Pokimane is currently the most-followed woman streamer on Twitch. She was also included in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 category in the Games section and has roughly 9.2 million followers on Twitch and 6.6 million on YouTube. Her typical streaming schedule is five days a week.
While Pokimane wasn’t born in Canada, she moved to Quebec when she was four and attended university in Hamilton. She’s also a member of OfflineTV, a collaborative YouTube channel that features other content creators.
Microsoft is inviting Xbox Insiders to preview a small selection of classic Bethesda titles on PC. As part of its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, Microsoft is diving into the well of Bethesda’s catalogue and sparking new life to largely unplayable titles.
As part of this initiative, Xbox Insiders on PC can now preview Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen: Beyond Heretic, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, The Elder Scrolls: Arena and Quake Champions.
Many of the aforementioned titles were originally released in the early to mid-90s. However, severalstill have quite a cult following. This is especially true for The Elder Scrolls: Arena and Quake Champions. Access to the small array of classic Bethesda games appears to be a soft launch to gather feedback from the Xbox Insiders community.
Each game is available to download for free. It appears as though the majority of available titles operate via DOSBox emulation. This system is able to re-create and run software for MS-DOS compatible games. Many don’t consider it to be the most pragmatic solution. However, given that games like HeXen: Beyond Heretic and Quake Champions are available for free, players have little to no excuse to try them out.
Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen: Beyond Heretic, and HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel are all a part of Bethesda’s dark fantasy shooter series. Interestingly enough, Raven Software, which Activision later bought, is behind these titles. However, the studio now works on Call of Duty: Warzone.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena is the first game in the very successfulElder Scrolls series. It originally featured a smaller scope, seeing players travel between towns to compete in a fighting tournament. However, the games evolved into an open-world RPG with side quests galore.
There’s no word on whether these games will be made available to those outside of the Xbox Insiders program.
Xbox and Discord are entering a significant partnership, which sees the latter’s Voice chat feature land on Microsoft’s console. Across Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, players will be able to chat with anyone on Discord via voice channels or group calls.
This update is rolling out to Xbox consoles today. However, only Xbox Insiders are able to access the new voice chat feature for the time being. Xbox confirms that Insiders are able to connect with friends across console, PC, and mobile. However, a wider rollout will take place “soon.”
Your @Discord and Xbox are about to become a lot closer.
Many Xbox owners have been requesting Discord Voice chat integration. This new partnership strengths further cross-platform initiatives in the industry.
Adding Discord Voice chat on console enables players to now chat with friends playing Halo Infinite on both console and PC, for instance. As many games already offer cross-play, Discord integration streamlines the way players can interact with one another.
Discord Voice shares a very similar menu to Xbox game chat. Players are able to see who is in a voice call. Additionally, players can adjust the individual volume of each member, mute and report to Discord in the event of harassment. There are also overlay options available. Players can also switch between Discord Voice and Xbox game chat.
For Xbox Insiders looking to use this new feature, they will have to link their Discord account to their Xbox. To do so, Insiders must navigate to the party menu on their console. From there, they must select ‘Try Discord Voice.’ This will bring up a prompt with a QR code. Scanning this will take the player to the Discord and Xbox apps to connect and setup a two-way link between the two.
Once the accounts are linked, players can jump into a Discord call as usual. Via the Discord app, players can select a newly added ‘Join on Xbox’ option. This will alert the Xbox app to transfer the voice chat from Discord to the Xbox console.
Xbox states that a wider expansion of this feature is expected “in the coming weeks.” Though, it remains to be see how much a of wide release the company intends.
TikTok content creator Tyler Atkin is modding his Mazda MX-5 Mk1 with various accessories from the Nintendo Wii.
Atkin, whose channel is known as ttptng on TikTok, is on a quest to transform his vehicle using Nintendo accessories. Over the course of a few weeks, Atkin has replaced a number of components on his vehicle. This includes exchanging the steering wheel with a Wii wheel, used for Mario Kart.
Atkin actually took the vehicle out for a spin using the Wii steering wheel. He later called it a “horrendous experience.“
Chronicling these various modding endeavours, Atikin’s TikTok channel also features videos of him swapping the floor mat with a Wii Fit yoga mat. Additionally, Atkin has replaced his gear stick with a Wii nunchuck. The Mazda also now features a Nintendo Wii in exchange for a radio. The car’s handbrake is now a Wii baseball bat accessory as well.
The first video in this “series” has over 3 million views. This endeavour is garnering quite a lot of attention for Atkin. While speaking to IGN, Atkin reflected on this viral success. “I just like to mess about with stuff; keeps me busy and I thought I’d record it,” Atkin says. “I put a Wii wheel on about three weeks ago just for something to do and put it on TikTok, told my missus the video would get one million views as a joke, and there’s now two or three videos over three million.”
Although it’s not exactly a practical venture, Atkin’s videos are pretty entertaining to watch. Atkin now refers to the vehicle as Wiiata, a nod to its original Miata name. Additionally, there’s no telling how far Atkin is willing to go with this vehicle. However, he does note that it might make sense to use his Mk2 MX5 as a Wii U-inspired vehicle.
The launch of Star Wars: Hunters is being delayed until 2023. Zynga confirms that in order to meet the studio’s “high expectations,” the title is being pushed from its September 2022 release.
On Twitter, Zynga clarifies that the delay affects the launch of the game across all devices. The studio first announced the game in 2021 and that it would arrive on Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. “We invite all gamers to join us on Vespaara when Star Wars: Hunters launches in 2023 on Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices,” the studio says.
Star Wars: Hunters is a PVP arena-based shooter set in the Star Wars universe between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Players build a team of characters across the Star Wars universe. Ranging from bounty hunters to Rebellion heroes and Imperial fighters, players face off in various arenas.
The announcement of a delay comes despite Zynga having soft-launched the game earlier this year. To gauge community feedback and allow hands-on time with Star Wars: Hunters, select regions have been able to play the game via the soft launch.
“We truly appreciate your support and feedback as we work to make Star Wars: Hunters the best it can be,” Zynga says. The studio will continue to roll out content updates for its game until the game is ready for a worldwide launch. A new update is set to arrive within “the next few weeks.”
Lego loves to play off of people’s nostalgia to build up the hype surrounding its products, though in most cases, the sets that fall into this category are undeniably cool.
Its latest video game console recreation is the shockingly detailed Atari 2600 model that even includes the system’s iconic woodgrain finish and a collection of classic cartridges like Asteroids, Adventure and Centipede.
Though this set doesn’t include a TV like the excellent Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Lego set released back in 2020, it does feature a 70s-era basement that pops out of the console’s cartridge slot. There’s also a faux wood shelf and three buildable vignettes based on its included brick-built game cartridges (the Centipede is rather terrifying).
The Atari 2600 was released back in September 1977 and received several redesigns over its lengthy lifecycle.
The 2,532 piece Atari 2600 Lego set isn’t available for pre-order yet, but is set to release on August 1st for $299.99.
Nintendo has confirmed that the eShop for both the 3DS and Wii U will be shutting down on March 27th, 2023. Owners of the handheld and the console are able to continue making digital purchases until that day.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 19, 2022
Players are still able to redeem download codes and can continue to do so until March 27th, 2023. Following that date, any previously purchased game or DLC can be redownloaded “for the foreseeable future,” Nintendo clarifies.
Nintendo’s online services on both platforms will not be affected, despite the closures. However, it’s worth noting that Fire Emblem Fates is the outlier. As of February 28th, 2023, the game is being delisted. Though, its DLC will remain on the eShop until the wider shut down in March.
In addition to affecting purchases and code redemptions, the closure of the eShop will see the ability to download demos vanish. A number of free themes from the Theme Shop are also set to disappear.
Upon Nintendo’s initial announcement regarding the closure, the company stated that they “have no plans to offer classic content in other ways”. Fans were quite upset as the closure of the eShop put a dent in game preservation. However, Nintendo quickly deleted that section in its FAQ section.
As of now, Nintendo’s only method of accessing classic games is via the rather limited Switch Online service. This subscription offers a selection of NES, SNES, and N64 games. Though, none are available for purchase. Therefore, a valid subscription is required to access each title. Nintendo hasn’t made any notion as to whether 3DS and Wii U games will ever be available on Switch. There are a few exceptions, including ports of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Captain Toad, and Super Mario 3D World (which now includes the Bowser’s Fury DLC).
It’s amazing to think that Sonic has stuck around to become one of the oldest video game mascots out there.
The hedgehog’s conceptual history is well-documented, but it’s still a fascinating story. Sega originally wanted to create a character as a basis for a marquee series to rival Nintendo’s Mario, which reignited the video game market in the mid-to-late 1980s. The aim was to make a true icon that would charm millions in both design and attitude.
It’s interesting to note that Sega already had Alex Kidd as a mascot. If that’s your first time hearing that name, that’s because Sega abandoned the poor kid and designed an entirely different character.
After a few concept designs, the development team settled on a blue hedgehog with snazzy red shoes, and, in turn, Sonic the Hedgehog was born.
Sega’s entire branding of Sonic the Hedgehog consisted of two traits: fast and brimming with attitude. This was reflected in the gaming giant’s advertisements that constantly mocked Nintendo. For example, one of the most iconic advertisements for the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive for Europe) was “Genesis does what Nintendon’t.”
However, it’s one thing to declare Nintendo your rival, but it’s another to actually compete with the company. Yet, Sega managed to do just that.
Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991 and took the world by storm, selling over two million copies by the end of the year. It’s important to note that Sonic wasn’t actually a Genesis launch title, yet it still helped the console sell extremely well.
Now that Sonic was an established video game character and the overly confident marketing paid off, a sequel was greenlit in late 1991 and released just one year after with the help of current PlayStation designer Mark Cerny.
Sega’s very own “bubble economy”
After the phenomenal success of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (and spending $10 million on marketing), Sega was all-in on the hedgehog fever. The Japanese company would produce various spin-off games and tv shows, each with varying degrees of quality.
This also led to two mainline games being released in a span of five months, Sonic CD (1993) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994).
The rest, as they say, is history. Sonic the Hedgehog achieved its status as an icon, and Sega raked in the cash.
This was the company’s golden era and almost resembled Japan’s own economic bubble in a sense. From a lucrative McDonald’s partnership to sponsoring an entire Formula 1 Grand Prix race, Sega was spending a lot of money without much thought.
This is in contrast to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise that we know today.
The term “roller coaster” is often used to describe how you felt playing Sonic the Hedgehog games. What once encapsulated Sonic’s gameplay now perfectly describes what the mascot is and has been for the last two decades.
When Sonic games are done right, there have been great highs, but there are also lows that make you wonder why you love the hedgehog in the first place.
Sonic Origins celebrates the hedgehog’s 31st anniversary by offering a collection from that golden era.
For better and for worse, the package is a perfect encapsulation of this franchise’s history.
Celebrating the anniversary by revisiting the past
I don’t have any childhood memories of the “classic” games as I grew up in the 3D Sonic era, starting with Sonic Heroes. The remastered port of Sonic CD was the only classic title that I spent many hours playing as a teenager.
As a result, I was eager to play this collection as it offered a convenient way to play older games in the series with quality-of-life enhancements. It also brings a remaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, a game rumoured to be mired in licensing issues.
Let’s start with some of the features that Sonic Origins offers. All four classic games offer four modes titled ‘Anniversary,’ ‘Classic,’ ‘Boss Rush,’ and ‘Mission.’
The Anniversary Mode gives Sonic the drop dash ability from Sonic Mania, allowing players to initiate a spin dash in the air. This lets you keep the momentum going through stages and helps make the experience feel fresh if you’ve already played the classic games multiple times.
The backbone of this new mode is Taxman’s (Christian White) and Headcannon’s mobile Sonic remasters, which were built using the former’s own game engine. As a result, Sonic has the spin dash by default in Sonic and there are new options in debug mode. Sonic’s friends, Tails and Knuckles, are also playable throughout the collection, with the exception of the latter in Sonic CD.
Anniversary mode also removes lives entirely and instead introduces a coin system. These coins are collected through many methods, including acquiring points or finding them in levels.
These serve two purposes. One use is to unlock items in the museum that holds concept art and other digital memorabilia. The second allows you to retry special stages.
This is the greatest quality-of-life improvement that Sonic Origins introduces, as I often had trouble collecting the chaos emeralds in the first two titles.
And if you love the life system, it’s still an option through classic mode, which lets you play the various games as it was originally released.
The Boss Rush mode is self-explanatory. If you enjoy beating up Eggman’s contraptions without going through the stages, this mode is for you.
Mission mode also sounds like what it describes. It provides challenges between the four games that will grant you more coins.
Overall, I think Sonic Origins offers the best of both worlds, providing players with the choice to either play the original release or a remastered mode with all of the bells and whistles.
Re-experiencing Sega’s golden era by making new memories
I thoroughly enjoyed playing both Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. These are exceptional games with lots of replayability, especially the latter. If you’re a new fan that enjoyed Sonic Mania or just like 2D platformers, these titles should be on your list.
As previously mentioned, my fondest memories of the 2D era come from Sonic CD. I love this game, from the exceptional soundtrack and special stages to the more adventurous level design. It remains my favourite barring Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and I’ll happily admit that nostalgia plays a huge factor. However, taking off my slightly rose-tinted glasses, Sonic CD offers a different take on the typical Sonic formula that I think those who want a more explorational level layout will enjoy.
Then there’s the original Sonic the Hedgehog. While it’s my least favourite game out of this collection, I did appreciate using the drop dash to progress through stages faster because this game is notoriously known for being a mixed bag in terms of level design (wait until you experience Marble Garden Zone for the first time).
However, if you really want to enjoy Sonic 1, I highly recommend using the debug mode and enabling the elemental shields from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Not only does it make the game more enjoyable, it oddly makes the stage design better. It rewards the player for keeping the elemental shields by breezing through obstacles like lava, but it‘s punishing if you get hit.
This version is also slightly better than the Taxman mobile versions because of the abolishment of lives, making your playthrough worry-free without a game over screen in sight. Just be warned that you won’t be able to save your game.
It’s worth mentioning that each title has its own special animated cutscenes to add a little story element that links the games together. While it’s not much, it’s a very charming way to highlight how much character the Sonic franchise has at its disposal.
As a whole, Sonic Origins does a bang-up job showcasing why classic games are held in high regard. The Anniversary mode adds great features without destroying the essence of classic Sonic gameplay, and if that’s not your forte, there’s still the original version that’s playable.
Sonic Origins’ Bubble Burst
While Sonic Origins offers several improvements, it also has its fair share of issues.
Originally, I meant to review this game on my laptop. While not the strongest computer, it should have been more than enough to run a collection of 2D games from the 1990s.
Instead, I was greeted by immense frame rate drops when the intro cutscene played. For some reason, the default setting is set to a 4K resolution, which causes the game to run at the speed of molasses. However, that was an easy fix.
The deal-breaker that I couldn’t solve was that Sonic Origins would immediately crash right after the first loading screen. This happened frequently, and it was only occasionally that I was able to play any of the Sonic games. Despite trying some remedies from other people that had the same issue on the Steam Community page, I couldn’t fix it and begrudgingly refunded the title.
I still don’t understand the crashing problems, and frankly, it’s unacceptable that this is an issue in the first place.
There are also multiple bugs in the collection. While I never personally ran into any problems on the Xbox Series S, there were enough optimization issues to warrant a patch.
However, this game had problems on the development side and that explains why Sonic Origins is unpolished. The founder of Headcannon, who contributed to the Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 mobile remasters, was “very unhappy” with the final product and documented some of the development hell.
We asked to do major fixes near submission but weren't allowed due to submission and approval rules. We asked about delays early and repeatedly but were told they weren't possible. We offered to come back for post-release fixes and updates- we do not yet know if this is happening
Another issue with this collection actually stems from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Remember when I said earlier about the game having licensing issues? Well, along with the coveted McDonald’s sponsorship that rushed the game’s development, Sega was rumoured to have gotten Michael Jackson to help out with the composition.
However, there were problems behind the scenes that left Michael Jackson uncredited. In the 1997 PC version, some tracks were replaced with the prototype music. This rumour was recently confirmed in a tweet from Yuji Naka, the director of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, 28 years later.
Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though SEGA Official uses Michael Jackson's music.
As a result, Sonic Origins suffered the same fate as the licensing issues weren’t resolved.
Instead, the prototype tracks were remixed by Jun Senoue and, unfortunately, sound horrible. While I’m indifferent about Casino Night Zone and Launch Base Zone, the dropoff in quality is really felt in Ice Cap Zone.
If you think I’m being a bit overly dramatic, there’s a great meme video that compares the two tracks.
There is one last issue that needs to be addressed. With the release of Sonic Origins, Sega decided to delist all of the classic titles, resulting in this game being the only legal method to play Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic CD and Sonic 3 andKnuckles.
Why is this an issue?
While it’s nice to have this entire collection with the quality of life additions, those that just want to play Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 are forced to buy Sonic Origins instead.
Sega is also charging a considerable amount of money ($50) for what are essentially just ports of existing remasters. To put into perspective, the iOS/Android counterparts, except for Sonic 3, are only $2.79 each, ad-free.
Not only does it make the classic games more inaccessible, but the Sonic modding community is also affected, as you can’t implement any pre-existing mods into the Sonic titles in the collection.
Considering both Sonic Mania lead developer Christian Whitehead and Headcannon were part of the Sonic modding community, this feels like a slap in the face to those who worked hard to keep these classic games alive.
The end of the roller coaster
Overall, if you are a fan of the classic games or want an easier way to access these on consoles, Sonic Origins does a good job of providing improvements while keeping the integrity of the original releases.
Though Sega’s golden era burst after the 90s, the passion and commitment to the blue hedgehog remain strong.
While his career has been a roller coaster, there’s a reason why Sonic the Hedgehog is still loved by many fans, including myself. There’s never a dull moment, whether it’s a fresh take on gameplay, his oozing attitude or the fantastic music that continues to bless this franchise.
Happy 31st birthday Sonic. I hope your next 3D adventure is a great ride.
Stray is extremely good at making you feel like a cat.
Everything from your feline avatar’s detailed animation to the ability to scratch nearly every carpet in the game and curl up on dusty bookshelves gives the impression you’re actually in control of a stray cat traversing a barren post-apocalyptic world.
And, of course, you can also knock objects on the ground for no reason, just like a real cat.
Unfortunately, Stray is far more disappointing when it comes to gameplay. While the title’s puzzles are interesting and, at times, surprisingly challenging, your interaction with the world is primarily limited to pressing ‘X’ to jump or ‘Triangle’ to pick up an item.
While you have full control over your feline, jumping strangely consists of animations controlled entirely by the game, making the action feel far more passive than it would otherwise. You don’t need to worry about lining up your jump with the appropriate amount of speed or ensuring there’s enough space on that tiny side table you want to bound to; just press X and watch as Stray‘s orange tabby protagonist launches themselves skillfully through the air.
That’s not to say that this removes all challenge from the game, though. For example, I often wasn’t entirely sure where I needed to parkour jump to next, especially when tasked with more open-ended goals. Should I climb up to the window to reach that florescent sign? Maybe I could crawl up a nearby pipe to get just a little bit more height? There’s still a level of strategy to Stray‘s beautiful but still canned animations, yet I can’t help but still wish I had direct control over the cat during these sequences.
In a sense, this more story-driven approach to a video game makes sense given publisher Annapurna’s reputation, but I would have liked to see developer BlueTwelve integrate more traditional platforming elements into Stray, especially since its animation is so impressive, and because it would have made for a more engaging overall experience. Thankfully, the game’s overall narrative kept me wanting to continue playing to uncover what happens next, though it’s worth noting that its does drag towards the latter half of the title.
On the positive side of things, if you’re fond of exploration-focused titles, there’s a lot to like about Stray. Without giving too much away, throughout the roughly four to five-hour game, you’ll meet the post-apocalyptic city’s humanoid robot inhabitants and encounter strange bug-like robots called Zurks that seem to only exist to relentlessly chase you around. Eventually, you’ll get your hands on a backpack that houses your drone friend B-12, which lends you a helping hand paw, including storing items for you, translating the world’s alien language and turning on its built-in light to illuminate dark areas.
You can also make the cat meow on command, and the noise comes directly through the PS5 DualSense gamepad’s built-in speaker as well as the television. This caused my real-life pet cat to come barreling into the room, only to leave a few minutes later confused after not finding a feline friend meowing in my office.
Because you’ve taken on the role of a cat in Stray, you can scratch a variety of objects, ranging from bookshelves to carpets, and thanks to the DualSense’s haptic feedback triggers, it feels like you’re scratching a real surface. Minor details like this go a long way towards making you feel like you’re controlling a cat and help make up for Stray‘s lack of what I would consider real platforming controls.
Sequences like this are by far the best and most interesting part of Stray. The number of ways you can passively interact with the environment around you precisely how a real cat would is impressive. There’s the aforementioned scratching and knocking objects over, but you can also drink from puddles (everyone knows water tastes better from dirty puddles) and cuddle up against the various robots populating the city.
At its best, Stray is a love letter to cats, and you can truly tell the affection the title’s development team must feel for the often misunderstood creatures. In an industry that typically places an emphasis on dog companions, it’s great to see felines finally get a chance in the spotlight. And while the experience may lack in the gameplay and length department, Stray manages to still offer a unique experience I haven’t encountered before in a video game.
Xbox is back with a new list of games set to arrive on Xbox Game Pass throughout the remainder of the month.
Rounding out July 2022, Xbox is adding the anticipated narrative-based As Dusk Falls and Canadian-made Watch Dogs 2.
See below for the full list:
As Dusk Falls (Cloud, Console, and PC) — July 19th
Watch Dogs 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) — July 19th
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion (PC) — July 21st
MotoGP 22 (Cloud, Console, and PC) — July 21st
Torment: Tides of Numenera (Cloud and Console) — July 21st
Inside (Cloud, Console, and PC) — July 29th
On top of the new additions, Xbox is adding Touch Controls to 12 titles on mobile:
Citizen Sleeper
Disc Room
Escape Academy
Garden Story
Little Witch in the Woods (Game Preview)
Lost In Random
Spacelines from the Far Out
Umurangi Generation
Yakuza 0
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami 2
As Dusk Falls
Finally, here are the games leaving Xbox Game Pass on July 31st. Be sure to wrap up your time with them before they leave. Alternatively, you can purchase the game with a 20 percent discount and keep them in your library.
Dodgeball Academia (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Katamari Damacy Reroll (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Lumines Remastered (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Omno (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Raji: An Ancient Epic (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The subscription service is also available on Android and iOS. Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass each cost $11.99/month. Plus, a subscription to Xbox Game Pass enables access to cloud gaming on a number of devices including mobile, console, PC, and select Samsung TVs.
That’s not to say that this removes all challenge from the game, though. For example, I often wasn’t entirely sure where I needed to parkour jump to next, especially when tasked with more open-ended goals. Should I climb up to the window to reach that florescent sign? Maybe I could crawl up a nearby pipe to get just a little bit more height? There’s still a level of strategy to Stray‘s beautiful but still canned animations, yet I can’t help but still wish I had direct control over the cat during these sequences.
On the positive side of things, if you’re fond of exploration-focused titles, there’s a lot to like about Stray. Without giving too much away, throughout the roughly four to five-hour game, you’ll meet the post-apocalyptic city’s humanoid robot inhabitants and encounter strange bug-like robots called Zurks that seem to only exist to relentlessly chase you around. Eventually, you’ll get your hands on a backpack that houses your drone friend B-12, which lends you a helping 
Sequences like this are by far the best and most interesting part of Stray. The number of ways you can passively interact with the environment around you precisely how a real cat would is impressive. There’s the aforementioned scratching and knocking objects over, but you can also drink from puddles (everyone knows water tastes better from dirty puddles) and cuddle up against the various robots populating the city.