Kirk Hamilton

Our Favorite Weapons In Monster Hunter: World

One of the toughest choices you’ll face early in Monster Hunter: World is which weapon to pick. There are so many options, and anything can be viable if you know what you’re doing. Decisions, decisions… I am fully obsessed with World, but my limited time with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on 3DS hadn’t really prepared…

What We Liked (And Didn’t Like) About Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Story

Here at Kotaku, several of us have finally been wrapping up Assassin’s Creed Origins. That means we can get together to talk about it, spoilers and all. Yesterday afternoon, I got on the horn with fellow Kotaku Assassin’s Creediphiles Luke Plunkett and Stephen Totilo to record a special bonus episode of Kotaku Splitscreen all about…

Assassin’s Creed Origins’ New DLC Is Just More Assassin’s Creed Origins

When it came out last fall, Assassin’s Creed Origins was already a massive game. Its new downloadable expansion The Hidden Ones makes it bigger without adding many surprises or new ideas. That’s disappointing for those of us hoping the game’s first DLC might shake things up, but not so bad for anyone who simply wants…

Bayek gets a really good new outfit in Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Hidden Ones DLC. I’ve played a few hours, and it’s a straightforward expansion so far. There’s a bit more armor to upgrade, three new regions to unlock, some new loot to chase, and a few new levels to earn. I’ll share some more thoughts once…

Tips For Playing Assassin’s Creed Origins [Updated!]

Assassin’s Creed Origins is an overwhelming game, full of upgrade trees and sidequests and all manner of optional stuff. It can be a lot to deal with. I’m here to help. After finishing the story on PS4, I’ve restarted the game on PC and have been thinking about the things I wish I’d known before…

Help Me Solve The Mystery Of These Divinity: Original Sin 2 Boots [UPDATE]

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of those games that’s filled with objects. Each cottage, fortress, tavern, and dungeon you come across is loaded with things that you can pick up, move around, equip, or sell. Sometimes those things tell a story. Sometimes those stories do not immediately make sense. In the game’s second act,…

A List Of Things I Still Have To Do In Assassin’s Creed Origins

I don’t know what it is about Assassin’s Creed games that makes me want to complete everything. But here I am, 56 hours into my second time through Assassin’s Creed Origins, and I don’t want to stop until I’ve finished all the things. I’m not normally like this. I don’t have the time or the…

Divinity: Original Sin 2 Battles Sure Do Escalate Quickly

Partway through the second act of Divinity: Original Sin 2, you visit an area called the Blackpits. While you’re there, you get into a fight. It is not an easy fight. At around 10:30PM last night, I loaded up the game. I picked up immediately after my party had entered the main area of the…

The Moment Assassin’s Creed Origins Goes From Big To Ridiculously Big

If I had to sum up the last act of Assassin’s Creed Origins in three words, those three words would be, “Wait, there’s more?” Origins is a big game by any measure. Thanks to the smart way the designers snake the story quests down and back up the Nile river, the map feels bigger than…

And The Destiny Merry-Go-Round Spins Again

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: In September, Bungie releases an online first-person shooter. A few months and a disappointing expansion later, the game is in trouble. Fans are mad; lots of people are quitting. Bungie vows to do better and sets about making improvements. Patient fans are eventually rewarded with a better game.…

When Assassin’s Creed Origins Goes Dark, It Goes Dark

When it gets dark in a video game, it’s usually not all that dark. The cave you’re in may be dim. The forest at night might be shadowy. But video games almost never go pitch black. Assassin’s Creed Origins is a welcome exception. I’ve been replaying Origins on PC, taking a more methodical approach than…

16 Things Twitter Taught Me About Warframe

Last week I began playing Warframe, a video game about robot gymnasts who spend all their money on clothes. I blew up a few bad guys, then took one look at my extremely intimidating inventory screen and decided I needed help. Fortunately, seeing as how I’m a high-profile influencer (not really) with a bunch of…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Makes The Force Awakens Much More Interesting

Back when it came out, Star Wars: The Force Awakens played like a straightforward homage to 1977’s Star Wars. It was plenty fun, but wasn’t all that deep. Now that I’ve seen its follow-up, The Last Jedi, The Force Awakens seems a lot more interesting. The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens Spoilers Ahead! I’ve…

The 12 Best Video Games Of 2017

We downloaded, we installed, we played. We nominated, we debated, we decided. Here, in alphabetical order, are Kotaku’s top 12 video games of 2017. Divinity: Original Sin 2 Doki Doki Literature Club Gorogoa Horizon Zero Dawn The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild  Nier: Automata Night in the Woods Nioh Persona 5 Pyre Super…

Kirk Hamilton’s Top 10 Games Of 2017

I played a lot of very good video games in 2017. Every year is a good year for video games. (See: my lists from 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.) These posts generally start with some variation of that. “What a great year!” “Wow, it was a killer year,” etc. This year was special. No, seriously!…

The Best Video Game Music Of 2017

The video games of 2017 were’t just fun to play; they were fun to listen to. As we do every year, it’s time to list the best video game music of 2017. (For a trip to the past, check out the lists from see: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.) These aren’t just my personal…

The Biggest Video Game Disappointments Of 2017

This year, some things were unexpectedly good. But a lot of things sucked, too. Let’s put all those sucky things into a big list. As we do every year at Kotaku, it’s time to take a look back on the highs and lows of the last 12 months. Today, we’ll focus on the lows. (See:…

The Best Video Game Surprises Of 2017

This year, a lot of things sucked. But a lot of things were also unexpectedly good! Let’s celebrate those latter things with a big list. As we do every year at Kotaku, it’s time to take a look back on the highs and lows of the last 12 months. (See: the biggest surprises of 2012,…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Has A Really Cool Take On The Force

Last night, a bunch of us went and saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Today, three of us sat down and talked about it. On this bonus episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, I’m joined by my co-host Jason Schreier as well as our colleague Heather Alexandra to talk about the highs and lows of writer/director Rian…

Destiny 2‘s “The Dawning” event will run from December 19 through January 9. It’ll add a bunch of winter-themed stuff like snowball fights and event-specific milestones, and is also bringing the Mayhem game mode back to the Crucible. (And here I was just saying Destiny 2 needed more goofy PvP stuff…) More info at the Bungie…