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CultureBlack Is Magic: How Magic: The Gathering Is Transforming One Teacher’s Game Club
On the wall in Mike Lawton’s classroom rests a cardboard cut-out of a Black man. It’s not Martin Luther King Jr. or any other famous Black figure from history—it’s a mage—dark skinned and powerful-looking as a spell shoots from his fingertips. It’s Teferi, one of Magic: The Gathering’s most powerful main characters known as Planeswalkers,…
By Ash Parrish Published April 13, 2021 -
CultureFortnite Says Ahoy To Horizon‘s Aloy
Aloy, the protagonist of robot-dinosaur-busting game Horizon Zero Dawn and its upcoming sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, is the latest crossover character to join Fortnite. She’ll be playable starting April 15. Aloy’s addition is part of Fortnite’s “Primal” season, which added crafting, wildlife, and a new biome to the game. It also saw the death of…
By Ari Notis Published April 13, 2021 -
ReviewsBacklogWhy Did No One Tell Me About Maneater?
There are backlogs, and there are theoretical backlogs. Those games you never bought, but heard about, thought about getting, and then never did for whatever reason. I’m finding this fallow period for big game releases an excellent opportunity to reach into that pile of potential purchases, and grab something I missed. Like, say, Maneater When…
By John Walker Published April 13, 2021 -
CultureCrusader Kings III Will Soon Let Modders Create Same-Sex Marriages
While Crusader Kings III shipped with the ability for characters to have a same-sex relationship, that could only happen behind the scenes, with concubines and marriage reserved for a man and a woman. After feedback from fans and modders, that’s about to change. As part of a blog post outlining some changes to the way the…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2021 -
ReviewsKeyboardsKinesis’ TKO Is My New Favorite Compact Keyboard
Kinesis Gaming’s new 60 percent keyboard is a lot more than just small and portable. The TKO Tournament keyboard’s got hot-swappable switches, an optional triple-split spacebar, and the ability to tilt up either side for maximum ergonomic comfort. It’s more than I knew I needed in a tiny keyboard. When I turn to a 60…
By Mike Fahey Published April 13, 2021 -
CultureFirst PS5 Update Introduces Loads Of New Stuff
The first major update for the PlayStation 5 console is due to land on Wednesday, April 14, and among the additions and improvements to the console are the ability to keep games on USB storage, new social features, and changes to the PlayStation app. Sony announced the update on the PlayStation Blog, saying that while…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSatoru Iwata Seemed Like A Truly Good Dude
Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made a huge impact on gaming. The exec had the rare combination of technical knowledge and business savvy. He also seemed like a really good dude. Sadly, Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015, at the age of 55. In the newly released English translation of Ask Iwata, which is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsAnime Sure Makes Dandruff Exciting
This is, perhaps, the most exciting dandruff ad made in the history of the entire world. It’s pretty goofy but real good. As pointed out by Robotopia on Twitter, Head & Shoulders has kicked off an anime-themed campaign in Japan with a flakey super-spy named “Ando.” Geddit?? The relationship between the spy and the inspector…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2021 -
OpinionI’m Finally Happy I Bought An “Old” Graphics Card
Let me tell you about an emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on for the past eight months. It’s a cautionary tale, about the perils of obsessing over PC hardware, but also one of celebration, a triumph against the odds. In 2015, I purchased an all-new, pre-built gaming PC—the first time I’d ever done that—and had such…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2021 -
CultureBig Bowser Penis Has Been Removed From Patreon
AkkoArcade is a 3D modeller who specialises in adult props for NSFW Source filmmaker clips. Earlier this week one of their creations—a large, veiny dick intended for use with Bowser movies—has had to be removed from Patreon after a takedown notice was issued against it. WARNING: NSFW IMAGERY BELOW As The Daily Dot report, the…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSame. Exact. Energy.
The time had finally come for me to check out id Software’s unapologetic 2011 Mad Max ripoff Rage, and true to its reputation, I spent the first couple hours just trying to get it to run smoothly like a game built on a normal engine. Megatextures, am I right? But I succeeded, and promptly ran…
By Alexandra Hall Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Year Is 2021 And I Just Played A New Official Halo 3 Map
The Master Chief Collection’s latest season, Season 6: Raven, launched last week on April 7 for Xbox and PC. I’ve been busy with Outriders, so I didn’t get to check it out until now. This update adds a lot, but the most exciting new piece of content is a new map for Halo 3 The…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 12, 2021 -
CultureOutriders Should Have A Horde Mode (And Other Thoughts)
If nothing else, Outriders is a polarizing game. Sure, People Can Fly’s loot-shooter has been plagued by some serious launch-window turbulence, but the issues are merely unpleasant set dressing for a fundamentally terrific game. Two of us on staff—weekend editor Zack Zweizen and staff writer Ari Notis—can attest, as we’ve both been playing more or…
Ari Notis & Zack Zwiezen Published April 12, 2021 -
ReviewsBacklogTerminator Resistance Harkens Back To When The Franchise Ruled
Terminator: Resistance is another Terminator game, and those have been mostly awful. But I was surprised to find that this hidden gem isn’t a boring Call of Duty clone as the screenshots implied, but actually a remake of the classic Terminator shooters Bethesda developed back in the 90s. And it made Terminators scary again, something…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionMarvel, Give Me A Dora Milaje Video Game Already
Marvel Studios, Disney, whoever’s in charge of licensing Marvel properties nowadays, come, let me bend your ear for I have a proposition that is guaranteed to increase your already-incalculable fortune. Are you ready to hear my 1000% foolproof money printing idea? Here goes: Dora Milaje video game. If that declaration wasn’t enough to sell you,…
By Ash Parrish Published April 12, 2021 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat’s Your Worst Gaming Habit?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take. This week we Ask Kotaku: What’s your worst gaming habit? Lisa Marie My worst gaming habit is easily never finishing games. I’ve played a ton of games, but I’ve finished very…
By Alexandra Hall Published April 12, 2021 -
CultureOutriders Can’t Catch A Break
It’s been a long week-and-a-half for the loot-shooter Outriders, a game rocked by eleven days of missing functionality, server issues, and player uproar. The latest wave of problems started Friday afternoon when developer People Can Fly pushed out a patch for PC and PlayStation consoles, with an Xbox version to follow at a later, unspecified…
By Ari Notis Published April 12, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsTomorrow’s PS5 Beta Is A Great Reason To Get Into Final Fantasy XIV
Intrigued by how much players love Final Fantasy XIV but unsure how to get started? The game’s open beta for the PlayStation 5 starts tomorrow, promising sharper graphics, faster frame rates, and shorter loading times than the PlayStation 4 version. All that plus a generous free trial makes this week a good time to get…
By Mike Fahey Published April 12, 2021 -
ReviewsToysFortnite Toys Make Me Wish I Knew More About Fortnite
During this past Friday’s Pulse Fan Fest Event, Hasbro announced a bunch of cool-looking figures being added to its Fortnite line this fall, including a lady Black Panther with a tail, formal gas mask guy, Destiny reject, and clear blue easy. Also, there’s a giant shark that splits in two and spills garbage. Am I…
By Mike Fahey Published April 12, 2021 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Shadow Man Remastered
A remastered port of the cult classic N64/PS1 action-adventure game Shadow Man drops later this week on PC. I only have vague memories of Shadow Man so I’m curious to check it out via this newly remastered edition. But beyond that, there isn’t much else coming out this week. We are in the middle of…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 12, 2021