Patricia Hernandez

The World of Pokémon Sun and Moon Is Kinda Bullshit

Playing through Ultra Pokémon Sun and Moon over the last couple of weeks gave me a chance to reconsider the major characters and story beats, and I’ve walked away believing one thing: the world of Alola failed Guzma. (Get the MP3 here.) In the latest episode of the Favecast, embedded above, Gita Jackson and I…

14 Things That Are New In Ultra Pokémon Sun and Moon

A third version of 2016’s Pokémon Sun and Moon drops today for the 3DS, so you may be wondering what, exactly, has been changed this time around. Should you play Ultra Sun and Moon if you already enjoyed the original games? If you’ve never played any version before, is this the best game to get?…

Turns Out, Cappy Can Kill You In Super Mario Odyssey 

We were right to suspect something messed up was going on with the possession mechanic in Mario Odyssey Cappy has a mind of its own, and if you’re not careful, it can take Mario out of the picture entirely. It’s some creepypasta-level stuff. Twitter user @NichtSascha discovered a peculiar glitch in Odyssey’s co-op mode that…

Ex-Goat Simulator Dev Teams Up With Pewdiepie To Make Bonkers Physics Game

After accidentally selling millions of copies of a video game about a chaotic goat, lead designer Armin Ibrisagic wanted to keep exploring games’ sillier side. So he made his own studio: DoubleMoose Games. His first title, out later this week, is the result of a partnership with Pewdiepie, the YouTuber who helped turn Goat Simulator…

Player Beats Mario Odyssey In Under 90 Minutes For An Early World Record

Speedruns have officially started being accepted for Super Mario Odyssey, and fans are now in a mad dash to figure out the best strategies, pathways, and jumps to beat the game quickly. In the last two days alone, the world record for clearing the game at any percentage of completion has been toppled multiple times…

Super Mario Odyssey Players Are Finding The Best Shortcuts and Secrets

One of the most impressive things about Super Mario Odyssey are the tight controls: Nintendo’s mascot has a ton of movement options. Players are using Cappy to skip entire portions before a Moon, or are using the hat to get into hard-to-reach areas. Better yet, Nintendo seems to have anticipated that fans would try to…

Spelunky 2 Announced

Hope you’re ready for some more adventuring, because Mossmouth just announced Spelunky 2 for the PS4. The first Spelunky, as many of you know, was a beloved indie platformer with randomly generated levels and many, many secrets. This time around, one of the available characters will actually be the kid of the protagonist from the…

Patreon Starts Enforcing Stricter Rules On Sex Games

Crowdfunding website Patreon was known as a haven for uncensored erotic games that couldn’t exist on traditional storefronts, but a recent crackdown on adult material has users worried about the future of such fringe games. Sex games are a big business on Patreon, with top projects attracting thousands of patrons each. One lewd project, the…

Screw You, Fortnite: Battle Royale Butterflies

Fornite’s Battle Royale mode, like the game that inspired it, is tense. Any step could be your last. Sometimes, you don’t even know where the bullets are coming from, so you become hyper-vigilant. Anything that moves could be a threat. Oh, except the environment itself sometimes moves of its own volition. The mode is dotted…

Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Is Getting A Second Wind Thanks To Switch Update

Last week, a Nintendo Switch update made it possible to share short videos of select first-party games on social media. The feature isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t matter. Right now, despite being in the middle of fall game season, many video game fans are talking about months-old Nintendo releases instead. Zelda, unsurprisingly, is the most…

Life is Strange: Before The Storm Ep. Two Captures The Recklessness of Teenage Crushes

In the second episode of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, teenage protagonist Chloe Price can no longer act as if nobody gets her. Someone does, and she’s into Chloe. Episode two’s biggest strength is capturing the electricity of a new crush. Together, Chloe and Rachel Amber create a force of nature, not unlike the…

Rick and Morty’s Most Recent Season Didn’t Have Much To Say

Rick and Morty is in crisis, and we’re not just talking about the few intense fans who make the show look bad. The show, as a whole, already seems to be running out of steam. (Spoilers ahead!) (Get the MP3 here.) No wonder, then, that the latest season ended with the promise of a more…

Shoutout To Fortnite Players Who Build Towers Instead of Killing Anyone At The End of Matches

Tell me if you’ve ever seen this: there are only ten people or so left in your Fortnite: Battle Royale match. The storm cloud looms closer with every passing second. There’s nowhere left to go. Left without options, everyone around you starts building toward the sky. Well, maybe you haven’t seen this if you don’t…

Pokémon Go Introduces New Ghost Types This Month, Rest of Gen Three In December

From October 20th to November 2nd, you’ll find some spooky new friends in Pokémon Go. It’s not full-on gen three yet, but hey: new faces! Here’s the trailer, where you’ll spot Hoenn-region critters like Sableye and Banette. And, as always, there will be a new type of Pikachu to capture: Additionally, during this event, rewards…

YouTuber Brothy ! gives us a look at some unused weapons hiding in the Breath of the Wild code. Nothing outlandish in here, but it’s still cool to peek under the hood.

The More We Learn About Mario As A Character, The More He Sucks

2017 has changed Mario for me, and not just because he might be mind-controlling poor Goombas. Nintendo has told me too much about Mario, and now I can’t look at him the same way again. In the latest episode of the Favecast, Gita Jackson and I discuss how factoids like ‘Mario is no longer a…

25 Of The Funniest (And Horniest) Shadow of War Orcs

Shadow of War’s huge orc variety is one of the most impressive things about the game. In my dozens and dozens of hours of playtime, I’m still finding orc types I’ve never seen before, and many of them have interesting, hilarious, and uncomfortable things to say. Below you will find some of my best orc…

Tips For Playing Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Shadow of War is a massive game, and jumping into it can feel daunting. Here’s what you need to know to build a lasting, memorable relationship with your new orc buddies. Don’t worry too much about the story While you should chip away at the main quests from time to time, especially for the first…

Middle-earth: Shadow of War: The Kotaku Review

When Shadow of Mordor released in 2014, its “nemesis system” was brilliant enough that many people hoped it would define a new generation of games. Years later, that vision of industry-wide character hierarchies that learn, evolve, and remember the player never came to pass. Shadow of War, the follow-up, further sophisticates its legion of orcs,…

What You Need To Know About Shadow of War’s Controversial Loot Boxes 

Ever since reviews of Shadow of War hit, talk of loot boxes and microtransactions have been heavy with panic and rife with misinformation. Are the best orcs behind a paywall? Is the design of the game predatory enough that it’s going to make people feel pressured to drop extra cash on a $60 game? And…