Psst. Hey. Ben here. If you’re in need of a fun gaming podcast, you should definitely check out my newest show — Memory Card. Every episode covers the history surrounding a weird and wonderful character, console, accessory or game. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify

Looking Back on Dragon Ball Z’s Best Filler Episode

When the Dragon Ball Z anime premiered in April of 1989, it was a mere six months behind its Dragon Ball manga source material. For a half-hour show that aired every week without fail, this wasn’t much of a gap to fill. It was important to the Dragon Ball Z showrunners that the anime storyline…

What Is Your Favorite Game Sequel?

There are great sequels. And then there are all the crappy ones that seem like little more than cynical cash grabs. I’m going to focus on the former. Sometimes, the best sequels take a classic formula and evolve on them. I loved Final Fantasy II (IV in Japan), Uncharted II, Mass Effect 2, Super Mario…

The Brilliant Use of Verticality in Minish Cap’s Palace of Winds

There are so many great, memorable levels in the Zelda series, from Majora Mask’s Stone Tower Temple to the Arbiter’s Grounds in Twilight Princess. But a level that’s always stayed with me from the series is the Palace of Winds from the Minish Cap.  Developed by Capcom and Flagship, The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap…

A Plague Tale Is One Of The Most Disturbing Games I’ve Played

It’s been so long since a game has truly scared me that A Plague Tale: Innocence caught me completely off guard. Tense, terrifying, and meticulously crafted, Plague Tale excels at making you feel utterly helpless. Set in late 1349 in Aquitaine, France, the medieval setting is one of the game’s strengths, distinguishing itself with the…

Romance Of The Three Kingdoms XIII Is A Flawed, But Addictive, Entry Into The Series

The very first time I was a guest writer for Kotaku, I wrote about Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV, which was my favorite in the series. I’ve played ROTKIV too many times to count as its strategy gaming at its best. I did play many of the games after IV, but missed IX-XII. With…

Princess Peach Was The Best Character In Super Mario Bros. 2

Whether it’s Link in Link’s Awakening, or Mario in Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo characters have strange dreams. The dreamish landscape of Subcon is a surreal romp with some of the strangest enemies in the series. Influenced by Arabian themes, the second Mario game didn’t start off as the sequel to Super Mario Bros., a…

7 Classic Cartoons That Deserve A TV Special

With a wide variety of animated movies and TV series accessible around the clock, it’s easy for viewers to fall into the bottomless pit of nostalgia that is streaming classic cartoons. While Hulu, whose selection includes the likes of Rugrats, Dexter’s Lab, and Dragon Ball, is undoubtedly the current champion of throwback cartoon streaming, they’re…

An Ode To Video Game Pockets

Hi Kotaku! It’s Ben, Narelle, and Peter back as your guest writers for the weekend. We have a variety of articles planned; Narelle will be writing about Breath of the Wild with her sister and some of the fun quests in Dragon Quest Builders 2; Ben shows some love for the Game Boy and Tony…

Five-time Evo champion SonicFox is live on Twitch with a charity drive for The Trevor Project, which focuses on crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. His goal is $20,000, with various donation incentives—from playing piano to shaving his mustache—spread out along the way.