Kirk Hamilton

If you like video game music, this is for you. A little while back I (Kirk) went on the podcast Level with Emily Reese and talked about a bunch of my favorite video game soundtracks. The episode is now up, with lots of musical examples mixed in. Grab some headphones and listen along!

Why We Loved The Leftovers

What is there left to say about HBO’s fantastic, now-concluded show The Leftovers? Maybe nothing. But that didn’t stop us from trying. Jason Schreier and I are in San Francisco to talk with game developers at the Game Developers Conference, but we still made time to meet up with IGN editors Andrew Goldfarb and Marty…

The Nightmare War Of Battlefield 1 Multiplayer

Here’s a nightmare I’ve actually had: I’m a soldier in a war, and no one’s told me what to do. Bullets are whizzing overhead and death could arrive at any moment. Everyone around me seems to know what they’re doing, but not me. I shouldn’t be here. I’m just some guy. I sit there, paralyzed,…

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Jason Schreier and I (Kirk) are going to spend the day streaming video games from my place in Portland. Schedule is above; tune in to the Kotaku Twitch channel to watch.

Our Favorite (And Least Favorite) Marvel Movies

It’s 2018, and there have been approximately six hundred Marvel movies. Some of those movies have been good, some less good. But which were the best, and which were the least-best? Earlier this week, Jason Schreier and I had Rise of the Black Panther writer (and our former Kotaku buddy) Evan Narcisse on Kotaku Splitscreen…

Seriously Though, Maybe Get A Switch Stand

I’ve had my Nintendo Switch for a little over a year now, but I only just bought a stand for it last week. I shouldn’t have waited so long. I spend about half of my Switch time playing docked, and the other half in handheld mode. Before last week, when I was in handheld mode,…

The Horror Of Video Game Doors

Is there anything scarier than a door in a horror game? I submit that there is not. Most horror video games feature monsters or ghosts. Or aliens, or ghouls, or giant gore-drenched spiders. Those things are scary and dangerous, because of course they are. Usually they hunt you, or attack you, or pop out of…

Bungie has gone into more detail about the 1.1.4 balance patch coming to Destiny 2 on March 27. A bunch of weapon types are getting PvE damage buffs, and several perks (including Kill Clip and Dragonfly) are also getting buffed. Competitive and Trials PvP matches will no longer have radar (!!), and super cooldowns will…

Everything Announced During Today’s Nintendo Direct

Today, Nintendo officially announced that Super Smash Bros. is coming to Switch. Equally exciting: the original Luigi’s Mansion is getting a 3DS remake! It was a port-heavy Direct this time around, with some cool news tucked in around the edges. Here’s everything Nintendo showed. Super Smash Bros. is coming to Switch. Not the most surprising…

Destiny 2, Six Months Later

Destiny 2 launched exactly six months ago today, though at times it feels more like six years. A bunch has changed since September, and the game has gone through some dramatic highs and lows. (Mostly lows.) Destiny 2’s long, slow crawl toward its possible (hopeful?) redemption is underway. Let’s step back and go over the…

I’m Glad I Played Most Of Monster Hunter: World On My Own

For my first 70 hours with Monster Hunter: World, I played solo. These days, I’m happy to play alongside other hunters, but I’m still glad I started out by hunting alone. Monster Hunter: World is a game about squaring off against humongous monsters in dramatic, one-on-one fights. It’s also a game about gleefully wailing on…

The Endless Quest To Make My Windows PC Stay Asleep Overnight

My PC can do a lot of things. It can play video games at high resolutions and snappy frame rates. It can run the latest virtual reality software, transporting me to fantastical virtual worlds. It cannot, however, reliably sleep through the night. I built my current gaming PC in 2014. I love it to death,…

The Quest To Make A Better Video Game Controller

Next time you play a video game, look down at the controller in your hand. Is it comfortable? Does it work well with the game you’re playing? Are your fingers all being used efficiently? If you could change one thing, what would it be? This piece originally appeared 9/27/17. About 10 years ago, after permutations…

Journey and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate composer Austin Wintory shared a really cool story about auditioning to write the music for Star Trek: Discovery. He didn’t get the gig, but he wrote a lot of great music along the way. It’s an interesting look behind the scenes at what it’s like to try to land a…

Bayonetta 2 Is Too Good To Have Stayed Buried On The Wii U

For years, the Wii U exclusive Bayonetta 2 has been like that amazing restaurant that’s tucked away in a depressing mall on the far side of town. It’s fantastic, sure, but it’d be so much better if it were easier to reach. Originally released in 2014 as a Wii U exclusive, Bayonetta 2 outdid its…

After 70 Hours, Monster Hunter: World Is Still Teaching Me New Things

My Monster Hunter: World save file says I’ve played for about 70 hours. You’d think I’d have learned everything this game has to teach me. You’d be wrong. Last night I sat down with World for the first time in a few days. I’m currently making my way through the early “High Rank” missions that…

The Mission That Proved Titanfall 2 Was Something Special

A few hours into Titanfall 2’s unexpectedly fantastic single-player campaign, there’s a mission where everything pivots. The rules change, the story expands, and the game shifts into high gear. That mission is called “Effects and Cause,” and it is really good. This piece originally appeared on November 9, 2016. “Effects and Cause” is the fifth…

Monster Hunter: World Shows How Destiny 2‘s Grind Could Improve

At a first glance, it may seem like Destiny 2 and Monster Hunter: World don’t have much common. But there are several clear reasons why people like me are switching from Bungie’s first-person shooter to Capcom’s third-person monster-fighter. The biggest one, in my view, comes down to grinding and loot. “Grind,” in a video game,…

The Monster Hunter Beast That Almost Broke Me

Every so often, Monster Hunter: World will really test your mettle. The massive wyvern Diablos is one such test, and my mettle almost didn’t make it through. Near the end of World’s story, you’re tasked with taking down the apex predators of both the Ancient Forest and Wildspire Waste. That means you have to hunt…

Bungie Explains How It’s Speeding Up Destiny 2 PvP

One of the most pervasive complaints among those who play a lot of competitive Destiny 2 is that the game is too slow. Players don’t move around fast enough, and it takes too long to defeat an opposing player. It sounds like that’s going to change. Today on the ol’ Bungie blog, design lead Josh…