumed content on any gaming site). Specifically on Kotaku where Jason has detailed the conditions/realities at dozens…

I agree wholeheartedly and don’t have a problem with Kirk including it (Games Radar and or Game Informer did too, I think). My issue, it’s a slippery slope. When the final season of Telltale’s Walking Dead comes out, are we going to see this stuff included there (in a situation where much more specific/intimate…

It wasn’t a straight 8 year development cycle. It got restarted and delayed (multiple times internally, and a few more times publicly) many times in that 8 years. Long development cycles are actually a huge contributor to aspects of games being outdated, as you usually don't have time to update based on new industry…

https://kotaku.com/a-video-games-unexpectedly-realistic-take-on-getting-re-1763300489 It's on the Mount Rushmore for me, for sure but this is still the most profound games piece I’ve ever read. Made me reevaluate not just games, but myself. Kirk Hamilton is otherworldly. 

Hopefully Sony doesn’t do anything stupid (be petty and not grant permission to other games). We’re only here (crossplay between Playstation and Xbox) because Sony’s hand was literally forced, primarily by Epic with Fortnite. Even their purely business tinged response a few weeks ago echoed, it’s not about the players…

I think it’s safe to say that worry is misplaced. Any studio that would try to emulate Rockstar would have already tried this approach, and most likely failed. They’re in easily the most unique situation in the video game industry. Both in terms of development and the end product, can’t be duplicated. Rockstar has…

Saw and Rec’d your post on another Kotaku article about this too. 100% agree. This is a huge part of the problem dragging this industry down. Nobody wants to pay for anything (single player games, especially), making the need for secondary revenue streams like Microtransactions much greater and much more widespread.…

Truth is somwhere in the middle. I bought Halo MCC day one. It was initially abandoned for awhile after Halo 5 came out. In part, because it had bigger issues that 343 couldn't address without rebuilding entire parts of the game, which they did recently. Microsoft is limited in their ability to mandate on that kind of…

It’s what happens when a hundred billion dollar a year business almost 4o years in is still largely shrouded in complete cult like secrecy.

Just started base game Shadow of the Tomb Raider last night. Like that they're adding additional Tombs as DLC for people who want it that can be bought bundled or individually. May not be interested in more game once I finish SoTR, but like having the option. 

I miss MyPlayer from last generation. Much less ambitious, but I feel like in the grand scheme, that got much closer to having a decent single player mode in a sports game with minor choices that create player agency (picking endorsements, trying to balance fan likability/coach acceptance/media likability, etc). As…

Absolutely. I literally just finished the Hidden One’s Expansion for AC Origins two ish weeks ago. Have ungodly amount of stuff in the base game I still haven’t touched yet. Likely won’t play AC Odyssey for a while, even though I’m intrigued by some of the changes. AC Origins is one of the first games I’ve played this…

Just like Motorsport, you can set it so damage is simulation with performance penalties. I have Forza Motorsport 5/6/7, Horizon 1/2/3/4. Think it's in assists. 

In AC3, I didn't touch almost any of the side quests. And, in most games, I normally save most of that stuff until I finish the story (which my current replay of Rise of the Tomb Raider in anticipation of Shadow of the Tomb Raider has indicated to me that made the layer sequences and endgame much much harder). Rise of…

As I remind people on an annual basis, 2K has been doing this crap for years, with virtually little to no mention in a meaningful way by press, and virtually no dings in reviews and review scores until last year (year 5 of VC being built into the entire NBA 2K experience). VC was introduced in NBA 2K13, and from the…

Casual UFC viewer for years, but to my eye, seems like it’s becoming more and more what it touted it wasn’t (boxing and corrupt/self interested promoters) for a decade. The brand that made its name on being the scrappy upstart that had to fight for your attention nightly. Definitely isn’t that anymore. Since the…

My link cable is bigger than yours! Lol jk

Love your work, Heather. Particularly enjoy how you talk about multiplayer and first person shooters.