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CultureOdds and EndsPokémon‘s Intro, Remade With Stock Footage
Pokémon’s status as a worldwide phenomenon means that you can break it down to its essential parts and folks will still recognize what you’re referencing. You show somebody an electric rat and, nine times out of ten, they’ll understand you’re talking about Pikachu. But can the franchise survive being filtered through the internet’s vast library…
By Ian Walker Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureTop Female Streamer Becomes Part-Owner Of Massive Esports Organization 100 Thieves
The past year has not been kind to, uh, basically anybody, but Rachel “Valkyrae” Hofstetter is one of the (generally wealthy) exceptions that proves the rule. She started 2020 with so-so numbers on her YouTube stream, only to ride the Among Us phenomenon to absurd 100,000-viewer heights from which she has yet to come down. As…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Seem To Be Having Commitment Issues In Outriders
Over the past week or so I’ve sunk about 25 hours into Outriders—on top of the dozen-ish I spent repeatedly running the demo. And yet, I still haven’t committed to a main class. That’s not indicative of indecision on my part (okay, fine, maybe a tiny bit). That’s a testament to how awesome all the…
By Ari Notis Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureTwitchTwitch Will Now Take Action Against Threats, Violence, And Sexual Assault On Other Platforms
Many Twitch streamers have YouTube channels, and vice versa. They also have Twitter pages, Instagrams, TikToks, SnapChats, and basically every other kind of account under the sun. For years, Twitch has taken activity on other platforms into account when deciding to suspend or ban streamers, albeit inconsistently—and typically only when an infraction had also happened…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureHarold Halibut, You Have My Attention
We last saw Harold Halibut at GDC 2018, but the folks at German indie studio Slow Bros. are back with another fascinating preview of this unique game. “Harold Halibut started life as a conversation over dinner about our love of stop-motion and story games,” the devs explain. “It wasn’t long after that we started building…
By Ian Walker Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureThat Final Fantasy XIV Hairstyle You Like Is Going To Come Back In Style
A popular Final Fantasy XIV hairstyle that hasn’t been available in-game for years is going to make a permanent comeback, Square Enix announced this morning Final Fantasy XIV players will be able to acquire the very anime Rainmaker hairstyle (pictured above) for the first time since 2017 when the extensive Patch 5.5 expansion drops on…
By Ian Walker Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureCrysis Remastered Now Even More Remastered
Just when you thought classic shooter Crysis was as remastered as it was going to get, Crytek announces a new free update that fixes a whole slew of bugs while adding new graphics modes for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles. Who is ready for raytraced 1080p at 30 frames per second on the…
By Mike Fahey Published April 7, 2021 -
CulturePac-Man 99 Is A Free Switch Online Exclusive Battle Royale
Announced last night and going live today at 9pm Eastern exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, Pac-Man 99 is a 99-player battle of pellet-munching attrition in which players eat the spirits of the dead in order to sic them against their opponents until all are devoured. Yay, Pac-Man! It’s like Tetris 99, only with Pac-Man.…
By Mike Fahey Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureMorning MusicLooks Like Capcom Got The Band Back Together
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, Capcom forms a band. Yesterday’s Street Fighter V Spring Update was full of surprises, not least of which was that Capcom’s slapped a pair of undies on returning fighter Oro, the only canonically freeballing character…
By Alexandra Hall Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureCosplayGalleryFor April 1, Cosplayers Around The World Had A Convention… In Their Pyjamas
There haven’t been any cosplay conventions in over a year, which sucks! But when life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade by having a convention from the comfort of your own home. In your PJs, no less. That was the reasoning behind Pajama Con, aka PJCON2021, an April Fools stunt—complete with website—that pretended to…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2021 -
CultureHardcore Military Sim ArmA 3 Getting Huge Vietnam Campaign
There aren’t many games that are seriously based on the Vietnam War, mostly because, thanks to the terrain and the politics, it’s an incredibly difficult conflict to simulate. The upcoming S.O.G. Prairie Fire, however, is looking to change that. Built within ArmA 3, using its creation suite by external developers Savage Game Design, S.O.G. Prairie…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 6, 2021 -
Culture#BoycottGenshin Is Tearing The Genshin Impact Community Apart
Last night, Genshin Impact began trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. Which ones, exactly? Well, that’s the thing: Nobody can really agree on what lies at the core of the erupting volcano that has sprouted next to developer miHoYo’s cash cow. Currently, the #BoycottGenshin hashtag is composed of legitimate complaints about stereotypes, some…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsI Demand To See Oro’s Dick And Balls In Street Fighter V
During today’s spring update, Capcom provided an early look at how returning fighter Oro will play in Street Fighter V. There’s only one problem: Not once did they show his dick and balls. Oro, who was first introduced to the world in 1997’s Street Fighter III: New Generation, is one of my favorite Street Fighter…
By Ian Walker Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureOutriders Apparently Has A Bug That Wipes All Your Gear
How’s this for a horror story? You spend hours farming gear in your favorite loot game. You find some truly awesome stuff, including some legendaries. Then, one moment, out of the blue, it’s all gone. Everything, to the point where your character is basically naked. For some Outriders players, that’s less a terrifying nightmare than…
By Ari Notis Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureYou Might Be Able To Play Diablo II: Resurrected This Weekend
If you haven’t signed up for a chance to play Diablo II: Resurrected early, you should get on that: Blizzard just announced plans to hold a private alpha test on PC over the weekend. The lucky few who are chosen to take part in this initial testing phase will be able to play through Diablo…
By Ian Walker Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureMass Effect Legendary Edition Will Remove The Mako’s Bullshit Instant Deaths
Sorry, Ash. It looks like Mass Effect Legendary Edition touched the Mako. Touched it a lot, in fact. BioWare community manager Jay Ingram just updated the PlayStation Blog with a breakdown of the changes coming to the Mass Effect remasters when the three-game bundle launches on May 14 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.…
By Ian Walker Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureHere’s Everything Coming To And Leaving Game Pass Soon
Xbox Game Pass started April strong with the day-one launch of Outriders, but that’s not the only major addition to Microsoft’s games-on-demand service this month. Here’s everything coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next few weeks: April 8 Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud, Console) Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Cloud, Console, PC) Disneyland Adventures…
By Ari Notis Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureAnimal Crossing Build-A-Bear Go On Sale This Morning, Could Be A Clusterfluff [Update]
Build-A-Bear’s eagerly-anticipated line of official Animal Crossing: New Horizons plushies go on sale this morning at 11 am Eastern. In order to handle what’s sure to be massive demand, Build-A-Bear has set up a virtual queue for customers to gather in to await their chance to purchase items that haven’t even been revealed yet. Nothing…
By Mike Fahey Published April 6, 2021 -
CultureIt’s Official: E3 Returns As An All-Digital, All-Free Event June 12
Following the cancelation of 2020’s event due to covid-19, and much rumor and speculation regarding this year’s iteration of what was once the most important video game trade show in the world, the Entertainment Software Association today announces E3 2021, a free all-digital event running June 12 through 15. Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two…
By Mike Fahey Published April 6, 2021