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CultureE3E3 Avatar Creator: The Kotaku Review
E3 is here. Registered participants will soon be able to log in to the E3 portal to connect with developers, industry professionals, and fans. Since the event is purely digital, the ESA is encouraging participants to create avatars so exhibitors who may or may not be there and who may or may not respond to…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and Ends$35,000 Could Win You This BTS Chicken McNugget Shaped Like An Among Us Crewmate
Today, in a weird confluence of internet mega-fandoms: There is a chicken nugget from the McDonald’s BTS meal shaped like an Among Us crewmate up for bid on Ebay for more than $34,000 whole-ass American dollars. That’s it. That’s all I got in the face of this overwhelming evidence that the human race are simultaneously…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsMass Effect 3 Easter Egg Revealed After Nine Years
Nine years since the release of Mass Effect 3 and just a couple of weeks after the release of its shiny new Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster, a long-hidden Easter egg has been revealed. On May 18th, Richard Boisvert, who appears to be a former BioWare developer, posted on r/masseffect about an Easter egg he…
By Ash Parrish -
OpinionImpressionsOh, Hey, I Just Got Back From An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs
An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs (y’all, there’s no way I’m gonna get through these impressions spelling this long-ass name out so henceforth I’ll call it Dog Airport or abbreviate it as AAFACRBD) is a game about exactly what it says on the box: You are a person at an airport that services…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsThe Sonic Diamond Necklaces Are Cool, Actually
Soon, rappers, jewelry enthusiasts, or nerds with money to burn can buy their own Sonic-themed diamond necklace. Tucked into today’s Sonic news stream was a gem (heh) of an announcement—a collaboration between Sega and jewelry maker King Ice to create four gold chains featuring the diamond-encrusted heads of beloved Sonic characters. Naturally, the internet has…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureNew Sonic Game Coming In 2022
Y’all! There’s a new Sonic game coming in 2022! Sega’s also releasing a remaster of Sonic Colors and a Sonic Origins collection. Today, in celebration of 30 years of Sonic, Sega held a Sonic Central to share what’s coming next for the Blue Blur. Most of the news centered on boring crossover content like Sonic-themed…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Factory In Resident Evil Village Is So Damn Boring
I’m tired of Heisenberg’s Factory in Resident Evil Village. So much so that I, once again, might quit playing. The difference here from Village’s infamous Dollhouse—that also caused me to almost quit the game prematurely—isn’t because the factory is particularly scary or difficult. It’s just tedious. It’s a labyrinthine place filled with monsters that cause…
By Ash Parrish -
CulturePokémon Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, And Legends: Arceus Get Release Dates
Make sure to kiss your mom goodbye and stock up on your Max Potions, because the three latest Pokémon games finally have release dates. Today, The Pokémon Company announced that the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes will launch on November 19, and a new open-world game Pokémon Legends: Arceus will come later on January…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsOld Overwatch Bug Let Ashe’s Robot Vote On How Well You Played
In Overwatch, B.O.B., Ashe’s robot companion and ultimate ability, doesn’t do much beyond shoot where Ashe tells him to. But yesterday, an AMA revealed that the Big Omnic Butler initially had a lot of thoughts on how players performed in Overwatch matches. In celebration of Overwatch’s fifth anniversary, Blizzard held an AMA, or Ask Me…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsNo Need To Wait: Fans Made Their Own Version Of Overwatch 2
After last week’s Overwatch 2 developer livestream, one fan created some of the changes coming in the new game in Overwatch’s workshop mode. In workshop mode, players can create custom games that allow them to do anything from train their aiming skills to play an Overwatch-ified version of Flappy Bird or Bejeweled. Reddit user Ajfis3,…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOverwatch 2 Will Only Have Five Players Per Team
Today, during an Overwatch 2 PVP livestream, Aaron Keller, Overwatch’s new game director taking over for Blizzard veteran Jeff Kaplan, announced that teams in Overwatch 2‘s PVP will be reduced from six players to five. “Overwatch has changed over time. We’ve gone from having no hero limits…to having a hero limit. We ended up introducing…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureFinal Fantasy XIV Players Mourn Berserk Creator’s Death With Touching Tribute
Kentaro Miura, creator of seminal dark-fantasy manga Berserk, died on May 6 of an aortic dissection. When his death was made public on May 19, Final Fantasy XIV players paid tribute with spontaneous memorials honoring Miura, Berserk, and its impact on the Final Fantasy franchise itself. Miura’s work deeply influenced the Final Fantasy franchise so…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryResident Evil Village‘s Dollhouse Almost Made Me Quit
I almost quit Resident Evil Village yesterday. It wasn’t because the game’s limited field of vision finally made me blow chunks across my living room, but because fear—true, gripping terror the likes of which I had never felt before—seized me while in Donna Beneviento’s Dollhouse. I knew going into the Dollhouse was going to be…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsHell Yeah! The Summer Games Done Quick 2021 Schedule Looks Amazing
The Summer Games Done Quick 2021 schedule is now out, and I’m so excited. Taking place from July 4-11, the online speedrunner charity event will feature over 100 full-tilt sprints through games famous and obscure, with the proceeds raised going to Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières. Games Done Quick marathons are my most…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureGTA V Arrives On Xbox Series S/X And PlayStation 5 On November 11
Today, Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto V, a game with almost as many releases as Skyrim, will be arriving on current gen systems November 11. “The expanded and enhanced versions of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online are arriving on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with new features and more,” Rockstar…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureValorant Pro Jay “Sinatraa” Won Suspended For Six Months Following Sexual Assault Investigation
Jay “Sinatraa” Won has been suspended from competing in professional Valorant matches for six months following Riot’s investigation of claims he sexually assaulted his girlfriend Cleo Hernandez. Announced today, the six month suspension will last until September 10 and require Won to participate in professional conduct training before he can resume competing. According to Riot,…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryResident Evil Village Is Proving A Great Intro To The Series, Even When It Makes Me Sick
Until Village, I had never played a Resident Evil game in my life because I am a gigantic baby who is ridiculously easy to scare. But I knew as soon as I saw that tall, glamorous, vampire woman that I’d steel my courage and give the venerable horror franchise a try, if only for her.…
By Ash Parrish -
OpinionImpressionsMass Effect Legendary Edition Makes The First Game Required Playing
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out today, remastering BioWare’s space trilogy with 4K HD graphics and other kinds of tweaks and twinges to bring the games into the current generation. Of the trilogy, the original Mass Effect stands out as the game benefiting the most from graphical updates and quality of life enhancements. From what…
By Ash Parrish -
CultureOdds and EndsNot Even Mass Effect Legendary Edition Will Compel Me To Make Different Choices
Vanguard class. Colonist. Sole Survivor. Paragon. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out tomorrow, and I’m positively giddy with excitement that I will reunite with some of my best friends in the galaxy in baby-bottom smooth HD. The primary appeal of Mass Effect (outside of its outstanding cast of characters) is that it’s a game meant…
By Ash Parrish