Kirk Hamilton

Superhot: The Kotaku Review

Some games only need a single good idea to work. For example: Superhot, a punishing first-person shooter in which time only moves when you move. It’s a single, good idea. And it works. Each of Superhot’s twenty-odd levels recreates an archetypal action-movie setpiece: The office raid, the drug deal gone wrong, the hallway brawl, the…

Fire Emblem Players: Permadeath Or No Permadeath?

In Fire Emblem: Fates, you can make it so that if you lose one of your characters in battle, they’re gone for good. You can also make it so that’s not the case, and they return in the next chapter. I’m curious how those of you who are playing are approaching that question. Since I’d…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The shortest month of the year is cruising into the home stretch, and there are still so many games to play. What will you be playing this weekend? I’ll go first: I’m in the thick of an XCOM 2 playthrough that is likely going to end with the fall of the Advent, though who knows…

Twisted Teen Murder Game Danganronpa Is Still Great On PC

Until today, you could only play the weird, wonderful Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc on a Sony PSP or Vita. Rejoice: It’s now out on PC and Mac. If you’ve been reading Kotaku for any length of time, you probably know that a few of us have a soft spot for this game and its sequel.…

Podcast: Playing All The ‘Wrong’ Games

There are a ton of games to choose from at any given moment. So why does Kotaku Editor-in-Chief Stephen Totilo play all the wrong ones? That question and many more on today’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen Jason’s out this week so I take over hosting duties, joined by our esteemed boss Mr. Totilo. We try…

Half-Life’s Gordon Freeman And Portal’s Chell Do Battle

If Valve’s two most famous silent protagonists had a fight, who would win? Chell or Freeman? Portal Gun or Gravity Gun? Long Fall Boots or HEV Suit? This short film from Andrew McMurry imagines just that scenario, as the goateed geeklord throws down with the Portal lady over, what else, some cake. We’ve featured McMurry’s…

From Star Wars To Zelda, What Makes The Best Heroic Anthems So Powerful

When we hear music from Star Wars or The Legend of Zelda, we think of noble destinies or awaiting adventures. When we hear Batman’s theme, we picture a lone hero, overlooking a city at night. We think of those things because the music—specifically each character’s theme—explicitly expresses and embodies them. It’s easy to take that…

Tips For Playing XCOM 2 (Now With More Tips!)

It’s a long, grisly war out there, commanders. These alien occupiers are tough bastards, and you’re gonna lose a lot of good men and women. We’re here to help you keep casualties to a minimum. [This article originally ran on 2/8/2016. We’ve updated it with new tips and refined some old ones.] My colleagues Nathan…

A Small Thing I Appreciate About The PC Version Of Firewatch

You can play the PC version of Firewatch with a mouse and keyboard, if you want. You can also use a controller—any kind of controller. In the Firewatch menu, you have the option to change the on-screen prompts to match up with an Xbox 360 controller, a Steam controller, or a PS4 Dualshock controller. This…

How To Aim A Rocket In XCOM 2

Two alien jerks are bearing down on your squad. You’ve got a rocket loaded up and ready. Now to see if you can hit them both with one shot… That’s one highlighted… …that’s the other. Now to see if I can get the circle around them both… Nope, not quite… Argh… so close… Can’t… quite……

All Apologies To The Cook In The Hitman Beta

In the Hitman beta, there’s this cook. He’s hanging out, doing his job, fixing up a nice pot of soup. Little does he know he’s also a tutorial for throwing blunt objects at people. The beta, which went live today on PS4 and runs all weekend, includes a handful of cutscenes and a couple of…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It’s the weekend! Something something Valentine’s Day something video games something something. What are you gonna be playing this weekend? I’ll go first, as usual: I wrapped a bunch of hours with Dying Light: The Following last weekend (I really liked it) and I might keep playing to check out the bounties, do some more…

Track: The Mothers’ Suite III: Ritual Of Take | Album: From The Vine | Artist: Fresh Cut Orchestra Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

I’m Not Sure What XCOM 2 Wants Me To Do Here

I’m getting something about a “Shadow Chamber,” but I don’t quite understand what I’m supposed to do, exactly. I’ll click Tell Me More… Hmm… still not quite getting it…

Slick Moves, Bats

Last night I learned that if you happen to land on an enemy vehicle in Arkham Knight, Batman will automatically drop a remote mine, leap to safety, and disable the car. Most games would probably just make you ragdoll out and go flying, but I guess most games don’t star Batman.

An Unlikely Fix For XCOM 2’s Long-Ass Back To Base Load Times

When your surviving XCOM 2 soldiers are returning to base, the loading screen can last a reeeeeaaaaaallly long time. Turns out you can greatly speed it up by pressing… caps lock. I SAW THIS TRICK LAST NIGHT ON oh damn, sorry, I still had caps lock on. Let’s try that again. I saw this trick…

Glad to see Dying Light’s graffiti game is still on point in the new expansion. I liked this one in particular. Never forget, indeed.

What XCOM 2’s Evil Aliens Are Really Saying

Any time an alien commander spots you in XCOM 2, it yells some garbled junk in its stupid alien language and deploys troops in your direction. So, what is it really saying? Eurogamer takes a crack at answering that question in a very silly new video: I will not be able to unhear any of…

Dying Light: The Following: The Kotaku Review

I am pleased to report that in Dying Light: The Following, you can still dropkick a zombie off a cliff and into the sea. You also get to drive a car. Iliked last year’s Dying Light, so I was predisposed to like The Following. And I do like The Following; I like it even more…

Making An IRL Bloodborne Weapon Looks As Hard As The Actual Game

The craftsmen of Yharnam sure knew their business. The latest “Video Game/Movie Weapons IRL” video from Man At Arms ends on a fantasy weapon that I’d aaaaactually kinda sorta like to own. Their team has forged Bloodborne’s Saw Cleaver, probably the most iconic of the trick weapons in the game. It may be a starter…