-
The Parental Struggles In 2018’s God Of War Echoed Those Of The People Making It
“A lot of this performance is a love letter to my kids and it’s an apology,” says voice actor Christopher Judge in a new in-house documentary about the making of the PlayStation 4 hit God of War. Judge played the game’s lead character, Kratos, and when he talked about his performance, he teared up. As…
By Ethan Gach -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryDota 2‘s New Battle Pass Has Some Unwelcome Changes
I’m playing Dota 2 again following the release of the game’s 2019 battle pass. There are new treasures to collect. Big tournaments are just around the corner. And I’ve spent another $10 on that battle pass. I can’t tell if this game is actually exciting again or if I just feel compelled to play because…
By Ethan Gach -
Louis Vuitton Fashion Show Uses Final Fantasy Music
Last night, European designer fashion brand Louis Vuitton took to the Kennedy Airport to show off its 2020 cruise collection, its latest line of fancy new clothes and accessories. The stylish show was packed with celebs, and…music from Final Fantasy VIII? The fashion show began with models slowly coming down the terminal staircases to a…
By Ethan Gach -
Reggie Fils-Aime Gives First Speech Since Leaving Nintendo
Reggie Fils-Aime, who retired from Nintendo after spending 15 years at the video game company, will deliver the commencement address at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida later today. The proceedings are set to begin around 3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on the college’s website, as well as…
By Ethan Gach -
Fallout 76 Players Can Now Set Up Their Own Stores, But Bethesda Taxes Their Goods
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” wrote Benjamin Franklin in 1789 letter. Fallout 76 players have long been acquainted with the first, but following the addition of a new vending machine mechanic, they are being forced to come to terms with the second. Yesterday’s patch added a…
By Ethan Gach -
Magic: The Gathering Is So Complex It Could Stump A Computer
Anyone who’s ever tried to play Magic: The Gathering or listened to a friend explain it to them has had to reckon with the learning curve of all its intricate rules and even more confounding cards. Human players might not be alone in feeling overwhelmed: A new research paper argues that the game is so…
By Ethan Gach -
John Wick Hex is a newly announced “fight-choreographed chess brought to life” strategy game inspired by the films and being developed by Thomas Was Alone’s Mike Bithell. It’ll feature voice work by Ian McShane and Lance Reddick and come to consoles and be on PC as an Epic Store exclusive.
By Ethan Gach -
Destiny 2’s New Exotic Quest Brings Back One Of The Best Guns From Destiny 1
Destiny 2’s latest update has added a new exotic quest whose reward is a re-issue of one of the best guns from the first game: Outbreak Prime. The new quest begins, like so many in Destiny do, with the hunt for a transponder. This one is located on Titan in a hidden room at the…
By Ethan Gach -
Nintendo Switch Online’s next batch of NES games arrives on May 15 and includes Donkey Kong Jr., Clu Clu Land, and VS. Excitebike The selection makes sense since it leans into the service’s online multiplayer. Still, it’s no substitute for finally getting SNES games on the Switch.
By Ethan Gach -
OpinionImpressionsShakedown: Hawaii Offers A Breezy 16-Bit Farewell To The Vita
There are hundreds of missions in Shakedown: Hawaii, each one of them a bite-sized mashup of arcade violence and dark humor that takes aim at late capitalism. None of the missions overstay their welcome, but also, they don’t culminate into anything more rewarding than the experience of just driving around the game’s bright, lurid streets…
By Ethan Gach -
Valve revealed Dota 2‘s 2019 battle pass today and as you would expect it’s packed full of trinkets for the most diehard and well-heeled players to collect. In addition to the usual new cosmetics and modes though, there are also some helpful new features, including a party finder for avoiding toxic players.
By Ethan Gach -
Anthem‘s Latest Update Removes Special Loot Chests
Today’s Anthem update has removed special Elysian chests from the game just over a month after they were added. This comes on the heels of several delayed updates, leaving the game’s remaining players bewildered and frustrated. Anthem’s 1.1.1 patch went live earlier today and fixed a handful of small bugs, including one which was causing…
By Ethan Gach -
EA’s Gaming Subscription Comes To PS4 In July
EA Access, a monthly subscription service for a bunch of Electronic Arts games, will finally come to PS4 nearly five years after it started on Xbox One. The service will be $5 a month or $30 for a full year. In addition to providing unlimited access to EA games like Madden 19, Battlefield V, and…
By Ethan Gach -
Fallout 4 Mod Gives Your Character An Anime Look
Fallout 4’s Far Harbor expansion is pretty anime with its island of misfit Synths and deep-seated mysteries. But one modder decided it isn’t anime enough and took matters into their own hands. Nexus Mods user Hiyokomod created the AnimeRace Nanakochan mod, which adds anime-style characters to Fallout 4, after being disappointed with how the mechanic…
By Ethan Gach -
Hacker Appears To Get Original Xbox Emulator Running On Switch
Game development hobbyist and self-described Xbox fan Voxel9 recently shared a YouTube video in which he boots up the XQEMU Xbox emulator on a Switch and manages to load and play some games, including the first Halo The video begins with the code for the emulator being compiled, followed by the intro animation for Microsoft’s…
By Ethan Gach -
EsportsCall of Duty Esports Is Getting Ready To Change Again
The Call of Duty World League has only been around since 2016, but it’s already making an overhaul that could spell the end of its current format, which mixes weekly matches that have their own cash prizes with bigger bimonthly tournaments. Activision is planning for its blockbuster shooter series to follow in the wake of…
By Ethan Gach -
I Hope Sony Hasn’t Given Up On Its PlayStation 2 Classics
Sony started porting PlayStation 2 games to the PlayStation 4 in December 2015, beginning with the games like Grand Theft Auto III, Twisted Metal: Black, and Dark Cloud. There are now just over 50 PS2 games playable on the PS4, but the pace of new releases slowed from a trickle to a drip. It now…
By Ethan Gach -
For Honor’s New Season Adds Fun Executioner Class But Ups The Grind
For Honor’s year three, season two update dropped yesterday introducing a host of changes, not the least of which is a new samurai class called Hitokiri. The new class is cool, but not all of the other changes are good. The update revamps the reward system for a number of modes, and now it can…
By Ethan Gach