Natalie Flores Aug 3, 2022. 2 minute read
The Stories of Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim Are Not Canon
In a recent interview with Fanbyte, Mathieu Côté, Game Director on Dead by Daylight and Head of Partnerships at Behaviour Digital, said that the stories of Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim are not canon. Players should know that whatever events simmer on Murderer’s Island are not…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Aug 3, 2022. 10 minute read
The Making of Hooked on You, the Dead by Daylight Dating Sim Built On the Strangest Fan Service
Pitching Hooked on You, the dating sim visual novel spin-off for the massively popular Dead by Daylight, consisted of one of the shortest meetings Mathieu Côté — the Head of Partnerships at Behaviour Interactive — has ever had. With various statistics and a great number of “very thirsty tweets” from…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Jun 12, 2022. 3 minute read
I’m Glad Arkane Knows Layla Is the Star of Redfall in the New Gameplay Trailer
Arkane Austin revealed the first gameplay trailer for the absolutely charming Redfall at the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase earlier today. To the delight of many — including myself — the trailer was led by Layla Ellison, one of your four main playable characters. More specifically, she’s “the telekinetic…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Jun 10, 2022. 4 minute read
A List of the Women Who Appeared at Summer Game Fest 2022
We recently published a cover story on the origin and evolution of Summer Game Fest. Some in the industry, especially after seeing the ESA announce E3 would not happen in 2022 at all, are dubbing it ‘the new E3’ — something that showrunner Geoff Keighley has told Fanbyte he has…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores May 20, 2022. 8 minute read
8 Killers We Should Date in a Hooked on You: A DBD Dating Sim Sequel
In this week’s stream celebrating the sixth anniversary of Dead by Daylight, Behaviour Interactive showed it isn’t a coward. For years, fans of the asymmetrical horror multiplayer game have expressed the desire to kiss survivors and killers alike. Behaviour has seen the thirst and done what few developers have: embrace…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Apr 8, 2022. 11 minute read
What Your Favorite Man in FFXIV Says About You
While Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida has talked about the difficulties of implementing NPC dating, that doesn’t mean some fans aren’t still hopeful about the possibility. But even if the MMORPG never gets a romance system, it won’t discourage you from falling in love with its characters. If anything,…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Mar 22, 2022. 3 minute read
Riot Reverses Whitewashing of Karma in League of Legends: Wild Rift Assets
Riot Games has announced it will reverse changes to Karma’s facial features and skin tone in her promotional material for League of Legends: Wild Rift. Known as the living embodiment of an ancient soul reincarnated countless times, Karma was introduced in League of Legends in 2011. However, she’s only just…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Dec 23, 2021. 8 minute read
The Fancies 2021: Natalie Flores’ Game of the Year List
2021 has often been pretty terrible, but at least it’s been a fantastic year for video games. I genuinely mean that. Video games are in some way tied to every source of happiness I’ve had throughout the last 12 months. That they’ve had such a spectacular year, offering plenty of…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Nov 5, 2021. 4 minute read
Unpacking Is a Zen Puzzle Game about the Joys of Moving in and Moving On
I don’t have a great relationship with moving. My family has only ever been able to afford moving between small, rented apartments within a 1.5-mile radius of each other all my life. In recent years, moving signified my constant travels between the comforting but oppressive environment that is my home…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Oct 13, 2021. 2 minute read
FFXIV Endwalker Preview: The New Trusts Make a Single-Player Future Possible
During our time previewing Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, we got to run the new Tower of Zot dungeon with other players. This is usually how I prefer to play, especially since the MMORPG’s community is generally kind enough that I don’t expect to have unpleasant experiences. However, trying out the…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Oct 13, 2021. 8 minute read
FFXIV Endwalker Preview: Director Naoki Yoshida Reflects on Development Difficulties and the Last Decade
As Final Fantasy XIV approaches the release of its fourth expansion, it’s in the best position it’s ever been. The critically acclaimed MMO has over 24 million players worldwide. It’s the most profitable Final Fantasy title in franchise history. It’s become a core of Square Enix’s business operations, spawned the…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Oct 13, 2021. 3 minute read
FFXIV Endwalker Preview: How Numerical Changes Will Impact the Next Decade
In order for the development team to support its next decade, Final Fantasy XIV will be undergoing significant changes in its battle system formulas. As of Endwalker, values will be downscaled — a fact that director Naoki Yoshida hopes you won’t worry about. As part of a recent media tour…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Oct 11, 2021. 7 minute read
Ahead of Endwalker, the Voice Cast of Final Fantasy XIV Reflects on the Journey
When Peter Bramhill, the English voice actor for Thancred, reflects on the professional and personal impact Final Fantasy XIV has had on him, he recounts an experience from just earlier this year. He had been filming in Romania for a week when a fellow actor suddenly pulled him aside and…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Sep 29, 2021. 6 minute read
Life is Strange: Wavelengths Wants to Explore What Makes Steph Special
The much-anticipated standalone DLC for Life is Strange: True Colors, which was released earlier this month, is out tomorrow. Titled Wavelengths, the bonus episode stars not True Colors protagonist Alex Chen but rather Steph Gingrich — a fan-favorite since she was introduced in Deck Nine Games’ first foray into the…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Sep 8, 2021. 10 minute read
Life Is Strange: True Colors Is About Looking Forward to the Future — With Its Own Shining Brilliantly
You don’t know exactly when it happens. But one day, you look around and find that you have been transformed by one thing above all others. Life is Strange is that thing for me — there’s no series I’m more protective of. It’s why I was terrified when Life is…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Aug 29, 2021. 3 minute read
Steam’s Two-Hour Refund Policy Continues to Hurt Developers of Small Games
Steam’s refund policy can be incredibly useful in helping you save money on games that aren’t for you. Unfortunately, despite good intentions, it disproportionately impacts developers of small games. Emika Games, developer of Summer of ’58, is one of those developers. On August 26, they announced they will be taking…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Aug 29, 2021. 2 minute read
Norman Reedus: “Negotiations Are Already Happening” for a Second Death Stranding
At a roundtable for the upcoming 11th season (my god) of The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus — known as the actor of Daryl Dixon in the show — seemingly couldn’t help dropping a small tease for the future of Death Stranding. He’s the actor of the main protagonist in the…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Aug 28, 2021. 3 minute read
Great British Bake Off Star Kim-Joy Makes the Cutest Cake to Celebrate FFXIV’s 8th Anniversary
To celebrate the eighth anniversary of Final Fantasy XIV — the critically acclaimed MMORPG with a free trial up to level 60 that covers the base game, A Realm Reborn, and the first expansion, Heavensward, with no restrictions on playtime — Kim-Joy Hewlett has baked one of the cutest cakes…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Aug 24, 2021. 4 minute read
Astria Ascending Is at Its Most Beautiful When It Is Still
Astria Ascending is gorgeous to behold, with vibrant colors shining through its hand-drawn visuals that make it look like a moving painting. It’s not only eye-catching because of its visuals but because of the people behind it, helmed by Kazushige Nojima, the scenario writer behind Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and…
READ MORE >Natalie Flores Aug 22, 2021. 3 minute read
As Twitch Fails to Address Hate Raids, Streamers Organize #ADayOffTwitch
Streamers and content creators on Twitch have been demanding the platform to do better in addressing rampant hate raids for weeks. Even after trending #TwitchDoBetter, Twitch has, in fact, not done better. It hasn’t done anything, actually. So creators are taking matters into their own hands by planning a one-day…
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