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Hot Tub Streams Are Waning, But Some People Still Think They’re Destroying Twitch
23.4.2021
It’s hot tub stream summer, and everybody’s got an opinion. This week, for example, the biggest streamer on Twitch, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, called hot tub streams “trash,” saying that they’re “the most pathetic thing we’ve seen on Twitch in forever” and petitioning for them to be removed from...
I Have Backlog Anxiety
23.4.2021
We at Kotaku have designated April as Backlog Month, in which we, in light of a looming dearth of new video game releases, turn our attention toward the games that we have wanted to play but missed. But unlike my colleagues, I’m having a problem—I have no idea what to do for Backlog Month, and it’s...
Listen To Gilbert Gottfried Mispronounce Some Mortal Kombat Names
23.4.2021
A couple weeks ago, video game cover band Lame Genie recorded a fantastic version of the iconic Mortal Kombat theme song. Then they slapped on videos of comedian Gilbert Gottfried in place of the vocals for some reason.Read more
Humble Bundle Moves To Limit Charitable Donations To 15% Starting In May
23.4.2021
Humble Bundle announced today that in May it will begin removing its distinctive sliders from game bundle store pages, in effect capping the amount of the purchase price customers can donate to charity. News of this change has enraged some onlookers, who characterized it as greedy.Read more
What Defines A Backlog?
23.4.2021
It’s Backlog Month at Kotaku, which means we’re spilling a lot of ink on a plight shared by basically everyone who plays games. But this got us wondering: What defines a backlog? At what point does a game jump from being anything else in your library to being a (likely permanent) fixture on your...
Disco Elysium Was Its Incredible Narrator's First Voice Acting Gig
23.4.2021
Narration plays a huge role in Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, the spiraling detective simulator that was recently updated for consoles. As such, one might expect the man chosen to lend his pipes to such a project to be some sort of master thespian, or at least a veteran voiceover artist. But...
Riot Co-Founder Courageously Tweets, Deletes ‘Critical Race Theory’ Dog Whistle
23.4.2021
“Critical race theory” is the right’s latest buzz phrase in service of silencing discussion of America’s racist past and how it informs the country’s still very racist present. Last night, Riot co-founder and chairman Marc Merrill tweeted and quoted an article about how critical race theory is...
Sometimes You Just Have To Let Backlog Games Go
23.4.2021
Most of us will probably never play every game we own right now, let alone all the others we’ll buy or download in the future. In that sense, backlogs are like the universe: infinitely expanding and confounding to physicists. Sometimes you just have to make peace—or force yourself to make...
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
23.4.2021
The weekend is about slowly and joylessly working through our backlog, somehow dripping with sweat and covered with coal dust. Where did all this sweat-enhancing coal dust come from? Read more
Evercade Turns Its Cartridge-Based Retro Handheld Into A Console
23.4.2021
The Evercade is a lovely retro handheld that plays games sold in delightful cartridge-based collections. The Evercade VS is a new $100 retro console from the makers of the original Evercade with dual cartridge ports and support for four-player local multiplayer. Read more
Opening Osaka's Super Nintendo World Last Month Seems Like A Mistake
23.4.2021
On March 18, Shigeru Miyamoto appeared at the Super Nintendo World opening at Universal Studios Japan. For the photos, he seems to have briefly removed his mask, which was probably safe. However, in light of the ensuing state of emergency, the photos reflect poorly on the seriousness of...
Dude Trains Like One-Punch Man During The Pandemic, Gets Buff
23.4.2021
Back in 2019, in the before times, Kotaku reported that an investor named Sean trained like One-Punch Man for thirty days and got in terrific shape. Now, in 2021, another dude has trained like the character for a whole year. Read more
One Of The Best WW2 Games Is Now Even Better
23.4.2021
I reviewed Unity of Command II a couple years back and, a few quibbles aside, found it to be one of the most interesting and innovative turn-based tactics games I had ever played. It’s now back with a major expansion, and those quibbles are in the firing line.Read more
Civilization 6 Update Lets You Pet Dogs, But Not Cats
23.4.2021
The latest major patch for Civilization 6 dropped this week, and there was a great new addition: you can finally pet the dog! Petting cats, however? Firaxis has some strong opinions there.Read more
Dude Gets 100% On Guitar Hero Song That Looks Physically Impossible
23.4.2021
Honestly, this is one of the most physically impressive video game feats I have ever seen.Read more
Last Stop's Meant To Feel Like A Playable TV Show
23.4.2021
You’d think a game featuring mysterious green magic swirling in the London underground would be all about weird stuff. But Last Stop—at least from what I’ve seen of it so far—is first and foremost a game about people.Read more
Mortal Kombat 2021: The Kotaku Movie Review
23.4.2021
As I said last month following a preview of the film’s first 12 minutes, the new Mortal Kombat movie starts off strong. The opening battle between the men who would become Sub-Zero and Scorpion is one of my favorite cinema moments of the year. The remaining 98 minutes? Not so much. The fights...
Clone Hero Is So Much Fun I Don't Mind The Carpal Tunnel
23.4.2021
As the last of the notes disappeared from the screen, I put my fake, plastic guitar down to look at my hands. They were shaking, and my fingers were curled as if they were still wrapped around the fretboard. I felt pain twisting around my wrist and creeping into my finger joints. Still, I wore...
The Nier Replicant Remaster Does Many Good Things And One Awful Thing
23.4.2021
I played the original Nier back in 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed it despite the main character being a hideous troll of an old man. Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, with the handsome younger hero originally exclusive to Japan, looks, plays, and feels better overall, save the unfortunate inclusion...
Call of Duty Gets '80s Map For Season Three
22.4.2021
Following yesterday’s Warzone nuke events, Call of Duty’s Season Three has officially begun for both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Season Three introduces a “new” Warzone map, while Cold War gets new multiplayer maps, weapons, operators, Zombies updates, and more. There’s also a new 100-tier...