Yannick LeJacq

Why Assassin’s Creed Makes No Sense To Me

Assassin’s Creed has been around for seven years now. This makes it ancient in video game years. I doubt it’s going anywhere anytime soon, either. This is a problem because the relentless pace at which Ubisoft churns these games out can make it hard to take a step back and evaluate what’s not working about…

Pikmin Has The Best Origin Story

Game developers don’t usually say much about the genesis moments that inspire their work, probably because they’d sound a little weird. And repetitive, considering how similar many high-profile games are to one another. Pikmin’s is special, though. The Telegraph recently published an interview with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto that explains how the legendary game designer first…

Shadow Of Mordor’s Lore, Explained In Two Minutes

Is there anything more confusing than video game lore? Oh, right: Lord of the Rings video game lore. I could’ve sworn there were other gamers out who’ve been having a hard time figuring out what the hell is going on in Shadow of Mordor’s main story. Finally, I can say for sure that I’m not…

What I’ve Learned On My Way To Hundred Percenting My First Game

When it comes to open world games, I’m not the kind of player who tries to reach one hundred percent completion. But I recently booted up Shadow of Mordor again and discovered something shameful. I’d played 38 hours and hadn’t even cracked 40 percent. That was simply unacceptable. So it was back to Mordor for…

Five Gaming Rumors That Were Too Good To Stay Fake

Lots of things in video games sound too good to be true. But what about when it’s the other way around—when something is too good to not be true? Erhm, you know what I mean. The trivia-themed YouTube channel “Did You Know Gaming?” recently took a look at five myths that became so pervasive among…

Violent Shadow Of Mordor Montages Are Tragic, Pretty

Shadow of Mordor is the kind of game that really knows how to seduce players with its ultraviolence. But it’s not just the game. People playing it have been using its nifty photo mode for increasingly elaborate purposes. The most creative I’ve seen is using the photo editor to create surprisingly moving short films. Two…

Blizzard CEO Addresses Gamergate Saga In Everything But Name

Blizzard Entertainment’s president and CEO Michael Morhaime began his presentation at the 2014 Blizzcon this afternoon by addressing some recent controversial events that have occurred in the gaming community. He didn’t identify it as the Gamergate saga and everything that has happened around it, but come on: we all know what he was talking about,…

The Games You Never Stop Playing

Like everything else in life, video games come and go. Or, at least, some do. Others stay with you for years at a time. The truly special ones never leave. What are the games you never stop playing? I started thinking about this question earlier this week when I was riding on the subway. I…

Assassin’s Creed Musical Is Charmingly Dorky

Are there any kinds of nerds that are more intense than video game nerds? Oh, right: theater nerds. So what happens when you put the two of them together? You get a dude dressed Altaïr belting out some dulcet tones about how he needs to take a “leap of faith,” obviously. Assassin’s Creed: The Musical…

Track: I Knew You Were Trouble | Artist: Taylor Swift | Album: Red Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Track: Upward Over The Mountain | Artist: Iron & Wine | Album: The Creek Drank The Cradle Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Your PC Needs This Many Yaks To Run Far Cry 4

There are certain games that just feel like they’re meant to be played on a PC. Far Cry has always been one of those games—for me, at least. If you’re in the same camp, Ubisoft dropped some useful info about the game’s technical requirements today. Turns out the yak farm will cost you in more…

New Call Of Duty Doesn’t Work With PS4’s Share Play Feature (UPDATE)

Gamers playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on the PS4 have discovered that the console’s newly-minted “Share Play” featuredoesn’t work with the shooter. This represents something of an inauspicious debut for Sony’s new game-sharing feature, which arrived via an update shortly before Advanced Warfare was released. UPDATE 3:23 pm: I received a statement from Activision…

It Only Took Me An Hour To Drown My Sims In Their New Pool

Swimming pools made their long-awaited comeback in The Sims 4 today. Some players responded warmly to this news by starting to build the most intricate architectural fixtures they could muster. I had something else in mind. Something much darker. Once I got the update, I immediately started trying to drown my Sims. I know, I…

The Sims 4 Gets Swimming Pools (For Free) Today

The wait was long and brutal, but it’s finally over. Starting today, you can drown your Sims or order them to pee in the water to your heart’s content. That’s right: swimming pools are making their debut in The Sims 4 today. Right this very moment, actually, if all goes according to plan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN0snD… As…

EA Access subscribers will get a sneak peek at Dragon Age: Inquisition five days before it comes out, Electronic Arts just announced. It’s only a six-hour demo, so don’t get too excited. But hey, at least your progress will carry over. Subscribers can also get a 10% discount on the Xbox One store. Read more…

I’m Excited People Are Making Silly Shooters Again

I had a lot of problems with Sunset Overdrive when I first started playing it. As I wrote in my review, the game’s humor really rubbed me the wrong way. But I haven’t really been able to put it down in spite of that. It’s a real challenge trying to stay mad at something so…

‘I Don’t Have Friends, I Got Family’

OH MY GOD I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED

Think Shadow Of Mordor Is Too Easy? Try These Out.

Difficulty is always a thorny issue in video games. One gamer’s crushing slog through a dungeon is another’s mindless loot grind. People are particularly divided about Shadow of Mordor’s difficulty right now: some find it too hard, many others too easy. The latter group has begun some interesting experiments. I am not in the “too…

Track: Untitled #8, aka Popplagið, aka “The Pop Song” | Artist: Sigur Rós | Album: ( ) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.