Heather Alexandra

Tron-Like Shooting Game Makes The Blood 1’s and 0’s

Nullpointer is a cyberspace shooter that asks the important question “What if Tron but with guns?” It turns out that the result is a lot of fun. With a replayable rogue-like structure, Nullpointer offers plenty of bit and bytes to blast into oblivion. It’s this week’s Indie Pick. Originally created by Lycaon as part of…

Sky Rogue, a super cool indie arcade game about shooting every missile ever, has officially left early access. It’s a good game to play while shouting “Daaaaanger Zone!”

Staff Writer Heather Alexandra and Summer Intern Chloe Spencer recently sat down to feed adorable critters in Slime Rancher You can watch the archived livestream here

Gamescom’s Big Battlegrounds Tournament Kicks Off With Exciting Gunplay, Lousy Camerawork

The PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Invitational tournament kicked off today at Gamescom. The first major round of solo matches was full of badass snipes and tense finishes. Unfortunately, viewers missed plenty of these moments thanks to some shoddy camera work. Solo matches can get particularly chaotic in Battlegrounds, as 100 players fight it out to see who…

L.A. Noire‘s Homicide Investigations Were Some Of The Best 

Last month, we started streaming L.A. Noire on Kotaku’s Twitch channel. While the start of the game hassome problems, its homicide investigations take a darker turn, adding nuance and moral ambiguity to the tale of LAPD detective Cole Phelps. L.A. Noire is broken into various “desks” such as arson and homicide. The game’s opening cases…

“We’re continuing our playthrough of L.A. Noire live now on Twitch.” Press B to Doubt.

Actually, The Shenmue III Trailer Is Fine

Shenmue 3’s first major trailer debuted yesterday, showing off a world of martial arts, beautiful locales, and uncanny facial expressions. For some, including my peers at Kotaku, it was troubling. For me, it was everything I could have asked for. Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue released on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, revolutionizing how games handle open…

SWERY’s Games Find The Strangeness In Everyday Life

A trailer for Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro’s upcoming game The Good Lifereleased today. The strange game involving a town full of inhabitants who turn into cats at night is just another story by a developer well known for quirky concepts. Excitement surrounding The Good Life isn’t just tied to its intriguing core concept; it comes from…

Sonic Mania: The Kotaku Review

Sonic Mania is a celebration, a digitized block party of blistering speeds and bright worlds. Sega’s decision to hand their famous mascot over to fan creators and artists has paid massive dividends, creating a game that is not just a welcome return to form but a raucous, delightful experience. Sonic the Hedgehog has struggled to…

Zelda Speedrunners Are Mastering Breath Of The Wild’s New Difficulty

Breath of the Wild’s difficult Master Mode makes monsters tougher and the world much more dangerous than before. For speedrunners attempting to complete the game quickly, this provides new challenges and opportunities. Different speedrunning routes try to complete various challenges. Two popular categories in Breath of the Wild are Any%, which seeks to beat the…

Fire Emblem Heroes Adds New Challenge Mode, Free Summons

Fire Emblem Heroes’ bite-sized tactics battles are exciting, but the game suffers from a greedy gacha system and grindy mechanics. Luckily, the latest update hands out some free hero summons and adds a new challenge mode. Battles in Fire Emblem Heroes start as a brisk bit of fantasy-based strategy that only sometimes offer challenge. The…

Superhot VR Speedruns Are Some Terrifying Matrix Shit

Superhot is a badass shooter where time only moves when you move. Gunfights are bullet ballets where timing is crucial. The VR version is just as stunning, especially when speedrunners are pulling of moves straight from the best action movies Speedrunning in virtual reality adds a dynamic physical component to gameplay that you don’t get…

A Tactics Game Where Your Army Consists Of Woodland Critters

Wild Heart is a simple but fun strategy with a great concept: take a bunch of animals and let them duel using special abilities and smart positioning. It’s a light and charming affair full of fighting foxes and evil wolves. It’s this week’s indie pick. Developed by Tworavens as a university project, Wild Heart doesn’t…

After A Year In Early Access, Slime Rancher Has Become One Of My Favorite Games Of 2017

When I last check on my slime farm, the rock slimes had mated with my tabby cat slimes to make giant rock cats. The rock cats got so hungry they transformed into tar monsters and devoured all my chickens. It’s just another day in Slime Rancher Slime Rancher, which launched out of early access last…

No Man’s Sky Creators Say The Game Will Receive A Big Update This Week

No Man’s Sky will be getting an update this week to improve the story and add quick travel using portals. The announcement came at the end of an ongoing ARG that has been teasing changes to the game. A new memo sent by game designer Sean Murray revealed that the new update, called Atlas Rises…

We’re continuing our playthrough of L.A. Noire right now on Twitch Or maybe that was a lie. Figure it out, detective.

The Switch Is Getting A Fighting Game With The Hyper Light Drifter Dude

Brawloutis a fighting game in the vein of Super Smash Bros. that’s full of uppercuts and special attacks. The upcoming Switch port will let players bring their fighting game on the go while adding a surprising fighter to the roster: the sword-slinging hero from Hyper Light Drifter While there’s no Smash Bros. for the Switch…

Freak Cutscene Accident Ends Promising Banjo-Kazooie Speedrun

Speedruns are all about risk and reward, as runners perform dangerous tricks in search of the best time. Cutscenes are usually a safe space where runners can relax before the next big skip. Unfortunately for one Banjo-Kazooie speedrunner, cutscenes aren’t always as safe as they seem. dickhiskhan is a Banjo speedrunner who currently holds third…

Milton Guasti, creator of the Metroid II fan game AM2R, has been hired as a level designer for Moon Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Expect at least 70% more morphball tunnels and missile pods.

Battlefield 1 Is Bringing Back Specializations

Battlefield 1 will add a new feature to the game that grants characters perks and special abilities. These specializations are live for testing and look to change the game in a big way. ‘Specializations’ have been a long-standing tradition of the Battlefield games ever since 2006’s Battlefield 2142. In games like Battlefield 4, selecting certain…