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CultureTwitchCovid Relief Bill Still Includes Felony Streaming Act, But Twitch Streamers Are Probably Safe
Earlier this month, Republican senator Thom Tillis managed to graft an act that would turn streaming copyrighted material into a felony onto the much-debated omnibus spending bill, which also includes a paltry second covid relief check, among many other things. After even more debate (and many concessions), Congress is poised to pass the bill this…
By Nathan Grayson Published December 21, 2020 -
CultureStardew Valley Just Got Another Massive Update [Update: And It’s Also Out On Console Now]
Pixelated farming sim Stardew Valley continues to grow, this time with a big 1.5 update for PC that adds a bunch of new stuff, including a beach farm map where veteran green thumbs can try their hand at growing crops in the sand. “This update adds some significant ‘late-game’ content to Stardew Valley,” developer Eric…
By Ethan Gach Published December 21, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewLuke Plunkett’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
It has been a bad year. A bad year with, mercifully, some very good video games. Last year I remember struggling to scrape together even 10 games for my list, so sparse had my good times been, but in 2020 I’ve had no such trouble. And no, it’s not because I’ve been stuck inside all…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 21, 2020 -
EsportsAn Esports Team Signed An 8 Year Old, But Nobody Is Sure If It’s Legal
If nothing else, Team 33 certainly made a splash when it arrived on the esports scene earlier this month. In a press release, the previously unknown organization boasted of a Hollywood team house that had already played host to big names like Janelle Monáe, Post Malone, and Drake. But it wasn’t glitz and glamour that…
By Nathan Grayson Published December 21, 2020 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat’s The Best (Or Worst) Gaming Gift You’ve Ever Received?
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 the best (or worst) gaming gift you’ve ever received? Fahey This one’s easy. For years my family has been conditioned to the fact that if…
By Alexandra Hall Published December 21, 2020 -
CultureAll The Big Games Coming Out In Winter 2021
We made it, everyone. It’s winter 2020, which is really just a couple of weeks of 2020, with the vast majority of game releases coming in the year 2021. What will we be playing as we put the year of hell behind us and move on to what’s hopefully not just more of the same?…
By Mike Fahey Published December 21, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of The PS4 And PS5 In 2020
Despite the harrowing circumstances impacting the world, 2020 was a stand-out year for PlayStation. Over the course of 2020, Sony published more than half a dozen top-shelf games, a huge step up from last year’s scant offerings. Beyond that, the company pushed out two models of an ambitious gaming console, and boosted support for the…
By Ari Notis Published December 21, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of The Nintendo Switch In 2020
It’s hard to imagine what the state of the Nintendo Switch would look like right now if 2020 hadn’t been so horrible. What could have been one of the hardware’s more stagnant years turned into one of its most memorable, when the soothing escapism of Animal Crossing met a world desperately in need of a…
By Mike Fahey Published December 21, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of Xbox In 2020
This time last year, Microsoft’s current flagship console was little more than a swanky video spot aired during a swanky awards show. Now, it’s the capstone to one of the biggest years for Xbox in recent memory. Time sure works in funny ways. Yes, it’s been almost one year to the day since Microsoft officially…
By Ari Notis Published December 21, 2020 -
CultureMorning MusicThis Incredible Link’s Awakening Song Is Actually From Its Commercial
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s frequent hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today’s column is all about a reinvigorating classic that didn’t actually make it into the game it was used to promote. Link’s Awakening (playlist /longplay /VGMdb) is one of the greatest games in the Legend of…
By Ian Walker Published December 21, 2020 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Meat Boy Is Back
A decade is a long time to wait for a sequel, but Super Meat Boy Forever is almost here after some delays and hiccups. I wanted to like the first Meat Boy game but it just wasn’t for me. However, I know some folks who dug the hell out of that quirky platformer and they…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsFIFA 21 Has Some Good Looking Hair
I don’t play sports games. I don’t even watch sports. But I’m always impressed by some good looking, next-gen hair. And the latest FIFA game on next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X has some damn fine hair. I know nothing about soccer games, so it’s possible FIFA 21 is a terrible game filled with…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsA Strange Game That Lets You Create A Digital Art Gallery About Anything
Art galleries can be cool. But they are hard to create, so we don’t get as many galleries as we deserve. For example? Where are the galleries and museums for things like broken extension cords? Or people like Keanu Reeves? Well, thankfully, with The Anything Gallery, you can create a gallery about whatever you want.…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Worst Video Games Names Of 2020
What’s in a name? When it comes to games… not much. Games can be great and have terrible, awful, dumb names. In fact, many games on this list are good games that are just unfortunately saddled with an awful title Some of these names are silly, some are dumb, some don’t really make sense, others…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: Miyamoto In A Pipe
Shigeru Miyamoto hosted the most recent Nintendo Direct, which was all about the Super Nintendo World park in Japan. It opened with the legendary designer jumping out of a pipe. Thank you, Nintendo for this ‘Shop Contest gift. Your challenge this week: Have some fun with Miyamoto in a pipe! I was originally planning on…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
CultureMorning MusicSimCity 4’s Soundtrack Is So Good You’re Already Reinstalling The Game
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today I’m going to remind you all how much the music in SimCity 4 slaps. Granted, I just did, but now I will go into greater length. SimCity 4 (playlist / longplay/ VGMdb) is considered by many,…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
CultureSunday Comics: No Spoilers!
Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published Dec. 17. Read more of Corpse Run Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published Dec. 14. Read more of Awkward Zombie Clueless Hero by…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: National Horse Day, Winners
Last week, we all came together (virtually and safely) to celebrate the most important holiday of the year: National Horse Day. And you all created some uh… interesting horse-related images to celebrate the day. Our winning image this week comes from sciteach who isn’t really celebrating horse day but instead ending the holiday. I’ve only…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 19, 2020 -
CultureCyberpunk 2077 Might Be Buggy, But It Has A Great Photomode
This week on Snapshots, the final one of 2020(!), we have a ton of cool Cyberpunk 2077 screenshots. While the game might be buggy and broken for many players, especially on console, it’s still a pretty looking game and makes for some great virtual photography. Good to see arcades make it to 2077. Kotaku Snapshots…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 19, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewZack Zwiezen’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
When I first sat down to put together this list, I wrote down two titles and then sat and thought for a while about what else I played. I think this year has thrown my whole mind into a strange funk, because I couldn’t even name 10 games I had played, let alone loved. But…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 19, 2020