Jason Schreier

Studio Behind Phantom Dust Reboot Shuts Down

Independent development studio Darkside Games, which was working on the planned reboot of the cult classic Phantom Dust, shut down this afternoon in the wake of news that Microsoft had cancelled their version of the game, Kotaku has learned. Around 50 people lost their jobs, according to sources at the studio. Microsoft, however, says they’re…

YouTube Leak Derails Launch Of Big PS4 Exclusive

On February 14, a YouTube account called PlayMeThrough uploaded a series of videos titled “The Order: 1886 Gameplay Walkthrough.” The title was rather literal—the videos, which were separated into 16 parts, walked viewers through the entirety of The Order: 1886, from prologue to final boss. Given that The Order: 1886, a highly-anticipated PS4 game, doesn’t…

I’m Glad I Waited Fifteen Years To Play Majora’s Mask

I first played The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask in a small, dark hotel room that offered rentals on all of the hottest N64 games, Expansion Pak and all. I don’t remember where we were or even how old I was, but I do recall convincing my parents to let us rent Majora’s Mask for…

Final Fantasy Speedrun Includes 28 Minutes Of Walking Up Stairs

This video features about half an hour of a guy doing nothing but walking up and down stairs in Final Fantasy for the NES. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Speedrunner gyre_, who set a new “any%” world record on Sunday by “completing” Final Fantasy in 59 minutes and 10 seconds, used a save-corrupting glitch…

Nintendo Sure Screwed Up The Majora’s Mask New 3DS Launch

On January 14, Nintendo announced a limited-edition Majora’s Mask-themed gold New 3DS XL. Since then, chaos has ruled humanity. Food is scarce. Most spend their days staying inside and huddling with their loved ones. Gangs of scalpers roam the streets to prey on hapless consumers who like shiny things. Well, at least it feels that…

PSA: The Best Gun In Destiny Is On Sale Today

Do you play Destiny? Do you have 17 coins? Do you not have an Ice Breaker yet? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Note: This post originally ran in January, but we’re bumping it up again today because the gun’s back on sale. From today until Sunday morning, the weekend vendor Xur is selling the most…

How To Transfer Data From A 3DS To A New 3DS

Just got a New 3DS? Want to transfer all your digital games and save-files from your Old 3DS to your new one? Well, you’re in for an adventure. Since the two 3DS systems use different methods for storing data, the process for transferring those files is rather convoluted, in true Nintendo style. In fact, Nintendo’s…

The Pizza Party Where Everyone Got Fired

Yesterday, the game development studio Daybreak went through massive layoffs, culling a large number of jobs in order to stay “profitable.” That’s just business as usual in the video game industry, where it seems like there’s a new round of layoffs every single week. For months nowwe’ve been covering the way game publishers and development…

So That Was Law & Order‘s GamerGate Episode

When Law & Order: SVU takes on video games, the results are usually not pretty. Tonight’s episode—a GamerGate special—was no exception. “They’re playing a game,” Ice-T’s character says at one point, referencing a group of misogynistic terrorists who have kidnapped a female video game developer. “We’ve gotta play too.” If just reading that line made…

Big Layoffs At EverQuest Studio Today [UPDATE]

Daybreak, the game studio behind EverQuest and H1Z1, is laying off a number of staff including David Georgeson, the man who has served as the face of EverQuest for many years, Kotaku has learned. We don’t know just how many people Daybreak is letting go, as staff are being informed right now whether or not…

A Look At Metacritic’s Many Problems

Today, the gaming website Eurogamer announced plans to ditch review scores, joining outlets like Kotaku and Rock Paper Shotgun in Fighting The Good Fight against the arbitrary and meaningless quantification of video game quality. That’s good news both for Eurogamer and for video game criticism in general. It’s also good news for anyone concerned about…

For the first time ever, Bethesda will be holding its own E3 press conference this year. Fallout 4? Dishonored 2? Doom 17? Skyrim 360? Let the speculation begin.

Developer BioWare Austin has officially cancelled their online game Shadow Realms. Last month we reported that the 4v1 multiplayer game was in flux and that it might have been rebooted—but we hear things changed very recently.

Heroes of Might and Magic III HD came out last week, but I wouldn’t recommend it. While HOMM III is still a wonderful game, Ubisoft’s new HD version doesn’t add much (redrawn sprites) yet leaves out the two expansion packs. It’s nice on iPad—some touchscreen wonk aside—but for PC players I recommend snagging the Complete…

Dragon Age: Inquisition Used To Be A Way Different Game

Just a year before it came out, Dragon Age: Inquisition looked very different. And I’m not just talking about trivial things—UI changes, line tweaks—what we saw in 2013 was almost an entirely different game than what we saw last year. At PAX Prime in early September of 2013, BioWare showed off a 30-minute demo of…

This Is Why Nintendo Should Bring The Smaller New 3DS To America

Do you live in North America? Want to get your hands on one of these sweet New 3DS faceplates? SORRY. Nintendo doesn’t want to sell them to you. Let me explain. There are two models of the New 3DS: small and XL. But because Nintendo is Nintendo, North Americans are only getting the XL version…

Come watch me talk about Suikoden, women’s eSports tournaments, and animal sounds on this week’s Co-Optional podcast, where I guest-starred. Fun times.

GamerGate’s Latest Conspiracy Theory Doesn’t Hold Up

Last night, members of the GamerGate campaign exploded with glee as they read through a brand new set of damning, dramatic allegations that seemed to prove serious wrongdoing in the indie game scene. Here it was. A smoking gun. But like with many of the red-lined imgurs and conspiratorial posters that have fueled this controversial…

Final Fantasy XV Sure Knows How To Do Nostalgia

Look, Square Enix—you can keep your fancy graphics and high-octane magic swordfights or whatever else you’re shoving into the next Final Fantasy. You guys know that all it really takes to reel back your old fanbase is a few bars of Uematsu. I mean, listen to this. LISTEN. This is the newly-released trailer for the…

Team Beats Destiny‘s Toughest Raid Without Using Guns

“WHY IS THIS WORKING???” My thoughts exactly, Destiny raid group that somehow beat all of Crota’s End without firing a gun. So. OK. If you don’t play Destiny, you might not appreciate the magnitude of this accomplishment, but I promise you, it’s not easy to beat the game’s toughest raid without using your weapons. Yet…