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ReviewsSwitchSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury: The Kotaku Review
Super Mario 3D World would be incredible if I didn’t already know who Mario was and what he was all about. In his 2013 review of the Wii U original, Kotaku writer Luke Plunkett described Super Mario 3D World as a “greatest hits collection, bringing together all the best things Mario has already done in…
By Ian Walker Published February 10, 2021 -
CultureMorning MusicFinal Fantasy VII Remake’s Brand-New Tracks Kick Ass, Too
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today I’m going to gush about just how amazing Final Fantasy VII Remake’s music is, and specifically a few of its new tracks that weren’t in the original. It took me a while to get into…
By Ethan Gach Published February 10, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanThings Are Horrible For Japanese Arcades Right Now
No doubt, the pandemic is bad for lots of businesses. But in Japan, it’s especially awful for arcades. Because Japan is currently under a state of emergency due to covid-19, nightspots have been ordered to close early. If they don’t, they risk fines. As AFP News reports, bars and restaurants get compensation from the government…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 10, 2021 -
AnimeJapanese Animator Gets Four Months In Prison For Driving Without A License
This week at a Tokyo District Court, animator Shiro Kudaka has been sentenced to four months in prison for driving without a license and violating Japan’s Road Traffic Act. Kudaka has provided animation—including earning key animator credits—for a number of popular TV series, including Lupin III, Naruto, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. He has also worked…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 10, 2021 -
CultureMcDonald’s Pokémon Card Packs Are Selling Out
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pocket Monsters, McDonald’s is including Pokémon card packs in Happy Meals. It seemed like a good idea! Others thought so, too. Included are four random cards out of a 50-card set, Inven reports. The rarest or most valuable cards are, as ever, the shiny versions. Some collectors and YouTubers…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 10, 2021 -
CultureTrack: Shimanchu nu Takara | Artist: Begin | Album: Begin no Shimauta: Omoto Takeo 2
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 10, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsHomicidal Hitman 3 Mastermind Crushes Every Single Person In The Grape Press
If you’ve played Hitman 3 and got to the Mendoza stage, you’ll know the grape press. A centrepiece murder machine, it has been designed to help you off one of the level’s main targets in spectacular fashion. In this video, Teallen96 is not offing one person. He is crushing every single person in the level,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsBeavis & Butthead x The Legend Of Zelda Is Animated Perfection
You might think these two cartoons, one released in the 80s about a video game, the other in the 90s about…stuff, have little to do with each other. I am here to tell you they were made for each other This is a joke that could have worked in a 30-second clip. The fact this…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureChina’s Steam Only Has 53 Games
Steam is now available in China, and if you thought that would give Chinese gamers instant access to the weird, wonderful and sometimes deeply offensive depths of the service’s catalogue, well lol, no, of course it doesn’t. At time of posting this custom, localised version of Valve’s shopfront only has 53 games available, with the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureBloodborne Modder Releases Long-Awaited 60 FPS Hack
Bloodborne can now be played with smooth 60 frames-per-second visuals thanks to the long-anticipated release of an unofficial patch. You will need a modded PlayStation 4 to try it out, however, preferably a PS4 Pro. The patch’s creator, Lance McDonald, is something of a video game archaeologist, with cool stuff on his resume like discovering…
By Ian Walker Published February 9, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsDestiny 2‘s Season Of The Chosen Is Good So Far
Season of the Chosen went live in Destiny 2 today, and with it a whole new set of things to grind for. So far, these things—new armor, guns, and exotic gear—seem pretty cool, with interesting new perks to make them worth chasing. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already feeling daunted by…
By Ethan Gach Published February 9, 2021 -
EsportsConor McGregor Is Obsessed With Nate Diaz’s Gamer Chair
Today, Conor McGregor, famous for falling asleep in public, saw a gamer chair for seemingly the first time in his life. He thinks it’s incredibly funny that it looks kind of like a race car seat, and he really, really wants everybody to know. McGregor, one of the highest-paid people in all of sports, made…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game Diary17 Years Later And I Still Can’t Beat Hannibal In Age Of Empires
Xbox Game Pass has once again proven its worth by allowing me to confront a bully of my past: the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca. Yes, I’m serious. Every night for the last two weeks, when normal people would wind down for bed with a nice hot mug of tea and their favorite background noise show,…
By Ash Parrish Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureRiot’s CEO Is Being Sued For Sexual Harassment
Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent is being sued by former employee Sharon O’Donnell, who is alleging Laurent committed repeated acts of sexual harassment over a number of years, including asking her to “cum” to his house while his wife was away. O’Donnell, who was Laurent’s executive assistant, alleges that the CEO, “began a pattern of…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2021 -
CulturePS5 Controllers Are Drifting, And The Repairs Are A Hassle
Few things about the PlayStation 5 are better than the DualSense controller. It feels terrific to hold, somehow just as solid as it is light. The haptics are truly dynamic, at least for games that offer such support. It’s beautiful. But even the mighty DualSense reportedly isn’t immune to the Achilles’ heel of modern video…
By Ari Notis Published February 9, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesOvercooked 2 Is Free On Switch This Weekend, If You Want To Be Alone On Valentine’s Day
Have any plans cooked up for Valentine’s Day? From tomorrow through February 16, relationship ruining co-op game Overcooked 2 will be playable at no extra cost for anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online membership—“just in time for Valentine’s Day!” Overcooked 2 is a game that involves preparing meals in the pressure-cooker environment of a busy…
By Ari Notis Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI Hope This Final Fantasy XIV NPC Finally Got To Take A Dump
One meets a variety of NPCs while playing Final Fantasy XIV. Some can be pretty annoying—looking at you, Thancred—while others are instantly memorable. A poor Ishgardian sentry who desperately needs to find a bathroom while her country is being invaded by dragons falls into the latter category. At the beginning of Final Fantasy XIV’s patch…
By Ian Walker Published February 9, 2021 -
CulturePokémon World Championships Skip 2021 Over Covid-19 Concerns
After canceling in-person competition in 2020 due to the rise of the covid-19 pandemic, The Pokémon Company announced it will skip official tournaments through 2021 as well. “The safety and well-being of our competitors, organizers, employees, local communities, and partners [continue] to be our top priority and is the primary consideration with every decision we…
By Ian Walker Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureWhat We Loved About Hitman 3
If there’s one thing Kotaku can’t get enough of, it’s Hitman 3. Between the wide-open levels, rapid-fire costume changes, and throwable bananas, IO Interactive’s latest stealth sandbox has enraptured many of us. Three of us (staff writer Ari Notis, staff editor Lisa Marie Segarra, and weekend editor Zack Zweizen) snuck into one of Kotaku’s many…
Ari Notis & Lisa Marie Segarra & Zack Zwiezen Published February 9, 2021 -
CultureCrash Bandicoot 4 Comes To PS5, Xbox Series X/S And Switch March 12
The excellent if a bit sadistic Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is about to get two upgrades and hopefully not too much of a downgrade on March 12, when the game launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. Activision announced the next-gen and friend releases this morning, along with a PC…
By Mike Fahey Published February 9, 2021