New Xbox Backward-Compatibility Feature Improves Framerates On Select Games

Microsoft announced today that it is further improving Xbox Series X/S enhancements to backward-compatible games with a new feature known as Xbox FPS Boost, which does exactly what it says on the tin. “With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed…

Bowser’s Fury Co-Op Sucks, But Super Mario 3D World’s Is Amazing

Nintendo’s first big release of 2021, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, packages together a re-release of a seven-year-old game alongside a new, yet bite-sized, adventure. The main draw is the latter, which offers a showcase of what an open-world Mario game could be. What’s more, Bowser’s Fury technically has a couch co-op mode.…

Valve Bans ‘Very Positive’ Developer For Trying To Trick Steam Users

Emoji Evolution is a puzzle game on Steam about combining weird symbols. Or at least it was: Valve recently removed it from the storefront and banned its creator’s developer account after apparently discovering how they were exploiting Steam’s layout to try to trick people into playing the game. “Valve has banned my developer account due…

No Man’s Sky Players Can Now Tame, Breed, And Train Alien Creatures

Showing no sign of slowing down after a 2020 filled with game-changing updates, Hello Games starts off the fifth year of No Man’s Sky with the “Companions” update, which gives players the ability to befriend procedurally-generated alien creatures, turning them into loyal universe-exploring companions. After last year’s mech, living ships, and space horror updates, I…

Fortnite is getting a short film festival this Saturday at 2pm ET. The movies will play at the big screen on the Party Royale island and will repeat for 24 hours.

Say Whatcha Wanna About Final Fantasy XIII, You Can’t Deny Its Amazing Soundtrack

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we’re continuing to indulge my terminal case of Final Fantasy brain with a deep dive into Final Fantasy XIII’s mold-breaking soundtrack. I’m not here to discuss the merits of Final Fantasy XIII (playlist / longplay / VGMdb) itself,…

Incredible Wooden Statues Of Dragon Ball, Gundam, Attack On Titan, And More

Wood carvings are one of Vietnam’s traditional handicrafts, but instead of religious-themed works, DWoodart Studio specializes in stunning sculptures of popular anime, manga, and video game characters. The artists first place (or sometimes draw) an illustration on a block of wood and use a chainsaw to cut away large slices. Then the sculpture is painstakingly…

Let’s Compare The Nier Replicant Remaster To The Original

To mark the game’s tenth anniversary, a Nier Replicant remaster was announced for the PS4, Xbox One, and Steam. Let’s see how the game, so far, stacks up against the PlayStation 3 original. While there could be slight differences in the final retail version, the comparison shows that the remaster has undergone a good polish…

Here’s a two-minute animated short for Final Fantasy XIV in South Korea. The Korean language clip shows Miqo’te’s daily life in the city of Miqo’te as well as glimpses at some adventuring.

Track: No Longer | Artist: YeYe X Moto Kawabe | Album: No Longer (single) 

New Microsoft Program Could Help Devs Make Games More Accessible

Microsoft is starting a new program that will allow developers to send in Xbox and PC games to be evaluated by a team of accessibility experts, the company announced today. “Where issues are found, they are noted with reproduction steps, screenshots, and other information to help the developer understand what aspect of a given experience…

The ‘All Your Base Are Belong To Us’ Video Is Now 20 Years Old

The early aughts were a weird time. George H. W. Bush’s loser son somehow became president, god-awful bands like Crazy Town and Staind had songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and we made do with, like, one meme a year. In 2001 that meme was “All Your Base,” a Newgrounds video that ironically celebrated the…

Friendship Ended with Azeroth, Now Final Fantasy XIV Is My Best Friend

I’ve done it. I’ve finally begun my journey with Final Fantasy XIV, after six years of aborted attempts I made it through the still strangely unfriendly onboarding process and am now roaming free in the world of Eorzea. This was a long time coming. This previously glaring omission in my Final Fantasy record lead to…

Stadia Leadership Praised Development Studios For ‘Great Progress’ Just One Week Before Laying Them All Off

Developers at Google’s recently formed game studios were shocked February 1 when they were notified that the studios would be shut down, according to four sources with knowledge of what transpired. Just the week prior, Google Stadia vice president and general manager Phil Harrison sent an email to staff lauding the “great progress” its studios…

You Can Instantly Summon Bowser In Bowser’s Fury With An Amiibo

The most infuriating part of Bowser’s Fury is Bowser himself. King Koopa’s arrival can both ruin your day and grant access to previously inaccessible areas, meaning the bite-sized Bowser’s Fury is somewhat of a waiting game. But you don’t have to wait for Bowser to do his thing. You just need a Bowser Amiibo. Amiibo,…