I like Kirby games, but I would not consider myself an advanced Kirbyologist. I was therefore surprised to learn a few weeks ago that Kirby games I’d played on the 3DS contained hidden messages. The first letter of each of the games’ worlds spelled a word. Neat! Surely, I figured, the new Kirby Switch game…
Ubisoft is releasing a PS4 and Xbox One version of one of my favorite Assassin’s Creed games on Tuesday. Back in late 2014, I raved about the marvelous Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Then, I’d recommend it to anyone. Today? It depends. The game features Shay Cormac, an Assassin who becomes a Templar over the course of…
Great games are interesting, as are terrible ones. Mediocrity’s a bore. Too bad Nintendo’s newest Kirby game is just that. Kirby Star Allies is the Nintendo Switch debut for a franchise that was on a hot streak in recent years on 3DS. It boasts the same top designers as 2014’s Kirby: Triple Deluxe and 2016’s…
Barely a year old, the Nintendo Switch just got a 5.0 firmware update (the four-year-old PS4 is up to 5.5). No huge changes. More ways to add friends, new profile pictures and enhancements to parental controls. Still no cloud save support (nor the ability to back-up saves on a computer, something the 3DS and Wii…
I recently began playing through the episodics extensions of 2015’s Batman Arkham Knight, with the lowest of expectations. I finished playing them excited about an unusual twist to superhero video games that shows up in the Robin episode. The episodes are all short. The Batgirl-centric “A Matter Of Family” can run a few hours, as…
President Donald Trump spent an hour today talking to partisans on both sides of the violent video game debate, without any sort of conclusive outcome. The White House also ran a reel of violent video game footage. The meeting was held following the president’s remarks linking video games to violence in the wake of the…
EA’s $30-a-year Origin Access service for PC gamers is getting six Batman games today. Subscribers will be able to play all three Lego Batman games as well as Arkham Asylum, Origins and City in full at no extra cost (adding to a library mostly comprised of EA games). UPDATE: Asked if Batman’s coming to EA…
It was a no-brainer given the first game’s success, but Ubisoft is making it official today with the announcement that it is making The Division 2, a sequel to 2016’s hit cover-based shooter. A logo for the sequel appeared on Ubisoft’s servers this morning. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” the game’s creative director, Julian Gerighty,…
Given that my Nintendo Switch contains about two dozen games that I’ve bought and downloaded but never played, I probably shouldn’t spend so much of my time with the system checking out its sales chart, but I can’t help myself. Since the Switch launched a year ago, I’ve been regularly checking the “Best Sellers” section…
Microsoft doing a new live show focusing on Sea of Thieves and Xbox Game Pass news? Cool. Doing it at 3pm ET on a Saturday (March 10)? Weird. Microsoft tells Kotaku: “Looking ahead, we’re aiming to do the show on weekdays and will have more to share in the future.” Ok!
It’s not the loot boxes that bummed me out about October’s Shadow of War. When playing the game, you can easily ignore them. I had a harder time ignoring the game’s bummer mood, ugly scenery, trite and tedious quests and mechanical messiness. I liked its predecessor. I wanted to like this game. I bailed halfway…
Some games grab you right away. Super Mario 64 won me over on the first jump. Bioshock got me at its elevator. Threes had me at six. The Evil Within 2 needed more time to hook me, but now, it’s proving to be something special. The Evil Within 2 comes from a notable publisher, Bethesda,…
Assassin’s Creed Origins’ first expansion accidentally came out a week early. Its newest one, the bigger Curse of the Pharaohs, has been delayed a week to March 13. A new official video shows the mystical expansion, hyping a new city, an elaborate new enemy system and even seven new character skills. Looks impressive.
I’m not sure Batman: Arkham Knight is a game anyone can ever finish. There’s so much to it, even if you skip the 200+ Riddler trophies and the mountains of “AR” challenges. I’ve needed to clear space on my PS4 and was considering deleting it, but then I realized there’s more interesting stuff in this…
Nintendo's voracious pink blob is on the move again
When last I wrote about Dishonored 2 I lamented how tough it is to play a game like this as a time-strapped parent, what with all the secrets buried in levels that feel designed to be played in one long sitting. I’ve now finished the game and am thrilled with a moment that made it…
Nintendo’s stingy video restrictions recently kept us from showing you some of the cool things we got to do with their new Labo games, but now you can see what we played—and more—in some nice hype videos. The Robot Kit still seems thin; the Variety Kit looks very fun. Highlight: Motorbike course-maker stuff at 4:15…
On my first try, I didn’t like Dandara very much, despite praise for the game from my colleague whose taste in Metroid-like adventures I’ve since learned not to doubt. It really helped that I discovered that the game has a terrific map. It’s not the visual design of the map that I love. As you…
Our pals at Kotaku UK report that sources tell them that Activision is planning on releasing a remaster of three classic Spyro games this year, following the success of last year’s Crash Bandicoot trilogy. They’re reporting that it’ll be PS4-only for a year. No confirmation from Activision. Read more about it at UK.
Assassin’s Creed Origins’ new non-violent educational mode will feature 75 historical tours that range from five to 25 minutes, according to an official Q&A. They’re set in the game’s open world and cover mummies, cultivation, the Library of Alexandria and more. Discovery Tour will be free for Origins owners on Feb. 20 (or $20 as…
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