Mike Fahey, Author at Kotaku

This Is An Ataribox, Whatever That Is

This is the Ataribox. It is a box. From Atari. It’s got four USB ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot and a place to plug in a network cable. What does it do? *shrug* The Ataribox was initially teased back in Juneas a “new Atari console.” Now we have a series of renders…

By Mike Fahey Published July 17, 2017

Culture

Toy Time Plays With Mattel’s 2017 SDCC Exclusives, Destiny And Otherwise

San Diego Comic-Con 2017 is right around the corner, and thousands will be standing in line for a chance to purchase exclusive toy goodness. This year Mattel’s hitting the show with stuff from the Justice League movie, DC Super Hero Girls, Spider-Man, Cars and some team-based shooter game. As with previous years, Mattel’s actually pretty…

By Mike Fahey Published July 14, 2017

Zynga Tries Charging Random Prices For DLC, Fails

Letty’s Sting Ray from The Fate of the Furious showed up as a premium microtransaction in CSR Racing 2 earlier this week. It cost $4.99 to unlock. Or $14.99. Or $34.99. According to Zynga, prices for the premium vehicle were set to random as part of a feature test. Really. The situation came to our…

By Mike Fahey Published July 14, 2017

Lode Runner Is A Classic No Matter What It Looks Like

While it’s sporting fancy new voxel graphics, the heart of Lode Runner Legacy is the same satisfying gameplay that made creator Douglas E. Smith’s prototypical puzzle platformer one of the greatest games of the ‘80s. Lode Runner’s still got it. Lode Runner Legacy, released this week on Steam by Tozai Games, is the latest in…

By Mike Fahey Published July 14, 2017

Indie Megabooth, the collective that brings smaller games to big shows like E3 and PAX, is hosting its first stand-alone event this weekend in Atlanta. The first Indie Megashow is 12 hours of good games and good music, going down at The Tabernacle from 1PM to 1AM Saturday. You can getinfo and tickets here.

By Mike Fahey Published July 14, 2017

If You Liked Inside, You’ll Like Black The Fall And Its Little Robot Dog Too

Released this week on Steam by Sand Sailor Studio, Black The Fall is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle platformer that shares many similarities withlast year’s indie hit, Inside Dark and moody atmosphere? Clever puzzles requiring plenty of trial and error? It’s got all that, plus a lil’ robot friend. Comparisons between Black The Fall and Playdead’s…

By Mike Fahey Published July 13, 2017

The New Naruto Game Is All About Class-Based Online Ninja Team Battles

Coming next year to PS4, Xbox One and PC, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers is a team-based online battler that files the many ninja of the Naruto-verse into four categories: attack, ranged, defense and healer—AKA rogue, wizard, warrior and cleric. Don’t worry, all of them kick and punch. Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers is a…

By Mike Fahey Published July 13, 2017

Culture

The Best Animated Superman Series Gets The Toys It Deserves

The DC Collectors folks have been giving a lot of love to Batman: The Animated Series lately, with a series of action figures celebrating artist Bruce Timm’s iconic designs. But what of its brighter, bolder follow-up, Superman: The Animated Series? It’s time has come. Shipping next month, the Superman and Lois Lane two-pack ($59.95) kicks…

By Mike Fahey Published July 12, 2017

Culture

Toy Time Plays A Combo Of Pokémon and Jenga Called Beasts Of Balance

Beasts of Balance is a game of balancing skills featuring stylized plastic animals and icons. It’s also a colorful mobile strategy game involving collecting and evolving fantastic hybrid animals. It’s how both of these elements come together that make it a game that’s hard to stop playing. Beasts of Balance comes in a big friendly…

By Mike Fahey Published July 11, 2017

A Whirlwind Dance Tour Of Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood

Now that our Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood review is up, there are only four things left to do. Beat the final boss battle and dance, dance, dance. YouTube video creator Denmo has those last three covered with an outstanding musical journey through the expansion. Mind the spoilers. Fans have been creating music videos in their…

By Mike Fahey Published July 11, 2017

Sub-Zero, master of the Lin Kuei, joins the Injustice 2 roster today as the first Mortal Kombat guest character. With the Red Hood showing up last month, the only DLC character from the first “fighter pack” is Starfire. That’s called saving the best for last.

By Mike Fahey Published July 11, 2017

Culture

What We Mostly Loved About Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Apparently spiders can reboot their movie franchises twice in 15 years. The web-head made his feature debut in the Marvel cinematic universe, and it wasn’t horrible at all. Join Patricia Hernandez and me as we discuss Spider-Man: Homecoming Fahey: First off, let’s establish a baseline. I have seen…

By Mike Fahey Published July 10, 2017

Reviews

Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood: The Kotaku Review

I haven’t completed the final battle in the Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood expansions’ main story line. The titular quest has been sitting in the top left corner of my screen for a week, and I’ve been doing everything I can to ignore it. I don’t want it to end. Being a highly successful massively multiplayer…

By Mike Fahey Published July 10, 2017

Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion Is A Surprisingly Good Strategy Game

When it was announcedlate last monthfor iOS and Android, Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion looked a bit like Ubisoft’s answer to Fallout Shelter. It’s actually a clever take on turn-based squad strategy, as well as one of the best mobile AC games yet. The base threw me when I first saw the trailer for Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion,…

By Mike Fahey Published July 7, 2017

Wayforward’s half-genie hero, Shantae, is available today as a free downloadable character for Blaster Master Zero on the Switch, and she is a delight to play. Side-scrolling is tough with only her signature hair-whip, but her animal transformations make the top-down segments a joy.