Heather Alexandra
Kotaku
Mountain View, CA, United States
Contact Heather
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Heather:
To The Horizon
Blue Rogues, it’s time. → Read More
Games Criticism Is A Kindness
Writing about games invites accusations of taking things too seriously. Criticism, it sometimes seems, is a dirty word. I don’t think that’s true. I think that whether you are praising something or condemning it, criticism is an act of love. → Read More
A Late Game Boss Fight Shows Final Fantasy VII Remake At Its Best
Final Fantasy VII Remake’s combat kit-bashes the series’ role-playing battles with the hefty action of a game like Monster Hunter World. Part action, part tactics, it usually works even if some camera woes mess things up from time to time. One fight later in the game—a fight that wasn’t in the original 1997 classic—highlights everything good about the Remake’s combat. → Read More
Knife Child Terrorizes Local Sector
It’s important to analyze games with rigorous consideration. Games are art and we need to hold them accountable for everything they contain. So please understand how serious I am when I say that Tonberries are the funniest fucking thing on the planet. → Read More
Majora's Mask Still Hits Hard 20 Years Later
The Legend of the Zelda: Majora’s Mask is 20 years old. It’s been the dawn of the final day for two decades, and looking back after all this time reveals one of the most interesting games of its time. It’s creative use of limited assets led to an experience drenched in anxiety. Existential, human, experimental. There’s not been another Zelda game quite like it. → Read More
Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Haunted By What Came Before
Final Fantasy VII Remake bears a heavy weight on its shoulders, needing to recreate a beloved classic in a way that can ignite the imaginations of old-school fans and newcomers alike. There is an expectation surrounding the game: Be like the thing that existed in 1997. Be the game we loved. Be the game we want now. These expectations can’t be ignored, the hazy cries of countless fans haunting… → Read More
Fan-Run Marketplaces Rise To Meet Animal Crossing: New Horizons Players' Needs
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is nominally a chill game about seeing what each day holds and adjusting as you go. But if you’re an intense interior designer or an entrepreneurial turnip seller, you’ll want to pick up the pace. Thankfully, there’s an entire ecosystem of tools and websites to help you make tons of bells and, if you’re willing, plenty of ways to get the villager you want. → Read More
7 Indie Gems You Finally Have Time To Play Under Lockdown
There are plenty of big name video games to play right now. You can relive old memories (or make new ones) with Final Fantasy VII Remake and embark on intense demon-slaying adventures in Nioh 2 or Doom Eternal. But the experience of social distancing doesn’t have to just be about playing the biggest games. Here’s a list of “smaller” games that can help scratch whatever itch you might have. → Read More
Nintendo Has Made Animal Crossing Visits As Annoying As Possible
When I was in college, I was one of the folks living off campus. That meant guests all the time, and it meant house parties. I’m an introvert, but even now, I’m glad to put together brunch or whatever with friends. Thanks to Animal Crossing, I have an entire island where goofy stuff can happen. But whether it’s friends or strangers, New Horizons makes the process of putting together an island… → Read More
What We Remake
From fan-made revamps like Black Mesa to the highest of AAA productions like Final Fantasy VII Remake, enhanced, often reimagined takes on familiar games packed the early months of 2020. Remakes tug at nostalgia and deliver a comfort that players seek desperately in complicated times. But many of these games forge new paths, interrupting the comfortable ritual of returning to our youths in favor… → Read More
Animal Crossing Speedrun Shows K.K. Slider Isn't That Picky After All
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is about luxuriating by a fishing hole or meticulously planning out your town’s layout. That is, unless you’re a speedrunner. While some runners race to pay off their loans to Tom Nook, others are plotting the most efficient way to get K.K. Slider to come to their island and thereby kick off the game’s end credits sequence. Getting the folk dog to show up quickly… → Read More
Final Fantasy XIV's Latest Relic Hunt Is A Compelling Story Quest
If there’s one thing a good MMO needs, it’s fancy loot. That can mean World of Warcraft’s various class artifacts or Final Fantasy XIV’s relics, some of the best weapons in the game. The latter come with each new expansion, and it’s finally Shadowbringers’ turn. There’s a twist: What used to be a painful and grindy process has been replaced with a compelling story quest that makes it easy for… → Read More
Valorant's Mix Of Hardcore Action And Magical Powers Kicks Ass
Riot Games’ latest project, the hero-focused shooter Valorant, kicked off a closed beta today. After playing plenty of matches, it’s clear that while it invites inevitable comparisons to other games, Valorant can stand on its own as a shooter that will scratch players’ itch for a tactical experience. → Read More
Tips For Playing Resident Evil 3
The Resident Evil 3 remake is jam-packed with zombies and giant lizard beasts eager to rip your throat out. Oh yeah, there’s also this big fella called the Nemesis who wants to bust your skull. It can be daunting on an initial playthrough. Here are some tips to keep you alive as you escape from Raccoon City. → Read More
Resident Evil Resistance Is A One-Of-A-Kind Multiplayer Game
Resident Evil 3 releases today. The action-packed reimagining of 1999’s Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is a nonstop zombie blasting thrill ride. If that action wasn’t enough, there’s more in the form of Resident Evil Resistance. It’s a multiplayer monster mash where four players try to escape from another player who can spring traps and summon zombies. It’s rough around the edges, but when the pieces… → Read More
Even Final Fantasy XIV Is Freezing House Evictions
Final Fantasy XIV has one of the most competitive housing markets in an online game. Buying a cozy digital home requires lots of money and the patience to fight with other players—including big guilds and bot owners—to place a bid on a home. If you don’t use it, you also lose it. In light of the current covid-19 pandemic, that last restriction is being lifted. Evictions are now on hold. → Read More
Doom Eternal: The Kotaku Review
2016’s Doom reimagined the classic shooter into a frantic but modern mold. The bloody escapades of the Doom Slayer were rife with bullets and guts. It was a grimy video game hamburger. Doom Eternal is bigger and bloodier, almost to the point of excess. It’s the same hamburger dipped into a vat of delicious special sauce. Except the serving size is so big that it’s hard not to feel a little sick… → Read More
Resident Evil 3's Demo Shows Off The Nemesis In All His Scary Glory
If there’s one thing that scares the crap out of me, it’s Resident Evil 3’s implacable Nemesis. Even since his original appearance on the PlayStation in 1999, he’s always been my favorite video game monster. As the remake approaches, a new demo is here to show off how Nemesis will be scarier than ever. → Read More
Nioh 2 Shocked Me At The Buzzer With A Throwback To The Original
Nioh 2 is one of the most exciting games I’ve ever played. A lot of that is thanks to a fantastic combat system where each battle is a tense yet intuitive slash-fest. But Nioh 2 is also a smart prequel that plays around with characters that players might know from Nioh. That playfulness comes to a head in one of the game’s more memorable boss fights. → Read More
Physical Copies Of Final Fantasy VII Remake May Be Delayed Due To Pandemic
The current covid-19 pandemic has left many things uncertain. As businesses struggle to adjust to the situation, video game publishers are preparing players for unexpected disruptions to their gaming plans. Square-Enix is now cautioning players that while the Final Fantasy VII Remake will release as planned, physical copies might not reach everyone who ordered them. → Read More