Ethan Gach

The Weekend In Esports: Pokémon Championships And Overwatch Contenders

With the Dota 2 TI7 qualifiers behind us and ESL One Cologne yet to begin, this weekend belongs to some of pro gaming’s other scenes. Most notably Pokémon with the North American Championships pitting the best trainers across the continent against each other. Who’s ready for the parade of Arcanine? Below you’ll find where and…

Beyond Skyrim Mod Adding Giant City From The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Is Now Available

Sitting on the edge of the Cyrodiil province in Oblivion, the mountainous snowscape known as Bruma has been recreated in Skyrim thanks to modders. The fan-expansion was released earlier today and includes new quests, dialogue, and music. Bruma 1.1 (1.0 has already been updated to address some scripting errors which led certain quests not to…

The Week In Games: Back To The Wild

Did you hear? The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is getting its first DLC this week, in case you already didn’t have enough to catch up on in that game. Last week I lamented how few releases there were. This week there are a ton more, although I can’t say I’ve ever heard…

Shadow Of The Colossus Was Unfinished, And Better Because Of It

Shadow Of The Colossus was broken, unpolished, and incomplete, and the upcoming remake shouldn’t try to fix that. Technically, Team Ico did complete Shadow Of The Colossus. It shipped in 2005. You could put the disc in a PS2 and experience what would become one of the most iconic adventures in gaming. But a much…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Arms And The Helix

Earlier this week, two of our writers discussed the merits of ARMS’ most controversial character, Helix. They both made some good points, but I think the only way to settle this once and for all is with a proper ‘Shop Contest. Nintendo’s little goo boy just can’t seem to catch a break. Misunderstood and, in…

A Game Where You Slap A Watermelon To Learn About The Existential Horror Of Being A Watermelon 

The Revolutionary Watermelon came out of the Watermelon Game Jam I covered a few months ago. Unlike the other games that came out of that joke, however, this one actually uses a watermelon as a controller. In the game you play as a self-away fruit trying to escape its circumstances. The music and sound design…

868-HACK is getting an expansion next month according to a tweet by creator Michael Brough. Arriving first on iOS in 2013 and then Steam a couple years later, 868-HACK is a brilliant, beautiful puzzle game that totally deserves more levels, or even a sequel. (H/T Rock, Paper, Shotgun). 

So Beating Prey In Under Seven Minutes Is A Thing Now

The world record for beating Prey is now 6:59 without load times, making Arkane Studios’ sci-fi thriller one of the shortest games of the year. A one-game speedrunning machine, Seeker doesn’t hold records outside of Prey, focusing instead on bending its world and zipping through it thanks to the game’s GLOO Cannon. Speedrunners have been…

Track: Jump Up, Super Star! (8-bit Remix) | Artist: Bulby | Album: Super Mario Odyssey Soundtrack Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Sunday Comics: Anything But Rabbids 

Welcome to Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics that usually occurs on Sunday except when it doesn’t. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published June 24. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published June 19. Read more…

This Is What A Pacifist Run Looks Like In A Pro Dota 2 Match

Just because you aren’t good enough to beat the very best doesn’t mean you can’t troll your way into the history books. And whether they know it or not, that’s what Czech player JohnnyCryptoN and his team are on the verge of doing as they battle their way through the Open Qualifiers for this year’s…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: A Little Mario In All Of Us, Winners!

The ‘Shop Contest is back, and the first one in a few months is now complete. Unfortunately, the results have shattered my confidence in Super Mario Odyssey unless it gets some standalone DLC devoted to just how weird Mario and Cappy can get. But congrats to this week’s winner: Pleasance13. Maybe if Mario finally possessed…

Track: Propagation | Artist: Com Truise | Album: Iteration Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Weekend In Esports: Counter-Strike Crashes Wembley, Street Fighter V Rivalries, And More

Cloud9 has a shot at taking gold at Wembley against Europe’s finest while Dota 2 teams from across the land compete in the open qualifiers to make it to the biggest tournament of the year coming in just a couple months. Below you’ll find where and when you can catch all the weekend’s biggest events…

Fan Transforms Old Game Boy Advance SP Into A Nintendo Switch Dock

This used to be an ordinary Game Boy SP until DIY-er Alexander Blake decided to make it into a retro-accessory for his Switch. It’s a lot more work and less sturdy than the one that comes packaged with the console, but you have to admit it looks way cooler. “In the process of tinkering with…

The Week In Games: More Machina, More Problems 

This year’s E3 showed off a bunch of interesting games. Unfortunately, none of them are coming out this week. The dog days of summer are here, as evidenced by the arrival of Chess Ultra on Xbox One. Don’t worry though, there are some gems in here I promise. You just have to hunt for them.…

Don’t Forget To Save Your Game, Especially If You’re Speedrunning Dark Cloud 2

“Uh oh, I haven’t saved yet.” That’s what Closetowar muttered nearly five hours into a multi-day attempt to beat the world record for speedrunning Dark Cloud 2 by collecting every medal in the game. The best time so far is 42:11:37. In fact, it’s the only time. The “All Medals%” category for the game is…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: A Little Mario In All Of Us

Super Mario Odyssey this week showed no one’s consciousness is safe from the little plumber. Thanks to Cappy, he can become a dinosaur or even a Goomba. The possibilities are endless( unlike my ‘shop talents). This latest ‘Shop Contest isn’t just about exploring the boundaries of Odyssey’s premise, it’s about searching for answers to the…

Help Hot Dads Find True Love In Dream Daddy

Dream Daddy is a dating sim headed to Steam on July 13. In it, you’ll help sexy dads hookup with other dads. Naturally, the game announced itself to the world on Father’s Day. While the dads themselves look varied enough—beard dad, dad bod dad, alcoholic dad—it’s the things they say that are really selling me…

ARMS‘ Helix Is Even More Unnerving In Clay Form

People love the characters from ARMS. For the most part. One Flubber-wannabe in particular hasn’t gotten much love: Helix. A lovingly crafted clay tribute to the DNA molecule might help change that (but probably not). This is the character’s origin story accoridng to the ARMS wiki: “Helix is an anthropomorphic being made of a slimy…