Culture

Dwarf Fortress Premium Shows Off Its, Uh, New Visuals

It is true that while Dwarf Fortress is an incredibly complex and rewarding game, it is also true that it has forever looked like ass. The upcoming Steam release, Dwarf Fortress Premium, is going to look a little better Co-creator Tarn Adams has shared some of the improvements they’ve made to the game’s visuals (earlier…

Half-Life: Alyx Players Are Using VR To Teach Math Classes, Kiss Headcrabs

Virtual reality means options. If you own a high-end VR headset like the Valve Index, you likely have money and, therefore, options that those less fortunate than you do not. Also, you can do funny things with headcrabs. Half-Life: Alyx players have embraced VR’s bold new frontier voraciously, testing the limits of the medium’s invisible…

Epic Is Going To Publish Games From The Makers Of Control, Limbo, And The Last Guardian

Today the studio behind Fortnite, Epic Games, announced a new publishing label called Epic Games Publishing that will be working with gaming studios making some of the best known console exclusives in recent memory to publish their upcoming projects. The studios are Playdead, makers of Limbo and Inside, gen DESIGN, makers of The Last Guardian,…

Capcom’s wonderful underwater 2D action-adventure Shinsekai: Into The Depths was just surprise-released for the Switch. We liked it a lot when it debuted on Apple Arcade last year, and it should please people looking for another Metroid-style game for Nintendo’s portable console.

How’s It Going?: Well It’s Something Edition

It’s Thursday! That means it’s almost Friday. Welcome back to our daily open thread. I’m having a tough morning. Lots of little things are frustrating me, and given the stress of the times they feel much bigger than they are. I’m having a hard time getting things done this week, and adjusting to having the…

BioShock, Borderlands, And XCOM Are Coming To Switch

A bunch of 2K games are coming to Switch on May 29 including XCOM 2, Borderlands 2, and BioShock Infinite The news is part of the surprise Nintendo Direct Mini that dropped earlier today confirming a number of ports that had previously been rumored. Here’s the full list of 2K games headed to the Nintendo…

Surprise Nintendo Direct Includes Updates On Xenoblade, Smash, Animal Crossing

Nintendo quietly dropped a surprise mini Direct on us this morning, announcing several games and updates coming to the Switch in the next few months, including Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the BioShock collection, and Burnout Paradise Remastered along with updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Ring Fit Adventure and more. Fans…

There’s A New Missile Command Game Out Today

Remember Missile Command, Atari’s 1980 missile-versus-missile game? There’s a new one out today for iOS and Android. Missile Command: Recharged gives the arcade classic a stylish neon makeover. What makes the original Missile Command so compelling is simple, immediately satisfying gameplay. Aim, fire, boom. There’s not much to it, but it’s powerful. Missile Command: Recharged from…

Track: You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere | Artist: The Byrds | Album: Sweetheart of the Rodeo 

If The Witcher Was An Anime

Last year, artist Carolina Silva imagined what Game of Thrones would look like if someone went and made an anime series out of it. This year, she returns with the same deal, only for Netflix’s take on The Witcher We’ve seen some stuff like this before, like Lap Pun Cheung’s amazing piece from a few…

Another WW1 FPS Wants To Get Into The Trenches

Most WW1 games end up having very little to do with WW1, because to portray the conflict accurately would be both nightmarish and incredibly boring. Beyond The Wire, a new multiplayer FPS, looks like it’s trying to get right into the trenches that so many other games want to avoid. Developed by Offworld Industries, the…

Sega’s New Mascot Is The Son Of Sega’s Old Mascot

Back in the ’90s, around the time of the Saturn, Sega had the greatest console mascot of all time: Segata Sanshiro, a man who wanted you to buy Sega and would absolutely make you eat shit if you didn’t. Now, in 2020, his son is taking his place. First, some background. Here’s Segata Sanshiro in…

Australians Are Already Playing Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal isn’t supposed to be out for another week, but as chaos unfolds in the Australian retail sector following confusing government messaging about covid-19 precautions, national chain EB Games has just decided to say fuck it, and get the game out the door while their stores are still open. EB Games—the local subsidiary…

Employees At GameStop Competitor Say Their Company Isn’t Protecting Them From Covid-19 Either

Last week, Kotaku reported several times on GameStop’s ass-dragging procedure for operating during the coronavirus outbreak. But GameStop isn’t the only physical game store whose employees are feeling forced to choose between their jobs and their safety. Employees of the regional chain Game X Change are also unhappy with how their employer is handling the situation, several…

Why You Can’t Use A Crowbar In Half-Life: Alyx

In truth, the Half-Life series has always had two main characters: Gordon Freeman and his crowbar. The nondescript piece of curved metal is one of the best-known pieces of iconography in all of gaming. And yet, in Half-Life: Alyx, you cannot use a crowbar as a weapon or puzzle-solving tool. Not even once. Valve did…

There’s A New Final Fantasy Tactics Game Out Today, Sort Of

War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Square Enix’s new tactics RPG, is now available on iOS and Android. It combines the beloved turn-based battles of Final Fantasy Tactics with a whole bunch of free-to-play, collectible character RPG nonsense. Though positioned as an offshoot of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, the mobile RPG where players…

Track: Boogie Chillun | Artist: John Lee Hooker | Album: Whiskey & Wimmen 

Arashiyama After Hours. Kyoto, Japan. By Jeremy Lim | Official Site JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line 

Nintendo Donates 9,500 Facemasks To Local Responders

With a global shortage of protective facemasks endangering those on the front line in the fight against covid-19, Nintendo has looked in its back room and found 9,500 N95 particulate respirator masks, which are being donated to responders near the company’s American operations. In a “thank you” post on the city site for North Bend,…

Wake Up Mr. Freeman

Andrey Gritsuk is a 3D artist from Russia working in the games and movie industries. You can see more of Andrey’s stuff at his ArtStation page