Ian Walker

Super Mario Sunshine Mod Turns Every NPC Into A Chuckster

Indie game developer Bread released a very special Super Mario Sunshine mod over the holidays that makes every NPC in the game able to heave Mario over their heads with no regard for his safety. What a great gift! This ability is lifted from the Chucksters, a group of throw-happy Piantas who form the crux…

After 2020 Decimated Live Fighting Game Events Great Online Play Is No Longer Optional

2020 sucked. You know it, I know it. It was amid this chaotic year that the fighting game community found itself pushed out of the arcades, hotels, and convention centers to which competitors had grown accustomed and into the unpredictable world of online play. Early on, organizers were unsure if the community could survive, but…

I Wanna Be The Guy Has Been Remastered

A group of fans have remastered I Wanna Be the Guy, improving the notoriously difficult platformer’s performance for those still willing to subject themselves to its dastardly tricks. “This is a mostly faithful remaster of the original I Wanna Be the Guy, trying to balance the spirit of the original game with the desire for…

Ian Walker’s Top 10 Games Of 2020

This is the first time I’m doing one of these…well, professionally, at least. I was hired at Kotaku right before the world went to shit, and despite a tumultuous year, I’m still here. I broke news. I reviewed the PlayStation 5. I wrote about a digital dog’s butt Here are my favorite games of 2020,…

Fatal Fury: First Contact is now available on Switch. This is the latest entry in the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection, a group of formerly handheld, old-school fighting games re-released by SNK throughout 2020.

Trump Pardons War Crimes, Illegal Steam Spending

The White House announced a new round of presidential pardons yesterday, granting clemency to several controversial figures. Among them were the perpetrators of the Nisour Square massacre and Duncan Hunter, a former California congressman who was indicted for illegally using campaign funds to purchase, among other items, video games on Steam. Hunter, who was first…

Marvel vs. Capcom 2‘s Iron Man Infinite Combo Makes For A Great Beat

Musician Akito Bass recently shared a great video showing how the iconic Iron Man infinite in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 can be used as the foundation for a catchy track. A big part of learning even basic fighting game combos is getting the rhythm down. You don’t always need to count frames or learn concepts…

Source: GameStop Now Accepting Returns Of ‘Defective’ Cyberpunk 2077

GameStop has joined the growing number of retailers that are fully refunding customers who bought Cyberpunk 2077, according to an internal memo acquired by Kotaku The memo instructs GameStop employees to accept Cyberpunk 2077 returns on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, even if the game has been opened, and label the games as “Defective” before…

This Incredible Link’s Awakening Song Is Actually From Its Commercial

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s frequent hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today’s column is all about a reinvigorating classic that didn’t actually make it into the game it was used to promote. Link’s Awakening (playlist /longplay /VGMdb) is one of the greatest games in the Legend of…

The United States Space Force Is Basically Setting Up Destiny

Earlier today, United States vice president Mike Pence announced that the members of the Space Force—a big dumb vanity project by the big wet toddler currently living in the White House—will be called “Guardians,” much like the player characters of the Destiny franchise. Bungie CEO Pete Parsons obviously got a kick out of that. I…

Yoshitaka Amano’s Harley Quinn Cover Is So Good I’m Gonna Cry

Stephanie Phillips, writer on DC Comics’ upcoming Harley Quinn comic series, recently shared an excellent variant cover from the first issue, provided by none other than legendary Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano. I’m not much of a comic reader these days but, damn, if this isn’t a tempting reason to get back into them. Amano…

Cyberpunk 2077 Third-Person Bug Reveals V Is A Shambling Monstrosity

Cyberpunk 2077 is a disaster that the executives at CD Projekt knew full well was going to crash and burn. That said, one of its numerous bugs has the benefit of giving players what they’ve asked for since the game’s long-ago 2012 reveal: a third-person mode. In various videos uploaded since the game’s launch on…

Cyberpunk 2077 Refund Options Expand, With Updates From Xbox, Best Buy, And CD Projekt Itself [Update]

Update (3:03 p.m. ET, 12/18/2020): Cyberpunk 2077 refund options continue to grow for disappointed players. In addition to both Sony and Microsoft loosening their refund policies, Best Buy and even CD Projekt itself have promised to make things right for customers. According to a Best Buy social media specialist, the retailer will refund physical copies…

Beat (Stupid Sexy) Sephiroth In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate And Unlock Him 5 Days Early

Sephiroth officially joins the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cast next week, but players eager to open their presents early can unlock this surprisingly shirtless Final Fantasy VII villain right now by simply kicking the crap out of him. “Sephiroth Challenge,” which can be found on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate main menu if you pre-purchase…

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Is Getting Barret, Tifa, Aerith, And Geno Mii Fighter Costumes

During today’s Sephiroth presentation, Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai showed off some of the new Mii Fighter costumes that will be added to Ultimate alongside the Final Fantasy villain. The next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update will expand the Mii Fighter’s wardrobe with costumes based on Final Fantasy VII party members Barret, Tifa, and…

Dragon Ball FighterZ Adds Super Baby 2, Whoever The Heck That Is

Dragon Ball FighterZ has gone off the rails. I can understand, on some level, the thousands of Goku variations that make up its cast. I’ll even overlook the two Brolys, if only because both versions are so popular. But recent reports that the Arc System Works fighting game is getting Super Baby 2 are where I…

Rabbits Won’t Stop Jumping In Front Of My Fucking Horse

With the release of the PlayStation 5, I’ve taken the opportunity to go back and play through a few games from the previous generation to see how they take advantage of the new console. One of those games is Rockstar’s western epic Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s great fun, but I can’t help but wonder…

Smash Community’s Conduct Panel Reaches Breaking Point After Tumultuous Summer

The independent Super Smash Bros. Code of Conduct Panel is formally disbanding after a summer that saw the competitive Smash community explode with allegations of sexual misconduct “[T]he reality is that at, our current pace of work, we would need five or ten years just to go through all the accusations and possible cases brought…

Cyberpunk 2077 Execs Say They ‘Ignored’ Signals That The Console Versions They Hyped Were In Rough Shape

It’s clear by now that Cyberpunk 2077 is a bit of a disaster, especially on consoles. During a recent conference call with CD Projekt Group’s management board, executives said they knew the game was busted before its December 10 launch. CD Projekt president and co-CEO Adam Kiciński opened a presentation to investors yesterday with comments…

GameStop’s Last-Minute Console Rush Puts Workers At Risk

A new allocation of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S bundles brought crowds of hopeful customers to physical GameStop locations over the weekend, according to a report by Bloomberg and corroboration by a Kotaku source. Staffing shortages and the threat of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic in the United States made employees feel both…