Christmas Miracles, Terrific Memes, And More Of The Week's Best Gaming News

Photo: Valve / Kotaku / Roman Samborskyi (Shutterstock)
Photo: Valve / Kotaku / Roman Samborskyi (Shutterstock)

From a secret Santa at Valve making one user’s day to a look at what how an upcoming Star Wars game could fulfill our Han Solo dreams, here are some of the best news stories from the past week.

User Needed One More Steam Point To Hit 69,000 And Valve Delivered

Santa sits behind a computer at Valve doing some work.
Santa sits behind a computer at Valve doing some work.

A Steam user on Christmas Eve had a question: How do you earn just one measly little Steam Point? They were at 68,999 points and wanted to hit 69,000 because, you know, it’s a nice number and all that. However, because of how Steam Points are earned, there seemed no simple way to get that one measly point. But then a Christmas miracle happened. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

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An image shows a skier buried under snow and big new video games.
An image shows a skier buried under snow and big new video games.

2023 was a messy and horrible year that, despite itself, gave us some excellent games. You could even argue that this year gave us too many games! If you were looking for a break to catch up on what you missed, well, next year doesn’t seem to be offering much of a reprieve—at least not at the outset. Big titles like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Suicide Squad, Tekken 8, and Skull & Bones (and more) are all dropping early in the year. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

FF7 Advent Children Gets Theatrical Run Ahead of Rebirth Launch

Sephiroth vs. Cloud Strife in key art for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Sephiroth vs. Cloud Strife in key art for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Before there was a PlayStation 4 remake that blew the doors off its own canon, Final Fantasy VII lived on through various spinoffs that expanded the world of the classic RPG. One of those was Advent Children, the 2005 CG film which followed on from the events of the original game. If you’ve never seen it, or it’s been forever since you have, you’re in luck—it’s getting a brief return to theaters next year. - Justin Carter Read More

Star Wars Outlaws Could Finally Be The Scoundrel Sim You’ve Been Dreaming Of

Screenshot: Ubisoft
Screenshot: Ubisoft

Announced in 2021, this slice of star-hopping space opera sidelines righteous Jedi and scowling Sith in favor of a less preachy protagonist. Shifting the focus away from the well-trod Imperial and Rebel conflict, Outlaws zooms in on Star Wars’ criminal underworld, placing you in the dusty boots of hardened outlaw Kay Vess—someone less concerned with the fate of the galaxy, and more about her next payday. - Tom Regan Read More

GTA 5 Leak Reveals The Single-Player DLC You Never Got To Play

Image: Rockstar Games
Image: Rockstar Games

On Christmas Day, a big GTA 5 leak revealed that Rockstar Games had some single-player DLC planned for the open-world crime sim. Though none of them were released, what was uncovered by online sleuths is interesting all the same. - Levi Winslow Read More

Lord Of The Rings Moneyball Is the Perfect Meme To End 2023

Brad Pitt drafts Lord of the Rings characters.
Brad Pitt drafts Lord of the Rings characters.

I didn’t think it was still possible, but Twitter just served up my favorite crossover of the year: Lord of the Rings Moneyball. You see, you take the plot of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then talk about it using Moneyball quotes. It’s simple, stupid, and so satisfying I can’t believe nobody thought of it before. - Ethan Gach Read More

The Baldur’s Gate 3 Cats, Ranked

Three cats from Baldur's Gate 3 with various different medals and crowns on them.
Three cats from Baldur's Gate 3 with various different medals and crowns on them.

Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios’ award-winning role-playing game (which you’ll find ranked rather high on Kotaku’s Game of The Year list), is known for its incredibly immersive world, its fantastic characters, and the tough choices you’ll have to make during its 50 to 100 hours of gameplay. But it’s also garnered plenty of attention for its cast of cats, which players can speak with if they have a character who knows the Speak To Animals spell, or the scroll of the same name. These feline friends (or foes) can be found in Acts 2 and 3, and there seems to be just ten of them spread throughout the world of Faerûn. - Alyssa Mercante Read More

Xbox Slammed For AI-Generated Art Promoting Indie Games

AI-generated children sled down a hill of snow beside an Xbox logo.
AI-generated children sled down a hill of snow beside an Xbox logo.

‘Tis the season to promote indie games with AI-generated junk, apparently. A Microsoft Twitter account recently posted low-effort, energy-intensive art promoting indie games on Xbox before later deleting it after getting roundly mocked by fans and developers alike. - Ethan Gach Read More

Good News, Tekken 8 Is Bringing Back The Series’ Best Character

A screenshot shows Kuma as seen in Tekken 8.
A screenshot shows Kuma as seen in Tekken 8.

I know you all were worried and losing sleep about this, so I’m happy to be the one to bring you this very important news: Kuma the bear will be in Tekken 8. - Zack Zwiezen Read More

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