Patrick Klepek

I’ve Spent Two Days Trying To Escape This Hellish Mario Maker Maze

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time speedrunner Cosmo Wright has constructed one of the trickiest stages I’ve played so far, a level that’s more puzzle and maze than platformer, and I refuse to give up. When you load the stage—761A-0000-005C-D881—here’s what it looks like: Some folks aren’t fans of Mario Maker’s preview feature. While…

Here Is A Thing That Happens In SOMA

You find these pulsing monstrosities all over the place in SOMA. You don’t have to interact with most of them, but what happens when you do? It’s, uh, well… Things have gone poorly for the underwater station players are left to rot in. Everyone’s dead, nightmarish robots run wild, and there’s a mysterious growth that’s…

Apple Rejects Virtual Ferguson App, Because of Course They Did

Dan Archer’s Ferguson Firsthand is an educational app about the shooting of Michael Brown. Though it’s not violent, Apple denied it a spot on the App Store. This shouldn’t be a surprise; Apple has treated apps—and, by extension, games—differently for a long time. Ferguson Firsthand isn’t a realistic depiction of a tragedy but a new…

How Until Dawn Ended Up With A 10,000-Page Script

When Graham Reznick and Larry Fessenden landed the gig to write Until Dawn in 2011, it seemed easy enough: write some dialogue! Known for working on horror films like House of the Devil and The Innkeepers, the writers had taken on a bigger task than they thought—they were signing on to write two games in…

SOMA: The Kotaku Review

When the credits rolled on SOMA, my head fell into my hands. I felt relief that the harrowing journey was over, and was reeling at what my character had sacrificed along the way. SOMA is not just a horror game, it’s a nightmarish commentary on the possible future of humanity. SOMA is the latest scarefest…

With Silent Hills dead, maybe Allison Road can deliver what P.T. promised; the developers are asking for nearly $400,000 on Kickstarter. They’re hoping to release the game in December 2016, but given the spotty track record of crowdfunding games hitting those dates, don’t be surprised if that slips.

Until Dawn and the Illusion of Choice

There are so many good video games out right now, which means there’s so much good writing about video games, too. Worth Reading, our weekly guide to the best commentary and observations about games, is here to help. Hey, You Should Read These “Loving Your Enemies in Metal Gear Solid V” by Joshua Cauller Many…

Beating This Mario Maker Level Felt Like Defeating A Dark Souls Boss

Yep, this is a level in which the creator turned Mario’s glorious star into a player’s worst nightmare. It’s early days for Super Mario Maker, which means people are still figuring out what makes a Mario stage tick. It’ll take time before we see what people are truly capable of, but I’m already impressed by…

Remember When Sonic Kissed A Woman?

While there’s not enough alcohol in the world to forget this scene, it’s my journalistic duty to remind you it exists. It hasn’t been easy for Sonic the Hedgehog fans. Perhaps no other series inspires equal amounts of fandom and vitriol as Sega’s premiere platformer, a franchise with a following so irrationally loyal as to…

If You’ve Got A Wii U, Play Runbow

With everyone obsessing over Super Mario Maker, you might be ignoring Runbow. The top five games on the eShop right now are Super Mario Maker, Splatoon, The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Runbow, and Super Mario World Wait, what was the fourth one? I know most people hit the snooze button the moment another…

Just a few months after Bloodborne’s DLC arrives, From Software will deliver Dark Souls III, with the game arriving next April. A specific date hasn’t been announced, and it’s unclear if the PC version will be on the same day as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions. In the past, it’s been a bit…

Mannequins Slowly Stalk You In Creepy New Horror Game

Mannequins are terrifying, which makes them perfect for a horror game. Late Night Shop is early into development, but I’m sold on the concept. For reasons unknown, players find themselves in a mall late at night, and realize the usually benign mannequins are following you around. The mannequins only move when you’re not looking at…

Telltale’s episodic Minecraft series will kick off on October 13, the company announced today. Based on the company’s previous releases, new episodes should roll out out every few months or so.

Five Nights At Freddy’s Creator Is Making An RPG

There won’t be a Five Nights at Freddy’s 5, claims series creator Scott Cawthon, but he’s already hard at work on a spin-off called Five Nights at Freddy’s World. The catch? It’s not a horror game—it’s an RPG. Cawthon made the announcement via Steam today, revealing his plans to (mostly) move on from the games…

Until Dawn Was A Very Different Game In 2012

Until Dawn has been in development for a very long time. It was originally announced as a PS Move game for the PS3 back in 2012. I’ve been going through the old footage, which looks weird (and in one case, kinda creepy!) now. Sony and Supermassive Games have been trying to make an interactive slasher…

Bloodborne‘s DLC Trailer Is Packed With Small Details You Probably Missed

Sony briefly showed off the Bloodborne expansion coming in November today, and while the trailer was short, it was soooo full of stuff. Let’s take a closer look. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, here’s the whole thing. If it felt like that all went by in a flash, you’re not wrong. When I…

The Video Game That Chicago Deserves

We Are Chicago was hardly the best game I played at PAX, one of gaming’s biggest gaming conventions, last month. It was rough and unfinished. My wife, at another demo station, barely got through it. In trying to depict life on the Windy City’s troubled South Side, it’s not trying to be fun, but it…

EA has announced a huge delay for Need For Speed on PC, with the game moving from November 3 until Spring 2016 Why? Making sure players can unlock the frame rate and “increase the visuals that we can deliver on PC.” Seems the response to Arkham Knight has made some publishers skittish! Contact the author…

This Is A Great Video Game Commercial

Sony’s commercial for Tearaway’s re-release on PlayStation 4 is the best Tearaway was an excellent game on Vita, and I’m so glad more people will get a chance to see what all the portable fuss was about. Kirk’s already outlined why Tearaway is fantastic, so let’s focus on the absurdity of this lovely commercial: Just…