Patrick Klepek

Worth Reading: Dragon Age Heartbreak, The Death Of Madden, And More

The Super Bowl is almost here, which means it’s time to pretend you care about football! Being a Bears fan, I’m all about whatever makes people the unhappiest, since my team isn’t playing for. Do I actually have to root for the Patriots? I might be sick. I need something else to keep my mind…

Maniac Resident Evil Players Use Only Knives, No Guns

You have access to all sorts of weapons in Resident Evil. Pistols, shotguns, rocket launchers—you name it, and it’s somehow sitting around an abandoned mansion. Players can also wield a knife, except it’s super weak and has to be used extremely close range. It’s a backup plan. Unless, of course, you’re one of the many…

Grand Theft Auto V Looks Incredibly Creepy Without Textures

This isn’t the Los Santos from Grand Theft Auto V that I remember, but it’s one I’d like to visit. Artist Kim Laughton has stripped the open world game of its detailed textures, resulting in a bold, creepy version of Los Santos. Anyone else getting the sense we’re now on an alien planet? The piece,…

I have wanted to play Yakuza forever, and I’ll have no excuse next month, as Yakuza 4 is part of February’s PlayStation Plus lineup. Transistor and Apotheon are for PS4, while Yakuza 3 and Thief are for anyone still booting up PS3s. Rogue Legacy is for every platform, and Kick & Fennick is Vita-only.

We’re Getting Jurassic World And Avengers LEGO Games

There might already be a million LEGO games, but they’re not going anywhere, as evidenced by the several new brand-new ones announced this morning. Most importantly, obviously, is the confirmation of LEGO Jurassic World, which will incorporate elements from all the Jurassic Park films. There’s something called LEGO Avengers, too, I guess. Folks probably want…

Someone Outside of Japan Finally Became A Tetris Grandmaster

Kevin Birrell dazzled the world with his Tetris skills a few weeks back, but for the truly dedicated, the work never ends. Birrell had yet another goal for himself in Tetris: The Grandmaster 3: become the first player outside of Japan to achieve grandmaster status. As the headline points out, this is unprecedented for an…

Dark Souls Speedrunner Breaks World Record Without Realizing It

It’s fun to watch people speedrun Dark Souls. It’s a game famous for its punishing difficulty, yet speedrunners show how it’s possible to bend the game to your will. 19-year-old Alex (aka NaxHPL) just achieved the world record for one way to complete the game, allowing him to finish it in 25 minutes and 17…

Reptile is the latest character to be announced for Mortal Kombat X, and he’s looking especially nasty. As with previous incarnations, Reptile makes use of acid-based attacks to dismantle his opponents. His fatality is..well, watch for yourself.

Modders Are Bringing Back Resident Evil‘s Awful Voice Acting

Resident Evil‘s original voice acting was atrocious. The lines were cheesy and the delivery wooden. “Jill, here’s a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you.” But it has a fond place in my heart. I didn’t blame Capcom for writing and recording new material for REmake, but…

Majora’s Mask 3DS Changes The Game’s Hardest Boss Fight

I love The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, but I’ll admit the game’s not perfect. Nintendo knows this, too. It’s why the 3DS version is getting more than new visuals. Gyorg, who lords over the water-themed third dungeon, used to be a tough but boring boss fight. That’s changed. Defeating Gyorg required little more than…

How To Protect Your Information From The Internet

Do you know how much of your personal information is floating around? It’s more than you think and very easy to find. Phone numbers, home addresses, email accounts. As my recent story about gamers who got swatted showed, anybody can become a target. You don’t have to be someone with a million followers. Social networks…

Resident Evil Modders Have Removed The Game’s Doors

If there’s a new Resident Evil, there will eventually be a mod to remove (or mitigate) the series’ iconic door animations. The latest update to the original game has now joined the club, thanks to a modder named Sectus, allowing people to move from room-to-room a few seconds faster. One of the most popular Resident…

Worth Reading: Jill Valentine’s Chest, The Perfect Tutorial, And More

Hope everyone enjoyed the debut of Worth Reading last Friday on Kotaku! Every week, I strive to bring you a brand-new set of provocative writing, commentary, crowdfunding projects, and plenty more. You might not agree with what you find, but that’s often the point. Let’s dive in. The night before a flight is the worst.…

Though Ubisoft just announced Grow Home, a new climbing game from Ubisoft Reflections, you can play it in less than two weeks. Grow Home arrives on February 4 for the PC. The previously internal-only experiment took inspiration from Wall-E and Guardians of the Galaxy

The Dead Rising Movie Looks As Cheesy As Hell And That’s Okay

Current standards for zombie movies based on zombie games are pretty low, but at least Dead Rising isn’t taking itself seriously. The first trailer for Dead Rising: Watchtower is out, and we’re in for 90 minutes of slightly-above-low-budget zombie action. That’s just the way I like it. Heck, the movie’s probably gonna be worth it…

Few play Assassin’s Creed for historical accuracy, but the games are set during important moments from our past. History Respawned asks experts to provide insight on the contextual backdrops of various games. This time, it’s Assassin’s Creed Unity and the French Revolution.

Resident Evil Creator Thanks Players For Beating Ridiculous Game Mode

When most players finish Resident Evil, they’ll be rewarded with an ending and the credits roll. But when the most dedicated and hardcore players finish Resident Evil under a set of ridiculously challenging conditions, the developers reward them with a thank you note. With an updated version of the original Resident Evil out this week,…

If you love horror games but can’t muster the courage to play them, I’m here to help. Over on my YouTube channel, I’ll be playing all sorts of horror games in the future. I’m kicking things off by trying to survive Five Nights at Wario’s. What could go wrong?!

Fable Legends Will Let Xbox One And PC Gamers Play Together

At today’s Windows 10 event, Microsoft and Lionhead Studios showed off the ability for Xbox One and PC users to play with (or against) one another across platforms in Fable Legends. The company didn’t mention whether this feature would be coming for any other games. It seems likely, though. As part of a news release,…

Tips For Playing Resident Evil

If you’ve never played a Resident Evil game before, this week’s re-release is an excellent entry point. That said, it’s still a game with roots in 1996 game design. Excessive inventory management, unexplained mechanics, and a super weird save system are just the beginning. I wrote about what this updated Resident Evil means for series…