Yannick LeJacq

Check Out Far Cry 4’s Weapons

Nowhere in video games is the phrase “evolution, not revolution” more apt than in first-person shooters. As proof, I submit for your consideration the latest trailer for Far Cry 4. It’s seductively pretty, and willfully obscene. In other words: it looks exactly like Far Cry 3. Only, ya know, snazzier. Far Cry 3 is one…

Pillars of Eternity has been delayed until “early 2015,” publisher Paradox Interactive just announced. The exciting-looking RPG was originally supposed to come out later this year.

The Wonderfully Hideous Orcs Of Shadow Of Mordor

It’s so easy to resort to lazy and hurtful stereotypes whenever we talk about orcs. If nothing else, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor shows us how disrespectful this is. These monsters may be hideous, but they’re also individuals with hopes and dreams—unique and precious like snowflakes. Let’s celebrate them as such. What follows is a (heavily…

The Uphill Battle Of Making Sims Fans Happy

Every sequel faces a challenge of living up to whatever came before it. The Sims 4 struggles with this more than most video games because the series has such a distinctive and successful history. The shadow that The Sims 4 lives under came up in an unexpectedly candid way yesterday when I was speaking to…

Shadow Of Mordor: Like Pro Wrestling, Only With More Orcs

Something I kept thinking about when playing Shadow of Mordor to review was that the orcs in the game reminded me of professional wrestlers. At least, my conception of pro-wrestlers. I mean this as the warmest of possible compliments. I was reminded of this yesterday when revisiting some footage and came across this very WWE-esque…

The Sims 4 Will Bring Back Ghosts And Swimming Pools (Free Of Charge)

The Sims 4 is getting three big additions in as many months, developer Electronic Arts just announced. The first, launching today, brings ghost Sims back into the mix. Next month, the game will get swimming pools. And come December, Sims will get some new careers. All will be free for Sims 4 players. There’s some…

Tips For Playing Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

Rangers of Gondor! Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is upon us. The time has come to stand up to Sauron’s evil forces. But you know what they say about not simply walking into Mordor and so forth. So here are some useful tips to get your and Talion’s quest started. One quick note: I’ve focused heavily…

Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor: The Kotaku Review

Lugdash Broken-Shield. Now there was a tricky orc to assassinate. Until I discovered he was scared of fire. Once I set his minions ablaze, Lugdash dropped everything and fled. I wasn’t going to lose the kill, so I chased after him. We both ended up running for a long, long time. I chased Lugdash out…

That’s Gotta Hurt

This is a pretty standard finishing move from Shadow Of Mordor

The comment is from my Shadow of Mordor review

Ryse Looks Better On (Very Beefy) PCs

Xbox One launch title Ryse: Son of Rome was noteworthy for its amazing visuals, its extreme gore, and the amazing visual fidelity with which its extreme gore was rendered on Microsoft’s new console. Given the categories PC games normally excel in, its upcoming port must look even snazzier than the original, right? The hardware pros…

You’ll Have To Pay Extra To Fight Sauron In Shadow Of Mordor

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor comes out tomorrow. While Tolkien fans will be delighted to finally play a Lord of the Rings game that’s actually really, really good, others might be disappointed that Sauron doesn’t make much of an appearance. Turns out: he’s in Mordor, you just have to pay more to get to him. With…

The Last of Us sure could be eerie looking. No wonder, then, that real-world photographers find it a morbid and fascinating muse. These haunting images were made by Sam Javanrouh, using only the PS4’s standard capture features in the game’s Left Behind chapter: Check out more of Javanrouh’s work on his website To contact the…

“Rising game budgets have created breathtaking, cinematic experiences. But not everyone is happy.” The Economist takes a look at the state of the video game industry in the wake of Destiny’s famously pricey launch and provides an interesting overview of where game development is headed in the near future.

Nintendo Is Bringing An Old Favorite Back For Mario Kart 8

Slowly but surely, it looks like Mario Kart 8 is shaping up to be the game it was always meant to be. First, Nintendo delighted fans with the announcement that Zelda and Animal Crossing were making their way into the game. And now they’re sweetening the deal with a classic car from Mario Karts past:…

Track: Ever Somber | Artist: Dälek | Album: Absence Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

How To Kill In The Sims 4

Sims are much harder to kill in The Sims 4, the latest edition of EA’s famous people simulator. Oh, but they can die. It just requires a bit more tact on the player’s part. If you’ve been having a hard time tormenting your virtual pets, here are some tips to help you help them shuffle…

Why Is Everyone Fighting In Super Smash Bros. Anyway?

Nintendo might be the master of all things cute, but they’ve got their dark side as well. I mean, have you ever found yourself wondering mid-Smash Bros. match: “Why are you all so mad at each other? Wouldn’t you rather be relaxing on a beach together somewhere…I dunno…safe?” In this hilarious video, Dorkly imagines what…

Diablo III Still Has A Difficulty Problem

The fall is usually a time for people plow through the latest and greatest games. This year, however, I’ve also been revisiting an old friend of sorts inDiablo III. But as I work my way through the game anew on my PS4, a big problem has flared up once again: something about its difficulty still…

Someone Hit Level 30 In Destiny

People figured out how to circumvent Destiny’s soft level 20 capshortly after the game launched two weeks ago, and now one player has reached the next milestone: making it all the way to level 30 with one of his characters. The player is Mark Edward Neace Jr, an American member of the clan Tier 1…