Culture

2015 Was A Simpler Time

Devin Kraft is an art director and freelance illustrator based in Dallas. You can see more of Devin’s stuff at his personal site and ArtStation page

Hideo Kojima, Please Work With Junji Ito

Horror mangaka Junji Ito is apparently down to work with video game auteur Hideo Kojima if the opportunity presents itself. Those sounds you’re hearing are me furiously typing my demands that Kojima call Ito as soon as possible. During a recent Polygon interview, Ito was asked about his involvement with Silent Hills, the late Konami-era…

Disintegration Released In June, Closing Servers In November

Disintegration, a shooter released earlier this year by V1 Interactive (headed by Marcus Lehto, one of Halo’s creators) tried some interesting stuff, but ultimately couldn’t find much of a fanbase. And so its multiplayer servers are due to shut down just five months later. “We have made the difficult decision to remove Disintegration’s multiplayer modes…

PS5 Pre-Orders Were A Complete Clusterfuck

Yesterday, right after Sony’s big PS5 event, the company announced that pre-orders for the next-gen PlayStation console would “be available starting as early as tomorrow at select retailers.” And then, they weren’t. That’s pretty clear, right? “As early as tomorrow” suggested that some places would have their pre-orders go live on the morning of September…

Let’s Compare Every Xbox Console’s Launch Lineup

New consoles are coming soon and that means people are starting to look at what games will actually be available at launch. Both Microsoft and Sony have finally revealed which games are launching alongside each console in November. Some are disappointed by all the ports and cross-gen games. But is this any different than previous…

Super Mario Galaxy’s Opening Is Still Terrifying

Super Mario 3D All-Stars, launching tomorrow for the Nintendo Switch, gave me the opportunity to revisit a trio of classic video games. It also brought me face to face with what is perhaps the most terrifying opening of any Mario game, wherein Bowser literally carpet bombs the Mushroom Kingdom. As with most games in the…

Transphobic Creator J.K. Rowling ‘Not Involved’ in New Harry Potter Game

Warner Brothers, publisher of the upcoming open-world Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy, released an FAQ on the game’s official Discord yesterday. In addition to answering questions about the game’s development and platforms, the FAQ asserts that Rowling, who’s recently drawn criticism for transphobic statements, has no involvement in the game. Teased in yesterday’s PS5 event,…

Xbox Series X, Series S Preorders Open September 22 At 11 A.M. ET

While online preorders for the PlayStation 5 appeared and disappeared sporadically after yesterday’s showcase, Microsoft has provided Kotaku with the specific time we’ll be able to drop hundreds of dollars on its upcoming consoles next Tuesday. Starting at 8 a.m. Pacific, 11 a.m. Eastern on September 22, folks will have a chance at preordering the…

Hades Is Out Of Early Access Now, And We Love It

Remember how Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre developer Supergiant promised that its Greek mythology-themed roguelike would leave early access sometime this fall? Well, it lied. The autumnal equinox isn’t until September 22, but Hades is officially out on PC and Switch today. Staff writer Ash Parrish, service and advice writer Ari Notis, and I (senior reporter Nathan…

Newest Nintendo Switch Direct Ended With An Xbox Game

Announced earlier today during the latest Nintendo Direct Mini, the cute Metroidvania platformer Ori and The Will of The Wisps is coming to the Nintendo Switch later today. Originally released earlier this year on Xbox One and PC, Ori and The Will of The Wisps is the sequel to 2015’s Ori and The Blind Forest.…

Everything Nintendo Announced In Today’s Partner Showcase

Today, Nintendo dropped a 16-minute Direct Mini, focused on third-party games. While not as earth-shattering as juicy new next-gen console details, we finally got confirmation of some long-anticipated titles. (What’s up, Monster Hunter?) Here’s everything that was announced: A new Monster Hunter is coming to Switch. It’s called Monster Hunter: Rise and, like previous games,…

Two New Monster Hunter Games Coming To Nintendo Switch

Nintendo kicked off its third-party showcase today with the reveal of a big new Monster Hunter game from Capcom coming to the Nintendo Switch. It’s called Monster Hunter Rise A trailer showed off classic Monster Hunter battling with giant swords, lots of thrashing of huge creatures and a hunt for a big beast called Magnamalo.…

Dune 2000 Is A Good Soundtrack For The Coming Spice Wars

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s new, daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. The year is 2000. Dune 2000 to be exact, and space gangs are fighting to the death while snare drums and ominous synth basslines blare in the distance. Won’t you join me? Good morning. Today’s…

Sony Will Have More PS5s At Launch Than It Did For The PS4

Yesterday, Sony announced pricing and the release date for the PlayStation 5. But how many consoles will be available when the PlayStation 5 goes on sale? More than when its predecessor launched. According to The Washington Post, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said that there will be more PlayStation 5s available at launch than there were…

Track: Tokyo wa Moeteru | Artist: Glim Spanky | Album: Walking on Fire 

The Ads In The Middle Of Twitch Streams Are So Bad

The news yesterday that Twitch was testing mid-stream ads was bad, but man, actually seeing them in action is even worse. While yesterday we only had mock-ups to get upset about, the ads are now rolling out to certain streamers and on certain streams, so we can see how terrible they are. Our example today…

Some PS5 Games Will Cost $70

As part of today’s roll-out of PlayStation 5 details, Sony has announced that some of the console’s launch games will retail for $69.99, a ten-dollar markup from the common $59.99 price point of recent generations. Demon’s Souls, Destruction AllStars, and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition (which also includes a code for the remastered version…

Quake Soundtrack Features Shenanigans Between Bethesda And Nine Inch Nails

Earlier today, the original Quake soundtrack—composed back in 1996 by Nine Inch Nails—went up for preorder on the band’s site. And accompanying the release was an all-caps note saying “A CERTAIN UNNAMED VIDEO GAME PUBLISHER” stopped the release of some behind-the-scenes essays by former id developers John Carmack and American McGee. The note, as it appeared…

God Damn The PS5 Is Enormous

Earlier this monthit dawned on us just how big the Xbox Series X is. It’s big! Know what else is big? And in most cases even bigger? The PlayStation 5. While we’ve known the PS5 was going to be large based on stuff like renders and estimates based on the size of the disc drive,…

Here’s The PlayStation 5’s Launch Lineup

Today, in a 40-minute showcase, Sony finally pulled back the curtain on the price and release date for the PlayStation 5. The base edition will cost $500, the all-digital $400, and both will be available stateside on November 12. While terrific to finally get some confirmed info after seventeen years of waiting—or three months in…