-
CultureDestiny 2’s New Weekly Challenge Shares A Slogan With The Hitler Youth [Update: Bungie Apologizes, Says It Was Unintentional]
A new weekly challenge in Destiny 2’s Season of the Chosen is called “Blood and Honor.” It’s a phrase that’s been seen in other fantasy media, but it’s also the English translation of the German phrase “Blut und Ehre,” one of the Nazi slogans used by the Hitler Youth. What’s it doing in Destiny 2?…
By Ethan Gach Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryBowser’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.…
By Ari Notis Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureValve 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…
By Ethan Gach Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureNo 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…
By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureMorning MusicSay 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,…
By Ash Parrish Published February 17, 2021 -
Kotaku EastIncredible 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…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsLet’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…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureTrack: No Longer | Artist: YeYe X Moto Kawabe | Album: No Longer (single)
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2021 -
CultureNew 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…
By Ian Walker Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureMetal Gear Solid’s Board Game Has Been Cancelled
IDW was supposed to be releasing Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game later this year, but after a succession of delays the company has decided to walk away from the project instead. As Dicebreaker report, after delaying the game from “early 2019″ to “summer 2020″ and then “2021″, IDW felt they needed to make even…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureValve & Netflix Are Making A DOTA Anime
Sure, why not? Dragon’s Blood is an upcoming anime series that is “exploring the Dota universe like never before.” It’ll be out on March 25, and as the trailer below says, the series has been made, “in collaboration with Valve.” This is cool for DOTA fans, I guess? Though it’s also a damn shame Valve’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureStan LePard, Composer On Games Like Halo Reach & Guild Wars 2, Has Died
Stan LePard, a veteran composer who has worked in the video game business since 1994, died last week. News of his death was publicly announced by his friend and fellow composer Maclaine Diemer, who says LePard, “passed away unexpectedly”. LePard contributed to the score on all kinds of games, including the Halo series (ODST, Reach),…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsThe ‘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…
By Ian Walker Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryFriendship 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…
By Ash Parrish Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureStadia 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…
Ethan Gach & Nathan Grayson Published February 16, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesYou 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,…
By Ari Notis Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureSilent Hill Creator Returning To Horror With New Studio’s First Game
Keiichiro Toyama, creator of the Silent Hill, Siren, and Gravity Rush series, left Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2020 to open his own company, Bokeh Game Studio. Now, he’s ready to pull the curtain back a bit on its first project, which he says is inspired by his past as a horror game designer. In a…
By Ian Walker Published February 16, 2021 -
CultureMarvel’s Avengers Receives Hawkeye, Next-Gen Versions On March 18
The Avengers can’t stop assembling. Clint Barton—also known as Hawkeye, or the “Really? Him?” Avenger—is coming to Marvel’s Avengers on March 18, alongside dedicated next-gen versions of the game. Marvel’s Avengers was initially planned for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S alongside the launch of the new consoles. Three weeks before…
By Ari Notis Published February 16, 2021