games

Dina, the love interest in The Last of Us Part II — is a rare bird in gaming: A relatable Jewish character.

Arts

There's One Pleasant Surprise In 'The Last Of Us Part II': Its Depiction Of Judaism

2:00pm July 02, 2020

by Kaity Kline

The fungal zombie apocalypse game is relentlessly grim and wrenching — but there are a few bright moments. One of them is Dina, the love interest, and one of video gaming's rare Jewish characters.

In Dungeons & Dragons, races like orcs and the dark-skinned underground elves known as drow will no longer be inherently evil.

Arts

'Dungeons & Dragons' Tries To Banish Racist Stereotypes

6:09pm June 29, 2020

by Andrew Limbong

The classic role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons has announced changes aimed at correcting racist in-game descriptions — including altering how some mythical races are deemed monstrous and evil.

Queue Listen Now

Ellie is one of the playable characters — and four years later, she's not the bubbly teenager she was in the first game.

Arts

'The Last Of Us Part II' Is A Gut Punch That Just Keeps Punching

2:06pm June 18, 2020

by Kaity Kline

The hotly-anticipated, pandemic-delayed sequel to 2013's fungal apocalypse game The Last of Us packs all the visual and emotional wallop of the first — and more.

Axel Stone and friends return to clean up the streets once again in Streets of Rage 4.

How 'Streets Of Rage 4' Reimagined Gaming's Most Iconic Rave

10:00am June 12, 2020

by Vincent Acovino

The Streets of Rage video game franchise was known for its cutting edge, club-inspired soundtrack. Composer Olivier Deriviere set out to recapture that magic in Streets of Rage 4.

Sometimes, revisiting an old game can serve as a time capsule of your life when you first played it.

Arts

My Nintendo 2DS Wasn't Designed As A Time Capsule — But It Is One Now

1:20pm June 11, 2020

by Brittany Vincent

If you've got a dusty game console sitting around, why not boot it up again? You may find those old save files are more than just half-finished games — they're windows to your past.

Columnist Kaity Kline says a serious Assassin's Creed: Black Flag habit helped her ace a surprise quiz on the Caribbean.

Video Games Don't Have To Be Educational To Spark Learning

9:36am May 29, 2020

by Kaity Kline

Our video gaming columnist says she was a reluctant student as a child — but video games, even non-educational ones like the Assassin's Creed series, helped her get interested in learning.

When the real world seems too constrained, the endless horizons of Minecraft can be soothing.

Arts

Neither Flood, Nor Fire, Nor Virus Shakes The Virtual Calm Of 'Minecraft'

4:03pm May 21, 2020

by Kathryn Fink

A non-gamer discovers peace in the pixelated world of Minecraft, where the horizon stretches on forever, and while there may be zombies, spiders and skeletons — there are also ways to fight them.

As you trek through the wilderness of Death Stranding, you'll gradually discover you're not as alone as you think.

Arts

Playing 'Death Stranding,' Even In Isolation, You're Not Alone

10:00am May 14, 2020

by Adam Frank

In Hideo Kojima's famously strange new game, you're often alone, trekking across deserted post-apocalyptic America. But you're also not alone, as you find clues and connections left by other players.

In Valorant, you mostly won't be jumping into direct confrontations — instead, you'll creep around corners to try landing a sneaky shot.

Arts

Can Riot Games Make 'Valorant' An Esports Success? Signs Point To Yes

10:00am May 08, 2020

by Kaity Kline

Riot Games is known as the League of Legends studio — apart from some spinoffs, they've never done anything else. But now they're trying something new, a first-person shooter called Valorant.

You'll die a lot in the mountain-climbing platformer Celeste — but the journey is worth it.

Arts

6 Great Indie Games To Play While You Wait ... And Wait ... For 'The Last Of Us 2'

10:00am April 23, 2020

by Kaity Kline

This was a big spring for mainstream game studios — but summer was looking dry even before the pandemic upended everything. So it's a great time to check out some independent games.