The Switch version of L.A. Noire, which I played for about 20 minutes at Rockstar’s offices last week, feels like a hardware experiment for the company (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Like many game releases early in the life of a platform, L.A. Noire is tailored to the Switch’s unique capabilities. I don’t have the last-generation versions available to do a comparison, but L.A. Noire on the Switch didn’t look markedly improved to me. Of course, the appeal of playing a game like L.A

The Switch version of L.A. Noire, which I played for about 20 minutes at Rockstar’s offices last week, feels like a hardware experiment for the company (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Like many game releases early in the life of a platform, L.A. Noire is tailored to the Switch’s unique capabilities. I don’t have the last-generation versions available to do a comparison, but L.A. Noire on the Switch didn’t look markedly improved to me. Of course, the appeal of playing a game like L.A

Swinging out of the driver’s side door I took off at a run and did something completely wonderful. But it’s also possible that this is a new perch suddenly made available because of the recent update. Nevertheless …What Greene and the team at PUBG Corp. are building isn’t intended to be sporting. Players are going to find these exploits, their use will propagate and the game will be unbalanced for a time. They have a lot of work ahead of them, and their fans will need to be patient.

Amazon is hyping up its plans for Black Friday 2017, offering a sneak peek at some of the deals it will offer on video games, gaming hardware and 4K televisions. Amazon’s Black Friday deals will be available between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24 “on various dates and times” at its Black Friday hub. On the video game front, Amazon says it will offer up to 50 percent off savings on Just Dance 2018. That’s in line with Sony’s previously announced Black Friday deals on PS VR hardware, so expect a wide array o

Amazon is hyping up its plans for Black Friday 2017, offering a sneak peek at some of the deals it will offer on video games, gaming hardware and 4K televisions. Amazon’s Black Friday deals will be available between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24 “on various dates and times” at its Black Friday hub. On the video game front, Amazon says it will offer up to 50 percent off savings on Just Dance 2018. That’s in line with Sony’s previously announced Black Friday deals on PS VR hardware, so expect a wide array o

“We spent a lot of time thinking about the right way to do this,” Blizzard’s Tim Morten told Polygon during a recent interview at BlizzCon. Number of hours it takes to earn the full StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Campaign: 0 — StarCraft (@StarCraft) November 14, 2017OK, maybe we’re making something out of … Number of hours before you can play ANY Co-op Commander in StarCraft II: 0 — StarCraft (@StarCraft) November 14, 2017No, that seems rather pointed. Number of pay-to-win mechanics in StarCra

YouTubers gritted their teeth when Nintendo announced new rules for livestreaming its games earlier this year, but YouTube’s head of gaming, Ryan Wyatt, says he believes there are better options. People partnered through Nintendo’s Creators Program could still upload Let’s Plays videos, but even that aspect isn’t without criticism from the community. Many of YouTube’s biggest creators, whose videos center around gameplay content, have stayed away from Nintendo’s program. If a YouTuber belongs to

Earlier this year, Total War developer The Creative Assembly announced plans to create a spin-off series of its historical strategy games. The goal for that new brand of Total War game is to focus on “exciting pivotal moments in history rather than whole historical eras,” the developer said. Today, the first of those titles, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, has been revealed. Britannia is a furnace of possibilities, from which the template for modern Britain will be forged, across the most

The SNES Classic Edition is still a hot item, with demand far outpacing supply. That situation is only going to get worse as we get closer to the holidays, making Walmart’s restock on the system this week particularly attractive. That gives you three chances to grab the system this week, but we would still suggest you get there as early as possible if you’d like to make sure you get one. You’ll only be able to pick one up for yourself, and the ad notes that quantities will be limited, so good lu

Call of Duty: WWII has struggled with technical issues since its release, so much so that the team has elected to delay the launch of its Call of Duty Points currency. Also, players who purchased that game’s digital edition will not receive their bonus 1,100 COD Points until the system goes live. As an update to an earlier announcement, the COD Points live date has been shifted to November 21. — Activision Support (@ATVIAssist) November 14, 2017WWII’s take on loot crates requires that they be pu

Call of Duty: WWII has struggled with technical issues since its release, so much so that the team has elected to delay the launch of its Call of Duty Points currency. Also, players who purchased that game’s digital edition will not receive their bonus 1,100 COD Points until the system goes live. As an update to an earlier announcement, the COD Points live date has been shifted to November 21. — Activision Support (@ATVIAssist) November 14, 2017WWII’s take on loot crates requires that they be pu

Microsoft is making it easier to give digital games and subscriptions as gifts on Xbox One. The company rolled out gifting — a long-requested feature from Xbox fans —from the Microsoft Store via console or computer after conducting a test period. The feature will let generous gift givers purchase games, downloadable content and subscriptions (Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass) for another person. Xbox One games can be purchased for another user directly from the Microsoft Store. Gift select Xbox On

For the team at Anki, and chief marketing officer, Craig Rechenmacher, “Cozmo lost in Reddit” is an experiment in social psychology and a test of technological execution. The goal for Anki, along with creative technology group W+K Lodge, is to see whether Reddit users can actually pull this off. “It’s possible that they [Reddit users] don’t complete all six challenges and unlock and finish the whole game,” Rechenmacher said. The first time that Twitch tried to execute a game of “Twitch Plays Pok

Swinging out of the driver’s side door I took off at a run and did something completely wonderful. But it’s also possible that this is a new perch suddenly made available because of the recent update. Nevertheless …What Greene and the team at PUBG Corp. are building isn’t intended to be sporting. Players are going to find these exploits, their use will propagate and the game will be unbalanced for a time. They have a lot of work ahead of them, and their fans will need to be patient.

But there’s enough space to get around in a couple of hours, and play or see most of the games. I went on Saturday and came away fortified by the charm, skill and originality of so many of the games on show. —-I’m looking forward to Ooblets, a life simulation game that mashes up Pokémon elements along with Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. But there were a bunch of indie games at Day of the Devs making an attempt at that summit. —-Everything is Going to be Okay by artist Nathalie Lawhead is pa

Forbes’ annual list of under-30 luminaries in a wide variety of fields is out, and the gaming list — like the others — includes a number of familiar faces alongside rising stars. The people-you-may-be-familiar with group is led by YouTube star Mark “Markiplier” Fishbach, 28. Then there’s writer and voice actress Ashly Burch, 27, who has compiled an impressive resume with high-profile roles in games such as Life is Strange and Horizon Zero Dawn. You can see the full list of gaming luminaries on F

Earlier this year, Total War developer The Creative Assembly announced plans to create a spin-off series of its historical strategy games. The goal for that new brand of Total War game is to focus on “exciting pivotal moments in history rather than whole historical eras,” the developer said. Today, the first of those titles, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, has been revealed. Britannia is a furnace of possibilities, from which the template for modern Britain will be forged, across the most

Everyone from HBO and Netflix to Twitch is trying to find ways to make television more interactive, slowly introducing the concept of “choose-your-own-adventure” series to viewers. A choose-your-own-adventure book would have three or four different stories, giving readers the chance to explore a number of outcomes. A new series from Eko, a live-action interactive content and technology company, and Sony Pictures, fixes that. In each episode, viewers are given specific objectives that must be met

Everyone from HBO and Netflix to Twitch is trying to find ways to make television more interactive, slowly introducing the concept of “choose-your-own-adventure” series to viewers. A choose-your-own-adventure book would have three or four different stories, giving readers the chance to explore a number of outcomes. A new series from Eko, a live-action interactive content and technology company, and Sony Pictures, fixes that. In each episode, viewers are given specific objectives that must be met

The concept, although novel at the time, became less interesting to people as video games and other forms of interactive entertainment entered households. It was that intersection of a TV format no one was exploring and the emergence of handy technology that Yoni Bloch, an Israeli singer and CEO of Eko, a streaming technology company, saw the potential do create a choose-your-own-adventure style TV series. “We’re not trying to take the power away from the storyteller”That’s not the only aspect f