Dan Starkey
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
As seen in:
The Guardian,
IGN,
The Verge,
WIRED Magazine,
Ars Technica,
Digital Trends,
GameSpot,
Kotaku,
Rolling Stone,
Eurogamer
and
*extremely* offline. Hopelessly sincere. Pacifist & social ecologist. Plant-based lifter and marathoner. On several spectrums. DBT enthusiast. They.
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Dan Starkey
Getaway Golf - Kotaku
At Golf Corp. Security guards patrol the lab. Lasers protect it. Armored doors seal it. Hidden in the back is an AI-powered golf ball. Built to cheat. Birdie every time. No suspicion. It looks like a regular golf ball. But it has a secret. It has a mind of its own. And it wants freedom.
Infernal Cleaner
Hell’s walls don’t clean themselves. Blast away every speck of blood and grime with your powerwasher, shotgun, and toothbrush. Enjoy the twisted satisfaction of scrubbing Hell spotless. Remember, you’re not here to have fun, you’re here to wash.
Double K Games Store
Lego Astro Bot And PlayStation Sets Are Rumored And People Are Already Dunking On Them: ‘So Is There A Physical Set Or Is It Just A Download Code In The Box?’
Linda Thorson’s Avengers return released
The new set of adventures for Steed and Tara King has now been released – with special guest star Linda Thorson (the original Tara King) in the final episode. Julian Wadham is back as spy-about-town John Steed alongside Emily Woodward as his trusty sidekick, Tara King, in four full-cast audio adventures, adapted from The Avengers comic strips originally published in TV Comic. Whatever Next?
Linda Thorson rejoins The Avengers
The actress behind the legendary Tara King is back for more espionage with The Avengers, as Linda Thorson joins Julian Wadham and Emily Woodward in a new adventure. Due for release in April 2021, Big Finish Productions presents four brand new, full-cast audio adventures adapted from The Avengers comic strips originally published in TV Comic.
The Avengers vs an Emmerdale villain
The next box set of adventures for The Avengers – in this case Steed and Tara King – will feature a guest appearance from Emmerdale’s Louisa Clein. The 1960s heroes are back in four brand new, full-cast audio adventures adapted from the picture strips originally published in TV Comic. Due for release in July 2021, suave John Steed and sparkly Tara King front four new, hilarious stories which feature time travel, raucous Royals and exceedingly evil plots.
Big Finish Review: The Paternoster Gang - Heritage 2
The first part of Heritage was a faithful reintroduction to the Paternoster trio that set the scene for future stories set in Victorian London. Part two develops charactear dynamics further and expands the possibilities of the Victorian setting in three fun, exciting and era-appropriate episodes. The Paternoster Gang â Heritage 2 is directed by Ken Bentley and produced by David Richardson, and is available exclusively on the Big Finish website until general release on January 1st 2020.
The Original ‘God of War’ was better than I gave it credit for, but could have been so much more.
The original God of War is an aggressive and bombastic take on action. When it launched in 2005, it was most often described as an M-rated Legend of Zelda. That alone was enough for me to rent it. But after about ten minutes, I set it down out of boredom. For years, I thought that, maybe, I was missing something. In time, God of War gained massive popularity, spawning five (soon to be six) sequels, and ultimately growing into of Sony’s premier franchises.
Surviving Mars Review: Building The Final Frontier
It's been said that city simulators are best thought of as a series of stocks and flows. You have essential buildings that supply resources, which are then distributed in a grand pattern etched by your design. Your success, then, depends on how artfully and effectively you've crafted your settlement. If that is the measure by which we are to judge city simulators, nowhere is that more beautifully or essentially or thematically distilled than in Surviving Mars.
One developer can play ‘Street Fighter II’ anywhere with his AR port
While the mainstream applications of augmented reality have been pretty limited, there has been a bevy of tech demos showcasing what the technology could do with better support. One example was the AR version of Super Mario Bros. that a few folks tried out in 2017. But now, developer Abhishek Singh has made something of a sequel, this time with an updated Street Fighter II AR port. We included a video above.
From ‘Horizon: Zero Dawn’ to ‘Gears of War 4,’ these games let your 4K TV shine
Thanks to the 4K-capable PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, console gaming now provides one of the largest, most appealing libraries of 4K content. Those who use beefier PCs for gaming may scoff, but the new pseudo-generation of consoles has opened up the field like never before, and helping usher in an era of games so beautiful you’ll smack your gob.
Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition Review: Antique Revival
Booting up Age of Empires: Definitive Edition for the first time is immediately surprising. The original game launched more than two decades ago, but it's been refined and revived for 2018, ready for modern audiences--or at least old players with new PCs and missing CD keys. It begins with pomp as a curt opening trailer plays, showing off the upgraded visuals and the new, orchestral score. As a returning player, that moment feels like coming home.
As surreal as it is serene, 'Fe' is a fever dream you can play
Fe is a special game. Describing it is a bit like waking up and telling someone about a dream. It’s surreal, ethereal, and the details dissolve as quickly as they came, leaving you with a persistent feeling of peace. That may not be how you’re used to hearing a game described, but it’s fitting, perhaps, for mega-publisher Electronic Arts’ first foray into incubating indie games. And with Fe, the game’s production is at least part of the story.
Understand the Dark and Golden Ages with our 'Civilization VI: Rise & Fall' guide
Civilization VI has it’s first major expansion with Rise and Fall. The add-on packs in a bunch of new ways to grow and manage your growing civ including an array of new options for diplomacy and even city-specific leaders that can help you hone your strategy or help buttress a struggling region of your nation. The biggest addition by far, though is the introduction of Golden and Dark ages.
Attack Of The Earthlings Review
The premise of Attack of the Earthlings is the flip of a well-worn trope: Instead of being faced with an impending alien invasion, humans are the intergalactic terror. And (even worse, depending on your own views) the invading terrans are hopelessly incompetent capitalists, who are out to make a quick buck. As the matriarch of a race of insect-like extraterrestrials, your only goal is to wipe out the humans and stop them from plundering your home to fill up their coffers.
Attack Of The Earthlings Review: The Tables Have Turned
The premise of Attack of the Earthlings is the flip of a well-worn trope: Instead of being faced with an impending alien invasion, humans are the intergalactic terror. And (even worse, depending on your own views) the invading terrans are hopelessly incompetent capitalists, who are out to make a quick buck. As the matriarch of a race of insect-like extraterrestrials, your only goal is to wipe out the humans and stop them from plundering your home to fill up their coffers.
Learn to make potions, traps with our ‘Monster Hunter: World’ crafting guide
Monster Hunter: World gives players a grand stage on which they can live out their most epic dino-fighting fantasies. But, of course, human-sized hunters need a bit of help fighting gigantic tyrannosaurs — even if those people are packing hilariously oversized, anime-inspired blades — and that’s where crafting items comes into play. What items you’ll find most useful to craft will vary based on your overall playing strategy.
Check out our 'Monster Hunter: World' guide If you need help slaying beasts
Monster Hunter: World isn’t subtle. You are here to hunt monsters. It sounds simple, but there’s a lot that goes into it — tracking, getting geared up, studying the creatures, and preparing for your bouts. What’s more, the New World is packed with gargantuan creatures including dragons, dinos, and great aquatic beasts. Many have weak points, hunting patterns, defensive tactics, preferred prey, et cetera, that you at least need to be somewhat familiar with to take them down. It’s Dark Souls on safari.
Consensual Tentacle Porn Card Game Will Come Out In May
The card game Consentacle is an awesome exploration of the complexities of sex, as told via interactions between a human and a tentacle monster. True to its name, however, every interaction is aggressively consensual. Consentacle has been around for a few years now, but there's only been a couple of copies in existence. Now, following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the full version is available for pre-order, with copies shipping out in May.
Consensual Tentacle Porn Card Game Will Come Out In May
The card game Consentacle is an awesome exploration of the complexities of sex, as told via interactions between a human and a tentacle monster. True to its name, however, every interaction is aggressively consensual. Consentacle has been around for a few years now, but there’s only been a couple of copies in existence. Now, following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the full version is available for pre-order, with copies shipping out in May.
Canadian Man Faces Criminal Charges for Maliciously Spamming Twitch Chat
A Canadian Twitch user has been brought up on criminal charges for sending hundreds of thousands of offensive messages through the platform’s internal chat system. The messages hit more than 1,000 different channels on the platform (best known for letting people livestream their video game playing) and included more than 150,000 with racist, antisemitic, sexist and homophobic slurs, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Tune in or lose out: Why we’re clearing our schedules for ‘appointment gaming’
HQ Trivia is a live gameshow app for smartphones, and a bizarrely popular phenomenon. Twice a day, hundreds of thousands of players log on at the same time — a degree of mass coordination that we rarely see anymore. In the internet age, time is often fluid. It no longer matters quite so much when a TV show airs — chances are good you can catch it on Hulu, or Netflix, or your cable provider’s own streaming service.
Here are 8 games we think might get delayed in 2018
Making games is tough. Despite the hundreds of hands (or perhaps because of them) working on our favorite bits of interactive software, sometimes a game you’re looking forward to gets pushed back by a month, a quarter, or sometimes even longer. It’s a fact of life. Keeping that in mind, we decided to take a good look at 2018’s release calendar and identify a few games you might not want to get amped up for just yet. These games might be further off than you think.
Sexy RPG Lust Doll Lets You Choose Your Own Kinks
In the world of sexy games, Lust Doll is unique: It's an RPG that lets you choose what types of sexual situations you want to see as you journey through its world. Into feet, but not BDSM? Fantasise about futanari, but don't particularly enjoy vore? Where other games start you with a character creator and ask you to choose between hairstyles and eye colours, Lust Doll gives you a menu of fetishes and turn-ons, letting you pick through and define how your game will progress.
Sexy RPG Lust Doll Lets You Choose Your Own Kinks
In the world of sexy games, Lust Doll is unique: It’s an RPG that lets you choose what types of sexual situations you want to see as you journey through its world. Into feet, but not BDSM? Fantasize about futanari, but don’t particularly enjoy vore? Where other games start you with a character creator and ask you to choose between hairstyles and eye colors, Lust Doll gives you a menu of fetishes and turn-ons, letting you pick through and define how your game will progress.
'Pokémon Ultra Sun' and 'Ultra Moon' shine bright in trainers' return to Alola
For the past two decades, Pokémon has managed a shocking and precarious balancing act. Rare among decade-bound cultural phenomena, it has somehow made the transition from presumed fad to reliable touchstone. The success of that trick wasn’t obvious until quite recently as the enduring star power of Pikachu and pals drew new generations into the fold with Pokémon Go and record-breaking sales of the most recent games, Sun and Moon.
Strive For Power Is Like An X-Rated Stardew Valley
At first glance, Strive for Power seems unassuming enough. In this PC game, you have a mansion that's fallen into disrepair and you have a servant, some stockpiled food, and a bit of cash. With that, you're expected to survive. Then things get sexy. This world is peaceful, more or less, with mages and their ilk mustering tremendous energies to control and placate much of the world.
Strive For Power Is Like An X-Rated Stardew Valley
At first glance, Strive for Power seems unassuming enough. In this PC game, you have a mansion that’s fallen into disrepair and you have a servant, some stockpiled food, and a bit of cash. With that, you’re expected to survive. Then things get… sexy. This world is peaceful, more or less, with mages and their ilk mustering tremendous energies to control and placate much of the world.
'Need For Speed Payback' is a faithful homage to street racing and a damn good time
Need For Speed Payback just wants to be the Fast and Furious. It’s enamored with the pomp and bombast of white-knuckle racing in the films, and their ability to make you care about its tight-knit family, built up from a loose collection of rejects and outlaws and bound together by crime and camaraderie. It wants to embody these things so much, that every moment in this adrenaline-fueled romp feels just like a scene from any one of Vin Diesel or Paul Walker’s fare.
Learn how to race gracefully with our ‘Gran Turismo Sport’ sportsmanship guide
Gran Turismo Sport (out now on PlayStation 4) is an entirely different kind of racer. Far from the raucous blasts and shells of Mario Kart, or the underglow and street racing of Need for Speed, the new GT is all about racin’ classy and looking the part. Understanding that most of us aren’t used to racing like the actual pros, Polyphony’s latest release uses a strict metric for determining sportsmanship. Hit another car? That’s a mark. Leave the track? Also a mark.
No, this video game is not ‘eco-terrorism’
More than a year after the dramatic protests near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation began, activism against oil pipelines is as politically contentious as ever. Last week, several dozen members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, asking whether protesters and activists who disrupt or damage oil pipelines could face charges of domestic terrorism.
Assassin’s Creed Origins review: A living, breathing ancient world
Glistening sands and teaming life stretch far away. I stand at the head of a gilded Pyramid, looking away to the bustling lives and vibrant oases around me. Dust curls up along the horizon, eager to embrace a nearby village. Hippos lumber around the beaches, warding off wary intruders with their girth. This is ancient Egypt not as we imagine it—a popularized image of endlessly mythologized figures—but closer to Egypt as it really might have been.
Assassin’s Creed Origins review: A living, breathing ancient world
Glistening sands and teaming life stretch far away. I stand at the head of a gilded Pyramid, looking away to the bustling lives and vibrant oases around me. Dust curls up along the horizon, eager to embrace a nearby village. Hippos lumber around the beaches, warding off wary intruders with their girth. This is ancient Egypt not as we imagine it—a popularized image of endlessly mythologized figures—but closer to Egypt as it really might have been.
Trippy Dating Game Explores Toxic Relationships
Like falling into an old habit, I come back. Not because I need you. Not because I want you, even. But because I can't pull myself together and let go of what's easy and safe. I Woke Up Next to You Again, a game for PC, Mac, and Linux available on itch.io, explores the idea of a one-night stand that stretches into two, then three, then an addiction -- not to a substance, but to someone who offers comfort amidst the uncertainty of modern life.
Deep Dark Fantasies Is A Game That Doesn't Understand Kink [NSFW]
Deep Dark Fantasies is a visual novel about a pornstar who runs a BDSM dungeon. It's mostly a series of images that have all been pressed through the same lo-fi, pixelated filter, along with some accompanying text to click through. It picked up a good bit of attention because its main character, Van, is a loose amalgam of real-world gay porn actor Van Darkholme and the characters he often plays in his videos.
Trippy Dating Game Explores Toxic Relationships
Like falling into an old habit, I come back. Not because I need you. Not because I want you, even. But because I can’t pull myself together and let go of what’s easy and safe. I Woke Up Next to You Again, a game for PC, Mac, and Linux available on itch.io, explores the idea of a one-night stand that stretches into two, then three, then an addiction—not to a substance, but to someone who offers comfort amidst the uncertainty of modern life.
Deep Dark Fantasies Is A Game That Doesn't Understand Kink
Deep Dark Fantasies is a visual novel about a pornstar who runs a BDSM dungeon. It’s mostly a series of images that have all been pressed through the same lo-fi, pixelated filter, along with some accompanying text to click through. It picked up a good bit of attention because its main character, Van, is a loose amalgam of real-world gay porn actor Van Darkholme and the characters he often plays in his videos.
How to build up your ‘Forza 7’ Collector’s Score fast
Forza Motorsport 7 has a new metric for gating access to new cars and races — your “Collector Score.” This stat determines which cars you have access to, and you can only raise it by collecting cars. Raise your score high enough, and you unlock a new “collector tier,” which unlocks better post-race rewards and access to tons of awesome hypercars. In theory, the new system keeps you from racking up a ton of credits (Forza’s in-game currency) and buying whatever auto you like.
Preliminary Steps Toward a Universal Economic Dynamics for Monetary and Fiscal Policy
We consider the relationship between economic activity and intervention, including monetary and fiscal policy, using a universal monetary and response dynamics framework. Central bank policies are designed for economic growth without excess inflation. However, unemployment, investment, consumption, and inflation are interlinked. Understanding dynamics is crucial to assessing the effects of policy, especially in the aftermath of the recent financial crisis.
Rack up More Kills with our 'Overwatch' Deathmatch Guide
In the year-plus since its launch, Overwatch has come to be known as a “friendly” shooter. It’s goal-oriented, brighter, and generally more inviting than other shooters. It also premiered without a deathmatch mode and specifically hid detailed competitive stats like kill/death ratio from players, so they wouldn’t harass one another about them. That may have had a little something to do with the more jovial reputation.
Rule the road and get fancy cars early on with our ‘Forza 7’ beginner’s guide
It’s a new year, and that means we get another new Forza (this time on both Xbox One and PC). Forza Motorsport 7 is, so far, a great racer, adding plenty of new features that warrant a return to the world of motorsports. However, some changes to the way it handles in-game currency and microtransactions might leave you a bit confused about how to pull in cash quickly and buy the cars you want to drive.
‘Pokkén Tournament DX’ blends Pokémon and fighters even better than the original
Pokkén Tournament was an odd game. The 2015 Wii U fighter lashed together the classic Pokémon battle style with modern 3D and 2D fighting franchises like Marvel vs Capcom and Tekken. The result was a hectic brawler that juggled both the cartoonish thrill of the Pokémon cartoon (as opposed to the slower, turn-based video games), and the complex skills needed for most fighters.
‘Project Cars 2’ is a great racing simulation, not a great racing game
There’s a sinful joy that comes with nestling into the driver’s seat of an outrageously expensive car. They may be odes to opulence, but these machines are built to entice. They beckon us to play with them, they cradle us in pristine comfort as we marvel at the deftness of their design and engineering. It’s that feeling that Project CARS 2 looks to capture, and during our review, we found it to succeed — mostly.
Total War: WARHAMMER II Review
Stepping back into the world of Warhammer is always a fantastical journey, and with Total War: Warhammer 2, never before has an adaptation of the source material felt quite so natural. With the second installment in its massive strategy game trilogy, developer Creative Assembly has begun flexing its design muscles.
Tooth and Tail Review
Tooth and Tail is a bizarre cocktail of a dozen great ideas. It's a minimalist RTS that tosses out complex tech trees in favor of action-packed but accessible play. It's set vaguely in Eastern Europe in the 1910s, with both the Russian Revolution and World War I in full swing. Playing up the grim tumult of the era, Tooth and Tail also casts itself with all manner of cute--though ragged and crestfallen--critters.
‘Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite’ is crazy fun for esports pros and comic fans alike
If you had a bunch of action figures growing up, you probably gathered a diverse set of characters from across all your favorite games, movies, and books with which to play. Human ingenuity being what it is, you rolled with it, pitting your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles against your Power Rangers, or admitting Bilbo Baggins into the very prestigious Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
How to save your Wii U and 3DS Miiverse posts before they are gone for good
Miiverse is dying. It had a long life as the primary social hub for Nintendo’s 3DS and Wii U systems, where players could use the touch functionality on both to draw and share memes, silly doodles, fan art, and countless in-jokes. On November 7, all of that will be wiped away as Nintendo shutters the community portal for good.
Steam's Haphazard Sex Games Policies Hit Another Game
Strangers in a Strange Land is a point-and-click adventure game starring Billy, a college student on vacation with his step family. It's also about watching people bone and catching peep shows when you can. These scintillating and voyeuristic themes have the game caught in the middle of the latest tussle over porn games on Steam.
XCOM 2 Review - GameSpot
XCOM games are about staring down the impossible and choosing to fight on anyway. The premise of the franchise is that Earth is under siege by immeasurably more advanced alien swarms. XCOM 2 posits that we, as players, can't be victorious. Where its predecessor had you marshal your best defense to repel the invasion, XCOM 2 opens on a occupied, defeated Earth.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Dan
Contact Dan, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack