Kirk Hamilton

One day in, the SNES Classic at Nintendo’s PAX booth remains safe and secure. The controllers and information card have switched places since yesterday, however, indicating that someone opened the case and rearranged its contents. We will continue to keep you posted on this situation as it develops.

As of this morning, no one has attempted to break the glass and make off with the SNES Classic at Nintendo’s PAX booth. We will keep you updated as the situation develops.

Come See Kotaku At PAX West 2017

On September 1, the PAX West convention will blossom like a great big fandom flower in the heart of downtown Seattle. Kotaku, of course, will be there. Here’s a rundown of panels that’ll feature Kotaku writers: At 2PM on Friday, September 1, Kotaku features editor Chris Kohler will be on a Boss Fight Books panel discussing…

Dark Souls to Super Mario World: Highlights From Our 12-Hour Stream

Yesterday, my colleague Jason Schreier and I spent 12 hours sitting on my couch and streaming video games. We ate some pizza, sang some songs, and beat some bosses. It was fun. Each of us picked three games for the other one to play. Jason had me play Suikoden 2, Super Mario RPG, and Super…

Destiny 2’s Shiny PC Beta Underlines A Difficult Choice

The PC version of the Destiny 2 beta landed this week, and it’s remarkably slick and pretty. For a certain subset of gamers, a difficult decision looms: PC or console? I already knew that Destiny would be good on PC. I played the PC version months ago andsaid as much. With this week’s beta, thousands…

Game Of Thrones Recap Podcast: Even When It’s Good, It’s Become Predictable

Season seven of Game of Thrones has drawn to a close. Before we brave the long winter between seasons, it’s time for one final bonus Kotaku Splitscreen episode. We spoil the episode in its entirety, and also occasionally talk about differences between the show and the books. However, we do not discuss any leaked show…

Three Years Of Writing About Destiny

I’ve written more about Destiny than any other video game I’ve ever played. I’ve reviewed every expansion. I’ve written at length about raids and guns and competitive arenas. I’ve written about the community’s often tortured emotional relationship with the game, as well as my own. With Destiny 2 looming on the horizon, I decided to…

A Ridiculous Little Detail In Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Maybe a video game can have too much detail? The new PS4 Uncharted game Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is plenty likable, with lots of scenic vistas, exciting car chases, and all the other expected Uncharted trimmings. It’s also extremely good-looking, especially if you pay close attention. Early in the game, protagonist Chloe Frazer and her…

Game Of Thrones Recap Podcast: At Least Daenerys’s Coat Was Cool

Well, that was kind of a bummer. We’re back with a slightly belated special Game of Thrones episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, just in time to talk about the not-very-good sixth episode of season seven, “Beyond The Wall.” We spoil the episode in its entirety, and also occasionally talk about differences between the show and the…

The 2017 Solar Eclipse: The Kotaku Review

Have you ever looked directly at the Sun only to find it wasn’t there? That’s the question asked by The 2017 Solar Eclipse, the ultimate can’t-miss entertainment experience of the year. Unless you missed it. After years of anticipation, The 2017 Solar Eclipse finally arrived on Monday, perfectly hitting its scheduled launch date. No delays…

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy: The Kotaku Review

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is an easy video game to like in spite of its flaws. It’s buoyed by a winning cast of characters and has some of the prettiest vistas this side of an actual trip to India. It also includes one of the most entertaining hidden features I’ve ever encountered in a video…

Podcast: How Do We Keep Up With All These Game Updates?

This week on Kotaku Splitscreen I’m joined by boss man Stephen Totilo to talk about No Man’s Sky, Metroid Amiibo, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and more. Jason’s out this week so Stephen steps in to sub. We talk a bit about Kotaku’s expanding video team before moving on to the news of the week (11:08),…

No Man’s Sky’s Weird Melee Jump Is Still The Most Fun Thing In The Game

No Man’s Sky keeps changing, almost entirely for the better. With each update, I’ve worried Hello Games is finally going to take out my favorite move in the game. So far they haven’t. I’m starting to worry less. The move I’m talking about is the melee jump, a weird and unusually satisfying method for getting…

Subsurface Circular Tells A Short, Engrossing Robot Detective Story

Today Thomas Was Alone and Volume designer Mike Bithell dropped a surprise game on Steam called Subsurface Circular. It’s a short robot detective story set entirely on a train beneath a futuristic city, and it’s pretty cool. Bithell sent us a code for the game earlier this week, so I sat down and spent a…

Five Ideas Other Shooters Should Steal From Splatoon 2

Nintendo’s brilliant online shooter Splatoon 2 deserves to be copied by other similar games. Not necessarily the fashion stuff or the whole “paint the floor” thing. Rather, some of the game’s smaller ideas…. 1. Give the game its own TV show. Modern games are constantly changing. If you haven’t played your favorite game for a…

Game Of Thrones Recap Podcast: Sam, Shut Up And Listen To Gilly

It was a jam-packed episode of Game of Thrones this week, and there’s a lot to talk about. Let’s get into it, with another bonus episode of Kotaku Splitscreen Jason’s on vacation this week, so I’m joined in his stead by Kotaku features editor Chris Kohler to talk about the fifth episode of season seven,…

Podcast: Love In The Age Of Splatoon 2

It’s time for a super-sized episode of Kotaku Splitscreen full of special guests, dating advice, and squid-kid conspiracy theories. Jason and I start out talking about how much he loves Final Fantasy Tactics on his phone and how impressed I’ve been with the first couple hours of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Then we talk about the…

Destiny’s final Trials of Osiris tournament just kicked off and will feature a rotation of 18 different maps If you’ve never made it to Mercury, this is your last chance. May the odds be ever in your favor, and may you always get Burning Shrine.

Training For The Apocalypse In Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds

Every year it seems our planet spins closer to catastrophe. Superstorms ravage our coastlines, and clean water becomes scarcer. The rich build walls to keep out the poor, while the poor grow ever more desperate. And please don’t talk to me about nuclear war. Admit it: you’ve wondered how you’d do. What if there were a…

Video Game Exposition Techniques, Ranked

Good job shooting all those aliens! Now, did you ever stop to wonder just why you were shooting them? Video game writers have gotten pretty creative about how they tell players what the heck is going on. Where are we? Where are we supposed to go, and what do we do when we get there?…