Help Me Finish Hollow Knight

17.4.2021
In that dark, dark time before I fell in love with The Witcher 3, I asked you all to help me finish it. You gave me great advice that changed my gaming life. Today, I am here to ask for your assistance once again, with Hollow Knight.Read more

Troll Makes Up Path Of Exile Ban Over Accessibility, Is Jerk

17.4.2021
This week, a supposed player claimed to have been banned from action RPG Path of Exile for using a macro to make the game accessible. Other players and accessibility activists took up their cause. Now, it appears the whole thing was a troll. In my professional journalistic opinion: what...

Some Previously Banned Players Can Now Compete In Counter-Strike Events

17.4.2021
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has changed its rules for competitive players who’ve been banned for violations of Valve’s Anti-Cheat system. Previously, those bans were permanent; now, players who’ve been banned for VAC violations in the past can compete in Valve-sponsored events under specific...

A Horror Game Where Reloading Is The Scariest Part

17.4.2021
Reloading in video games is rarely something you think a lot about. Often it’s a moment in time when you’re forced to stop shooting. But a new indie horror game makes reloading fun, nerve-wracking, and interesting. And it’s just one part of a great collection of horror games released earlier this...

No-VR Mod Brings Half Life: Alyx To Players Who Can't Afford Headsets

17.4.2021
By all accounts, Half Life: Alyx is a phenomenal game. But because it’s VR-only, large swathes of gamers simply cannot play it due to the high costs of VR hardware and the computers to support it. To remedy this, modders have been working on No VR mods for Alyx, with varying levels of success.Read...

RECENZE: Oddworld: Soulstorm je depresivní, umí potrápit a stojí za to

17.4.2021
Oddworld se vrací ve formě. Je náročný, temný a vizuálně podmanivý. Fandy původních her nezklame, ale jestli okouzlí nové hráče stejně, jako okouzlil herní komunitu před víc než dvaceti lety, je s ohledem na občasná frustrující místa a některé technické problémy těžké říct

Here's The E3 (And Not-E3) 2021 Press Conference Schedule So Far

16.4.2021
Last year, amid a mismanaged pandemic and sweeping social distancing regulations, the Entertainment Software Association called off its annual E3 event. But the stretch between late May and early November was positively littered with digital showcases and press conference conferences. If...

Arcade Stick Pioneers Die In Tragic Accident

16.4.2021
In the early hours of March 29, an accidental, cooking-related fire in Westminster, California claimed the life of 63-year-old Reynalda Lynn Nguyen. Her husband, Thao Nguyen, survived for two weeks in critical condition before also passing away on April 13. They leave behind two children, Anthony...

No One Asked For This NFT Version Of ‘80s Hit ‘Pac-Man Fever'

16.4.2021
Buckner & Garcia’s hit ‘80s song “Pac-Man Fever” was a wholesome, catchy tune, but nothing’s safe from the climate-wrecking tech scam known as NFTs. Now, because 2021 is trying to be as bad as 2020 I guess, Buckner decided to grace the world with a single called “NiFTy Fever.”Read more

Why Video Game Loot Is So Addictive, According To The Creators Of Diablo

16.4.2021
Colors mean different things to different people, but very specific colors mean the exact same thing to everybody who plays video games. You know the ones: gray, green, blue, purple, and gold. You covet the latter and revile the former. Loot is a universal language at this point, but it wasn’t...

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

16.4.2021
This weekend is for baseball. You can do other things if you want. Seems like good gardening weather? Maybe take the kids someplace where there are fish? Kids really love fish. Anyway, baseball. Read more

Genshin Impact's PS5 Version Drops April 28 With Version 1.5

16.4.2021
If you’re looking at pretty anime people in anything less than 4K resolution, are you really looking at them? Genshin Impact’s native PlayStation 5 version launches with the April 15 release of version 1.5, giving you that sweet 4K support along with enhanced textures and faster loading times.Read...

Rare Gokus No Longer Lost At Sea

16.4.2021
Late last year, a storm at sea caused a shipping boat to lose a bunch of its cargo, possibly including rare figures of Dragon Ball Z’s Goku, alongside other collectibles. I am delighted to inform you that the Gokus are safe.Read more

Tie Fighter: The Kotaku Review

16.4.2021
As part of Backlog month, I wanted to reach deep into the collection and talk about one of the greatest video games of all time, one that nailed everything it set out to do so well that even 27 years later it remains as fun and relevant as it was when it first dropped.Read more

Top Streamers Lose Millions Of Followers After Twitch Cracks Down On Viewbots

16.4.2021
It’s no secret that Twitch has a problem with viewbots, which are fake viewers that artificially inflate streamers’ numbers. They’ve been part of the ecosystem for years, both as a means of making streamers look more popular than they are and, more recently, a tool trolls use maliciously to try...

Na tuto hru čekají fanoušci jako na smilování. Autoři ale mlčí

16.4.2021
Už několikátou prezentaci Nintenda provázely výkřiky „Silksong!“ na všemožných sociálních sítích, v diskusích u videí či informačních článků. Druhý díl populárního Hollow Knight totiž vypadal před skoro dvěma lety hotově, jenže od té doby komunikují autoři jen velice sporadicky

Outriders Could Really Use A Self-Revive

15.4.2021
Outriders is a game about balance, but it’s not always finely balanced. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the game’s revive mechanic, which is seriously biased toward players of the game’s cooperative mode.Read more

SNK Removes ‘Porn’ Sign From King Of Fighters XV

15.4.2021
Last night, SNK revealed that Shermie, a fan favorite character who hasn’t appeared in a mainline installment since King of Fighters 2002, is returning to the series in King of Fighters XV. Sadly, they also took something away: a “PORN” sign that adorned one of the upcoming fighting game’s stages...

The Best LEGO Sets, According To Our Readers

15.4.2021
Earlier this week, we asked our readers to tell us what the best LEGO sets were. They might have set a new record for most comments ever on a Co-op post. Readers had some strong opinions on the subject that showed they really knew their bricks. We got too many responses to count, sending us on...

Ode To The Bard Who Saved My FF14 Dungeon Run

15.4.2021
My journey through Heavensward has slowed down considerably. I have other games to play and review. And generally, the steam that powered this expansion leading up to The Vault encounter has petered out significantly. That’s not to say Heavensward’s sluggish back-end pacing wasn’t punctuated with...

Wasteland 3's First Story Expansion Is The Battle Of Steeltown

15.4.2021
Coming June 3 to consoles and PCs, The Battle of Steeltown takes Wasteland 3 players to the towering factory complex that creates the weapons, vehicles, robots, and armor that keeps the Patriarch in power. Apparently, it’s got problems, and it’s up to you to solve them. Read more

RIP To Outriders' Weird Cowboy NPC, A Real One

15.4.2021
I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered a character creator as aggressively bland as the one in Outriders. All the faces are minor variations on Beefy Woodsman. Hair colors range from black to dull brown. Every decal is an unobtrusive scar, except for a lone chrome eyebrow implant that may as well be...

Before Game of Thrones Got Big, Intimacy Was Its Greatest Strength

15.4.2021
This Sunday marks 10 years since Game of Thrones changed the television landscape as we know it—kickstarting a decade of imitators, influencing the way genre stories were told as prestige drama, and, for most of that decade, expanding itself into a pop-cultural behemoth. Revisiting its first season...

F1 2021 Launches July 16 With An EA Sports-Style Story Mode

15.4.2021
EA’s purchase of racing game maker Codemasters means EA Sports has an F1 racing game for the first time since 2003. F1 2021, available July 16 for Xboxes, PlayStations, and PCs, expands career mode to include a two-player option and introduces Braking Point, a narrative-driven story mode that’s...

Skate City Rolls Onto PC And Consoles May 6

15.4.2021
Skate City, the artful street skating game from Alto’s Odyssey creators Snowman, finally makes the leap from Apple Arcade to PC and console next month, bringing its chill lo-fi beats and dreamy rides to PlayStations, Xboxens, Switch, and PC on May 6. Read more

The Nintendo Download: That SaGa Frontier Life

15.4.2021
Last week we restarted our weekly Nintendo Download feature, highlighting 31 games released for the Switch over the course of seven days. This week only sees 30 new games joining the lineup, including SaGa Frontier Remastered, FEZ, Pocoyo Party, and a bunch of crap you’ve never heard of. Read more

Brie Larson's Fortnite Loadout Is A Thing You Can Buy Now

15.4.2021
Captain Marvel plays Fortnite and now, for the price of 2,000 V-Bucks, you can have her stuff. Brie Larson’s Locker Bundle brings a beautiful new redeco of the Bushranger skin in the purple and green of Larson’s Fortnite squad, the Bush Babies. Read more

Therapists Are Reckoning With Eco-Anxiety

15.4.2021
Andrew Bryant, a therapist based in Tacoma, Washington, felt helpless the first time climate change came up in his office. It was 2016, and a client was agonizing over whether to have a baby. His partner wanted one, but the young man couldn’t stop envisioning this hypothetical child growing up...

PlayStation's Recycled Boxes Are Very Cool

15.4.2021
I am very much developing a thing for more responsible video game packaging, and so this blog by Sony on how they’re cutting down on plastics in their PlayStation boxes was pretty interesting reading.Read more

Maybe Your 'Pile Of Shame' Is A Problem

15.4.2021
Because everything has gone to shit and very few new games are coming out—look at you, you’re all playing Outriders for God’s sake—we’re going to be spending the month looking at backlogs, aka the games we own but haven’t played. And I would like to start that month by saying that anyone using...

Když se vtípek nepovede. Vývojáři se podělili o nezdařené easter eggy

15.4.2021
Nezávislý vývojář Jan Nijman odstartoval nevinným dotazem dlouhé twitterové vlákno, ve kterém se tvůrci her přiznávají k originálním vtípkům, které nenápadně uschovali do svých her. Některé jejich příspěvky jsou tak zajímavé, že by bylo škoda, aby zůstaly zapadlé v nepřehledném twitterovém vlákně

Gaze Upon My Browser Extensions and Despair

14.4.2021
They’re not what any of us would call “intimate,” but you can really tell a lot about a person from a quick glance at the browser extensions they use. Is your boyfriend’s browser decorated with favicons from Evernote, Trello, and literally nothing else? He’s either a type-A perfectionist or zen...

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Split In Two, Partially Delayed

14.4.2021
Citing the ambitious nature of the gameworld-changing update along with the current state of the real world, Mojang today announced it’s splitting Minecraft’s Caves & Cliffs update into two parts. Part one will be out this summer as planned, with the second half coming during the holiday...

Everything Announced During Today's Nintendo Indie World

14.4.2021
Another Nintendo Indie World presentation, another batch of cool little games coming to the Switch between today and months from now. From Fez, The Longing and There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension out later today to next year’s GetsuFumaDen: Undying World, here’s the indies Nintendo showed...

Help, Returnal Looks Terrifying

14.4.2021
Today, Sony released a trailer and a collection of artwork for Returnal, an upcoming PS5-exclusive bullet hell game from the makers of Resogun. The game looks neat. It also looks positively terrifying.Read more

Knight Squad 2 Knows How To Party

14.4.2021
Party games balance on a tightrope. If they’re too rooted in chance, everyone will be at each other’s throats within a round. (See: Mario Party.) If they’re too basic, they’re boring, and if they’re too complex, well, there’s no fun for a party. Every so often, a game comes along and nails...

There Is No After

14.4.2021
Shortly before Christmas last year, I sent a message to Jeff Sharlet, a writer I don’t know, thanking him for memorializing the dead. It was a Sunday night, past 2 a.m., and though I can’t remember the specific thing keeping me awake I know its basic contours. Most every feeling I’ve had this year...

The Challenges of Unravelling Long Covid

14.4.2021
Mixed into the collective tangle of agony and loss caused by the ongoing covid-19 pandemic are the “long-haulers”—people who become or continue to feel sick after their initial encounter with the virus. But the road to understanding what’s now become known as long covid will take time, nuanced...

Nier: Automata's Broken Steam Version Is Finally Getting An Update

14.4.2021
Nier: Automata’s original PC release on Steam was busted in all kinds of ways, so much so that fans had to go and make their own patches. Now, fours years after it was released—and only a few months after a less-busted version appeared on the Microsoft Store—the developers are finally going...

Garrus Vakarian, I Am Free For Dinner On Thursday

14.4.2021
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a month away. Today, BioWare put out a new video and developer blog detailing the process that went into graphically updating the Mass Effect trilogy. Weeding through all the technical information, I have come away with an important conclusion: Somehow, some...

Od Prehistorka po Ark. Vybíráme nejlepší hry pro fanoušky dinosaurů

14.4.2021
Obří ještěři, kteří dominovali živočišné říši na Zemi přes 134 milionů let, mají v popkultuře nesmazatelnou roli, počítačové hry samozřejmě nejsou výjimkou. Pokusili jsme se pro vás vybrat hrstku těch vůbec nejdůležitějších dinosauřích titulů napříč historií

Army of the Dead Is Zack Snyder's Full Vision, in More Ways Than One

13.4.2021
No need for hashtags this time. When Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead is released by Netflix on May 21, it will be his “Snyder Cut” and SnyderVerse, all rolled into one. “This is the movie,” Snyder said during a virtual press event Tuesday. “There are no other cuts of the movie. I didn’t have...

Roblox Player Fakes Their Way Into White House Press Briefings

13.4.2021
An independent journalist named Kacey Montagu has spent the last few months integrating herself within the White House press corps, lying about her connections to outlets both real and fictional to ask the Biden administration questions during official briefings. But according to Politico, Montagu...

Even Outriders Has Flat-Earthers

13.4.2021
Outriders is set on an exoplanet roughly a dozen light years away from Earth, so it’s no surprise the game features some anomalies, like electromagnetic hurricanes and tank-sized, fire-spitting arachnids. But perhaps the strangest entity in People Can Fly’s loot-shooter is also a familiar one:...

Everyone Involved With Thunder Force Deserved Better

13.4.2021
Love or hate her brand of comedy, there’s no denying Melissa McCarthy is one of the most energetic, fearless actresses working today. The same goes for Octavia Spencer, an Oscar winner who can just as easily, and skillfully, jump between playing a serial killer or a rocket scientist. Put them...

Care Has Always Been Infrastructure

13.4.2021
The emerging debate over whether care is infrastructure isn’t new or surprising. The question “what is infrastructure?” was triggered by President Biden’s announcement that the American Jobs Plan includes a $400 billion investment to expand Medicaid coverage of home and community-based services...

What You Need to Know About the J&J Vaccine Blood Clot Risk

13.4.2021
Six people, out of over 6 million who have received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID vaccine, have developed a rare type of blood clot. As a result, the FDA and CDC have announced a pause in the use of this vaccine. The pause is likely to last just a few days. Read more

Nintendo Unveils New Blue Switch Lite, Which May Also Be Purple

13.4.2021
After a year and a half of noncommittal colors like grey, turquoise, bad mayonnaise yellow, and coral, Nintendo gives us a Switch Lite that’s confident enough to call itself blue, even though it’s sort of purplish, depending on your eyes and/or display settings. Read more

Fortnite Says Ahoy To Horizon's Aloy

13.4.2021
Aloy, the protagonist of robot-dinosaur-busting game Horizon Zero Dawn and its upcoming sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, is the latest crossover character to join Fortnite. She’ll be playable starting April 15.Read more

Why Did No One Tell Me About Maneater?

13.4.2021
There are backlogs, and there are theoretical backlogs. Those games you never bought, but heard about, thought about getting, and then never did for whatever reason. I’m finding this fallow period for big game releases an excellent opportunity to reach into that pile of potential purchases,...

Crusader Kings III Will Soon Let Modders Create Same-Sex Marriages

13.4.2021
While Crusader Kings III shipped with the ability for characters to have a same-sex relationship, that could only happen behind the scenes, with concubines and marriage reserved for a man and a woman. After feedback from fans and modders, that’s about to change.Read more

Kinesis’ TKO Is My New Favorite Compact Keyboard

13.4.2021
Kinesis Gaming’s new 60 percent keyboard is a lot more than just small and portable. The TKO Tournament keyboard’s got hot-swappable switches, an optional triple-split spacebar, and the ability to tilt up either side for maximum ergonomic comfort. It’s more than I knew I needed in a tiny...

First PS5 Update Introduces Loads Of New Stuff

13.4.2021
The first major update for the PlayStation 5 console is due to land on Wednesday, April 14, and among the additions and improvements to the console are the ability to keep games on USB storage, new social features, and changes to the PlayStation app. Read more

Satoru Iwata Seemed Like A Truly Good Dude

13.4.2021
Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made a huge impact on gaming. The exec had the rare combination of technical knowledge and business savvy. He also seemed like a really good dude. Read more

Anime Sure Makes Dandruff Exciting

13.4.2021
This is, perhaps, the most exciting dandruff ad made in the history of the entire world. It’s pretty goofy but real good. Read more

I'm Finally Happy I Bought An "Old" Graphics Card

13.4.2021
Let me tell you about an emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on for the past eight months. It’s a cautionary tale, about the perils of obsessing over PC hardware, but also one of celebration, a triumph against the odds.Read more

Big Bowser Penis Has Been Removed From Patreon

13.4.2021
AkkoArcade is a 3D modeller who specialises in adult props for NSFW Source filmmaker clips. Earlier this week one of their creations—a large, veiny dick intended for use with Bowser movies—has had to be removed from Patreon after a takedown notice was issued against it.Read more

Same. Exact. Energy.

13.4.2021
The time had finally come for me to check out id Software’s unapologetic 2011 Mad Max ripoff Rage, and true to its reputation, I spent the first couple hours just trying to get it to run smoothly like a game built on a normal engine. Megatextures, am I right? But I succeeded, and promptly ran into...

The Year Is 2021 And I Just Played A New Official Halo 3 Map

13.4.2021
The Master Chief Collection’s latest season, Season 6: Raven, launched last week on April 7 for Xbox and PC. I’ve been busy with Outriders, so I didn’t get to check it out until now. This update adds a lot, but the most exciting new piece of content is a new map for Halo 3.Read more

Outriders Should Have A Horde Mode (And Other Thoughts)

13.4.2021
If nothing else, Outriders is a polarizing game. Sure, People Can Fly’s loot-shooter has been plagued by some serious launch-window turbulence, but the issues are merely unpleasant set dressing for a fundamentally terrific game. Two of us on staff—weekend editor Zack Zweizen and staff writer...

Terminator Resistance Harkens Back To When The Franchise Ruled

12.4.2021
Terminator: Resistance is another Terminator game, and those have been mostly awful. But I was surprised to find that this hidden gem isn’t a boring Call of Duty clone as the screenshots implied, but actually a remake of the classic Terminator shooters Bethesda developed back in the 90s. And...

27 Movies to Stream When You Need a Good Cry

12.4.2021
The past year has inundated us with so many horrors—untold lives needlessly lost to a virus allowed to proliferate unchecked, so many others forever damaged by the ongoing pandemic of racism, not to mention the ever-present specters of economic uncertainty and looming climate disaster—I won’t fault...

Marvel, Give Me A Dora Milaje Video Game Already

12.4.2021
Marvel Studios, Disney, whoever’s in charge of licensing Marvel properties nowadays, come, let me bend your ear for I have a proposition that is guaranteed to increase your already-incalculable fortune. Are you ready to hear my 1000% foolproof money printing idea? Here goes: Dora Milaje video game....

What’s Your Worst Gaming Habit?

12.4.2021
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take.Read more

Outriders Can’t Catch A Break

12.4.2021
It’s been a long week-and-a-half for the loot-shooter Outriders, a game rocked by eleven days of missing functionality, server issues, and player uproar. The latest wave of problems started Friday afternoon when developer People Can Fly pushed out a patch for PC and PlayStation consoles, with...

Tomorrow’s PS5 Beta Is A Great Reason To Get Into Final Fantasy XIV

12.4.2021
Intrigued by how much players love Final Fantasy XIV but unsure how to get started? The game’s open beta for the PlayStation 5 starts tomorrow, promising sharper graphics, faster frame rates, and shorter loading times than the PlayStation 4 version. All that plus a generous free trial makes this...

Fortnite Toys Make Me Wish I Knew More About Fortnite

12.4.2021
During this past Friday’s Pulse Fan Fest Event, Hasbro announced a bunch of cool-looking figures being added to its Fortnite line this fall, including a lady Black Panther with a tail, formal gas mask guy, Destiny reject, and clear blue easy. Also, there’s a giant shark that splits in two...

The Glow Up 50 2021: Celebrating Our Style Innovators

12.4.2021
The mixed bag that was 2020 may not have brought much in the way of stylish moments—though face masks, tie-dyed sweatsuits and wireless bras certainly had one. But just before world locked down last March, we launched The Glow Up 50, our inaugural list of Black tastemakers, trendsetters and talents...

Tattoos Removed For Anime's Chinese Release

12.4.2021
In the anime The Way of the Househusband, the main character, former yakuza boss Tatsu, is covered in tattoos. But for Chinese release, all that ink has been removed.Read more

Další díl kultovní série Age of Empires vyjde ještě letos

12.4.2021
Microsoft konečně poodhalil víc detailů o chystaném pokračování strategické série Age of Empires 4. Pokud odhlédneme od poněkud kýčovité grafiky, musí být všichni fanoušci série nadšeni, navíc ani nehrozí žádné odklady, a tak se hry dočkáme ještě letos

RIP Enzio Sciotti, Badass 80s Movie Poster Artist

12.4.2021
Enzo Sciotti is an absolute legend, and anyone who spent time in a video rental place looking at posters and VHS covers—especially in the horror and “shitty action movie” sections—will instantly be able to recognise his work, even if they never knew him by name.Read more

Outriders Bug Is Still Costing Players Dozens Of Hours Of Lost Progress

12.4.2021
Outriders had a few bugs at launch, like most online games do, but the worst was one that simply wiped player’s inventories, robbing them of hours of progress. A big patch went live over the weekend to fix the game and...that bug is still there, only now it’s costing players a lot more progress...

Witcher 3 Fan Builds A New Quest With Perfect Geralt Voice Acting

12.4.2021
A Night to Remember is a brand new, fan-made quest for The Witcher 3, set after the events of Blood & Wine, and while I’m keen to check out new writing and new battles, I’m also interested in the AI tech being used here to simulate the trademark sounds of Doug Cockle, Geralt’s voice actor.Read...

Youtuber seřadil herní světy podle velikosti. Platí, že větší jsou lepší?

12.4.2021
Vydavatelé her s otevřenými světy se stále více soustředí na to, nabídnout hráčům co nejvíce prostoru k vyblbnutí. Díky pěkně zpracovanému videu youtubera Dimitrise Galatase se můžete podívat na přímé porovnání těch nejoblíbenějších „openworldů“ a zároveň se přesvědčit o tom, že kvantita...

Amid Evil Is A Good Shooter That Doesn't Need Guns

11.4.2021
Amid Evil is a wild, weird, and wonderful retro-inspired FPS that ditches the traditional shooter arsenal of pistols and SMGs in favor of more exotic weapons. Like a magic staff that shoots planets or a sword that flings waves of energy. Read more

Sunday Comics: Two Games!

11.4.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

Poliwhirl Is Covered In Mucus And Smooth Like A Shark

10.4.2021
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Poliwhirl!Read more

Meet Margaret Wilcox, The Woman Who Invented The Car Heater

10.4.2021
When Margaret A. Wilcox developed the car heater, she did it in an era where being a mechanical engineer was a rarity—and which was even more difficult for a woman. Every time you warm up your icy extremities behind the wheel on a cold winter day, you have Wilcox to thank.Read more

More Donald Ducks In Kingdom Hearts, Please

10.4.2021
With the arrival of the Kingdom Hearts series on PC last week, enterprising players can now tinker with the games in ways that were either too difficult or downright impossible to achieve on consoles. Naturally, this has resulted in a mod that lets folks spawn (among other things) hundreds...

No One Warned Me About Hitman 2’s Cutscenes

10.4.2021
Over the past few months, I, late to the party, have fallen head over heels for the new Hitman trilogy. Pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to, including several Kotaku colleagues, have said Hitman 2 is the best of the three, or at least the one I should play first. They did not mention how jarring...

In 2007, Video Game Memes Took A Dark Turn

10.4.2021
Memes. These days, they’re everywhere. They are the pillars upon which internet culture—and by extension, pop culture—stands. But once upon a time, memes dwelled in the internet’s dankest sewers, traded in the darkness by geeks, nerds, and outcasts. On this week’s Splitscreen podcast, we examine...

I Finally Played Quake 4 Last Week And Have Already Forgotten Most Of It

9.4.2021
Quake 4 has essentially been forgotten in 2021, and most folks are fine with that. Even id itself seems willing to let it rot away in some forgotten morgue, with the official Quake collection on Steam omitting Quake 4 entirely. But I was curious. Was Quake 4 really that bad? And if so, what went...

Tips For Playing Outriders

9.4.2021
At first glance, Outriders might look like a game you’ve played one thousand times: a sci-fi third-person shooter in which you shoot stuff to get better gear in order to shoot more stuff. But there are plenty of quirks, making this loot-shooter more complex than you might think. Since the game’s...

Outriders: The Kotaku Review

9.4.2021
Outriders isn’t what I was expecting. In the lead-up to launch, it looked like one more Destiny-like looter shooter to toss on the pile. But while it does have looting, shooting and even online co-op, Outriders isn’t just another live service game. In a lot of ways, it feels like an experiment...

Beloved Rapper, Songwriter and Actor DMX Dead at 50

9.4.2021
DMX, beloved rapper, songwriter, and actor has died at the age of 50. The entertainer was admitted to the hospital on April 2, and had been in a coma on life support following a heart attack caused by a reported drug overdose. After a series of brain function tests were conducted and showed...

Hasbro Unveils $700 Self-Transforming Optimus Prime Robot

9.4.2021
This is the most advanced official Transformers toy ever made. Standing an impressive 19-inches tall and built from metal alloy parts, Robosen Robotics’ fully-programmable Optimus Prime walks in robot form, drives in vehicle mode, and converts automatically on command. He’s up for pre-order this...

Amazon Union Vote Fails in Bessemer, as Union Calls for Investigation

9.4.2021
Amazon has won the first round in its fight to squash a union in its Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse. Hundreds of contested ballots remain, but Amazon has reached the minimum threshold of 1,608 “no” votes needed to prevent workers from joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)....

V Sony se pracuje na remaku The Last of Us a dalším Uncharted

9.4.2021
Známý novinář Jason Schreier opěr rozvířil vody herního průmyslu, když vynesl na světlo několik detailů z interních studií Sony, která pracují na exkluzivitách pro konzole PlayStation. Podle něj se pracuje na remaku prvního dílu The Last of Us, vrátit by se mohla i značka Uncharted. Oproti tomu...

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

9.4.2021
The weekend is for playing a 20-year-old action RPG classic with a substantial glow-up. Unless you’re not in the Diablo II: Resurrected alpha test. Then you should probably play something else. Read more

Only After I Embraced My Doom Did Abadox Reveal Its Charms

9.4.2021
I’ve been playing a lotta Nintendo Entertainment System lately, partially to make sure RetroArch’s workin’ fine on this new PC, and also just because I’m jonesin’ for some simple, classic fun. Natsume’s 1989 shooter Abadox was one of the first new-old games that came to mind, so I took it for...

Neo: The World Ends With You Returns To Shibuya July 27

9.4.2021
It took nearly 14 years, but the long-awaited sequel to 2007 action RPG The World Ends With You is right around the corner. Neo: The World Ends With You launches for PlayStation 4 and Switch on July 27, setting a new cast of characters, as well as some familiar faces, loose on the 3D streets...

Quartet’s Music Is So Nice Sega Reused It Twice

9.4.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we’re going to listen to some synthtastic music from 1986 arcade classic Quartet, which also happens to be music from 1991’s Spider-Man: The Video Game, as well as 2010’s...

The Bat Man, I Presume?

9.4.2021
Betty Jiang is a concept artist and illustrator working in video games and animation.Read more

New Space Game Puts You In Control Of Everyone, Like A God

9.4.2021
The Fermi Paradox is “a choice-driven sci-fi narrative strategy game” that’s coming later this year on PC, where instead of taking control of a single space-faring faction, you’re more of a “gardener”, tending to loads of factions and trying to guide them from the stone age into the depths...

That Dusk Puzzle Game? Not Actually An April Fool’s Joke

9.4.2021
Dusk, the decidedly old-school first-person shooter from 2018, is getting an even older-school demake that riffs on classic puzzle games like Chip’s Challenge and Sokoban. And no, this isn’t a joke, despite first word of its existence having dropped on April 1. Read more

Hearthstone Esports Suspends Player Following Abuse Allegations

9.4.2021
Hearthstone Esports announced today that it has suspended one of the game’s Grandmaster tournament players, Paul “Zalae” Nemeth, following allegations of domestic abuse. “Hearthstone Esports is aware of allegations made against America Grandmaster Paul ‘Zalae’ Nemeth. Upon further review, we have...

How to Reach 'Trophy Rank 999' Faster on PS4 and PS5

8.4.2021
Want to increase your PlayStation trophy ranking and prove your gaming prowess? Then you need to collect Platinum trophies. Platinum trophies are a badge of honor for many players, signifying you completed every challenge a game has to offer.Read more

How Do You Start Dating in a New City During a Pandemic?

8.4.2021
Not all advice need be professional. Sometimes your problems merit a bit of unvarnished honesty from a dude equipped with nothing more than a computer and a conscience. Luckily for you, I’m that guy. Welcome back to Tough Love. (If you’d like to be featured, email me at sblum@lifehacker.com)Read...

Outriders’ First Major Patch Will Nerf The Trickster

8.4.2021
The first major patch for Outriders will be available next week, developer People Can Fly revealed in a blog post today. If you’ve been waiting for general fixes regarding connectivity and inventory wipes, you’ll still have to wait. But, hey, at least the coolest class is getting some serious...

The Weight

8.4.2021
More than 20 years later, I can still remember my grandmother handing me the silver diet book with the cartoon cover and the sense that I needed to do something. I was probably around 13; the specifics have mercifully faded with time, but the cover and the feeling are burned into my brain. And...

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Makes Its 4K Ultra HD Debut June 8

8.4.2021
With the rest of Final Fantasy VII being remastered, retooled, or remade, it would be silly for the computer-animated tie-in movie not to get its due. Today Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced the 4K Ultra HD remaster of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, complete with HDR support...

New Beginnings: The Sobering Journey To Restore My Game Boy Micro

8.4.2021
We all have our coping mechanisms. Last summer, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, mine was reliving my childhood by purchasing old models from Nintendo’s long-retired Game Boy lineup. While I’m not a particularly nostalgic person—hell, I didn’t even grow up with half the consoles I’ve...

Deathloop Delayed To September

8.4.2021
Arkane’s Deathloop has been delayed to September 14, the studio announced on Twitter this morning. The game was originally set to release May 21.Read more

Pet Food Tycoon's Takeover Of GameStop Is Nearly Complete

8.4.2021
Ryan Cohen, co-founder of online pet food company Chewy and favorite of the chaos engine that is the WallStreetBets reddit, will take over as GameStop chairman following the company’s annual shareholder meeting in June.Read more

The Nintendo Download: 31 New Games For The Switch This Week

8.4.2021
Every week, Nintendo releases a list of new games coming to the Switch. It is, almost always, a very long list. This week’s list includes Spry Fox’s Cozy Grove, Switch Online exclusive Pac-Man 99, the Switch version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, and 28 more games, many of which...

Your Spring 2021 Anime Guide

8.4.2021
Spring is in the air! That only means one thing. Actually, it means several things, but one of them is that it’s time for a new season of anime.Read more

The Alex Kidd Remake Is Looking Sharp

8.4.2021
Alex Kidd is one of my earliest console gaming memories, and I was so obsessed with it I used to bug my parents to rent a Sega Master System for the weekend just so I could play it. So I am keeping a very close eye on the upcoming Alex Kidd in Miracle World remake.Read more

Intel, A 'White Nationalism' Slider Ain't It

8.4.2021
Intel gave a presentation at GDC a few weeks back, but I’m guessing nobody actually watched it because it took until this week for anyone to notice this absolutely absurd pitch from the company, which wants to use AI to monitor and censor “hate speech” in your online voice chat, and let users...

Smuggled Nvidia Cards Found After High-Speed Boat Chase

8.4.2021
Only a week after a Chinese bust involving cheat makers and luxury cars, authorities have seized hundreds of smuggled Nvidia cards after a speedboat chase in the waters near Hong Kong international airport.Read more

Lil Nas X Released A Cheeky Video Game About Twerking

8.4.2021
Lil Nax X—prolific Tweeter, former country music superstar, and current Lord of Hell—has released a new video game that celebrates his current chart-topping hit, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”Read more

Pokémon's Intro, Remade With Stock Footage

8.4.2021
Pokémon’s status as a worldwide phenomenon means that you can break it down to its essential parts and folks will still recognize what you’re referencing. You show somebody an electric rat and, nine times out of ten, they’ll understand you’re talking about Pikachu. But can the franchise survive...

Hunting for Pokémon Cards Has Become a Different Kind of Game

7.4.2021
A few weeks back, during a particularly unremarkable late night of insomnia-fueled doomscrolling, a notification slid its way onto my phone’s screen that quickened my pulse and dilated my pupils. For the next few minutes or so—there was no way to be sure for how long—the long out-of-stock Pokémon...

I Seem To Be Having Commitment Issues In Outriders

7.4.2021
Over the past week or so I’ve sunk about 25 hours into Outriders—on top of the dozen-ish I spent repeatedly running the demo. And yet, I still haven’t committed to a main class. That’s not indicative of indecision on my part (okay, fine, maybe a tiny bit). That’s a testament to how awesome all...

Harold Halibut, You Have My Attention

7.4.2021
We last saw Harold Halibut at GDC 2018, but the folks at German indie studio Slow Bros. are back with another fascinating preview of this unique game.Read more

Clap Hanz’ First Non-PlayStation Golf Game Is My New Happy Place

7.4.2021
Japanese developer Clap Hanz has been making colorful cartoon golf games for PlayStation consoles since 1999’s Hot Shots Golf 2. The studio’s first non-PlayStation game, Apple Arcade’s Clap Hanz Golf, is more of the same, only now all it takes for me to tee up is a few taps of my iPad screen.Read...

Crysis Remastered Now Even More Remastered

7.4.2021
Just when you thought classic shooter Crysis was as remastered as it was going to get, Crytek announces a new free update that fixes a whole slew of bugs while adding new graphics modes for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles. Who is ready for raytraced 1080p at 30 frames per second on...

The Best Controller Chargers for the Latest Video Game Consoles

7.4.2021
There are … a lot of video game controllers this day. Gone are the days of each console having one official controller and a handful of third-party knockoffs. If you grab a Switch, you’ll have both Joy-Cons and the Pro Controller to choose from. Xbox owners can grab a standard Wireless Controller...

Welcome To Backlog Month

7.4.2021
April’s pretty thin as far as new game releases go. So we at Kotaku are taking the moment to focus on something shared among every gamer: a backlog. You could call it a month...about backlogs…surely there’s some sort of cutesy phrase we could use? Aha! Backlog Month!Read more

Use These Apps to Make Windows 10 Feel Like a Chromebook

7.4.2021
Nothing against Windows 10, but if you want to simplify it a bit by giving it the Chromebook treatment—tweaking various settings and UI elements to make them a bit easier to deal with, or simply integrating some of a Chromebook’s more useful features directly into Windows 10 itself—nobody is going...

Pac-Man 99 Is A Free Switch Online Exclusive Battle Royale

7.4.2021
Announced last night and going live today at 9pm Eastern exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, Pac-Man 99 is a 99-player battle of pellet-munching attrition in which players eat the spirits of the dead in order to sic them against their opponents until all are devoured. Yay, Pac-Man!...

'Meat Is Magic': The Women Who Are Committed Carnivores

7.4.2021
There are dozens of photographs of bloody slabs of ribeye and shots of bacon strips sizzling in pools of fat, chunky piles of ground beef, glistening pots of butter, and tallow. These images of meat and fat aren’t much to look at, but to the members of the Women Carnivore Tribe, a Facebook group...

Free From Stadia, Lost Words' Story Hits Hard

7.4.2021
Lost Words: Beyond the Page is poised to snag a second lease on life. First released last spring as a Stadia exclusive, the idyllic puzzle-platformer from Sketchbook Games, officially released yesterday for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Switch (where I’ve been playing). Lost Words sports...

Hardcore Military Sim ArmA 3 Getting Huge Vietnam Campaign

7.4.2021
There aren’t many games that are seriously based on the Vietnam War, mostly because, thanks to the terrain and the politics, it’s an incredibly difficult conflict to simulate. The upcoming S.O.G. Prairie Fire, however, is looking to change that.Read more

#BoycottGenshin Is Tearing The Genshin Impact Community Apart

7.4.2021
Last night, Genshin Impact began trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. Which ones, exactly? Well, that’s the thing: Nobody can really agree on what lies at the core of the erupting volcano that has sprouted next to developer miHoYo’s cash cow. Currently, the #BoycottGenshin hashtag...

Mansions Of Madness Deserves A Better Video Game

7.4.2021
Fantasy Flight’s Mansions of Madness, the standout game from the publisher’s Arkham Horror lineup, is one of my favourite board game experiences of all time, a near-perfect blend of occult investigation and unforgiving combat. Both things that its new video game adaptation are terrible at.Read more

Pokémon Gets Me Through It

7.4.2021
In the Pokémon universe, it’s customary for small children to receive a beast capable of leveling cities before leaving the comforts of home to embark on an arduous journey across varying regions. During their travels, they stop organized crime rings, topple champions with years of experience,...

RECENZE: Outriders je skvělá adrenalinová střílečka. Ale ten start

7.4.2021
Outriders je zábavný looter shooter s extrémně frenetickou akcí, která sází na kombinování střelby a speciálních schopností. Je to hodně nespoutaná jízda, u které budete potřebovat kyslíkovou bombu, protože vám nedá vydechnout. Tedy, když vše funguje. Hra se pere s technickými problémy, v prvních...

How To Skip Monster Hunter Rise’s Pesky ‘Quest Complete’ Cutscenes

6.4.2021
Once you get comfortable with the basics of Monster Hunter Rise, the real game of grinding out rare materials for high-level equipment can finally begin. While one would normally need to wait through a cutscene every time they finish a mission, a simple trick allows players to skip this brief...

Outriders Apparently Has A Bug That Wipes All Your Gear

6.4.2021
How’s this for a horror story? You spend hours farming gear in your favorite loot game. You find some truly awesome stuff, including some legendaries. Then, one moment, out of the blue, it’s all gone. Everything, to the point where your character is basically naked. For some Outriders players...

Hey, Magic: The Gathering, Your Story Is Doing Great Without The Racist Tropes

6.4.2021
Ever since Jordan Peele gave us Get Out, there’s been a trend in pop culture entertainment that upsets the shit outta me—everything (and oh my Lord, do I mean everything) is centered on Black Pain. It feels like the only shows or movies that prominently feature Black people involved in fantastical...

Here's Everything Coming To And Leaving Game Pass Soon

6.4.2021
Xbox Game Pass started April strong with the day-one launch of Outriders, but that’s not the only major addition to Microsoft’s games-on-demand service this month. Here’s everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next few weeks:Read more

Animal Crossing Build-A-Bear Go On Sale This Morning, Could Be A Clusterfluff

6.4.2021
Build-A-Bear’s eagerly-anticipated line of official Animal Crossing: New Horizons plushies go on sale this morning at 11 am Eastern. In order to handle what’s sure to be massive demand, Build-A-Bear has set up a virtual queue for customers to gather in to await their chance to purchase items that...

While Xbox Game Pass Gets Better, PS Now Gets...Avengers

6.4.2021
Outriders came out last week on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It also immediately came to Microsoft’s Game Pass, adding yet another big new game to the subscription service’s already-impressive library. Meanwhile, PS Now users can get excited to play last year’s mediocre Avengers...

It's Official: E3 Returns As An All-Digital, All-Free Event June 12

6.4.2021
Following the cancelation of 2020's event due to covid-19, and much rumor and speculation regarding this year’s iteration of what was once the most important video game trade show in the world, the Entertainment Software Association today announces E3 2021, a free all-digital event running June...

Global PS5, Xbox & GPU Shortage Partially Blamed On $1 Part

6.4.2021
As we talked about last week, the global supply shortage affecting all kinds of products, from consoles to phones to cars, is down to a lack of semiconductors. More specifically, though, one of the biggest culprits is a shortage of display drivers, a tiny part that costs around $1.Read more

When My Disco Elysium Character Gave Up I Was Like Yeah, I Get It

6.4.2021
I have never felt more in tune with a video game character than when Disco Elysium’s detective protagonist, his morale utterly devastated after a series of failed skill checks, tells his partner to fuck off and prematurely brings the game to a close.Read more

Classic Half-Life 2 Mod Neotokyo Gets A Singleplayer Spinoff

6.4.2021
Neotokyo is an absolute PC gaming classic, a (somehow) free mod for Half-Life 2 that remains one of the prettiest and coolest multiplayer shooters on the planet. And now, 12 years after its first release, it has a singleplayer experience for fans to play through.Read more

Discord Deleted Thousands Of Violent Extremist And Criminal Servers In 2020

6.4.2021
Thanks to the endlessly depressing extent to which covid has kept everybody trapped inside, Discord is more relevant than ever. But as the company revealed in its latest transparency report, that has led to new challenges—and improved efforts to confront other challenges it probably should have...

PC RPG Installs Mystery Program, Fans Freak Out

6.4.2021
Fans of the RPG Another Eden—out this month on PC—this week discovered that, alongside installing the game itself, copies of the game obtained on Steam were also installing something called wfsdrv which nobody knew what it was and which seemingly had nothing to do with the game.Read more

Someone Might Have Found A Canceled Castlevania Dreamcast Prototype

6.4.2021
In a mysterious new video (h/t Polygon), an off-camera player navigates through what appears to be a prototype of Castlevania: Resurrection, a canceled Sega Dreamcast game from the early 2000s. If legitimate, this is the first time gameplay footage has been made publicly available.Read more

The Best Free-to-Play Games for the Xbox Series X/S

5.4.2021
The latest Xbox Insider program update nixes the Xbox Live Gold requirement for free-to-play (F2P) Xbox games for users in the Xbox Insider Alpha & Alpha Skip Ahead rings. The change will roll out to other Xbox Insider levels in the coming weeks, and, hopefully, everyone else soon after.Read...

Prime 2D Is The Coolest Metroid In Over A Decade

5.4.2021
A group of independent developers known as Team SCU recently released a demo for Prime 2D, an impressive side-scrolling remake of 2002’s Metroid Prime that has been in the works for over 15 years. After spending some time with it, I can say it was definitely worth the wait, even if Nintendo’s...

The Nevers Is Entertaining But a Tad Overstuffed

5.4.2021
Watching The Nevers—HBO’s new epic fantasy series created by Joss Whedon, who’s no longer involved with the show—can be overwhelming. “Victorian ladies with superpowers” is already a high-concept idea, but The Nevers, while entertaining, somehow finds a way to make things even busier. Read more

Apex Legends Will Get ‘A Ton Of Titanfall’ Next Season

5.4.2021
Since Apex Legends launched in February 2019, players have been wanting more crossover content from its related Titanfall universe. Over the weekend, developers at Respawn hinted that we’ll be getting a lot more Titanfall in the game’s next season.Read more

Loki's Latest Trailer Is a Timey Wimey Joyride Through the MCU

5.4.2021
Loki, the Asgardian royal family’s resident enfant terrible, has broken many a law in his time traipsing across the universe in Marvel Studio’s films, and Disney+’s upcoming Loki series, it seems as if the mischief maker’s finally going to do the time for at least some of his crimes.Read more

Star Trek Legends Is A Fun Time, Not An Annoying Grind

4.4.2021
Star Trek Legends, recently released on Apple Arcade, plays a lot like Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, Disney’s Sorcerer’s Arena, DC Legends and countless other turn-based mobile RPGs. But without any energy meters or annoying microtransactions. As a result, it feels like a game and not a treadmill...

'Shop Contest: Easter Sunday 2021

4.4.2021
To those who celebrate, Happy Easter! To those who don’t care or just realized today is Easter Sunday, happy Sunday! A year ago things were bad. Today, things are...still bad. But getting better! I think. Read more

Monster Hunter Food Recreated In Real Life Looks Delicious

4.4.2021
Sure, the hunting monsters is cool and all. But I think the best part of the Monster Hunter games is all the good food. Like the big “Chef’s Choice Platter” from Monster Hunter World, which was recently recreated by the YouTube channel Binging With Babish.Read more

Sunday Comics: Khezu?

4.4.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

'Shop Contest: Food On A Stick, Winners!

3.4.2021
Food is good. Food on a stick...even better. Last week, in honor of the lazily named National Food On A Stick Day, I asked you all to create images featuring food, sticks, and video games.Read more

Hawkeye Did You...Fart?

3.4.2021
This week on Snapshots, we’ve got some desolate landscapes, a cool-looking hovercar, a curious bear, a lonely flower, an old guy wearing a hat, and a superhero in a green cloud of... gas? Read more

Games Like Outriders Really Need Offline Modes

3.4.2021
Earlier today, I was playing Outriders. I was in the middle of a mission, about to beat a tough enemy, when I was disconnected from the servers. An error message popped up and that was that. But I was playing alone, in an area only filled with NPCs in a game with no PVP. So why did I even need...

Vullaby Wears A Skull To Protects Its Ass

3.4.2021
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Vullaby!Read more

A New Black Widow Trailer Has Major Avengers Vibes

3.4.2021
We think this is it. After a year of delays, July 9 seems to be the day Black Widow will be released, in theaters and on Disney+. And though there was a “Final Trailer” last year, Marvel has cut a “New Trailer” for the new release date, and this one feels much more epic.Read more

Doom 3 Is Better In VR

3.4.2021
Most folks don’t love Doom 3, often citing how much slower the game feels compared to old Doom titles. But that slower speed plus its focus on creating a dark, scary atmosphere means that nearly 17 years after its release, Doom 3 ends up being a great VR game. It might even be a better game in...

Space Jam 2's First Trailer Looks Like Ready Player One, But With Sports

3.4.2021
People have basically been talking about a Space Jam sequel with Lebron James for as long as Lebron James has been in the NBA. Slowly but surely that finally came together and now, 25 years after the first film was released, there’s a trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy.Read more

Hideaki Anno Is Directing Shin Kamen Rider

3.4.2021
In 2023, a new Kamen Rider film will be released. Called Shin Kamen Rider, it will be the latest reimagining of one of Japan’s most iconic heroes. Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno will be at the helm.Read more

Final Fantasy Creator's New RPG Is Out And Painfully Pretty

3.4.2021
I’m having a problem playing Fantasian, the new turn-based RPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker released today on Apple Arcade. I can’t stop pausing to look at how gorgeous the game’s real-life miniature diorama sets are. I didn’t say it was a bad problem. Read more

The Demon’s Souls OST Looks Unreasonably Attractive On Vinyl

3.4.2021
If you enjoyed Demon’s Souls’ updated score on PlayStation 5 and want to be able to listen to it in high fidelity, you’re in luck: Sony and Milan Records are partnering to produce a two-disc vinyl set of 21 tracks from the remastered classic for release on June 18.Read more

Single-Player Games Are Finally Making A Comeback, Sort Of

3.4.2021
Once upon a time, Shigeru Miyamoto famously said, “A delayed game is eventually good. A bad game is bad forever.” It’s a statement that felt like it would never fall out of fashion, until it did. Modern games are never finished. Bad games become good. Good games become bad. Games of all stripes...

Outriders Launches To A Day Of Server Problems, Like Every Other Online Game

2.4.2021
If you play video games in the 21st century, you’re no stranger to this: A popular game launches that demands an internet connection. Interested players buy it, can’t access the servers, and can’t play the thing they paid for. The latest offender is Outriders, a class-based loot shooter from...

Someone Spent $660,000 On A Rare Copy Of Super Mario Bros. Because Why Not

2.4.2021
Heritage Auctions recently sold another rare copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System for an exorbitant amount of money. $660,000, to be specific. This absolutely shatters the record for a single video game auction, which was previously held by a copy of Super Mario Bros....

Why You Should Rewatch Your Favorite Movies in Black and White

2.4.2021
Cinema snobs the world over scoffed when polarizing director Zack Snyder announced that his indulgent superhero opus Zack Snyder’s Justice League would be re-rereleased in a desaturated black and white version he’d dubbed Zack Snyder’s Justice League: Justice Is Gray. I was among them, but mostly...

NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition Is NBA 2K21 Without Obnoxious Microtransactions

2.4.2021
One of the most annoying aspects of modern sports games, including the console and PC versions of NBA 2K21, are the obtrusive microtransactions. NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition, released today for the Apple Arcade service, has no microtransactions whatsoever. What a breath of fresh air. Read more

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Delayed Again, Dammit

2.4.2021
Well, this sucks: TT Games announced today that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will not be released in Spring 2021 as planned. It has been delayed. Again. And this time we don’t have a new release date or window. Read more

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

2.4.2021
The weekend is for needing to do laundry but probably not doing laundry because laundry sucks. It’s also for playing video games!Read more

Mike Rowe’s New Discovery+ Show Is Big Oil-Funded Propaganda

2.4.2021
Reality show host Mike Rowe’s new series Six Degrees, which is currently streaming on Discovery+ and will soon air on television, begins how I expected it would: with him on screen in a t-shirt, jeans, and baseball cap, and smiling wryly. It’s classic Rowe, posturing as an avatar for the “average”...

The Best Music Ever Made (For A McDonald’s Game)

2.4.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. You deserve a break today, so we’re kicking off the weekend with something tasty from McDonald’s… McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure that is, a game that plays and sounds better than...

Oops, Activision Forgot About The Streisand Effect

1.4.2021
I can’t fully express how little I care about Call of Duty: Warzone or any leaks thereof. What I do love, however, is giant gaming conglomerates making fools of themselves, and Activision Blizzard really stepped in it this morning when it used draconian copyright law to try to cover up a trivial...

Five Good Settings To Tweak In Outriders

1.4.2021
As if there weren’t enough looter-shooters around, Outriders is out today. It’s a whole lot of game, with a whole lot of settings that can affect how you play. Some are obvious; some are not. It goes without saying that such things are a matter of taste, but I’ve found the following tweaks have...

Xbox Is Supporting Old Games, While Sony And Nintendo Are Leaving Them Behind

1.4.2021
Yesterday, Microsoft made it possible to instantly stream a bunch of older Xbox 360 and original Xbox games to any device compatible with Game Pass. It’s another piece of evidence that Microsoft is taking backward compatibility very seriously this time around, and that Sony and Nintendo have fallen...

The Best Special Edition Gaming Consoles, According To Our Readers

1.4.2021
There’s nothing like a special edition gaming console. Sure, everyone has a Nintendo Switch, but how many of us have an Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch? Who among us has a PlayStation 4 with a big Spider-Man logo on it? These bespoke systems are truly one of a kind. Actually, in some...

PSA: If You’re Stuck On The Outriders Title Screen, Be Patient

1.4.2021
Outriders is finally out today for all of the things (save for the Switch). But some players have reportedly found themselves unable to play, seemingly stuck on an infinite loading screen. Pro tip: Just stay in line. They have to count your login.Read more

It’s So Easy To Carry Your Progress From The Outriders Demo To The Full Game

1.4.2021
Following a delay and a month-long demo period, looter-shooter Outriders is out today for basically every platform but the Switch. If you played the demo, you can carry your progress over to the main game if on the same platform, something developer People Can Fly made clear from the jump. But it’s...

Doctor Who's Christopher Eccleston on Why Now Is the Time for His Return

1.4.2021
Christopher Eccleston transformed Doctor Who forever. Sixteen years ago, the actor—headlining a bold reboot of the beloved British sci-fi classic that had been off screens for nearly a decade—presented a tortured, compassionate take on a Time Traveler without a home. Then, as quickly as we met...

Shark RPG Maneater Gets Fresh DLC This Summer

1.4.2021
Chris Parnell reprises his role as investigative journalist Trip Westhaven and players reprise their role as Big Honkin’ Shark in Maneater: Truth Quest, a fresh batch of conspiracy-driven downloadable content coming to PlayStations, Xboxen, and PC this summer. Read more

Ah Loot River Looks Fantastic

1.4.2021
A few seconds into this announcement trailer for Loot River and I’m thinking, OK, it’s a top-down Dark Souls game. Fine, whatever. A few seconds later suddenly there’s Tetris in there too and everything looks a lot more interesting.Read more

Different Millionaire Fights Refrigerator

1.4.2021
Sometimes, you just decide that you’ve gotta fix something, and you’re not going to rest until you’ve won a battle of wits and wills against a piece of plastic. Most of the time, though, you don’t have 80,000 people watching you do it.Read more

The Elder Scrolls Online Gets Its Next-Gen Glow Up June 8

31.3.2021
The Elder Scrolls Online is a good-looking game, but playing it on console locked at 30 frames per second hurts my heart. Healing is coming, however, with the June 8 release of The Elder Scrolls Online - Console Enhanced, an upgraded version for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 that includes...

Millionaire Forgets To Pay Electric Bill

31.3.2021
Today, the top streamer on Twitch was forced to quit mid-stream because, he says, he forgot to pay his power bill. He is a millionaire. You hate to see it.Read more

Star Wars: Republic Commando Gets The Collector's Edition It Deserves

31.3.2021
The best Star Wars game that doesn’t involve the player swinging a lightsaber is getting an April 6 release on PlayStation 4 and Switch, but those looking for a physical version of Republic Commando will need to wait until April 16, when the four-week pre-order window opens for Limited Run’s...

Xbox Cloud Gaming Adds A Bunch Of Older Xbox Games

31.3.2021
Starting today, you’ll be able to play more than a dozen Xbox and Xbox 360 games via cloud streaming, Microsoft announced in a blog post. As with other game streaming, the perk is only available to members of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.Read more

Here's April 2021's PlayStation Plus Lineup

31.3.2021
April’s PlayStation Plus games are here, and they aren’t bad! As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PlayStation Plus membership.Read more

Fortnite Looks Better On Switch Now

31.3.2021
Fortnite got a “performance and resolution boost” on Switch yesterday, developer Epic announced. The game should now look and run better, and the file size is smaller too.Read more

Today Is Your Last Chance To Buy Super Mario All-Stars, For No Damn Reason

31.3.2021
It’s either one of the most elaborate April Fool’s brand-o-jokes of all time, or today marks the last day Nintendo will be selling Super Mario All-Stars, either in physical form or via the Switch’s electronic shop. From April 1, they still maintain it’s to be taken behind Miyamoto’s barn...

The Latest Big No Man's Sky Update Adds Seasonal Expeditions

31.3.2021
Wandering aimlessly through procedurally-generated space is fun, but some pilots want a more guided experience. Today’s “Expeditions” update for No Man’s Sky adds a new seasonal game mode that has players starting off on the same planet for pre-plotted adventures across the universe. Read more

I Love When Mainstream Acts Make Music For Video Games

31.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, I bring you a treat: a bunch of games! All featuring killer tracks from mainstream musicians.Read more

YouTube Might Be Getting Rid Of The Dislike Count

31.3.2021
YouTube just announced that, “in response to creator feedback around well-being and targeted dislike campaigns”, the site is testing some new designs that “don’t show the public dislike count”.Read more

Apex Legends Skins Delayed After Company Changes Its Name Mid-Promotion

31.3.2021
This week was supposed to see the release of a new set of branded skins for Apex Legends, done in collaboration with streetwear label Chinatown Market, but that company’s decision to rebrand in between the skins’ announcement and release means Respawn currently has them on hold.Read more

RECENZE: Pobouřil Číňany a dva roky nešel koupit. Jaký je horor Devotion?

31.3.2021
Tchajwanský horor Devotion způsobil před dvěma roky obrovský poprask. Vývojáři do něj nenápadně propašovali na první pohled nevinný vtípek, kterým přirovnali čínského prezidenta k Medvídkovi Pú. To rozzlobilo tamní veřejnost natolik, že hra byla stažena z obchodů a legálně si ji můžeme koupit...

24 Action-Adventure Movies With Ass-Kicking Women

30.3.2021
Growing up, my favorite movies were Indiana Jones, The Lord of the Rings, James Bond—anything with action and adventure. They typically starred daring men, but as a young woman I started admiring more powerful, smart women who could command a room. Fast forward to today, and more women than ever...

How Star Wars' Biggest Fan Wiki Found Itself in a Fight Over Trans Identity

30.3.2021
If you’re a Star Wars fan online, there stands a high chance that you’ve not only heard of Wookieepedia—the Fandom-owned community resource archiving eons of material from the franchise—but spent more time than you’d like to admit looking up everything from Ickabel G’ont to the history of the Grysk...

It Takes Two Creates An Almost-Perfect Union Of Story And Gameplay

30.3.2021
Traditional co-op gaming experiences can sometimes feel similar to solo play: another player picks up a controller, and a second avatar pops onto your screen that works almost exactly in the same way you do. This can be a blessing for people with limited time to game, but it can mean that...

Remade Wipeout Intro Reminds Us The Franchise's Return Is Long Overdue

30.3.2021
Of all the dormant racing game franchises — and there are many — Wipeout’s absence feels the most criminal. Developers at Sony’s long-defunct Studio Liverpool arguably never put a foot wrong throughout the anti-gravity racing series’ history, so long as you consider 2002's Wipeout Fusion...

Long-Needed Tweaks Make Monster Hunter Rise A Smoother Online Experience

30.3.2021
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “A single Dorito would kill a pilgrim instantly.” In a similar vein, if you showed a long-dormant Monster Hunter fan that the newest game, Monster Hunter Rise, lets you sharpen your weapon while on the run...I think their brains would explode.Read more

I Wish Genshin Impact Cared About My Time As Much As Its Story Seems To

30.3.2021
Reused NPCs. An environment you’ve already spent dozens of hours in. Contrived progress gating based on time. On paper, Genshin Impact’s current event, the Windblume Festival, sounds like it’s scraping the bottom of the barrel. In reality it’s a chill yet inventive exercise in making an in-game...

Here's April 2021's Xbox Live Games With Gold

30.3.2021
Despite recent changes to Xbox Live (or at least its name), April’s Games with Gold are here (whew!). As ever, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription.Read more

Worn Out: The Fashion Industry's Giant Waste Problem

30.3.2021
Spring is here, and I’ve been thinking a lot more about my wardrobe—and how sick I am of it. Even though I cleaned out my closet fairly recently, I still counted at least 25 clothing items that I don’t wear regularly anymore. But what should I do with all my tired sweaters and dresses?Read more

Monster Hunter Rise Is Tough To Get Into As A Newcomer

30.3.2021
Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get into Monster Hunter Rise. Fans of the kaiju-killing series are legion, and this latest entry, out last week for Nintendo Switch, is arguably the buzziest game in the world right now. But it sure doesn’t make things easy for newcomers.Read more

EVE Online's Latest Front Is A Battle Of The Bands

30.3.2021
EVE has been torn apart by war between the game’s largest factions for close to nine months. The war is raging on every imaginable front: massive fleets wreaking untold destruction, economic powers exerting their influence over the game’s markets, players vying for karma on the EVE subreddit....

Italian Fashion Brand Criticized for Disrespecting Japanese Culture

30.3.2021
If you’ve ever been to Japan (and even if you haven’t), you are probably aware that shoes are a big deal—namely, taking them off. The bottoms of shoes are considered dirty for obvious reasons. Because of this, walking inside while wearing shoes is certainly frowned upon.Read more

V-Commandos, One Of My Favorite Board Games, Is Getting A Fancy Upgrade

30.3.2021
I’ve written multiple times about V-Commandos on the site, a tactical WW2 stealth game made by some Ubisoft guys that is very good. About the only bummer with the game was that it used fairly basic cardboard tokens instead of plastic miniatures, but hey, they’re now fixing that and then some.Read...

Sega Lawyers Threaten Wrong Website Over Yakuza Piracy

30.3.2021
There are lawyers somewhere out there working for Sega HQ in Japan who have been tasked with hunting down the people responsible for pirating Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And they are not doing a good job.Read more

New Magic: The Gathering Card Accused Of Using Stolen Artwork

30.3.2021
Strixhaven: School of Mages, a new set of Magic: The Gathering cards, is due for release next month, but one of its cards is already generating controversy after it emerged that the artist responsible for drawing it sure did borrow a lot of stuff from another, uncredited artist.Read more

Nike Suing Over Lil Nas X's "Satan" Sneakers

30.3.2021
To go along with the release of his new video for Montero—in which he gives Satan a lap dance—Lil Nas X also teamed up with a customs company for the release of a range of Hell-themed Nike Air Max sneakers. Only problem being that now Nike is suing.Read more

A Lot Of Stuff Is Coming To Black Ops Cold War This Week

29.3.2021
Call of Duty’s Season Two Reloaded mid-season update is bringing some much-needed changes to Black Ops Cold War. Season Two started on February 25 with a focus on zombies-themed content, including the fun addition of the Zombies “Outbreak” mode. Now we’re already at the halfway point, and...

Nier Replicant Gets Off To A Really Slow Start

29.3.2021
After playing and being thoroughly wrecked by Nier: Automata, I was curious if Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139… the “version up” (since according to the developers it’s not a remake or a remaster) of the original Nier would inspire similar emotional devastation. I have dim memories of the first...

Chill City-Builder Forever

29.3.2021
Life is hard. Sometimes games are hard, and that just reminds me that life is hard, and then everything feels too damn hard. Not early access city-builder Dorfromantik, though. That game is just the right amount of chill.Read more

Another Charizard Card Sells For Over $300,000

29.3.2021
Pokémon cards have been having a bit of a boom lately, and nowhere is that more obvious than in auctions for the holographic Charizard card that acted as the base set’s crown jewel in 1999. A third card featuring the fire lizard recently sold for over $300,000.Read more

This Might Be the Only YouTube Browser Extension You'll Ever Need

29.3.2021
YouTube is a real mixed bag. It’s home to so much of our favorite stuff on the internet, but the experience of using website itself isn’t great—filled with distracting recommendations, poor personalization, and ads, ads, ads—unless you take advantage of desktop browser extensions that can make...

What's the Best Special Edition Console of All Time?

29.3.2021
You’ve probably owned a lot of video game consoles in your day. I mean, at this point, you can probably measure out your age in console generations. Something like “I’m seven generations old.” While I leave you to stew over that existential crisis, I have a bit of a nostalgic question for...

Media Molecule Talks Curation And The Future Of Dreams

29.3.2021
More than a year out from release, Dreams stands apart for its unique combination of game creator and sharing platform. But one aspect that has attracted much criticism over the past year is its curation. For the longest time, memes and unfinished “Dreams” buried the best of what the platform...

I Finally Fixed An Annoying PS5 Icon Glitch

29.3.2021
Late last year, I replayed Assassin’s Creed III via the remastered PS4 edition. I played it on my PS5 and after completing it, I deleted the game. Yet its digital ghost haunted my PS5 for months. Finally, this weekend, I removed it thanks to a random Twitter user and Greg Miller.Read more

Man Arrested Following Daring Pokémon Card Robbery

29.3.2021
A 28-year-old Tokyo resident has been arrested for allegedly breaking into a trading card shop atop a six-story building to steal Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, after climbing over the side of the building with a rope.Read more

Godzilla vs. Kong Can't Be Saved, Not Even by Good, Dumb Fun

29.3.2021
Monster movies often ride or die by their over-the-top action. One can be willing to forgive failures elsewhere—many of them, even—as long as the bits where the monsters punch the bejesus out of each other are satisfying. But Godzilla vs Kong has a problem: its titanic action heights just come...

PAX East 2021 Canceled, Replaced With PAX Online In July

29.3.2021
While convention organizers held out hope until the last minute, it turns out early June was still a bit too soon for thousands of gamers to descend upon Boston for PAX East 2021. The live event has now been canceled, replaced with a special PAX Online event running July 15-18. Read more

Genshin Impact, Six Months Later

29.3.2021
Genshin Impact was a landmark game for 2020, and for global awareness of Chinese-developed video games. Its impressive graphics, compelling fantasy world, and charming characters impressed and attracted millions of players.Read more

Oh Yeah? Well EA Is Making Its Own Damn Golf Game Again

29.3.2021
Two weeks ago 2K announced it signed Tiger Woods, the long-time face of EA’s defunct PGA Tour series, to an exclusive long-term contract for its PGA Tour 2K series. Now EA announces it’s bringing back EA Sports PGA Tour for its first new installment since 2015. We got us a good old-fashioned video...

Killer Loops With South Asian Flair Helped Skyblazer Stand Apart

29.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. We haven’t been covering many chiptunes lately, so today let’s start remedying that by checking out a somewhat unknown SNES gem with a sound all its own.Read more

Anime Tokyo Babylon 2021 Canceled Due To Plagiarism But New Version Planned

29.3.2021
Originally scheduled for this April, Tokyo Babylon 2021 was delayed last December after the anime had apparently based character designs on a promotional photo of K-pop star Yeri from Red Velvet as well as another source without permission. Now, it’s been announced the anime will be canceled, with...

Goodbye

29.3.2021
Michael Kenji is an artist based in Vietnam.Read more

Someone Made A PS5 Out Of Brass

28.3.2021
After watching this video, I still think the hardest part of making a brass PlayStation 5 is actually finding a PS5 to modify.Read more

WTF, Comic-Con?

28.3.2021
Hey, remember when Comic-Con International: San Diego was going to have a virtual convention once more this summer but try to hold a small, in-person con in November for...some reason? The organization has decided Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time. In the immortal words of Pugsley Addams:...

Sunday Comics: The Ultimate Life-Form

28.3.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

Na každé nové postavě vydělají stamiliony, Genshin Impact láme rekordy

28.3.2021
Čínské free 2 play RPG Genshin Impact je nejrychleji vydělávající hrou v dějinách. Za pouhý půlrok existence už autorům vydělala miliardu dolarů, každý den přináší dalších šest milionů. Pokud tedy zrovna nevychází nějaká nová postava – to se pak zisky ještě násobí

'Shop Contest: The Rock Edition, Winners!

27.3.2021
It’s almost a week later and we still don’t officially know if the Rock is in Fortnite. But who cares about that? We got awards to give out and a contest to run.Read more

This Is Embarrassing!

27.3.2021
This week on Snapshots we got a bunch of cool superhero screenshots, some colorful photos, a creepy cave, a giant hole, and one unlucky cowboy who can’t stop his horse. Read more

Outriders Will Permanently Mark Players Who Cheat

27.3.2021
Outriders releases in less than a week and if you were planning on cheating, be warned: You’ll be forever branded a dirty cheater and won’t be able to play with rule-following players via matchmaking.Read more

Wailord Is Huge, But Not Big Enough To Block A Canal

27.3.2021
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Wailord!Read more

Where Did Gamer Snacks Come From, Anyway?

27.3.2021
There are snacks, and then there are snacks for gamers. Through chalky chemical combinations of dubious repute, they will somehow make you aim better in Fortnite. How did we reach the point where snacks for a hobby that takes place primarily on the couch are basically workout supplements? On this...

Finally, A Video Game About The Boat

26.3.2021
You’ve no doubt heard by now about (literally) the largest story in the world. Three days ago, the Ever Given, a 1,300-foot freight liner, grounded on both shores of the Suez Canal, blocking any passage for any other boats. Despite the best efforts of engineers, tugboats, and one very determined...

Breaking Down The Suicide Squad's Madcap, Bloody Trailer

26.3.2021
Warner Bros. has just given the world a new, extended look at James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Who possibly could have guessed that a movie with a cast that large would have a beefy trailer in need of some breaking down?Read more

Every STALKER 2 NPC Has A 'One-Of-A-Kind Smile'

26.3.2021
GSC Game World’s Zakhar Bocharov stopped by today’s ID@Xbox presentation to show off more of STALKER 2, the upcoming sequel to the cult classic, post-apocalyptic shooter series that’s been in production in some form for over a decade. While we still don’t have any actual gameplay, Bocharov provided...

SonicFox Showed Up To A Mortal Kombat Event In Typical SonicFox Fashion

26.3.2021
Yesterday the WePlay Esports Ultimate Fighting League kicked off a live Mortal Kombat 11 tournament featuring a handful of international players including Dominique “SonicFox” McLean. The opening ceremony was like any typical esports event, complete with a DJ and the kombatants (official term,...

Yes, People Are Writing Horny Fanfic About the Suez Canal and the Ever Given

26.3.2021
You know the story by now: A massive container ship has been stuck in the Suez Canal since Tuesday, successfully blocking one of the busiest shipping routes on the planet. Ships have been forced to travel around the Cape of Good Hope like it’s the 1700s, global trade has been disrupted, there...

A New Melty Blood Fighting Game Got Announced Out Of Nowhere

26.3.2021
Japanese developer French Bread recently revealed a new entry in the fighting game series that put it on the map: Melty Blood. I know, I know, but stick with me. This is pretty cool and a big deal for folks who live and breathe fighting games.Read more

Immortals' New DLC Taught Me A Lot About Chinese Mythology

26.3.2021
It’s probably fair to say most DLC isn’t that great or memorable. That was the case with the first download for Immortals Fenyx Rising, which added a bunch of new puzzles and not much else. However, the game’s second DLC, Myths of the Eastern Realms, is a rare example of good downloadable content....

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

26.3.2021
Let’s drop this pretense about what the weekend is for and get straight to the point. Of course I will be playing the free PlayStation 4 idol rhythm game from Square Enix this weekend. No one needs a post to tell them that. What’s that? It’s called Love Live! School Idol Festival ~after school...

Dusk Makes My Head Bang And My Knees Shake

26.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we’re going old school and grooving to the creepy, heavy soundscapes of modern retro-shooter Dusk.Read more

A History Of Shareware, Demos And Covertapes

26.3.2021
Back before YouTube and Twitch and always online DRM, developers needed more effective ways of marketing than just relying on word of mouth. This resulted in shareware, demos and demo discs, free slices of playable content that spawned one of the most interesting phases in the gaming. Read more

Fallout 76 Was Right, It Was Time To Stop Playing

26.3.2021
Bored and without a large, engrossing game to play until Disco Elysium: The Final Cut drops later this month, I did the unthinkable: I downloaded Fallout 76 onto my PlayStation 5. I was almost immediately met by a game-breaking bug that, while easily rectified with a reboot, felt like a sign that...

Hey, What The Hell?

25.3.2021
Today, during the Future Games Show: Spring Showcase, we got a look at Of Bird and Cage, a playable metal album that forces you to make narrative choices at various points throughout what can only be described as a Mudvayne-themed lucid dream. One of the choices shown today certainly raised...

Oh Hell Yes, We're Getting More Shadow Tactics

25.3.2021
Shadow Tactics is one of the best stealth/tactics games of all time, and with developers Mimimi games having done the just-as-good Desperados 3 last year, they’re returning to Shadow Tactics with a standalone expansion.Read more

We Finally Got A (Brief) Look At The Gollum Game

25.3.2021
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum won’t be out until 2022, but the developers at German studio Daedalic Entertainment shared a brief snippet of gameplay during today’s Future Games Show.Read more

Hades Wins Best Game At The 2021 BAFTA Game Awards

25.3.2021
In addition to prestigious accolades like Best Indie Game at the 2020 Game Awards and Best Game Times 10 at the 2020 Ari Notis Awards, Hades just picked up top honors at today’s online-only BAFTA Games Awards. Hell yeah, Hades.Read more

Shinra Electric Power Company Decides To Tweet Through It

25.3.2021
The power utility, consumer electronics manufacturer, and private security force Shinra has taken to social media to respond directly to critics who have accused the tech oligopoly of exploiting workers, impoverishing local residents, and generally doing crimes against the planet.Read more

Get Past The F2P Bits And Crash Bandicoot: On The Run Is Good Crash

25.3.2021
Crash Bandicoot: On The Run, out today for iOS and Android, is a game in which Crash Bandicoot runs through narrow corridors breaking boxes and collecting Wumpa Fruit, just like every other Crash Bandicoot game. As mobile spin-offs go, it’s pretty on the nose.Read more

The Strategic Deployment of Basic

25.3.2021
Call Me Max, my early reader that ignited protests from angry parents in Utah and Texas, is written for a first or second-grade audience. It has a carefully controlled vocabulary and short sentences; it’s divided up into four chapters, despite being very short. It’s a book designed for kids just...

What's New on Amazon Prime Video in April 2021

25.3.2021
Amazon Prime Video’s newest original series will dive into a different kind of American horror story. THEM, from creator Little Marvin and producer Lena Waithe (Master of None) is an anthology show that will explore a new story each season, and based on the trailer, the first appears to combine...

There's Still Hope For A Binary Domain Remaster

25.3.2021
Robotic thriller Binary Domain sold terribly when it came out nearly a decade ago, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve seen the last of it. Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato is once again keeping hope alive for the shooter’s cult following. Read more

Total War: Rome Remastered Comes Out April 29

25.3.2021
Rome: Total War, one of the best Total War games ever made, is getting a much-needed remastering developed by Feral Interactive. This new and improved version of the game will be released on April 29 on Steam. Read more

How To Sign Up For The ‘Xbox Insider’ Program

25.3.2021
Yesterday, Microsoft announced that party chat, previously only available to members of Xbox Live Gold, will soon be free to all Xbox players. The company revealed the news in a tweet with phrases like “Alpha,” “Alpha Skip-Ahead,” and “flighting.” Meanwhile, an accompanying blog post featured...

Xbox Controllers Now Come In Tasty Limeade And Cherry Camo

25.3.2021
Microsoft calls them Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo, but that’s not important. What is important is there are two new Xbox wireless controllers coming out next month, both sporting candy-colored analog sticks I want to chew right out of their housings. Read more

Someone Just Opened A Brand-New Nintendo 64DD Dev Kit

25.3.2021
A private video game collector recently reached out to Rerez host Shane Luis for his help in documenting a new, in-box Nintendo 64DD development kit, which means we now have an idea of what it must have been like for developers in the ‘90s to get their hands on this rare piece of hardware.Read more

If Sega Won't Make A New Monkey Ball, These Guys Will

25.3.2021
Monkey Ball creator Toshihiro Nagoshi is busy doing Yakuza stuff right now, and in his absence Sega has spent the last decade neglecting the series. Not to worry! Rolled Out is here, looking exactly like Monkey Ball only for the fact that there’s a rodent in there.Read more

Twitch's Latest Sensation Is A Stop Sign Where No One Stops

24.3.2021
A blue car pulls up to a stop sign. Against all odds, it briefly, miraculously comes to a halt. Twitch chat goes ballistic. Numerous people spam “I was here” as pogchamp emotes flood in. This is Stopsigncam, a Twitch channel that suddenly has over 125,000 followers even though it’s just a camera...

It Is Once Again Time To Drive A Relaxing Video Game Bus

24.3.2021
As I have written on this website, there is a gentle joy to be found in driving a video game bus, and so it is with great excitement that I prepare to settle in for the next week playing a game called The Bus.Read more

Genshin Impact Made Over $1 Billion In Just Six Months

24.3.2021
You folks hear of this game Genshin Impact? Pretty big deal. So big that it’s raked in over $1 billion (that’s three commas, people) in mobile revenue since it launched nearly six months ago on September 28.Read more

Ikumi Nakamura Talks About Her New Studio While Exploring Spooky Buildings

24.3.2021
Ikumi Nakamura, the former GhostWire: Tokyo creative director who made a huge splash with her brief appearance at E3 2019, is finally ready to talk about opening her own game development studio after leaving Tango Gameworks in 2019. Fittingly, she did so while exploring some creepy, abandoned...

Super Smash Bros. Devotes An Entire Update To Nerfing Wii Fit Trainer

24.3.2021
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate balance changes tend to come in waves. Whenever the developers add new content to the game, players can expect to be greeted by a handful of character adjustments across the expansive roster. But in the latest update, the decision-makers at Nintendo set their sights...

Rocket League Is Coming To Smartphones

24.3.2021
Rocket League Sideswipe is a new 2D mobile version of car soccer sim Rocket League coming to iOS and Android later this year, developer Psyonix announced today.Read more

This Is Why The Car From Daytona USA Is Kicking Ass In A Fighting Game

24.3.2021
It’s come to my attention that some people on the internet aren’t aware of the greatest character ever to grace a fighting game. So today, we’re going to discuss the Hornet from Daytona USA and what it’s doing punching and kicking people with its tires in the amusing tweet below.Read more

What's New on HBO Max in April 2021

24.3.2021
The Nevers, HBO’s next bid for genre TV dominance, premieres April 11, carrying with it hopes it will generate, if not a Game of Thrones-level pop culture impact, then at least Lovecraft Country-level buzz. Unfortunately, the network hasn’t been able to generate any excitement based on the pedigree...

You Don’t Have To Run The Exclusive Reveal For The War Crime Game

24.3.2021
Rebooted war crime simulator Six Days in Fallujah got its official gameplay reveal yesterday in a new trailer that seems to confirm some people’s criticisms of the game as one-sided propaganda for the U.S. war machine. The trailer was debuted exclusively by IGN, the same website that just days...

Hitman 3 Is Getting DLC Based On The Seven Deadly Sins

24.3.2021
Next week, Hitman 3 will receive downloadable content based on the seven deadly sins, developer IO Interactive announced in a blog post today. Just don’t expect it to be quite like the DLC from Hitman 2.Read more

What's New on Netflix in April 2021

24.3.2021
Ever since Game of Thrones rewrote HBO’s fortunes and became a worldwide phenomenon, Netflix has been chasing its own subscriber-boosting blockbuster fantasy adaptation. They had some success in 2019 with the first, highly memeable season of The Witcher, but a streaming empire cannot stand on...

Where To Find All of Your Childhood Favorite Pokémon Toys

24.3.2021
This year, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon. We’ve already started it with a bang thanks to Post Malone and his Hootie & the Blowfish cover. I’m still not sure why that happened, but I’m grateful nonetheless. Fans will get a more traditional celebration later this year when...

New Pokémon Snap Is Like Old Pokémon Snap, Only Much Prettier

24.3.2021
Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 is a game about rolling through islands, leisurely taking pictures of pocket monsters. All the upcoming sequel needs to please fans of the original is more of that with nicer graphics. I am pleased to report New Pokémon Snap is exactly that.Read more

Navzdory slibům působí Six Days in Fallujah jen jako kopie Call of Duty

24.3.2021
Chystaná střílečka Six Days in Fallujah se od svého oznámení snaží působit kontroverzně a její autoři slibovali, že chtějí známý konflikt zpracovat realsiticky. První zveřejněné ukázky však působí jen jako obyčejná kopie Call of Duty, ovšem s řádově nižším rozpočtem

Epic Games Store Is Draining Some Laptop Batteries

24.3.2021
My annoyances with Epic’s store are generally limited to Fortnite pop-ups and forgetting I even had games installed there, but then I play games on a big desktop PC. If you’re using a laptop, you might want to keep an eye on the store, and in particular what it’s doing to your battery.Read more

Blizzard Isn't Making Any More Skins For Overwatch League MVPs

24.3.2021
After this year, the Overwatch League will no longer create special skins to honor the League’s MVP. Earlier today, the Overwatch League announced the release of two special Overwatch skins celebrating the San Francisco Shock’s second championship win and Byung-sun “Fleta” Kim earning 2020’s...

Final Fantasy XI Reboot Cancelled After Six Years Of Nothingness

24.3.2021
You will probably not remember this, but back in 2015, Nexon and Square Enix announced a mobile version of Final Fantasy XI that was due for release in 2016. It did not come out in 2016, or 2017, or 2018, or 2019, or 2020, and now will never be coming out, since it’s finally been put out of...

GameStop's Most Popular Earnings Call Ever Is A Bust

23.3.2021
After weeks of record-breaking days on Wall Street thanks to a meme stock frenzy engineered by Reddit, people were hoping for some answers from GameStop’s executives during today’s call with investors. They got none.Read more

Mundaun Is Beautiful, Hand-Drawn Folk Horror

23.3.2021
It was around the time the severed goat head in my backpack started bleating and then spoke that I truly began to understand the beauty of Mundaun, the new indie horror game from developer Michel Ziegler.Read more

An Epic Timeline of the Rock Willing DC’s Black Adam Into Existence

23.3.2021
In just a few weeks, Dwayne Johnson will finally roll cameras on his DC movie, Black Adam. That statement seems almost unbelievable—because if you can believe it, the actor and the role have been inseparable for over a decade. In that time, Johnson has taken great pleasure in teasing fans about...

Puzzle Quest 3 Does The Match-Three RPG A Little Differently

23.3.2021
The game that kicked off the match-three/RPG genre in 2007 is back for a third go with Puzzle Quest 3. An early preview of the Android version of the threequel reveals a somewhat more dynamic take on the genre mash-up. Giving players two seconds to map out their moves makes a big difference.Read...

There’s A New Type Of Fall Guys Jerk

23.3.2021
I would like to offer a sincere apology to my Fall Guys squad. I fell into the slime. I thought we were out. So I quit. I didn’t realize how much that screwed you (fall) guys! It won’t happen again, I promise.Read more

Serious Sam 2 Gets Massive Update 15 Years After Release

23.3.2021
Croatian studio Croteam has partnered with independent developer Nathan “DwK” Brown to release a huge update to Serious Sam 2 today, more than a few years removed from the first-person shooter’s late 2005 launch.Read more

Magic: Legends Open Beta Is Go

23.3.2021
Cryptic Studios’ free-to-play Magic: The Gathering-meets-Diablo action card-playing game has launched into open beta via Arc Games and the Epic Games Store, giving players all over the world the chance to play the game Kotaku’s Ash Parrish said several nice things about. Read more

Every Big Game Coming Out In Spring 2021

23.3.2021
Spring is here! The birds are singing, flowers blooming, and uh, it rains more. What a season! Sadly, covid-19 hasn’t gone anywhere. So depending on where you live you might still be stuck inside. Well, at least you’ll have games like Monster Hunter Rise, Outriders, and Mass Effect Legendary...

I Can't Wait To Play Monster Hunter Rise With Other People

23.3.2021
The review embargo for Monster Hunter Rise has lifted, and while I’ve been having a heck of a good time battling beasts with my AI dog and cat friends, online play is still a couple of days away. And everybody knows Monster Hunter is more fun with other people. Read more

Modded GameCube Keyboard Is The Controller Of My Dreams

23.3.2021
In 2002 Nintendo released a ridiculous-looking GameCube controller with a keyboard embedded in it so that Phantasy Star Online players could type to their friends. In 2021 someone’s modded it into an equally impractical but much prettier custom keyboard that I wish I could use to type all of...

The Rise and Fall of 'Bro-gurt,' the Macho, Ab-Obsessed Snack for MEN

23.3.2021
In 2013, a blonde-haired woman in a “sexy nurse” costume (low neckline, high hemline) worked a booth at the Food Expo of Natural Products, pitching a new option: Powerful Yogurt. She offered passers-by ultrasounds of their stomachs so they could “find their inner abs,” the brand’s tagline....

Report: Upgraded Switch Will Use New Nvidia Chip To Upscale To 4K

23.3.2021
Outputting native 4K graphics is hard. Upscaling to 4K is a little easier. According to a Bloomberg report posted early this morning, Nintendo’s long-rumored upgraded Nintendo Switch will leverage a new Nvidia system-on-a-chip to upscale its docked graphics to 4K.Read more

Report: Mobile Game Final Fantasy XI R Has Been Canceled

23.3.2021
For the past few years, Square Enix has been co-developing mobile Final Fantasy XI R with Nexon. The game was dubbed an “MMMRPG” or “Massively Multiplayer Mobile RPG.” But now, apparently, it’s no more.Read more

My New Xbox Elite Controller Has A Long Shortcoming

23.3.2021
Having used an Elite controller on my PC almost every single day for years, it has finally started showing signs of serious wear and tear, so last week I went and got an Elite Series 2 controller. I am mostly happy with it, but there’s one bizarre shortcoming with its interchangeable sticks that...

A Pikmin Game Is Coming To Phones

23.3.2021
Nintendo and Niantic, the same pair behind mobile juggernaut Pokemon Go, are going to release a new augmented reality game later this year that’s all about Pikmin.Read more

Hit loňského roku od Nintenda slaví jeden rok, hráči od něj čekali víc

23.3.2021
Hra Animal Crossing: New Horizons byla fenomenálním úspěchem Nintenda. Firma si pro pohodové budování vlastního tropického ostrova nemohla vybrat lepší moment a prodeje dosáhly rekordních hodnot. Přesto však vychází najevo, že oproti předchůdcům je tento nový díl poměrně prázdný

Creepy Eco-Horror Film Gaia Reminds You Not to Mess With Earth

22.3.2021
The great thing about horror is it can come from anywhere. Sure, we’re familiar with gore, monsters, and murderers, but truly anything can scare you or kill you. Case in point, the burgeoning genre of eco-horror, which makes it very clear that the world we live in right now will eventually kill...

RIP, Xbox Live (2002-2021)

22.3.2021
The name “Xbox Live” is dead. You’ll still be able to play Xbox games online, but the suite of Xbox’s online services will now be known as Xbox Network, Microsoft confirmed today to The Verge.Read more

Genshin Impact Won't Let Me Spend Money Anymore, And I'm Finally Free

22.3.2021
I have a complicated relationship with Genshin Impact. I adore its vast, lovingly handcrafted world and charming characters. I hate how its intertwining systems whisper to me in a million different voices: “Spend money.” But there’s no denying that the system works; to date, I’ve probably spent...

12 Movies That Will Make You Love Hand-Drawn Animation

22.3.2021
In the 20 years since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, a hand-drawn movie has claimed the award only once—Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 masterpiece Spirited Away. From Shrek to Wall-e to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse...

Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Is Even More Heartbreaking In French

22.3.2021
I do not speak a lick of French, and yet the first thing I did upon (finally) unlocking Heavensward, Final Fantasy XIV’s first expansion, was switch to French audio. It was a recommendation of a dear friend who’s further into her first journey through FF14 than I am. Neck-deep in Heavensward’s main...

What’s the Best Single-Player Board Game?

22.3.2021
A few months ago, we asked our readers to tell us what they thought the best two-player board game was. We got a huge collection of answers that ranged from elaborate indies to classics like Cribbage. That was great news for roommates or partners who were cooped up together during the pandemic....

Happy Birthday to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

22.3.2021
We sincerely apologize for doing this but you’re about to feel old. Today, March 22, is the 30th anniversary of the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze. That means the film you probably loved as a kid is officially starting to find grey hairs, gain weight in...

What’s New In Fall Guys Season Four Today

22.3.2021
Fall Guys neon-soaked season four is officially out today. The update introduces a number of changes to the platformer royale, including seven new levels:Read more

Steam Flat-Out Refuses To Sell Sleazy Pick-Up Game Super Seducer 3

22.3.2021
The third game in dating guru and author Richard La Ruina’s Super Seducer series of full-motion-video dating sims will not be releasing on Steam, because the service does not “ship sexually explicit images of real people,” just tons and tons of anime porn. Read more

The Game.com cometh: The rise and fall of the Game Boy’s weirdest rivals

22.3.2021
There was a time—from roughly April of 1989 until the mobile revolution of the last 10 years—when “mobile gaming” meant something very different to the vast majority of people. Specifically, it meant Nintendo. Even as the Console Wars raged at home, the Japanese giant’s iron-fingered...

Bomberman Board Game Cancelled, Which Sucks

22.3.2021
Of all the video games out there being turned into board games, few are as perfect a fit for the tabletop treatment as Bomberman. So it sucks to hear that, having originally been planned for a 2020 release, IDW and Konami’s Bomberman board game has been cancelled.Read more

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Post-Launch Woes Continue

21.3.2021
I loved Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. So much so that, had I been given more time with it during the calendar year, it would have made a serious run for my Game Of 2020. But boy, at the same time, I have not been happy with the support the game has got after launch.Read more

'Shop Contest: The Rock Edition

21.3.2021
According to weirdos on the internet, The Rock might be in Fortnite. Maybe? Who can really say? (Besides The Rock, his PR team, and Epic.) Regardless, let’s put The Rock in some video games!Read more

The Star Trek Episodes That Define Captain Kirk

21.3.2021
March 22nd—and in just over two centuries in the fictional world of Star Trek—is Captain Kirk’s birthday. The iconic captain of the Enterprise (who shares a birthday with his actor William Shatner) is beloved for many reasons—reasons that are often contradictory to Trek’s idealized world. But what...

Sunday Comics: Yes, Perfect!

21.3.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

Spider-Man Saves People, Neither Snow Nor Rain

20.3.2021
After a week off, Snapshots is back! We got more great screenshots this week from a bunch of games. Just a heads up: Some of these screenshots are from last week. So consider this a special, larger-than-normal edition of Snapshots!Read more

Elites In Halo: Reach Contain A Gross Secret

20.3.2021
I’ve played a lot of Halo: Reach. In fact, last month I played through the entire game again with my brother via the Master Chief Collection. But I had no idea that inside the playable Elites in the game lurks a somewhat disgusting little secret: Their innards...? Guts? Bones? Hard to tell.Read more

The Latest Godzilla vs. Kong Trailer Teases a Very Special Guest Star

20.3.2021
We already knew that Mechagodzilla would be popping up in Godzilla vs. Kong—check him out in toy form—but the latest teaser hyping the movie’s March 31 bow on HBO Max gives us a glimmer of his robotically glowing orbs...via his archrival Godzilla’s giant peeper. Feast your own eyes and see...

I Can't Handle How Many Games Turn 20 Years Old This Year

20.3.2021
I recently noticed a favorite game of my youth, Halo, turns 20 years old this year. So I got curious and looked up what other games I loved back as a kid, to see hit how many are going to turn 20 in 2021. I found a lot. “What a drag it is getting old.”Read more

Opovrhovaný Roblox má větší hodnotu než Ubisoft a Take 2 dohromady

20.3.2021
I když není Roblox dospělým hráčům tak známý, láká každý měsíc víc uživatelů než třeba Minecraft. Díky vstupu na burzu se nyní jeho autorům podařilo přetavit popularitu v obrovské zisky. Hodnota společnosti je násobně větší než u mnoha daleko zvučnějších jmen v oboru

Video Game Companies Keep Coming Up With New Ways To Take Our Money

19.3.2021
Video games are expensive. They have been expensive for a very long time, and they keep getting more expensive. To an extent, it makes sense: Game developers need to eat! But after a certain point, it gets excessive. Loot boxes, gacha, and now NFTs are signs of that excess. On this week’s...

Fortnite Players Are Getting Weird Again, This Time About The Rock

19.3.2021
Fortnite fans have been speculating on who voiced The Foundation, a character who appeared in the cinematic and in-game event that started the game’s season 6. The going theory is that it’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but there are competing ideas too. None of this matters much, but it’s Fortnite...

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster Finally Heads West On May 25

19.3.2021
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster launches in North America this spring, developer Atlus announced today. It will be available on May 25 for PlayStation 4, Switch, and Steam, almost seven months after its Japanese release. Those who purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition will be able to play...

Xbox Smart Delivery Turned Out To Be A Pretty Big Deal

19.3.2021
When Microsoft started slipping the made-up phrase “Smart Delivery” into all of its Xbox Series X/S marketing last year, it seemed like just another pair of empty buzzwords. Surely all games would just simply work after you installed them on your expensive new hardware, whether they supported...

It Takes Less Than 20 Minutes To Eat A Baby In Fallout 3

19.3.2021
File this one under Answers to Questions No One Asked: It apparently only takes 18 minutes and 51 seconds to go from the beginning of Fallout 3 to eating a baby in one of the expansions. Speedrunners, folks.Read more

Hawkeye Can't Save Marvel's Avengers

19.3.2021
Like a sexy civilian in a superhero movie, Marvel’s Avengers needs saving. Someone, or something, needs to swoop in with panache and 11th-hour heroics. And the hero up at bat is...Hawkeye? Really? Him?Read more

Expect a Lot of Airbender From Nickelodeon's Avatar Studios

19.3.2021
When Nickelodeon announced earlier this year that it was in the early stages of building Avatar Studios, a new branch dedicated to crafting new projects meant to continue the larger Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, one of the questions on many people’s minds was what this new endeavor would...

Next Big Cyberpunk 2077 Patch Will Fix Cops And Cars

19.3.2021
CD Projekt Red released a weird update on Cyberpunk 2077's next big patch today, including a brief explanation of changes coming to how its open world works, delivered by an in-universe news broadcaster. *Sigh*.Read more

Bravely Default II’s Grand Music Does Most Of Its Storytelling

19.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, let’s listen to some of the songs from the new Final Fan–, err, Bravely Default II’s instant-classic soundtrack.Read more

Gundam Build Series Going Live-Action

19.3.2021
Bandai and anime studio Sunrise are teaming up for a new Gundam Build series. This time, though, it’s not animated. It’s live-action.Read more

Happy anniversary to Kirby Super Star, the best game ever made

19.3.2021
Every Friday, A.V. Club staffers kick off our weekly open thread for the discussion of gaming plans and recent gaming glories, but of course, the real action is down in the comments, where we invite you to answer our eternal question: What Are You Playing This Weekend? Read more

Oh No, Townscaper Is Coming To Switch And Mobile

19.3.2021
Townscaper, where you do nothing but paint yourself an idyllic little village, was one of my absolute favourite games of 2020. And that was when it was on the PC. Now that it’s coming to phones, meaning I can play it anywhere, I am in serious trouble.Read more

It's Nice Being Able To Play Console Exclusives On A PC

19.3.2021
I was playing Forza Horizon 4 on my PC earlier this week and at one point after a race I put the controller down and just...smiled. Everything about what I was doing in that moment was lovely. Partly because of the game, which is great, but also just because of the fact I was able to be playing...

Uh, GamesCom Thinks People Will Be Attending In 2021?

19.3.2021
Like every other major event, GamesCom took 2020 off, swapping its enormous in-person show for a series of online presentations. Unlike other major events which are taking 2021 off as well, though, GamesCom organisers think they’ll be able to get people in the door sometime in “late summer”.Read...

Magic: Legends Makes Diablo-Style Combat Feel Like, Well, Magic

18.3.2021
In the past, every month or so my partner and I would follow the instructions on the box and “gather” with our friends to play Magic: The Gathering. We’d have a casual sealed draft of whatever the latest set was, and at the end of the (at times very long) night, the winner walked home with a couple...

I Feel You, Life Is Strange Teen

18.3.2021
I haven’t played any of the Life is Strange games, because I have no nostalgia for my teenage years. Today’s trailer for the next installment in the series, True Colors, with its moody acoustic cover of Radiohead’s “Creep,” has only reaffirmed my desire to leave my past in the past. How were any...

Sony Buys Evo

18.3.2021
Premier fighting game competition the Evolution Championship Series (colloquially known as Evo) has been purchased by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the Japanese corporation announced today. Evo co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon plan to stay on as key advisors.Read more

Spider-Man Still Isn't Coming To Avengers Anytime Soon

18.3.2021
Spider-Man is still coming to Marvel’s Avengers and will remain exclusively available on the PS4 and PS5. However, the developers on the game confirmed that the original release window for Spidey, early 2021, is no longer accurate. Read more

Don’t Delete PS4 Avengers Before Importing Your Saves To PS5

18.3.2021
Following a delay last fall, Marvel’s Avengers is officially out today for next-gen consoles. But if you’re trying to boot up your PlayStation 4 save files on PlayStation 5, you might notice that your hard-grinded save data doesn’t automatically transfer over. Personally, I was aghast. My Iron-Man...

Amid Covid And Unemployment, Gaming Was My Happy Place

18.3.2021
I remember feeling so optimistic on New Year’s 2020. It’s hard to say when, exactly, that optimism was shattered due to the pandemic. Like many with the privilege to do so, I started working from home as much as possible weeks before it became mandatory. Maybe unlike others (or more like other...

So, It's Been A Year, Huh

18.3.2021
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the growing outbreak of covid-19 a pandemic. In the year since, over 120 million people have been infected by the virus worldwide, and 2.5 million people have died because of covid-19. Life has forever been changed. We wear masks. Avoid...

24-Year-Old Neo Geo 64 Prototype Latest Game To Be Found In A Field

18.3.2021
Someone has found a never-before-seen prototype of a Hyper Neo Geo 64 game, giving us our first look at development hardware used to create games for SNK’s failed mid-’90s arcade platform. This cool discovery was found sitting undisturbed in a field, under a collapsed tree.Read more

Everything We Saw In Today's Square Enix Presents

18.3.2021
Square Enix held its first Nintendo Direct-style “Square Enix Presents” showcase today, and while most of what was shown was stuff we’ve seen before, there were a few surprises.Read more

Square Enix's Project Athia Is Now Called Forspoken, Coming In 2022

18.3.2021
As part of today’s Square Enix showcase, the publisher showed another snippet of its “narrative-driven adventure set in a beautiful yet cruel world,” Project Athia. Only it’s not called Project Athia anymore. Now it’s, uh, Forspoken, a name that, if nothing else, was not previously spoken for.Read...

Life Is Strange, Before The Storm Getting Remastered Collection

18.3.2021
In addition to new Life is Strange installment True Colors, the folks at Square Enix and Deck Nine are working on a remastered bundle that collects every episode of the original Life is Strange and its prequel spin-off Before the Storm for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam, and Stadia this...

Meet The Star Of The New Life Is Strange

18.3.2021
During today’s Square Enix Presents broadcast, the publisher revealed Life is Strange: True Colors, the next entry in the choice-driven adventure series. The full game—no episodic releases this time—is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Stadia on September...

Black Panther Finally Announced For Marvel's Avengers

18.3.2021
Black Panther should have been in Marvel’s Avengers from day one. Instead, he’s a DLC character whose announcement was delayed last year due to the unfortunate passing of actor Chadwick Boseman. During today’s Square Enix Presents stream Black Panther was finally revealed, coming to the game later...

Scarlet Nexus Out June 25, Anime To Follow

18.3.2021
Scarlet Nexus, the “brain punk” action role-playing game from Bandai Namco, will come out on June 25. It’ll be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. Read more

Gaming Didn't Get Me Through It

18.3.2021
Before lockdown started, I had another job with a company that made what became the world’s most sought-after product: hand sanitizer. Working there before everything shut down was like watching a car crash in slow motion. Every day, my coworkers would whisper about the spread of the virus...

There's A Lot More Bravely Default 2 After The Credits

18.3.2021
Most games “end” when the credits roll, but not Bravely Default 2. After you defeat the ostensible final boss, sit through the ensuing melodrama, and get booted back to the main menu, there’s a lot more Bravely Default 2 waiting for you.Read more

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis Will Have Loot Boxes

18.3.2021
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, the mobile compilation aiming to bring all of the Final Fantasy VII extended universe’s stories together in one place, will have loot boxes, creative director Tetsuya Nomura confirmed yesterday in a new interview with Famitsu.Read more

Toyota's Dreamcast Virtual Showroom Discs Made Car Buying Fun

18.3.2021
The Sega Dreamcast was home to many notable racing games despite its short time with us, from Yu Suzuki’s Ferrari F355 Challenge to Test Drive Le Mans, Crazy Taxi and a very goofy version of Daytona USA. They weren’t all winners, but they were genuinely interesting titles. Wouldn’t you know, even...

Animal Crossing Horror Short Getting Full-Length Feature

18.3.2021
Don’t Peek, a six-minute horror movie about a monster trying to escape from Animal Crossing into the real world, premiered this week at SXSW Online and will soon be coming to a theater near you in full-length form.Read more

X-COM’s Beloved Tactical Gameplay Took Months To Get Just Right

18.3.2021
Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense tells the story of the early years of legendary strategy game designer Julian Gollop and the making of the original X-COM, and is funding now on Kickstarter. In this excerpt from the book, Julian and designers from publisher MicroProse...

PS5 VR Controllers Ditch The Magic Wand Look

18.3.2021
Sony shared a glimpse of the new controllers that will be apart of its next-gen VR add-on for the PS5 and they look nothing like the glowing wands used for the company’s existing PSVR.Read more

Super Nintendo World Finally Opens In Japan

18.3.2021
After not one but two delays, Super Nintendo World finally opened today. As Being Kansai reports, lines started forming by 6:30 AM, with a good crowd forming within an hour. Read more

A Modern Take On Masters Of The Universe

18.3.2021
Artist Eddie Del Rio, who we last featured here with his contributions to Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ attempts to get a Metal Gear movie made, spent a bunch of time last year, like everyone else, stuck at home. Unlike most other folks, though, he decided to spend a bunch of that time reimagining iconic...

Dying Light 2's Developers Are Indulging Toxic Gamers

18.3.2021
As promised, Polish developer Techland put out a video today updating the world on the state of zombie parkour thriller Dying Light 2. and it’s an extremely concise look at one of the most toxic cycles underlying the video game industry.Read more

Fortnite's Weird Relationship With Directors Is Getting Even Weirder

18.3.2021
Even if you don’t play one of the biggest video games on the planet, there stands a good chance you’ve heard about Fortnite recently—memetic songs about chug-jugging or otherwise—thanks to the launch of its latest season of content. But the game’s status as this bizarre black hole of media content...

Valheim Mod Lets You Tame Any Creature, Including Trolls

18.3.2021
While playing Valheim the other night, a friend and I spent an ungodly amount of time digging a trench and physically pushing Greylings through it, into a house, so they could be our pets. It was fiddly, sometimes infuriating work. Also, deeply unethical. If we had this mod, it would have at least...

Go, Fortnite Chicken, Go

17.3.2021
Perhaps you, like me, forget which games have fall damage and which don’t. You get spoiled by the invincibility of Apex Legends, only to switch to Breath of the Wild and plummet to your death. At least you won’t be doing that in Fortnite anymore, if you can catch a chicken.Read more

Xbox Gets New Suspend Feature To Help With Slow Download Speeds

17.3.2021
Download speeds on consoles are notoriously bad, especially if your internet isn’t lightning fast to begin with. A new feature rolling out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S for Xbox Insiders is aimed at improving them by making it easier to suspend existing games while downloading new ones.Read...

What's New on Hulu in April 2021

17.3.2021
There is a legend of a movie. A movie with a twist so ludicrous, I dare not speak of it, lest you scoff yourself right off of this website, never to return. It is called Wild Mountain Thyme. It is coming to Hulu on April 25, and you should definitely try to watch it without knowing the ending...

Why Medicare for All Must Be Part of the Green New Deal

17.3.2021
In 1991, Larry Barragan got word that the oil refinery in Long Beach, California where he was working would be closing. It was one of the scariest moments of his career. Barragan was nervous about losing his income, but even worse was the thought of losing his health insurance, especially because...

Activision Blizzard CEO To Get Even Bigger Bonuses While Others Get Laid Off

17.3.2021
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick routinely gets millions in stock bonuses every year based on how the company is doing. Now he’s set to get even more, for a total payout of nearly $200 million according to CtW Investment Group, a union pension fund advocacy organization. And it’s all thanks...

So, When Will You Be Able To Get A PS5?

17.3.2021
Picture this: You pop into your neighborhood big box store, hoping to buy a PlayStation 5, and it’s just there. It’s on the shelf. You can pay for it, you can leave the store with it, and it’s yours. No need to sit at your desk refreshing browser tabs all day. Sounds pretty nice, right?Read more

The Worst (And Not-So-Bad) Video Game Movies

17.3.2021
More often than not, video game movies take something we know, love, and obsess over and transform it into an unrecognizable monster at worst—or a forgettable, underwhelming experience at best. Happy endings in the video game movie genre can be hard to come by.Read more

A Short Film From Medal Of Honor Has Been Nominated For An Oscar

17.3.2021
It’s not quite a video game winning a film award, but a short film that was part of Respawn’s 2020 VR game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). It’s possibly the first time a video game studio has been nominated for...

Další přídavek pro DOOM Eternal je za rohem, podívejte se na trailer

17.3.2021
Závěrečná část DLC The Ancient Gods pro vynikající střílečku DOOM Eternal vychází již ve čtvrtek 18. března a my se konečně díky novému traileru můžeme podívat, jak bude vypadat. Žádné radikální změny v hratelnosti samozřejmě nečekejte, ale výprava bude na poměry série nezvykle rozmáchlá

What's New on Disney+ in April 2021

17.3.2021
Little ones, gather ‘round. Let me tell you a story of the dark times in the galaxy far, far away. Before the prequels, sequels, and the animated series, there was a time after Return of the Jedi came out, when Star Wars just...stopped. George Lucas had no interest in making more movies. Action...

Xbox Game Pass For PC Finally Gets EA Play Tomorrow

17.3.2021
Planned for release late last year but delayed until now, EA Play comes to Xbox Game Pass for PC tomorrow at no additional cost to subscribers, complete with the newly-added Star Wars: Squadrons.Read more

The New Mortal Kombat Movie Starts Off Strong

17.3.2021
The new Mortal Kombat film, the first theatrical release based on the fighting games since 1997's Mortal Kombat Annihilation, opens with a scene that should be quite familiar to fans. Hanzo Hasashi, the man fated to become the vengeful Scorpion, enjoys a quiet moment with his family in their...

The Undeniable Legacy of Anti-Asian Violence

17.3.2021
It takes at least 30 minutes to drive from Young’s Asian Massage Parlor in Acworth, Georgia, to the nondescript block in the northern Atlanta suburb of Buckhead where one can find another cluster of Asian massage parlors, including Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa. On Tuesday, according to local...

Players Aren't Happy About Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Transmog Tax

17.3.2021
A couple months after release, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla finally has transmog, but not as some players had originally envisioned it. The feature falls short of how it’s been implemented in past games, and comes with a 50 silver tax on each transaction to boot, leaving a lot of us, myself included...

Eternal Sonata Literally Includes Some Of The Greatest Music Of All Time

17.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. This morning I am totally cheating by presenting you with tracks from Eternal Sonata, the Bandai Namco RPG that features music composed by 19th-century Polish classical superstar...

Sony Chose PlayStation's First Office Location With Late-Night Drinks In Mind

17.3.2021
When Sony Computer Entertainment first established its flagship PlayStation brand in 1993, its executives’ chief concern was making sure the company’s first offices were located in an area with late-night bars. At least that’s the story Ken Kutaragi, who’s widely known as father of the PlayStation...

Chess Champion Plays "Bongcloud" Move, Which Is Very Funny

17.3.2021
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen is a chess grandmaster, the current world champion, as well as world #1 in rapid and blitz chess as well. He is very good at chess, but in this match against fellow grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, he opens by playing one of the worst possible moves in the entire game.Read more

EA Trying New Technology To Fight FIFA 21's Racism Problem

17.3.2021
While EA has issued over 25,000 warnings and suspensions, and banned over 9000 accounts for “inappropriate or offensive content” since the launch of FIFA 21 last year, it may shock you to learn that the game still has a problem with racist white folks using certain systems and game modes to...

The Best Clone Wars Cartoon Is Coming Back

16.3.2021
I have no problem with the big, shiny Clone Wars cartoon that ran from 2008-2020. But that series’ success came at the expense of an older Clone Wars show that, having been thrown into Disney’s Great Pit Of Cartoon, is finally going to get the comeback it has long deserved.Read more

Rockstar Pays Modder $10,000 For Fixing GTA Load Times

16.3.2021
Remember how yesterday we told you about the modder who found a way to greatly improve GTA Online load times on the PC? That fix, identified and approved by Rockstar, has already gone live, and the modder responsible has been cashed out for their work.Read more

Google Play Halves Its Cut Of Devs’ First $1 Million

16.3.2021
Google Play developers will see service fees on their first $1 million every year reduced from 30% to 15% starting on July 1, Google vice president of product management Sameer Samat announced today.Read more

Fortnite’s Awful Banana Man Is Finally Dead

16.3.2021
Early (and I mean early) this morning, Epic Games unveiled the next season of its mega-popular battle royale shooter Fortnite. As is often the case, there’s a bunch of cool, new stuff for players to mess around with in-game, but in my mind the biggest development is the death of Fornite mascot...

The Most Fun Racing Game Out There Just Got A Big Update For Xbox Series X

16.3.2021
Wreckfest is the most fun racing game out there right now, and I mean that in the broadest sense possible. We can argue about the best simulator, or the best rally game or what have you, but when I want to throw down with my friends and 20 blissfully unaware bots, nothing matches the instant...

I’m Having Some Trouble With Outriders’ Crossplay

16.3.2021
Last month, a demo for Outriders dropped on most every platform but the Switch. Then, yesterday, Microsoft announced that this latest buzzy looter-shooter would join the Xbox Game Pass library on launch day, April 1.Read more

Here's Everything Coming To And Leaving Game Pass Soon

16.3.2021
In case you got the wrong impression, Xbox Game Pass isn’t just a vehicle to play games that start with a Bethesda loading screen. Here’s everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next few weeks:Read more

Animal Crossing's Next Free Update Is A Boon For Designers

16.3.2021
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will celebrate its one-year anniversary with cake delivered to all players in its March 18 update, but the real present is 50 new slots for the normal and pro designer, and the ability to customize fans, umbrellas, flags, and photo stands. Read more

2K Signs Tiger Woods, Buys The Studio Behind PGA Tour 2K21

16.3.2021
From 1998 through 2013 golf superstar Tiger Woods was the face of EA’s PGA Tour series of video games. Now Woods is back in the video game business, only this time he’s signed an exclusive long-term contract with 2K as the face, executive director, and consultant on the PGA Tour 2K series. Along...

Fortnite's Season 6 Is Wilderness Themed

16.3.2021
Fortnite’s Season 6 is here, following a solo event rather than a multiplayer one. Called “Primal,” it features a forest area, weapons crafting, and wildlife.Read more

So Help Me, I Like The Fortnite Joy-Cons

16.3.2021
Let’s get this out of the way, I don’t like Fortnite. But I am seriously considering these new Fortnite Joy-Cons, because good Lord, those colours are wonderful.Read more

Ratchet & Clank Weapons, Ranked

16.3.2021
This weekend, I played through the “re-imagined” 2016 Ratchet & Clank for PlayStation 4 (free via PlayStation Plus this month). And I started feeling that familiar itch, the itch to compile an underexplained list. As such, here’s how I rank the weapons in its arsenal based on various...

Everything to Remember Before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

16.3.2021
Just two weeks after the end of WandaVision, the next story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready to be told. (Which is nice considering we waited well over a year between the last two installments.) That story is called The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the six-episode Disney+ series will...

Fan Fixes GTA Online Load Times, Rockstar Makes It Official

16.3.2021
Earlier this month, GTA Online player t0st found a way to cut down the game’s load times by 70%. It must have been a clean, effective fix, because Rockstar themselves have taken a look, agreed with it and will soon make it part of an official update.Read more

Ghost Of Tsushima Devs Didn't Think Those Fast Load Speeds Were So Special

15.3.2021
If you played Ghost of Tsushima, you were likely floored by how fast it loads. Despite taking place on an enormous open world, you can fast-travel from one end to the other in seconds, which might give you the impression that Sucker Punch, the game’s developer, employs literal wizards. That’s...

How A Halo Symbol Ended Up In The Snyder Cut

15.3.2021
If you look closely, you might spot a random symbol from Halo in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. It appears on Deathstroke’s sword and seems to have been added accidentally. Read more

Twitch Streamer Banned Twice In Two Days For Harassing Himself, Somehow

15.3.2021
It might be an understatement to say that popular Minecraft YouTuber and streamer George “GeorgeNotFound’’ Davidson had a weird weekend. Within two days, he got banned from Twitch, possibly un-banned, definitely banned again, and unbanned (again?). Why? “Harassment via username,” according...

Undertale Makes Its Xbox Debut Via Game Pass Tomorrow

15.3.2021
Undertale, the quirky 2015 role-playing game from indie dev Toby Fox, finally heads to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S tomorrow, and it will be free for everyone with an active Game Pass subscription on console.Read more

Warren Spector Thinks Deus Ex Is Too Real For 2021

15.3.2021
The Game Developers Conference kicked off today as a week of virtual talks. In a live chat alongside a rebroadcast of his 2017 GDC talk, Deus Ex designer Warren Spector talked about why he wouldn’t make the game today.Read more

Where to Stream the 2021 Oscar Nominees

15.3.2021
For a while, the biggest film story of 2020 was what movies weren’t coming out, as the pandemic closed theaters and bumped release dates for some of the year’s biggest would-be blockbusters (see you later, Black Widow and No Time to Die, hopefully) and buzziest awards-bait (or is there another...

Destiny 2's Trials Of Osiris Still Offline Following Match Fixing Scandal

15.3.2021
It’s been a rough year for Destiny 2's high stakes competitive mode. Trials of Osiris has been plagued by cheating, glitch exploits, and lopsided matchmaking. Now it’s a hotbed of match fixing, as players try to game the system to get its coveted rewards without actually putting in the work...

Outriders Is Officially Coming To Xbox Game Pass

15.3.2021
It’s official: Outriders, the hotly anticipated looter-shooter from People Can Fly, is coming to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft confirmed in a blog post today. It’ll be available starting April 1.Read more

Stubbs The Zombie Remaster Retains That Classic Jank

15.3.2021
Zombies have been a big part of video games for a long time now. Mostly we kill them in droves. But back in 2005, Stubbs The Zombie shook things up and let you take on the role of a zombie devouring people in a futuristic city. That game is back on modern consoles via a remaster that might be...

Fall Guys Season 4 Kicks Off March 22

15.3.2021
Not even time can erode the irrepressible cheer of face-planting beans. The futuristic fourth season of Fall Guys kicks off on March 22, developer Mediatonic announced today.Read more

The New Xbox Wireless Headset Is A Good Option At A Great Price

15.3.2021
I’m not a fan of wireless headsets, mainly because I’ve had some bad experiences with them. So I was hesitant about Microsoft’s fancy new $100 wireless Xbox headset. Luckily, this new headset, while not perfect, is a solid piece of gear with some nifty features and a great design. Read more

Star Citizen je stále v nedohlednu, přesto loni vybral rekordní objem peněz

15.3.2021
Chystaný megalomanský simulátor Star Citizen loni vybral od fanoušků přes 77 milionů dolarů, což je zatím největší meziroční přírůstek od začátku projektu. Vydání plné verze hry přitom nezná ani přibližné datum dokončení a množí se dohady, že vývoj nepokračuje úplně optimálně

Here are the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards

15.3.2021
There will be no celebrity selfies at the Oscars this year. The ceremony itself will be split between two locations: the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard—where the Oscars have been held since 2002—and a new spot, Los Angeles’ Union Station, chosen for its “cavernous” size. Festivities at both...

Yet Another Producer Leaves Sony's Japan Studio

15.3.2021
In the wake of the news that Sony’s Japan Studio is reorganizing, another producer has left the company. This time, it’s Masami Yamamoto, who made his debut as a producer on the Tenchu series.Read more

Podívejte se na desítku nejhezčích screenshotů z Death Stranding

15.3.2021
Umělecký ředitel vývoje hry Death Stranding Yoji Shinkawa vyhlásil desítku nejhezčích screenshotů z více než patnácti set zaslaných soutěžních příspěvků od hráčů. Díky zabudovanému fotografickému módu jde v této krásné hře dělat doslova umělecké výtvory

The Walking Dead Turned a Beautiful Episode Into a Brutal Lesson

15.3.2021
Admittedly, the primary portion of The Walking Dead’s educational plan is telling its students that in the case of a zombie apocalypse, almost everyone will turn into killers if not monsters (literal or figurative). And after a quiet, languid, enjoyable story focused on getting to know more about...

Streamers Play With Call Of Duty Actor, Get Suspended For Cheating

15.3.2021
Streamer Alex Zedra—the face behind an actual character in Call of Duty—was playing Warzone the other day with two other folks when she noticed some pretty suspect behaviour. And hey, surprise, the two people she was playing with have now had their Twitch channels suspended for cheating.Read more

"We Just Despise The Police": Persona 5 Strikers Is OK

15.3.2021
If you’ve played Persona 5 you’ll know that, aside from a few notable exceptions, Tokyo’s cops are kid-torturing assholes. So it’s little wonder that in the game’s kinda-sequel, the Phantom Thieves have no time for them.Read more

The Week In Games: Eat Some Brains All Over Again

14.3.2021
The loveable and a bit decayed Stubbs the zombie returns in... Stubs The Zombie, a remastered port of the cult classic game releasing later this week on Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC.Read more

14 Years Ago Rockstar Ran Weird TV Ads Of Just A Clock Counting Down

14.3.2021
Back in 2007, Rockstar Games teased Grand Theft Auto IV with a series of late-night ads that appeared on channels like FX. All the ads amounted to were 30 minutes of watching a clock tick down, with every second punctuated by a gunshot. Young Zack, ever the sucker, fell for the hype hard. Read more

'Shop Contest: Bethesda+Microsoft

14.3.2021
It’s official. Microsoft has completed its purchase of Bethesda. They had a whole roundtable discussion about it and everything. (More importantly, it was officially approved by regulators.) Let’s have some fun with these two companies now stapled together like some hideous mega-beast. Read more

Peeled Pokémon Are Disturbing, But I Can't Stop Looking

14.3.2021
Nothing really prepares you for stumbling upon a Lopunny that has had parts of its fur and flesh peeled off it, leaving a smooth monstrosity. And yet, that happened to me one day on Twitter. Now I can’t stop looking at all the other peeled Pokémon.Read more

Sunday Comics: How Could You Tell?

14.3.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

'Shop Contest: The Artifact Imps, Winners!

14.3.2021
Remember Artifact, that card game Valve made? No...? Well, it was killed last week. It also had two imps who helped in-game and now they need work. That’s why last week I asked for your help.Read more

The Division 2, Two Years Later

13.3.2021
The Division 2 was released on March 12, 2019, making it just over two years old this week. In that time a lot has happened. Multiple updates, changes, bugs, controversies, teasers, puzzles, and more. Here’s what happened since The Division 2 came out. Read more

Mudbray Is Only Happy When It Eats Dirt

13.3.2021
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Mudbray!Read more

How Plague Inc Evolved Once A Real Global Pandemic Came Along

13.3.2021
Somehow, horrifyingly, it has been nearly a full year since most of us went into lockdown to wait out covid-19. And while there is a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a slowly, confusingly distributed vaccine, we’re still in the thick of it. On this week’s episode of the Splitscreen...

Genshin Impact KFC Crossover Events In China Shut Down Over Covid-19 Concerns

12.3.2021
A weekend crossover event between the wildly popular Genshin Impact and Kentucky Fried Chicken had to be shut down at Shanghai and Hangzhou locations after apparently violating China’s ongoing covid-19 prevention measures, the fast food chain announced on Chinese social media site Weibo today.Read...

Hasbro’s Bringing Back Sweet 1980s Ghostbusters Toys

12.3.2021
Continuing to capitalize on the fact that it’s easier to get adults to buy toys than try to pull kids away from screens, Hasbro’s tapping into late ‘80s nostalgia with new releases of Kenner’s classic The Real Ghostbusters toys, including the iconic Ecto-1 and the terrifying toilet ghost.Read more

Warzone Is (Slowly) Teasing A Zombies Event

12.3.2021
With the arrival of Call of Duty’s Season 2 on February 25, zombies took the story spotlight. Black Ops Cold War got a great Zombies “Outbreak” mode, and Warzone’s Verdansk map got a ship full of the undead. Warzone is slowly being infected by the undead, leading up to a potential new mode...

13 Shows and Movies to Prepare You for the Inevitable Zombie Attack

12.3.2021
The CDC recently released an actual guide for zombie preparedness, with tips and tools for surviving disastrous situations illustrated in a graphic novel. CDC officials might be suffering from a bout of pandemic cabin fever, but I, for one, will take heed of their advice, which can apply to almost...

So, Which Bethesda Game Pass Game Should You Play First?

12.3.2021
Starting today, you can play a bunch of Bethesda-published games on Game Pass, thanks to Microsoft and ZeniMax’s recent marriage. Some were previously available. Many are new. However you slice it, if you’re a member of Microsoft’s games-on-demand service, you now have 20 largely excellent games...

Feels From Heals: Healing In Final Fantasy XIV Is Super Rewarding

12.3.2021
The first thing I did upon setting foot in Foundation, the hub world central to Final Fantasy XIV’s Heavensward expansion, was sign up for the Astrologian and Dark Knight job class. This is extremely out of character for me because I only play damage dealers in MMOs, and Astrolgian and Dark Knight...

Pokemon Go's Eggs Aren't Lootboxes, They're Fun Presents

12.3.2021
Pokémon Go developer Niantic is testing a feature that lets players see what might be inside the game’s eggs before they walk the many miles to hatch them. It appears this is a response to the argument that the game’s eggs are akin to lootboxes. There is an awful lot that could be better about...

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time: The Kotaku Review

12.3.2021
The marsupial of legend returns and he’s never been so fluffy. But there’s nothing soft and cuddly about Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. In true Crash fashion, this cute and colorful platformer is here to kick your ass.Read more

18 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films Directed by Women

12.3.2021
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve rounded up 18 essential fantasy and sci-fi films directed by women (want horror? We’ve got a list for that, too!) And with projects like Black Widow (directed by Cate Shortland) and Eternals (Chloé Zhao) on the way soon, this list is just gonna keep...

G.I. Joe And Cobra Face Off In World Of Tanks

12.3.2021
Following up on last year’s bizarre crossover between World of Warships and Transformers, Wargaming and Hasbro have partnered again for the somewhat more sensible pairing of G.I. Joe and World of Tanks. Read more

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

12.3.2021
The weekend is for being happy. The weekend is also for cyanide. Combine the two, and what do you get? Man, I don’t know. Read more

Now’s the time to get hooked on vegan fish

12.3.2021
There is an inherent satisfaction in eating fish, from the subtle fattiness of smoked salmon to the sweet flesh and salty crunch of fried cod to the moist brininess of raw tuna. For vegans who miss fish, or omnivores trying to eat less over health or environmental concerns, or even strict observers...

Loop Hero Will Soon Let You Save The Dang Game

12.3.2021
The deck-building, dungeon-making roguelite RPG Loop Hero is getting some much needed quality-of-life improvements in an upcoming update, the game’s developers announced yesterday. The most important of these fixes? Finally letting you save your game.Read more

Burning Rangers' Music Makes Me Want To Kick A Fire’s Ass

12.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we’re setting the morning on fire with the rock, pop, rap, and techno-jazz of Sega’s Burning Rangers. And then we’ll put it out, which is only polite. Read more

Těchto dvacet ikonických her od Bethesdy je nyní v Xbox Game Passu

12.3.2021
Hodnota už tak skvělé služby Xbox Game Pass ještě vzroste. Akvizice, v rámci níž Microsoft koupil Bethesdu a Zenimax Media, je nyní kompletní. Game Pass tak přivítal dvacítku her zahrnující značky jako Doom, Fallout či Wolfenstein. A v budoucnu se můžeme těšit na další

Bloodborne’s Doll Used To Have A Lot More To Say

12.3.2021
Everyone’s favorite video game archaeologist Lance McDonald is back with a new Bloodborne video. This time around, he’s exploring unused dialogue for the Doll, the 2015 game’s level up-granting NPC. And while the alternate voice acting is neat, it’s what she used to say that really piqued...

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's Menus Suck

11.3.2021
Booting up the newest Call of Duty, I was greeted by terrible-looking menus, an overwhelming amount of options, too much information, and some ugly-looking ads. It’s not a great first impression and feels like a cobbled-together mess. In other words: It bad.Read more

Borderlands 3's Next Expansion Delayed To April 8

11.3.2021
Gearbox announced this morning that it has delayed the release of the upcoming Borderlands 3 expansion Director’s Cut almost a full month due to the severe winter storms that recently swept through its home state of Texas. The update will now launch on April 8.Read more

PSA: Surviving Mars and Metro 2033 Are Currently Free On PC

11.3.2021
Each week, the Epic Games Store puts up a free game, which you can add to your library no strings attached. This week’s offering is Surviving Mars, the space-faring city-builder game about...surviving on Mars. It’ll be available until March 18.Read more

Crash Bandicoot 4 Runs Great On PS5, Passably On Switch

11.3.2021
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time arrives on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Switch tomorrow, giving us some of the most polished versions of last year’s excellent platformer alongside one that struggles a lot but gets the job done. Digital Foundry compared the PS5 and Switch versions side...

A 4400 Rewatch Reveals Just How Influential Its Legacy Is

11.3.2021
The CW’s plan to resurrect USA’s 2004 series The 4400 definitely comes across as the network’s latest go at bringing aliens/futurism/superhero drama to television. Presumably, it will happily exist alongside things like the Arrowverse and the Roswell reboot. But since it’s been so long since...

Destiny 2's New Boss Is Turning Players Into Reply Guys

11.3.2021
Much of Destiny’s story exists anywhere but the main game. The version you get from playing through its campaign today is very different from the one that existed only a year ago, and it’s also very different from the one you’ll get having played Destiny for hundreds of hours, soaking up its lowkey...

Roblox Goes Public, Wall Street Decides It's Worth Six Bethesdas

11.3.2021
The Roblox Corporation, maker of the online game creation platform Roblox, went public yesterday, selling shares in the company on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time since it was founded back in 2004. It ended the day trading at just under $70, giving it a valuation of $45 billion,...

Fan Reimagines The Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Remakes

11.3.2021
Earlier this year, Game Freak announced Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. These remakes used a chibi-3D art style but still kept the top-down point of view while exploring the Sinnoh region.Read more

Vrací se Želvy Ninja, v nové videohře vyzvou samotného Trhače

11.3.2021
Chystaná hra Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge bude návratem do 90. let, kdy arkádovým hernám vládly přímočaré mlátičky. Proti záporákovi Trhačovi a jeho nohsledům Rockymu a Bebopovi, budete moci bojovat až se třemi kamarády najednou

Denuvo DRM Is On The PlayStation 5

11.3.2021
Controversial digital rights management tool Denuvo has long been a factor in the PC market, but it’s now quietly a part of the PlayStation 5 as well, with news that the DRM has been added to the console’s “Tools and Middleware program”.Read more

Don't Click On Those Resident Evil Village Early Access Emails

11.3.2021
Lotta people want to play the game with the big lady! And scammers know this, so fake emails have been circulating inviting players to an early access beta which doesn’t actually exist. Enough emails that Capcom has sent out a warning email of its own.Read more

A Truly Messed Up Way To Get Infinite Supplies In Valheim

11.3.2021
You know how Valheim has spooky little mounds that spawn infinite enemies? And you know how you can use your hoe to move earth around and create, say, a pillar? And you know how it’s possible to surround that pillar with, say, campfires? And build, say, a fence around all of that? You can probably...

EA Investigating Claims An Employee Has Been Selling Rare Items

11.3.2021
EA makes most of its FIFA money from the game’s Ultimate Team mode, where fans spend real money in attempts to unlock elite players. Today, it’s being alleged that these lucrative items are being sold privately to users by employees within EA Sports.Read more

Crypto Art Belongs In The Trash

11.3.2021
The blockchain, at best a scam and at worst an impending environmental disaster, has lately been upending everything from currency exchange to basketball collectibles. But one area it’s had a particularly sudden—and divisive—impact is the world of art.Read more

STALKER 2 Might Get Mod Support On Xbox

10.3.2021
STALKER developer GSC Game World is currently investigating the possibility of including mod support for the upcoming sequel on Xbox Series X/S.Read more

Nintendo, Please Just Let Me Play Zelda: The Minish Cap On Switch

10.3.2021
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was the only fully original Zelda game released on the Game Boy Advance. It is also one of the better Zeldas, even among a crowded field of games that range from great to amazing. Unfortunately, in the year 2021 there’s no easy way to play it.Read more

We Did It, Joe!

10.3.2021
It’s happening, y’all—the Democrats in Congress, with no Republican support whatsoever, have passed the $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief package, and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it on Friday. I am literally crying right now, thinking of all of the people this ambitious legislation will...

Marvel's Avengers Will (Finally) Allow You To Replay The Campaign

10.3.2021
Fans of Marvel’s Avengers want just one thing, and it’s about to become a reality. No, it’s not a meaningful loot grind, nor a newfound surplus of engaging activities. Look, fine, maybe Avengers fans want more than one thing, but a big one is landing next week: You’ll finally be able to replay...

Astro’s Playroom Composer Shares How That GPU Love Song Became Such A Bop

10.3.2021
PlayStation 5 pack-in Astro’s Playroom is full of amazing tracks, but the standout is most definitely its ode to the console’s powerful graphics processing unit (“GPU” to friends). In celebration of the game’s official soundtrack coming out on March 12, composer Kenneth C. M. Young recently shared...

Fall Guys’ Season Four Is A Reminder Of How Damn Long We’ve Been Doing This

10.3.2021
Today, Mediatonic showed off one of the levels for Fall Guys’ upcoming fourth season. The new stage, “Skyline Stumble,” looks quite fun with its gravity-based hijinks and bean-sized pinball bumpers—but it instilled in me an invasive, immovable thought: Man, we’ve really been doing this for a while...

Dozens Of Rust Servers Wiped Out In Data Center Fire

10.3.2021
A fire that broke out overnight in Strasbourg, France destroyed one of OVHcloud’s data centers and damaged a second, Reuters reports. The French government and Centre Pompidou, which houses a public information library and modern art museum, had their data affected by the fires, as did Facepunch...

The Regulations That Could Help Reduce Bitcoin’s Carbon Footprint

10.3.2021
The price of bitcoin has hit record prices this month, and that’s bad news for the climate. As the price of the currency shoots up, so does the energy consumption as people are incentivized to mine more bitcoin. And a new paper published Wednesday in the journal Joule estimates that by the end...

How to Fix Crypto Art NFTs' Carbon Pollution Problem

10.3.2021
The “crypto-” carbon crisis is evolving. And after years of low-key use, art and collectibles tied to what are known as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have exploded into the global discourse as the Next Big Thing. Embedded with it, though, is an existential tension.Read more

Overwatch Casually Rolls Out Xbox Series X/S Enhancements

10.3.2021
Yesterday’s Overwatch update was all about the PachiMarchi Challenge and that hideous and/or awesome new Roadhog skin, but next-gen Xbox owners got a little something extra with the update: new graphics options for Series X/S consoles, from 4K60 to blazing-fast 120Hz. Read more

1988 MS-DOS Game Gets 2021 Steam Release

10.3.2021
1992's Sensible Soccer is one of the greatest video games of all time, but developers Sensible Software didn’t create their classic in a vacuum. They had to work to get there, by developing 1988's Microprose Soccer first.Read more

Watch Dogs Legion’s Co-Op Isn’t Enough To Bring Us Back To The Game

10.3.2021
As a multiplayer game, Watch Dogs: Legion is pretty lonely. Yes, you can roam freely on a vast open-world map alongside other players, but most of the points of interest are for single-player activities. The competitive arena, while appropriately frenetic, currently feels anemic. And the tentpole...

Fans Can't Decide Whether New Overwatch Skin Is Cute Or Horrifying

10.3.2021
Today, Overwatch announced the PachiMarchi Challenge, the newest event celebrating the game’s weird half-onion, half-octopus mascot Pachimari. Starting today, players who win games in Quick Play, Arcade, or Competitive mode can win Pachimari-themed cosmetics, including a Pachimari Roadhog skin that...

This Totally Random Guy's Hollow Knight Cover Is Pretty Good

10.3.2021
When you think of terrific musical covers, you probably think of “All Along the Watchtower” or that one screamo cover of Britney’s “Toxic” you heard in high school. A tune that maybe doesn’t come to mind: “Greenpath,” from Hollow Knight’s original soundtrack.Read more

SpongeBob Players Discover Filthy Game Discs Make Speedrunning Tricks Easier

9.3.2021
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom may be one of the most improbable video games of all time, a licensed project that turned out to be both a great game and a worthwhile challenge for the speedrunning community. But the absurdity doesn’t stop there: SpongeBob speedrunners recently...

I Also Accidentally Ordered A Burger From A YouTuber

9.3.2021
In early January, Kotaku weekend editor Zack Zweizen wrote about his experience unknowingly purchasing burger delivery from popular YouTuber MrBeast. I read, laughed, shook my head, and promptly forgot it happened. Then, late last month, while home alone and hungry, I did the same damn thing with...

There Is No Love For Toad In This Cat Mario Three-Pack

9.3.2021
Following up on yesterday’s gorgeous Bowser boat, toy-maker Jakks Pacific’s second MAR10 week reveal is a $30 Super Mario 3D World three-pack featuring articulated four-inch figures of Cat Mario, Cat Luigi, and Cat Peach. Cat Toad can go straight to hell. Read more

Hades Almost Starred Theseus, Which Would've Been Boring AF

9.3.2021
Imagine playing Hades, working to escape the underworld, fighting, and succumbing to swarms of relentless enemies. Every time your character perishes, you hear the low, sinister chuckle of the King of the Dead in your ear, mocking you for your weakness. Until finally, after countless attempts,...

Worn Out: The Fashion Industry's Big Oil Problem

9.3.2021
I really like buying clothes. I spend countless hours in the middle of the night scrolling my favorite brands’ Instagram feeds, and though I try to stick to buying secondhand, I also definitely set myself alarms to remember sample sales. Embarrassing, I know.Read more

Oblivion NPC Dialogue Is The Greatest Thing On The Internet

9.3.2021
I never want to find out the true origins of Whacked-Out Entertainment’s Oblivion NPC Dialogue videos. To find out would be to break the magic. Because this is magic in its purest form. It’s a guy called Greg Thompson, and his relationship with a disembodied voice, all presented as if scenes from...

Lootboxy až po dosažení dospělosti, navrhuje německá vláda

9.3.2021
Německý spolkový sněm Bundestag projednává úpravu zákona o ochraně mladistvých, podle něhož by lidé pod osmnáct let neměli mít přístup k videohrám, které obsahují takzvané lootboxy. Ty jsou totiž mnohdy postaveny na principu výherních automatů

The Digimon Reboot Said 'Workers' Rights'

9.3.2021
In both the original Digimon Adventure and the new reboot, each of the chosen human children brought to the Digital World to partner with a Digimon has a special emotional affinity that, when activated, helps give their Digimon the power to evolve. Some of the kids’ specialties, like Taichi’s...

After Almost Three Years Away, Returning To Overwatch Feels Amazing

8.3.2021
I have a confession to make: Despite being Kotaku’s number one Overwatch fan, I haven’t played it myself in two years. But buffeted by my optimism for Overwatch 2 and being unable to get my Overwatch fix because Overwatch League won’t be back for another month, I decided to play again, hoping...

Bravely Default II’s Beastmaster Job Is Basically Pokémon

8.3.2021
Creating your party in Bravely Default II is less about the characters you use than it is the jobs with which you equip them. It’s a smart strategy to always have basic healers and damage-dealers on hand, sure, but when it comes to my party, I don’t foresee ever not having at least one Beastmaster...

Tips For Playing Loop Hero

8.3.2021
A lot of people have started playing Loop Hero. How do I know this? It hit 50,000 concurrent users on Steam over the weekend. I was one of them. I’ve now put over 25 hours into the deck-building roguelite, and I have some tips for everyone else who’s just getting started with it.Read more

How To Get Around The PS5's Screenshot Restrictions

8.3.2021
Hitman 3 is a looker. But if you try to take a screenshot on PlayStation 5, you’ll run into an issue: Hitting the Create button causes Hitman 3 itself to pause, meaning you’ll only be able to get a screenshot of the game’s menu. It’s a lovely menu, for sure, but not exactly on par with...

Evropská komise schválila koupi Bethesdy Microsoftem

8.3.2021
Kontrolní orgány Evropské unie posvětily jednu z nejvyšších finančních transakcí v historii videoherního průmyslu. Vydavatelství Bethesda tak už oficiálně patří pod křídla společnosti Microsoft

Compare Which Presidents Had the Tackiest Office Decor

8.3.2021
The Oval Office is the closest thing the U.S. has to a throne room. It is the inner-sanctum of the presidency. Most of us know it through news broadcasts, photos published by the news media, and its many depictions in pop-culture, and we know there’s a desk, some flags, a couple couches, and...

Highlander's Endless Imagination Gives It an Enduring Legacy

8.3.2021
Thirty-five years ago, a new phrase first entered the pop culture lexicon: “There can be only one.” It’s from Highlander, a 1986 sci-fi fantasy from director Russell Mulcahy. The film stars Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod, a Scottish warrior who learns he’s an immortal being destined...

Monster Hunter Stories 2 Takes Flight July 9

8.3.2021
Monster Hunter fans have a date with a newly-hatched baby Rathalos on July 9, when Capcom launches Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin for the Nintendo Switch. Read more

I Found Some Rad Tracks At This Virtual Japanese Music Festival

8.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Instead of highlighting a single soundtrack today, I wanna tell you about my visit to a virtual music festival this weekend, where I found lots of great tracks.Read more

In Tokyo, Protest At Idol Anime Event

8.3.2021
Over the weekend, a small group of protestors appeared in Tokyo’s Koganei. As My Game News Flash reports, they held posters and passed out fliers, expressing their distaste for the anime Dropout Idol Fruit Tart.Read more

Assassin's Creed Syndicate Has The Best Ending Of The Series

7.3.2021
When I think of Assassin’s Creed games, I often remember big cities, cool assassinations, climbing tall towers, and maybe some sea shanties. Rarely do I remember how these games end because they often have forgettable or boring endings, sometimes with bad boss fights. So Assassin’s Creed Syndicate...

'Shop Contest: The Imps From Artifact Need New Jobs

7.3.2021
Artifact is dead, or at least it won’t be updated anymore which for online games is basically the same thing as dead. That means the two imps seen in Artifact, both in-game and in promo artwork, need a new gig. Let’s help ‘em out! Read more

Sunday Comics: Wow Dad!

7.3.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

'Shop Contest: New Mail Truck, Winners!

7.3.2021
Last week we got our first look at the new United States Postal Service mail trucks. To celebrate these new vehicles we made fun of them with strange images. We’ve been doing this for years now, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.Read more

Anthem byl průšvih, přesto se najdou fanoušci, kteří jeho konec oplakávají

7.3.2021
I když se Anthem dočkal jen průměrných recenzí a většina hráčů se do něj po dohrání příběhové kampaně už nevrátila, najde se i pár takových, kteří na něj nedají dopustit. Po oficiálním ukončení dalšího vývoje se na sociálních sítích organizují a vzpomínají na jeho opomíjené kvality

Fear The Cosmic Unicorn

6.3.2021
This week on Snapshots we have some colorful screenshots, some dead bodies, shadows, superheroes, darkness, and a big, cosmic unicorn.Read more

Morrowind Mod Lets You Buy Argonian McNuggets

5.3.2021
McDonald’s is a massive fast-food empire with 38,695 locations spanning 122 countries. It’s become so ubiquitous in the real world that I’m sure the corporation would investigate franchising opportunities in fictional worlds if it could, even the famously chaotic realm of Tamriel.Read more

WandaVision's Finale Was What You Made of It

5.3.2021
There were as many ways that Marvel’s WandaVision series finale could have ended as there are different ways to process grief. Each of the season’s nine episodes teased this out—new plot twists that threw audiences for loops all meant to obscure, but not erase, the reality that despite all...

Mario Is Making Animal Crossing Weird For Me

5.3.2021
Before Animal Crossing: New Horizons added Mario items on March 1, my island was a pleasant place that was not being stalked by a dead-eyed plumber cosplayer with an axe.Read more

Pyra Is My New Favorite Sword Main In Smash Bros. Ultimate

5.3.2021
I greeted Pyra and Mythra’s announcement last month with a big sigh. Ugh, more sword fighters? It’s my preferred class in Smash Bros. Ultimate, but even I was beginning to get sick of them. After a couple hours with the new duo, however, I’m pleased to announce my initial skepticism was misplaced....

You Can Claim PlayStation Plus' Monthly PS5 Games Before You Get A PS5

5.3.2021
PS Plus continues to offer “free” games to subscribers, and, in recent months, has even started offering PlayStation 5 games. If you don’t have a still-impossible-to-find PS5, you’re not quite S.O.L.. You just have to claim those games through a web browser.Read more

The Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Films on Paramount+

5.3.2021
Another day, another streaming service. Yesterday marked the debut of Paramount+, the new name of the service formerly called CBS All Access. With it came a lot of new content to consume. io9 has some suggestions so you don’t have to endlessly scroll.Read more

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

5.3.2021
The weekend is for screening attractive anime characters to determine which are friends and which are disguised aliens hell-bent on murdering all of humanity. That, and maybe some light gardening. Read more

Nintendo Talks About The Switch's Lifespan

5.3.2021
The Nintendo Switch was launched on March 3, 2017. Just as the console passes the four-year point, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa discusses the hardware and its life span in a new interview with Nikkei Business.Read more

Hogwarts Legacy Developer Quits Following Backlash Over YouTube Channel

5.3.2021
Troy Leavitt, the game developer at the centre of a controversy last month after it was discovered he had run “a reactionary YouTube channel focused on attacking feminism and social justice”, has resigned from his position at Avalanche Software, developers of the upcoming Harry Potter game...

A Reminder That A Lot Of Big Games Exploit Overseas Labor

5.3.2021
While most big games released have a main studio that’s often based somewhere like the United States or Canada or the UK, they also frequently make use of outsourcing studios in other countries to get their games made. Studios where, surprise, the working conditions can be not great.Read more

Perhaps I Treated You Too Harshly, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

5.3.2021
Deus Ex: Human Revolution was one of my favourite games of the past decade, a combination of stealth, adventuring and some incredible art design. Yet when its sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided hit five years later, I only spent a few hours with it before writing it off and getting on with...

It's Time For Crusader Kings In Space

5.3.2021
If you’ve been wondering why there haven’t been more clones of Crusader Kings, it’s because the systems that define Paradox’s game are really hard to copy! Pawley Games are going to give it a shot, though, and they’re going to do it in space.Read more

Space Jam 2 Sounds Weird

4.3.2021
Space Jam: A New Legacy—or as I will be referring to it for the rest of this blog Space Jam 2—is coming out later this year. Thanks to a new story from Entertainment Weekly we now know what the movie is actually about and folks, it’s some wild shit involving VR, Casablanca, Don Cheadle playing...

Valve's Card Game Is Officially Dead

4.3.2021
Artifact has now failed twice. After a messy launch and a failed attempt to reboot it last year, Valve announced today it’s calling it quits on the beleaguered Dota 2 card game.Read more

The Best Home Security Cameras, According To Our Readers

4.3.2021
Cameras aren’t just useful for finding intruders; they can help us keep an eye on the kids during work or make sure your dog isn’t getting into trouble behind your back. In an age where we’re stuck at home, we wanted to know the systems that they were using to keep track of their domain. Earlier...

Hey Nintendo, A Few More Requests For That Fancy New Switch

4.3.2021
As the latest rumors about the Switch Pro/Super Nintendo Switch fly all about us, everyone is focused on the potential for that Samsung 7" OLED screen, and just how well it’ll pull off its 4K resolution in docked mode . But if Mario HQ is currently piecing together components, we have a...

Report: Florida Super Nintendo World Delayed To 2025

4.3.2021
After being delayed for nearly a year, construction on Universal Orlando’s new theme park, Epic Universe, has resumed. This new park will contain a US version of Super Nintendo World, but it won’t be open until early 2025, two years later than first expected.Read more

Marvel's Avengers, Six Months Later

4.3.2021
Marvel’s Avengers was as plagued by buzz as it was inertia. Before the game released, it was defined by a chaotic din of muddy messaging, sky-high expectations, and that little thing called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After launch, the conversation shifted: Would it become another success like...

The Avengers Grind Is About To Become More Of A Grind

4.3.2021
On March 18, Marvel’s Avengers will receive some much-needed new content when Hawkeye joins the roster. But that’s not all. In that same update, the game’s XP system will receive a major overhaul, developer Crystal Dynamics announced today.Read more

These Final Fantasy XIV Characters Ain’t Sh*t

4.3.2021
Last night, I finished the true ending of A Realm Reborn and made it, at long last, to Heavensward. This means yes, I saw the event that was basically FF14’s equivalent of the Red Wedding (refresh your memory here), Instead of discussing my feelings regarding what the absolute flying fuck I just...

How to Get an Amazon Echo to Tell You a Room's Temperature

4.3.2021
Little thermometers you can buy and hang anywhere are fairly cheap, but there’s no need to get one if you own an Amazon Echo. That is, if you own one of two kinds of Echos: a fourth-generation Echo or a second-generation Echo Plus. Both of these have temperature sensors built into the smart...

Pyra And Mythra Join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Later Today

4.3.2021
Nintendo provided a deeper look at the latest fighters, Pyra and Mythra, getting added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on later today, during a new presentation by director Masahiro Sakurai today. Yes, they might be yet another set of sword fighters, but the duo’s complimentary move sets look like...

Chystá se několik her ze světa Dungeons & Dragons

4.3.2021
Vývojáři ze studia Hidden Path oznámili, že pracují na vysokorozpočtové hře postavené na pravidlech klasického papírového RPG Dungeons & Dragons. Nejsou přitom zdaleka jediní, mluví se o sedmi dalších projektech

Official Pokémon-Themed...Fishing Lures

4.3.2021
The amount of Pokémon branding in Japan is intense. You’d think Pocket Monsters can be slapped on anything—maybe not anything, but as this fishing lures show, almost anything.Read more

Hell Yeah, A Coffee Shop Tycoon Game

4.3.2021
I am an absolute sucker for specialist tycoon games, whether you’re running a football team, game studio, bus company or emergency service. So my next indulgence may well be Espresso Tycoon, a game about building some coffee shops.Read more

Inspiring: This Valheim Player Built A Greyling Torture Factory

4.3.2021
If you’ve played even just several seconds of Valheim, you despise Greylings. They’re awful little tree stump goblins who smack you once, then run away with an infuriating spring in their step, like they’ve stolen candy from your pockets. In the game’s early goings, they’re everywhere. One brave...

Deset věcí, které jste možná nevěděli o Diablu

4.3.2021
Kultovní akční RPG z dílny Blizzardu brzy oslaví čtvrtstoletí existence. I když každý fanoušek videoher zná tuto klasiku nazpaměť, určitě se najde pár zajímavostí, které jste o ní ještě nevěděli

Sony Imagines A Future Where A Banana Is A Video Game Controller

3.3.2021
Gamers love making weird shit into controllers, including but not limited to pomegranates, light sabers, bananas, and bread. Apparently, Sony wants to get in on that action, according to a patent recently surfaced by GamesIndustry.biz that details a method for turning household objects into...

Maquette's Love Story Has Already Broken My Heart

3.3.2021
Ever listen to a song so powerful you stop, drop, and roll to frantically figure out what it is? That’s what happened to me last night while playing Maquette, a puzzle game out this week for PC, PS4, and PS5. Yes, the game’s fantastic, which we’ll get to in a moment, but first: that song.Read more

Damn You, Fortnite Butter Barn Song

3.3.2021
This season of Fortnite has been a whirlwind of crossover skins and deranged players hoping that Epic puts Family Guy’s Peter Griffin in the game. But the latest in-demand item is a possible music track—the song “Butter Barn Hoedown.” The supposedly leaked track somehow, impossibly, rules?Read more

Chaos Walking Has Too Much Walking, Too Little Chaos

3.3.2021
Actually, let me take that back slightly—there is quite a lot of chaos in Chaos Walking, but only in the sense that attempting to navigate a coherent arc through its jumbled, disjointed scenes is a frustratingly messy ask of its audience. Despite its big names, Chaos Walking’s languid energy...

How Persona 5 Strikers Did (And Didn’t) Steal Our Hearts

3.3.2021
At long last, the Phantom Thieves ride again as Persona 5 Strikers—the Atlus RPG turned Koei Tecmo hack and slash—is out in North America. I’m a big Persona 5 nerd and I’ve been anxiously waiting for fellow nerd Luke Plunkett to get far enough into the game that I could finally have someone with...

PSA: The Witcher 3 Is Leaving Game Pass

3.3.2021
The cycle of Game Pass continues unabated. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will depart Microsoft’s games-on-demand service in the next two weeks.Read more

These Girls Just Wanted to Run; the Right Wanted a War

3.3.2021
As a young girl in the small town of Cromwell, Connecticut, all Andraya Yearwood wanted to do was run. Born into a family that prized athleticism, she dabbled in soccer, basketball, football, and dance as a child. But one day in the sixth grade, she saw older students running around the track oval...

Presenting The Takeout’s official Fast Food Fish Sandwich Power Ranking

3.3.2021
The Lenten season requires you to suspend your disbelief. Not sure about a skinny 33-something dude turning down a loaf of bread after fasting in the wilderness for 40 days? It’s Lent, baby! Get over it! Planning to give up sugar for six weeks? Sure, okay—Lent! A little shaky on hand-washing...

Zynga Buys Torchlight Studio Echtra Games

3.3.2021
Echtra Games, the San Francisco-based studio founded in 2016 by Diablo and Torchlight co-creator Max Schaefer, is now owned by Zynga, the company that gave us FarmVille. Read more

Legend Of Mana’s Grand Score Helps Me Take Its BS Seriously

3.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, it’s time to revisit an obscure PS1 classic from Square Soft’s JRPG heyday, which had some of the chillest city-builder tunes around. I’m talking about Legend of Mana,...

Crusader Kings III Is Getting Very Into Writing Poetry

3.3.2021
Crusader Kings III has always had poetry—some romance paths would even adjust its quality depending on the skill of your pursuer—but the game is about to go all in on it, adding it as a character trait and even creating a generator that will write your ruler’s musings for you.Read more

An Ode To My Favorite Flavor Texts

2.3.2021
More than the set piece battle or the final showdown between hero and villain, it’s the quieter, smaller moments in video games that get me. In some games, those tiny moments can be a sudden expression on a character’s face or a short piece of dialogue from an inconsequential scene. But more often...

Comic-Con 2021 Has Been Cancelled

2.3.2021
There was no in-person Comic-Con in 2020, and there won’t be one in 2021 either after the show’s organisers announced a decision to “postpone” it until 2022.Read more

The Long History of Godzilla's Cinematic Looks

2.3.2021
Godzilla isn’t just a monster movie icon, the king of all kaiju: he is a king of looks too. In the nearly seven decades he’s been stomping around the box office, Godzilla’s gone through more appearances than most cinematic legends ever could. From his earliest days to his upcoming smashup with Kong...

Twitch's First Transparency Report Is A Start, But Streamers Want More

2.3.2021
Today, Twitch released its first-ever transparency report, a lengthy, stat-based look at the platform’s safety initiatives over the past year. It contains some interesting, albeit granular, information about Twitch’s efforts to cut down on hateful conduct, sexual harassment, and even terrorist...

How To Beat Bravely Default 2’s Brutal Boss Battles

2.3.2021
Bravely Default 2, the new Nintendo Switch game about watching numbers go up, isn’t easy. The boss fights in particular are guaranteed to mess up your day. If you’ve been playing the game since it launched last week, you’ve likely found yourself banging your head against a wall on more than...

Epic Games Buys Fall Guys Studio

2.3.2021
Epic Games has bought Mediatonic, maker of last year’s hit battle royale, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, the company announced today.Read more

Sorry PS5, Xbox Series X Has Unexpectedly Become My Preferred Console

2.3.2021
I started this new generation of game consoles with the expectation that I would be playing most games on the PS5, like how I played most stuff on PS4 last gen. But nearly five months later, I’m spending most of my time on the Xbox Series X and now I feel bad, like I’m ignoring my PS5.Read more

The Sinking City Devs Accuse Publisher Of Pirating Game

2.3.2021
The Sinking City developer Frogwares has publicly accused former publisher Nacon of pirating the Lovecraftian adventure game for its recent re-release on Steam, the arrival of which put the Ukrainian studio in the weird position of asking potential customers not to purchase its own game last...

Skyrim vyjde i jako desková hra

2.3.2021
Legendární RPG od Bethesdy The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim dostane deskovou adaptaci. Půjde o kooperativní dobrodružství až pro čtyři hráče

Valheim Player Turns Ocean Into Giant Trampoline

2.3.2021
Can we ever truly know the nature of the sea? Primordial creatures lurk in its depths. It’s powered by outer space. We still don’t understand how eels reproduce. In Valheim, however, it’s a bit simpler: The ocean is a trampoline.Read more

Twitch Star Quits GTA RP After In-Game Jobs Become Too Much Like Real Jobs

1.3.2021
Does life imitate art, or does art imitate life? It’s the chicken or egg question for the modern age, but after a certain point, the answer ceases to matter. That point, it turns out, is when you’re really fucking sick of doing real jobs inside a video game, as Twitch mainstay Chance “Sodapoppin”...

A Realm Reborn's Ending Was Kind Of A Letdown

1.3.2021
I rolled credits on A Realm Reborn a couple of days ago, ushering in the new Seventh Astral Era, and yet I feel kinda hollow. Compared to my gut-wrenching experience toward the middle of my journey, the end of A Realm Reborn’s storyline feels like a huge-ass letdown. Read more

What's the Best Camera for Home Security?

1.3.2021
There are plenty of uses for a camera system in your home. First and most importantly, they’re powerful tools for home security. That’s especially useful in the work from home era when we’re cooped up inside all day. If anything suspicious is happening, you’ll want to know right away. But home...

Don’t Miss Bravely Default 2’s Excellent Card Game

1.3.2021
Like every massive RPG, Bravely Default 2 features a game within the game. It’s called Bind & Divide, or B&D (yes, yes, like the game). It’s a compelling card game you don’t want to miss, but you could easily roll the credits without ever playing a round.Read more

Sorry Crazy Taxi Fans, Taxi Chaos Ain't It

1.3.2021
Taxi Chaos is not Crazy Taxi. But it’s trying to be, and it succeeds in some important ways while completely failing in many others. Consider this a warning: Don’t buy Taxi Chaos. But if you do, I can help make the game a bit better. Read more

QAnon, CultTok, and Leaving It All Behind

1.3.2021
“I was impressed that it only took four years,” Danielle, self-identified ex-cult member, 34, said on a phone call. This was a few days after Joe Biden’s inauguration, and we were talking about the previous week of SOS social media posts from wide-eyed QAnon followers, like a TikToker propped up...

How to Filter Spotify Playlists by Genre or Mood

1.3.2021
Odds are good that your “Liked Songs” playlist on Spotify is a mishmash of genres and artists that don’t exactly flow together. Personally, I don’t necessarily want to listen to songs from Gorguts, Megan Thee Stallion, and the Spirited Away soundtrack back-to-back-to-back. No DJ in their right...

Report: Elden Ring Has Pages

1.3.2021
Fans of Elden Ring, the joint collaboration between Dark Souls maker FromSoftware and Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin, have been desperate for confirmation that the game is still real and will eventually come out. It now sounds like they have an answer: according to a new report by...

Zero Divide Is A Primordial PlayStation Synth-Fusion Treasure

1.3.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today’s pick comes from the dawn of the 32-bit era, when makin’ “Virtua Fighter, but with robots” just seemed like a natural thing to do.Read more

RIP Legendary Artist Gary Meyer

1.3.2021
Gary Meyer, an artist who has worked on everything from Star Wars to theme park rides to video games to album covers, has died at the age of 86.Read more

Yakuza Fan Is Out Here Fixing The Series' PC Versions Again

1.3.2021
Like I’ve said, it’s a little rough going back and playing older Yakuza games in 2021, and not just because of the stiffer animation and lack of first-person perspective. The PC versions of Yakuzas 3, 4 & 5 also have (or had) a few technical hiccups as well.Read more

I Love The Roku Screensaver

28.2.2021
The past six months (or more) have been a whirlwind of shit news, terrible events, and moments of pure absurdity and horror. It’s been bad, is what I’m saying. Because of this, I often get lost doomscrolling on Twitter or reading another horrible news story about something dreadful. Meanwhile,...

'Shop Contest: New Mail Truck

28.2.2021
Did you hear the big news? Sit down, folks. I’m happy to tell you that the United States Postal Service is getting...NEW TRUCKS! They look kind of dorky, but cute. Let’s have some fun with them. Read more

Sunday Comics: I Outrank You!

28.2.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

Welcome To Hell, Bambi

27.2.2021
This week on Snapshots we have some great Assasin’s Creed shots, a laid back Spider-Man, a large rodent in danger, some nice-looking vistas, and one very, very lost deer. Read more

Pikachu Gets More Powerful The More It Sleeps

27.2.2021
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Pikachu!Read more

Let's Rank The Hitman Trilogy Levels, From Worst To Best

27.2.2021
With the release of Hitman 3, the latest Hitman trilogy has concluded. After three games and two DLC levels, the new entry has over 20 levels set around the globe and countless ways to kill people. Let’s rank them! Read more

Fight Sans Undertale Right In Your Browser

27.2.2021
Sans is unique in that he’s the most popular character in Undertale while also providing one of the most frustrating boss fights the game has to offer.Read more

Nemůžeme cestovat, tak se alespoň v české hře projíždíme po USA

27.2.2021
Rádi bychom si pomalu po roce karantén a sociální izolace udělali nějaký pořádný „road trip“, ale bohužel to situace stále moc neumožňuje. Tak jsme si alespoň virtuálně projeli západní pobřeží USA v povedené české hře American Truck Simulator a pomohli si pár šikovnými modifikacemi

Two Minor Changes Could Mean Big Things For EVE Online

26.2.2021
This month has seen a flurry of announcements about EVE Online’s immediate future. Alongside the usual spaceship changes and rebalancing, a brand new, somewhat controversial skill system will be introduced, as well as what sounds like a largely cosmetic change to the game that could have huge...

How One Of The Worst Video Game Movies Of All Time Got Made

26.2.2021
Somehow, miraculously, video game movies and TV shows are suddenly good. The Witcher is fun, Sonic inhaled box office money like so many chili dogs last year, and star-studded renditions of Borderlands and The Last of Us are on the way. Also, the new Mortal Kombat movie looks dumb as hell in...

Report: Stadia Blew Millions On Red Dead Redemption 2 And Other Ports

26.2.2021
Just how badly did Google’s Stadia video game streaming service flop when it launched back in 2019? According to a new report by Bloomberg, it underperformed its sales target by hundreds of thousands of users, despite spending “tens of millions of dollars” secure ports of big blockbuster games.Read...

Now That’s How You Do A Damn Game Reveal

26.2.2021
After being utterly underwhelmed by Blizzcon, last week’s Nintendo Direct, and yesterday’s PlayStation State of Play, I wasn’t expecting much out of today’s Pokémon 25th Anniversary presentation. But it feels like Pokémon took a good look at the competition and said, “Alright, now watch a master...

WandaVision Became a Nightmarish Web of Cathartic Reruns

26.2.2021
WandaVision’s first season transformed Marvel’s Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). She’s been a newlywed, a mother, and something far more fascinating and complex than all of her other new identities combined. It’s all been in service of its larger overarching story about the Avengers’ least...

State Of Decay 2 Remembers Punching Nazis Is Good, Actually

26.2.2021
I think most of us can agree that punching Nazis is a good thing. Heck, a bunch of great video games are founded on that very premise. That’s why it was weird when a State of Decay 2 player discovered that the game gives characters a negative effect for having taken out the trash in their...

Deathloop’s Sultry “Déjà Vu” Will Be My Summer Anthem

26.2.2021
Outside of Square Enix announcing a new story DLC for Final Fantasy VII Remake, yesterday’s PlayStation State of Play event was kinda a dud. But there was a notable exception: Deathloop’s new original song “Déjà Vu.”Read more

The Best Projectors, According To Our Readers

26.2.2021
Our readers know what’s up. Whenever we ask a question like “What’s the best projector?”, we know we’ll always get a good mix of thoughtful responses and great product recommendations. As expected, we received both this time around, making for a well-rounded and perfect overview of projector life....

Hmm, That New Pokémon Game Sure Looks A Lot Like Breath Of The Wild

26.2.2021
Today during a Nintendo livestream we got our first look at Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a new open-world Pokémon game. Almost instantly after it was revealed folks on the internet began comparing it to Breath of the Wild. In fact, one particular shot in the new trailer caught the eyes of many fans...

Square Enix Is Finally Making The Final Fantasy VII Cinematic Universe Playable

26.2.2021
Yesterday’s most important Final Fantasy news wasn’t delivered at the end of Sony’s lackluster State of Play livestream presentation but was instead casually tweeted out afterward: a new mobile game called Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is coming. This latest FFVII remix will tell the story not just...

Tips For Playing Bravely Default 2

26.2.2021
Bravely Default 2, a game about grinding, finding crystals, and saving the world (but not about climate change), is out now for Nintendo Switch. And it’s no cakewalk. Yes, Bravely Default 2 is a whole lot of game, with a complex network of interweaving systems and methodical, relentless battles...

How To Build An Unstoppable Party In Bravely Default 2

26.2.2021
Bravely Default 2, out now for Nintendo Switch, is both a lot like and not at all like many other JRPGs you’ve played. For starters, combat is defined by the Brave/Default system, which allows you to shake up the turn order in battles for strategic gain. But the main big wrinkle is the...

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

26.2.2021
The weekend is for realizing how short February is at the last moment. It’s so short. We should fix that. Also, it’s about playing an anime game that should be my jam but is currently confusing the hell out of me. Read more

Here's How The New Pokémon Snap Works

26.2.2021
The original Pokémon Snap, released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, saw players riding the Zero-One buggy across the generically-named Pokémon Island at the behest of Professor Oak. New Pokémon Snap gives players a whole new region to explore, a new professor to guide them, and new ways to edit...

An Ode to a Jigglypuff

26.2.2021
Twenty-five years ago in Red and Blue, freshly-minted Boulder-Badge owning Pokémon trainers would find themselves heading toward the first steps of the rest of their lives drowning in bird Pokémon. Route 3 was filled with them—Pidgeys and Spearows, as far as the tall grass could see—but every once...

PS Plus nabídne skvělý remake Final Fantasy VII. Má to však háček

26.2.2021
Březnová nabídka předplatného služby PlayStation Plus je mimořádně bohatá, nabídne mimo jiné skvělou střílečku Remnant: From the Ashes a především remake klasiky Final Fantasy VII. Má to však háček – tato varianta nepůjde zdarma vylepšit na next-gen verzi

Here's March 2021's PlayStation Plus Lineup

26.2.2021
PlayStation Plus seems to be on a roll right now with another great slate of games. There are, count’em, four games, headlined by the excellent Final Fantasy VII Remake, which released less than a year. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PlayStation Plus membership.Read...

Tron: Evolution’s Hard Electronica Holds Its Own With Daft Punk

26.2.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, we are entering the grid. It’s time to fight for the users. More Tron references! Enough of that, let’s listen to Tron: Evolution’s soundtrack.Read more

Great games steal, and should

26.2.2021
Every Friday, A.V. Club staffers kick off our weekly open thread for the discussion of gaming plans and recent gaming glories, but of course, the real action is down in the comments, where we invite you to answer our eternal question: What Are You Playing This Weekend?Read more

Xbox Live Has Been Down For Over 5 Hours

26.2.2021
Trying to get some gaming in this lovely Thursday night? Well, if you’re on Xbox, that’s too bad, because various functions of Xbox Live have been on the fritz for over five hours.Read more

Sony's Illustrious Japan Studio Is Basically Done For

26.2.2021
Japan Studio, a branch of PlayStation’s development efforts once responsible for everything from Shadow of the Colossus to Gravity Rush to Ape Escape, has been downsized to oblivion by Sony, with only the team responsible for Astro’s Playroom remaining alongside a few other staff.Read more

Square Enix Announces Two More Final Fantasy VII Games

26.2.2021
Just after wrapping up Sony’s media show this evening with some Final Fantasy VII x PS5 news, Square Enix announced that there are two more Final Fantasy games coming, both based on the Final Fantasy VII universe.Read more

Baldur's Gate 3's 'Biggest Patch Yet' Is Now Live

25.2.2021
I rue every day that the complete Baldur’s Gate 3 experience isn’t out yet, but we’re getting there. Today, developer Larian dropped the fourth patch for the Divinity: Original Sin 2 sequel/Baldur’s Gate sorta-sequel, which it calls its “biggest patch yet.” Standout features include the druid...

Twitch Removes Amazon's Anti-Union Ads After Furious Streamer Response

25.2.2021
Earlier this week, it came to light that Twitch was running ads in blatant opposition to the Amazon warehouse worker unionization effort in Bessemer, Alabama. Streamers, who had no say in whether or not these ads appeared during their broadcasts, were outraged. Today, Twitch has removed the...

Destiny 2 Is Ditching Sunsetting

25.2.2021
Bungie announced today it’s getting rid of Destiny 2's most beleaguered mechanic: sunsetting. Starting in Season 14, new weapons will no longer have an expiration date. Read more

Destiny 2's Next Big Expansion The Witch Queen Delayed To 2022

25.2.2021
Destiny 2 has gotten a big expansion every year since it released, but 2021 will be different. Bungie announced today that The Witch Queen, originally planned to launch in the second half of this year, will be delayed until 2022 due to its size and ongoing issues around working from home during...

Black Ops Cold War’s Large-Scale 'Outbreak' Mode Shakes Up Zombies

25.2.2021
Season Two of Black Ops Cold War arrives today, with a new 6v6 multiplayer map, new weapons, more challenges to complete, and another 100-tier battle pass to grind. It also brings the most unique Zombies experience we’ve seen in a while, in the large-scale “Outbreak” Zombies mode.Read more

What's New on Amazon Prime Video in March 2021

25.2.2021
The television adaptation of horror comic The Walking Dead is expected to come to a close in 2022 at the end of its 11th season—an impressive stretch that has nothing on the comic’s 17-year, 193-issue run. But throughout much of that time, franchise creator Robert Kirkman was plugging away...

Court Orders Valve To Hand Over Data On 436 Steam Games To Apple

25.2.2021
Apple has been asking a bunch of companies to give it confidential information in its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games over how much money each company gets to collect off of Fortnite skin sales on the iPhone. Yesterday, a California magistrate judge ordered Valve to comply with one of these...

How Pokémon GO Turned Me Into a Birder

25.2.2021
Niantic celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pokémon last week, using the occasion to roll out an extensive event on its popular mobile game, Pokémon GO. I’ve been playing the game for a couple of years now, ever since my son got interested in Pokémon through his friends at daycare. Early on,...

The Rise and Fall of Joss Whedon, and the Myth of the Hollywood Feminist Hero

25.2.2021
“I hate ‘feminist.’ Is this a good time to bring that up?” Joss Whedon asked. He paused knowingly, waiting for the laughs he knew would come at the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer making such a statement. It was 2013, and Whedon was onstage at a fundraiser for Equality Now, an organization...

Post Malone Does Hootie And The Blowfish For Pokémon Day

25.2.2021
Post Malone’s Pokémon Day Celebration concert isn’t until Saturday, but today we get a taste of what that’s going to be like with a super-warbly cover of Hootie and the Blowfish’s 1995 hit “Only Wanna Be With You.” It’s certainly a song. Read more

Bravely Default 2 Is Another Fun But Flawed Old-School JRPG

25.2.2021
Bravely Default 2 is a trip, man. I thought I knew exactly what this game was going in, and it turns out I pretty much did, except for all of the tiny moments that occasionally delight, and just as occasionally elicit big, heaving sighs. Every time the familiar old-school JRPG wins me over...

Japanese TV Introduces "Mask Manners"

25.2.2021
Even before the age of covid-19, sickness masks were widely worn in Japan, especially during hay fever season. But now that people wear them every day, throughout the day, it seems as though there’s a notion as to what’s good and bad mask manners. Read more

Giant Motor Gives PC Enough Rumble To Shake The Very Heavens

25.2.2021
Jatin Patel is an iOS developer who works on big, silly projects for his YouTube channel. His latest million-dollar idea was to connect a giant, 2,880 rpm induction motor to his DualShock, magnifying the controller’s comparatively pitiful rumble to extraordinary proportions.Read more

President Biden Wants To 'Review' A Cause Of PS5, Graphics Card Shortages

25.2.2021
President Biden is getting ready to sign an executive order, one that will review the United States’ ability to get hold of certain things that it’s currently having trouble getting hold of. Among the list are semiconductors, one of the main reasons behind the current PS5 (and graphics card)...

The World of Avatar: The Last Airbender Is Getting an Animated Feature Film

25.2.2021
That’s not all—in addition to announcing an “animated theatrical film” that’ll begin production this year, Nickelodeon revealed the arrival of Avatar Studios, an entire division dedicated to creating animated series and movies based on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Oh, and...

Modders Fix Valheim's Terrible Inventory, Odin Be Praised

24.2.2021
Valheim rules. Exploring is fun, building is fun, kiting trolls around islands while crying quietly to yourself as you tap dance on the razor’s edge of death is fun. But nothing is perfect, especially not early access games. So I don’t think we need to kid ourselves here: Valheim’s inventory sucks...

Pokémon Go Devs Have Punished Over 5 Million Cheaters Since 2020

24.2.2021
Niantic, the studio behind augmented reality mobile games like Pokémon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and Ingress, has reportedly punished over 5 million cheaters since the beginning of 2020, with over 1 million players receiving permanent bans across the three games.Read more

What's New on HBO Max in March 2021

24.2.2021
You may think you have seen Justice League, but have you seen Zack Snyder’s Justice League? If you are at all interested in comic books, movies, or troubling think pieces on internet troll subculture, and have been online at all in the last four years, you are probably well aware of what’s coming....

Your Travel Guide to the Rudderless Right-Wing Web After Trump

24.2.2021
Moving into 2021 and forward, conservatives angry about cancel culture, censorship, shadowbans, or the attention of the FBI have a rich array of social destinations to choose from. We’ve prepped a travel guide for the unwitting observer who might be thinking of checking any of these conspicuous...

What's New on Netflix in March 2021

24.2.2021
In the absence of broadly appealing new films and TV series (no Oscar hopefuls this month, I’m afraid), Netflix appears to be looking to the podcast market to figure out how to keep its massive subscriber base happy. Its new offerings in March include a host of documentary series and specials that...

More PC Games Get Magical DLSS Support

24.2.2021
Two more PC games have gotten DLSS support—a form of modern sorcery—from Nvidia, meaning anyone with a card that supports the tech will now be getting much better performance.Read more

Stardew Valley Is Now A Co-Op Board Game

24.2.2021
For the past two years, designers Eric Barone and Cole Medeiros—who met while playing Stardew Valley online—have been working on turning the idyllic video game into something folks can play on a table.Read more

GameStop Exec Leaves With $2.8 Million Severance

24.2.2021
GameStop chief financial officer Jim Bell is set to resign from his position on March 26, the video game retailer announced today. He’ll do so $2.8 million richer thanks to a lucrative severance bonus.Read more

Persona 5 Strikers’ Menus Are As Vibrantly Alive As Its Cast

24.2.2021
Video game menus are like assholes—every game has them and more often than not, they stink. They are often the least-pretty, least splashy part of an otherwise beautiful game, partly because they aren’t central to gameplay (unless it’s Crusader Kings or something). But Persona 5 Strikers shows us...

Mass Effect je antirasistická utopie, s většinou mimozemšťanů lze mít sex

24.2.2021
V historii herního průmyslu najdeme jen málo tak detailně promyšlených fiktivních světů, jako je tomu v kultovní sérii Mass Effect. S blížícím se vydáním vylepšené kolekce kultovní trilogie Mass Effectu je ten správný čas připomenout si, jak pestrou směsicí mimozemšťanů vývojáři hry zaplnili...

A God Damn Boar Sank My Boat

23.2.2021
Many survival games feature animals you can hunt for crafting supplies and sustenance. Only in Valheim do they get revenge. Nautical revenge.Read more

Final Fantasy Got It Right With Two Black Fathers

23.2.2021
Lately, dads have become the video game industry’s pet trope. There are a ton of games that have won a lot of awards about trying, failing, and in very few cases, succeeding at being a dad. But that trend largely excludes Black fathers (with one extremely notable exception), since the video game...

Star Wars Stories From Tartakovsky's Clone Wars That Should Rejoin Canon

23.2.2021
Dave Filoni has created a vast swath of the Star Wars universe through his Clone Wars and Rebels cartoons, The Mandalorian, and whatever else he has in the works next. He’s been such a driving force in the franchise that it can be hard to remember he didn’t actually make the first modern Star Wars...

Blade & Soul Revolution Launches Worldwide Next Week

23.2.2021
NCSoft’s martial arts epic Blade & Soul is one of my favorite massively-multiplayer online role-playing games in recent memory. Launching March 4 for iOS and Android, Blade & Soul Revolution is the free-to-play mobile adaptation of the PC game. And half of you left. I really should save...

What's New on Hulu in March 2021

23.2.2021
There was a time when streaming services could boast that they were the first to get [insert your favorite big theatrical hit], but that’s becoming increasingly rare in a time when streaming services have only grown more segmented, and also when there were no big theatrical hits last year.At first...

Persona 5 Strikers Got Siri's Original Voice Actor To Play Its In-Game AI

23.2.2021
Artificial intelligences like Apple’s Siri have become so ubiquitous in many people’s lives that it’s no wonder the story of Persona 5 Strikers (out today on Playstation 4, Switch, and PC) features its own AI assistant in the form of EMMA. But what you might not immediately notice is that EMMA...

Internet Unites For Amazing Wii Shop Channel Jam Session

23.2.2021
Composer, musician, and YouTuber Alex Moukala let loose a funky, bass-tastic remix of the Nintendo Wii theme music on Twitter yesterday and then invited other artists to do the same. The result is an impromptu jam session full of super-talented people showing their love for one of gaming’s...

Hitman 3's Latest Patch Fixes Incorrect Arabic Text

23.2.2021
IO Interactive released the first major patch for Hitman 3 today, bringing with it a raft of changes to the assassination game, including some much-needed updates to the environment. The patch also corrected some Arabic text in the game’s opening level, which was written incorrectly.Read more

What’s the Best Projector for Your Home Entertainment Needs?

23.2.2021
I’ll always remember the first time I saw someone use a projector in place of a TV. I went to a friend’s apartment in college for a little gaming party and discovered that my bud had no proper screen in his apartment. Instead, he was just projecting everything onto a gigantic wall. Here I was,...

Valheim, As Told By Steam Reviews

23.2.2021
I’m getting the impression that maybe, just maybe, Valheim’s five-person development team might be onto something. Since the Viking survival game’s Steam release earlier this month, it’s sold 3 million copies. Over the weekend, more than 500,000 people played it at once. But what do players...

What's New on Disney+ in March 2021

23.2.2021
WandaVision, the first Disney+ series exploring one of the shadowy corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is wrapping up early next month, but the streaming service isn’t about to let you cancel your subscription. The next Avengers spinoff, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, drops two weeks...

Here's March 2021's Xbox Live Games With Gold

23.2.2021
It’s going to be March again, or it’s still March—it’s hard to say, but you can mark the impossible passage of time with a new batch of Xbox Live Games with Gold games. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold membership.Read more

PS4-Exclusive Days Gone Coming To PC This Spring

23.2.2021
Open world zombie slaughter sim Days Gone will be the latest first-party Sony game to get ported to PC, British GQ reports in a new interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Jim Ryan. The news was later confirmed on Twitter by Days Gone maker Sony Bend Studio. Read more

PlayStation chystá novou helmu pro virtuální realitu, detaily ale tají

23.2.2021
Sony konečně oficiálně potvrdilo, že pracuje na nové verzi svého systému PS VR. Nová helma má nabídnout lepší rozlišení, rychlejší rozhraní, ovládání založené na technologiích z gamepadu DualSense a také mnohem jednodušší propojení. Letos ale určitě nebude

Sony Finally Announces Next-Gen VR For PS5

23.2.2021
Fans of Sony’s virtual reality efforts have been wondering what was to become of console-based VR with the launch of the PlayStation 5. Today the company announces that a next-generation virtual reality system is in the works for the PS5, but it’s not going to launch this year.Read more

With Spicy Ramen Breakfast Grilled Cheese, you truly can have it all

23.2.2021
I will not bother to pretend that the inspiration for this sandwich came from anything other than marijuana. Ironically, this idea came to me on a night where, in an attempt to conquer my chronic insomnia, I went a little crazy with Cherry Pie (both the strain and actual pie). Instead of falling...

Vývoj Bloodlines 2 bude svěřen novému studiu, hra letos určitě nevyjde

23.2.2021
Měl to být jeden z černých koňů letošního roku, místo toho teď pokračování upírského RPG Vampire: The Masquarade vypadá na pořádný průšvih. Po několika změnách ve vedení byl projekt odebrán studiu Hardsuit Labs a jeho vývoj dokončí někdo jiný. Letos to ale určitě nebude

Vývoj Bloodlines 2 bude svěřen novému studiu, hra letos určitě nevyjde

23.2.2021
Měl to být jeden z černých koňů letošního roku, místo toho teď pokračování upírského RPG Vampire: The Masquarade vypadá na pořádný průšvih. Po několika změnách ve vedení byl projekt odebrán studiu Hardsuit Labs a jeho vývoj dokončí někdo jiný. Letos to ale určitě nebude

Kenny wasn’t like the other kids: An oral history of MTV’s Remote Control

23.2.2021
A raucously sarcastic take on the game show genre, Remote Control burst onto MTV in 1987. Part of the cable channel’s first wave of non-video-centric shows, Remote Control skewered vintage pop culture with its “mom’s basement” style set, cigarette smoking commentators, and questions about...

The Half-Life 2 RTS Is Finally "Out" After 13 Years Of Development

23.2.2021
For over a decade now, a group of fans have been working on Lambda Wars, a real-time strategy game set in the Half-Life universe. Originally a Half-Life 2 mod, and later a standalone beta, the thing is now finished, or as finished as a game ever gets these days, anyway.Read more

Don’t Worry: There Are Enough Analogue Pockets For Everyone

23.2.2021
Last August, many of us missed out on pre-ordering a Pocket, the beautiful all-in-one handheld console from Seattle-based hardware manufacturer Analogue. With a restock now confirmed for 2021, the company has promised to beef up its servers and crack down on resellers to help ensure folks are able...

Epic Settles Real Lawsuit With Fake Money

22.2.2021
Fortnite players who purchased one of Save The World’s randomized Loot Llamas will receive 1000 V-Bucks, developer Epic announced today. The move comes as part of a preliminary class action settlement regarding loot boxes.Read more

Hacker Rewrites Crappy SNES Racer To Improve Its Framerate Sevenfold

22.2.2021
Brazilian software engineer Vitor Vilela has, for almost a decade, sung the praises of Nintendo’s SA-1 enhancement chip, but never before have the benefits of the souped-up Super Nintendo processor been more obvious than when applied to Race Drivin’, the lackluster 1992 SNES port of Atari’s...

Lumines: Electronic Symphony Was Almost Daft Punk Lumines

22.2.2021
Daft Punk, the famed French electronic music duo formed in 1993, has broken up. While many of their fans are obviously upset by the news, Q Entertainment producer (and ex-game journalist) James Mielke took the opportunity to share his own fond memories of the musicians, explaining that they were...

How to Score Free Screeners Before New Movies Come Out

22.2.2021
Your average cinephile might itch with anticipation before a new blockbuster release, but unless you’ve got a legitimate critic’s platform, you’ve got slim chances of receiving that coveted screener. Luckily, it’s probably easier than ever to become something of a movie critic, provided you’ve...

Why Diablo IV Is So Obsessed With Ears

22.2.2021
Ears. If you watched the debut trailer for Diablo IV’s rogue class, that was your main takeaway—at least, if you’re anything like me. The rogue showed up to “confession” with a big ol’ bag of ears. The priest had a whole darn trophy case of ears. This might have struck you as strange—most regular...

What Was Your Best-Ever Year For Gaming?

22.2.2021
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take.Read more

Google's Facing A Class-Action Suit Over Stadia's Lack Of True 4K Gaming

22.2.2021
There’s another gaming-focused class action lawsuit in the works, this one against Google Stadia over whether or not Stadia can run games at 4K resolution. The suit was originally filed in October, but had a development earlier this month when lawyers for co-defendants id Software filed a notice...

We Gotta Talk About This Main Story Quest In A Realm Reborn

22.2.2021
My journey through Final Fantasy XIV continues apace. My bard and black mage are now at level 46, and I’m currently questing through the icy Coerthas, which seems oddly French with all the names ending in -x and -eau. When I first started playing, my circle of FF14-playing friends all told me to...

WandaVision's TV Fakeness Gave Way to a Moment of True Love

22.2.2021
One of the many, many things that’s made WandaVision so compelling to watch are the ways it has poked and prodded at the format of television to tell the story of Scarlet Witch and Vision’s unlikely love. But in an episode that was all about the fakeness of that metatext finally breaking down,...

Forrest 64 Is What A Fictional Nintendo 64 Game Sounds Like

22.2.2021
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. We’ve got an odd one today: the soundtrack to a make-believe Nintendo 64 game hidden away in the Switch version of Firewatch.Read more

Another arcade is closing in Tokyo.

22.2.2021
Another arcade is closing in Tokyo. Taito Station Shinjuku West Exit, which opened in 2018, will shutter on March 21. With fewer customers and tourists banned, arcades are hurting. Read more

Steam zakázal studio Very Positive, jeho jméno prý klamalo zákazníky

22.2.2021
Nezávislý vývojář využil skutečnosti, že herní profily na Steamu zobrazují uživatelská hodnocení hráčů ve slovní podobě, a to jen o dva řádky nad názvem autorského studia. K jeho smůle však Valve takovéto chování označil za podvod a hru z nabídky rychle odstranil

Take-Two Goes After Reverse-Engineered Grand Theft Auto Code

22.2.2021
Last week we shared the good news that the source code for Grand Theft Autos III & Vice City had been reverse-engineered, allowing folks to port the games and come up with cool new mods. Now, we bring you the predictable news that publisher Take-Two Interactive are not happy.Read more

I Was Wrong About An Award-Winning Final Fantasy Author

22.2.2021
Back in 2014, I wrote about author M.J. Gallagher’s attempts to turn the Final Fantasy series into a giant novel, and said “it’s not going to win many literary prizes”. I am here today to eat some shit.Read more

Happy 35th Birthday, The Legend Of Zelda

22.2.2021
On February 21, 1986, the original Legend of Zelda was released on the Famicom in Japan. It did OK, Nintendo made some more Zelda games, and we’ve all been having some good times ever since. Read more

It's Weird To See Ryu Use A Gun In Fortnite

21.2.2021
Yesterday, after some hints and leaks, Street Fighter characters Ryu and Chun-Li came to Epic’s mega-popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Watching Ryu run around shooting people with an assault rifle is weird. It’s also just one more example of how Fortnite consumes popular characters...

Sunday Comics: Shut Up Now

21.2.2021
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more

'Shop Contest: Thicczilla, Winners

20.2.2021
Godzilla is old news. Last week, Netflix introduced the world to the glorious Thicczilla. We here at Kotaku decided to celebrate this big, beautiful boy. Read more

Go Ahead And Jump!

20.2.2021
This week on Snapshots we have more Spider-Man and Assassin’s Creed screenshots, some nice shots from Ghost of Tsushima, half of a scary lady, leaping, running, and Lara Croft. And one big jump.Read more

Pyukumuku Can Spit Its Organs Out And Use Them As A Weapon

20.2.2021
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Pyukumuku!Read more

'Shop Contest: The Legend Of Zelda 35th Anniversary

20.2.2021
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Zelda franchise. But specifically, it seems today Feb 21 is the actual day the series hits the big 3-0 (plus five.) Let’s celebrate the long-running franchise by creating silly images. It’s how we do things around here. Read more

At Least Your Day Wasn't This Bad

20.2.2021
I’ve been trying not to complain too much about Texas’s absurd weather because my family hasn’t been hit quite as hard as others. But there are just some people that had it even worse. Nothing will ever be as bad as walking out to discover your car has been completely engulfed by Mr. Freeze’s...

The Overwatch 2 Panel Was Cool But Please, Give Us The Damn Sojourn Reveal

20.2.2021
Judging from its complete absence from BlizzConline’s opening keynote, you’d never guess Overwatch 2 was part of the Blizzard family of games, much less in the works. Thankfully, watching the “Behind the Scenes of Overwatch 2” panel put to rest any fears that the game might’ve been forgotten....

It Would've Been OK To Skip This One, Blizzard

20.2.2021
Tonight’s keynote for BlizzConline, Blizzard’s virtual showcase, was a tepid hour of previously leaked reveals for World of Warcraft and Diablo, some Hearthstone news, a passing mention of Diablo Immortal, and no Overwatch 2. As we’re fond of saying these days, it could have been an email.Read more

Guilty Gear Strive Already Has An Infinite

20.2.2021
A beta version of the upcoming Guilty Gear Strive is currently being explored by the fighting game community and, surprise surprise, someone has already discovered an infinite combo.Read more

Everything Blizzard Announced During BlizzConline's Opening Ceremony

19.2.2021
It sure as heck isn’t BlizzCon, but until we can safely gather together again in the stew of scents and juices that is a convention hall (so maybe never?), BlizzConline will have to do. Blizzard kicked off the online version of its annual convention today with a handful of announcements that...

Diablo II Remaster Coming To All Major Platforms In 2021

19.2.2021
Blizzard kicked off BlizzConline (a portmanteau I whole-heartedly protest) with the announcement everyone has been waiting for: Diablo II and its Lord of Destruction expansion is being remastered for just about every gaming platform on the planet, with a release scheduled for 2021.Read more

The Rogue Returns As Diablo IV's Latest Class

19.2.2021
Having peaced-out at the end of the 1996 original, the bow-wielding rogue hasn’t shown their face around Sanctuary for nearly a quarter of a century. Consider their stealth-imposed exile over—the rogue returns in Diablo IV.Read more

The Blizzard Arcade Collection Bundles Three Classics For $20

19.2.2021
Available now for PlayStations, Xboxes, Switch, and PC, the Blizzard Arcade Collection bundles together The Lost Vikings, Rock n’ Roll Racing, and Blackthorne, those early games Blizzard made before the days of Diablo, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft.Read more

I’ve Kinda Had My Fill After Wrapping The Division 2’s Latest Season

19.2.2021
The Division 2’s latest manhunt is coming to an end. Players who have taken down this season’s previous four targets now have access to the final quarry, with a mission to take her out. This raid, while exciting and climatic, caps off another grind of a season that leaves the future of the game...

Street Fighter Portal Appears In Fortnite

19.2.2021
Fortnite has absorbed just about every nerdy property under the sun at this point, but Epic Games’ massively popular battle royale has yet to dip its toes into the world of fighting games. Well, until now, that is.Read more

Apple Wants Valve To Hand Over A Bunch Of Steam Info For Its Fight With Epic

19.2.2021
Epic Games’ legal battle against Apple over App Store fees continues to drag on into ever weirder and more esoteric fronts. The latest development? Apple is actively trying to subpoena years of in-depth sales information from Valve about all of the games listed on Steam, in order to show that Epic...

Why Do We Call The Hardest Video Game Enemies 'Bosses,' Anyway?

19.2.2021
In real life, if you encounter a large being hell-bent on beating the crap out of you, you call them “an asshole” or “a fully grown polar bear, but in my backyard, like in those nightmares I have.” In a video game, you call them “a boss.” That’s weird! Plenty of people want to fight their bosses...

How to Improve Your Chances of Scheduling a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment

19.2.2021
When not one, but two safe and highly efficacious vaccines received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration in December 2020—less than a year after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States— it almost seemed too good to be true. (Which is not to imply that...

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

19.2.2021
The weekend is for angling the monitor away from prying eyes while you attempt to use the power of gem-matching to get snarky anime women to agree to participate in group sex. That, or maybe playing Animal Crossing. Read more

Bungie Is Looking To Expand The Destiny 2 Universe

19.2.2021
Yesterday, Bungie announced some big plans over the next few years, including new offices, new games, and a new leadership team seemingly in charge of branching out the the Destiny 2 universe into other media.Read more

Rising Sun Removed From Street Fighter II In Capcom Arcade Stadium

19.2.2021
E. Honda’s Street Fighter II bathhouse stage is iconic. On the back wall is a mural with Mount Fuji, a kabuki actor, and the Rising Sun design. The mountain and the thespian stay in Capcom Arcade Stadium’s re-release, but the ray design does not.Read more

New Subscription Service Is JUST For Crusader Kings II

19.2.2021
While you may be increasingly used to paying a monthly fee to get access to a lot of games, Paradox is trialling a new subscription service where you just pay to play one. Which sounds slightly mad until you realise that one game is Crusader Kings II.Read more

PC Case That Could Burst Into Flames Officially Recalled

19.2.2021
As we reported earlier this month, NZXT’s (admittedly lovely) H1 case had an issue where at a certain point it could literally burst into flames. The company reluctantly apologised, but that process has now progressed into a full “recall” for over 30,000 of the cases.Read more

Streamer Beats Hades With A Literal Pomegranate

19.2.2021
In Hades, the pomegranate is a key item, one that grants you very real power by buffing your abilities. The pomegranate also grants unimaginable power in the real world, at least if you’re the streamer Dylan “Rudeism” Beck. He harnessed the power of ancient fruit to beat the game’s final boss...

Final Fantasy VII Has Been Upscaled To HD Using AI

19.2.2021
If you want to play Final Fantasy VII in HD on your PC you could wait for the remake to get ported, or you could play the original game using this mod that employs artificial intelligence to upscale its visuals.Read more

A Princess Charm Game Would Be Great, Thanks

19.2.2021
During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation, Mario Kart Live developer Velan Studios revealed its next game, Knockout City. But all I really care about is the spunky (and wholly unrelated) little princess that was used to market it.Read more

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's New River Raids Ain't It

19.2.2021
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the last game that needed any extra content right now, but this week it got some anyway, and since I’m still fresh on the game I thought I’d jump back in and check it out.Read more

Red Dead Online's New Solo Missions Are Pretty Good

18.2.2021
The latest Red Dead Online update, released earlier this week, added a few new missions to the game. These new telegram missions are short and simple but are also built to be played alone, another sign that Rockstar is willing to give players more single-player content even in ostensibly online...

Yes, Splatoon Is Set After A Climate Apocalypse

18.2.2021
Splatoon 3’s reveal yesterday took many folks by surprise, both because there was little indication beforehand that the aquatic shooter would get a third installment and because of the presence of an upside-down Eiffel Tower in the trailer. No, your eyes weren’t deceiving you: Splatoon is set...

Mister DeepFuckingValue Goes To Washington

18.2.2021
History was made today when Reddit user DeepFuckingValue, who goes by Roaring Kitty on YouTube, opened his Congressional testimony in a hearing about GameStop stock by specifying, for the literal record, that he is not actually a cat.Read more

Shovel Knight Is Coming To Sma-- Er, For Honor

18.2.2021
Finally, after years of waiting, Shovel Knight is coming to the popular fighting game… For Honor. Oh...that’s fine I guess. I mean, who can think of any other game that needs Shovel Knight?Read more

Xbox’s New ‘FPS Boost’ Feature Is The Real Deal

18.2.2021
Yesterday Microsoft released FPS Boost, a new backward-compatibility feature for the Xbox Series X and S. FPS Boost will…well boost the framerate dramatically in specific, older games when you play them on a next-gen Xbox. After playing around with FPS Boost a bit I’m excited and impressed. This...

Project Triangle Strategy Just Became One Of My Most Anticipated Games

18.2.2021
Think back to the last argument you had. Did you sway the other person to your side? How much effort did that take? That tug-of-war—the fraught nature of persuasion, and the notion that you don’t initially know if you’ve pulled it off—is the unexpected crux of Project Triangle Strategy, an upcoming...

20 Must-Watch Muppet Show Episodes on Disney+

18.2.2021
Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show—the one and only—is finally going to be more easily accessible to fans with its arrival on Disney+ this week. You might be so excited you’re just going to dive in headfirst, but if you’re down to skip around a bit, we have some suggestions for the best of the best. Read...

The Crucial Legacy of the Black Aunt

18.2.2021
When it comes to Black families, there is no role more imitated, meme’d, or recognizable than aunt. Whether the aunt you claim is kin or “play,” the role is somewhat universal—a supportive woman in your life, younger than grandma, that bridges familial bonds between children and parents.Read more

The Makers Of Minit Are Back With A Clever New Spin-Off

18.2.2021
Minit took the sense of exploration and discovery from a classic Zelda and recreated it in black and white in 60 second chunks. The result was fantastic, so it’s not surprising its creators are returning to that world in their latest game: Minit Fun Racer.Read more

Final Fantasy XIV Could Go At Least Five More Years, Director Says

18.2.2021
Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida recently spoke about the future of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game with The Washington Post, saying that at its current growth rate, users can expect the online world to continue expanding with new content for at least five more years,...

First Look At Mamoru Hosoda's New Anime Film Belle

18.2.2021
Announced last December, Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and The Boy and the Beast) has a new animated feature coming out this year. As previously reported, the movie is called Belle and tells the story of a young woman in modern-day Japan as she enters a massive virtual world.Read more

Po Half-Lifu se vylepšené verze dočká i datadisk Blue Shift

18.2.2021
Šikovní fanoušci se chystají navázat na úspěšný remaster Black Mesa a do nového enginu předělají i povedený datadisk Blue Shift. V něm se na dobře známé události z Half-lifu podíváme z pohledu jednoho z pracovníků ostrahy

Thank God For Wario

18.2.2021
These are trying times we are all living through. If only we could live through them with half the gusto—and fashion sense—of Wario.Read more

No Thank You, Animal Crossing Mario

18.2.2021
Stay up to watch the Nintendo Direct they said. Help us with the edits as the stories go live they requested. Sure, sure I replied, I was going to watch anyway, why not. And then they said Mario was coming to Animal Crossing. And now I don’t get to sleep. Ever again.Read more

Oh Hey, They're Bringing Back Stubbs The Zombie

18.2.2021
Remember Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without A Pulse, the 2005 action game for PC and Xbox about a depression-era zombie eating brains in the late 1950s? Maybe? Either way, it’s coming to Xboxes, PlayStations, Switch, and PC on March 16.Read more

Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville Comes To Switch Next Month

18.2.2021
The most family-friendly competitive online shooter this side of Splatoon finally makes its way to the Switch on March 19. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville Complete Edition brings the fight to Nintendo’s console and makes all released cosmetic DLC unlockable in-game without a premium...

Nintendo Announces Splatoon 3, Out 2022

17.2.2021
When you see dusty backdrops and derelict train yards, you probably think of, well, anything other than the very colorful Splatoon series. But that’s how Nintendo showed off Splatoon 3 during today’s Nintendo Direct.Read more

Mario Stuff Comes To Animal Crossing: New Horizons March 1

17.2.2021
You know what was missing from Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Official Mario stuff. Bricks. Question boxes. Flags. Costumes. All that and more comes to your furry island paradise on February 25 as part of a free update celebrating the plumber’s 35th anniversary. Read more

Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Pyra And Mythra Are In Smash

17.2.2021
The next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter isn’t Waluigi. It’s Pyra, from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. That’s not all. Mythra will join the roster, as well. The two fighters will be available in March.Read more

20 Movies to Stream Before This Year's Blockbuster Sequels Arrive

17.2.2021
This year’s film slate includes the usual glut of remakes, prequels, and sequels—some of them continuations of decades-old franchises. Films like Coming to America 2 and Top Gun: Maverick began their stories in the ‘80s and are only now receiving their long-awaited followups, while the next James...

Watch Nintendo's Direct Here

17.2.2021
Nintendo’s first full Direct in nearly 18 months is set to being at 5:00 p.m. ET today. According to Nintendo, it’ll run approximately 50 minutes, during which time many fans’ dreams may come true while others are shattered. Read more

Zelda Speedrunner Beats Breath Of The Wild With His Feet

17.2.2021
Speedrunner Joedun is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to doing the unthinkable in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Not content to have a top 10 time when it comes to 100 percenting the game, he decided to do it again earlier this month without taking any damage. Now he’s back...

What's Star Wars Going to Do With All This Gina Carano Merchandise?

17.2.2021
Toys and Star Wars are almost inextricably linked. From the days of the Early Bird preview set to modern collectibles lining the shelves and desks of ardent fans, the galaxy far, far away’s relationship with merchandise is as old as Star Wars itself. But what’s going to happen when paraphernalia...

Destiny 2’s New Weekly Challenge Shares A Slogan With The Hitler Youth

17.2.2021
A new weekly challenge in Destiny 2’s Season of the Chosen is called “Blood and Honor.” It’s a phrase that’s been seen in other fantasy media, but it’s also the English translation of the German phrase “Blut und Ehre,” one of the Nazi slogans used by the Hitler Youth.Read more

Billionaires’ Favorite Climate Solution Is a Dangerous Distraction

17.2.2021
An Elon Musk tweet can do everything from moving the stock market to convincing people to invest in a joke cryptocurrency. So when the richest man on Earth tweeted in late January about kicking $100 million to whoever could come up with the best technology to capture carbon from the air, the world...

Bowser’s Fury Co-Op Sucks, But Super Mario 3D World’s Is Amazing

17.2.2021
Nintendo’s first big release of 2021, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, packages together a re-release of a seven-year-old game alongside a new, yet bite-sized, adventure. The main draw is the latter, which offers a showcase of what an open-world Mario game could be. What’s more, Bowser’s Fury...

Valve Bans 'Very Positive' Developer For Trying To Trick Steam Users

17.2.2021
Emoji Evolution is a puzzle game on Steam about combining weird symbols. Or at least it was: Valve recently removed it from the storefront and banned its creator’s developer account after apparently discovering how they were exploiting Steam’s layout to try to trick people into playing...