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CultureDestiny 2’s Load Times Are Getting To Be A Real Pain
Loading times and lag have been annoying Destiny 2 players, especially on base PS4 and Xbox One consoles, for some time now, but the game’s latest season has truly pushed the envelope on how much time you spend waiting for things to happen. Today, I booted up Destiny 2 from the home screen of my…
By Ethan Gach Published February 21, 2020 -
OpinionA Short Game In A Tiny Cave Can Feel Like A Whole World
Stories often have strength because we fill in the gaps. Whenever there’s ambiguity, there’s a chance to speculate and create meaning. Some of the most successful games understand this—Shadow of the Colossus isn’t just impressive for its giant monsters, but also for a story where nothing is entirely explained. Stories and Smoke operates on the…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureWhat Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for being able to squeeze in one more long run before I do my first half-marathon next week, which I am pretty nervous about! The weekend is also for playing video games while I try not to obsess over feeling unprepared I’m struggling with Fortnite’s new NPC bases (as you can see…
By Riley MacLeod Published February 21, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsOf Course They Named The Third Chopin Rhythm Game Fred3ric
I love eighteenth century composer Frederic Chopin. I love video games. I really love video games featuring Frederic Chopin. With the release of Fred3ric, available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop, Forever Entertainment cements its position as the world’s most prolific producer of Chopin video games. They’ve made three of them, beating out both Bandai…
By Mike Fahey Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureEvery Big Game Coming Out In Winter 2020
Winter is upon us, the cold and dreary season where the fall’s big games go to get delayed. The weather outside may be frightful, but games are hopefully delightful. Let’s turn those lights way down low and see what the wintertide has in store. Save those holiday gift certificates, for there is good stuff on…
By Mike Fahey Published February 21, 2020 -
ReviewsToysHey Kids, It’s My Partner Eevee And Snooze Action Snorlax
One of last year’s most popular Pokémon toys was Jazwares Company Wicked Cool Toys’ My Partner Pikachu, a tiny, touch-sensitive plastic pal. But not everybody wants to partner with Pikachu. Some want a four-legged friend with endless evolutions. Others just want a nap. My Partner Eevee and Snooze Action Snorlax, introduced by Wicked Cool this…
By Mike Fahey Published February 21, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsThe New Batman: The Animated Series Board Game Is A Big Box Of Bat Action
While DC handles Batman’s comic book adventures, the folks at IDW Games are in charge of turning the caped crusader’s animated adventures into tabletop crimefighting (or crime doing) for one to five players. There is a whole lot going on inside the box of Batman: The Animated Series—Shadow of the Bat Packed with miniatures, cards,…
By Mike Fahey Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureTrack: Nankasa (Live) | Artist: Never Young Beach | Album: A Good Time
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureJapan’s Most Delicious Bread Is Melon Pan
Japan has brought the world some truly delicious treats, but one of the best of all has to be meron pan (melon bread). We know it tastes good, but how was it invented? And why is it called that? Typically, melon bread is fluffy bread with a sugar-covered cookie-type top crust. The exact origins of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureHere’s the teaser for the upcoming Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter – The Final/The Beginning movies. The Final, which opens in Japan on July 3, centers on Kenshin’s battle with a weapons dealer, while The Beginning, opening in Japan on August 7, recounts the swordsman’s younger days. No word yet on international releases.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureThe Art Of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Tonight, let’s take a look behind the scenes at some of the concept art that went into the creation of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, one of the most Star Warsy-lookin’ games of all time. Below you’ll find examples of everything from character design to environmental work and even some Imperial posters, done by both…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 20, 2020 -
CultureCapcom Finally Applies Band-Aid To Street Fighter V‘s Broken Online Multiplayer
The latest Street Fighter V patch finally addresses one of the game’s most prevalent problems: shoddy online multiplayer. It took constant prodding from fans and a recent third-party fix to finally get these changes, four years after the game’s release. Street Fighter V is a game with problems, the most notable of which prevents users…
By Ian Walker Published February 20, 2020 -
ReviewsBoard GamesDune: The Kotaku Review
Dune is an experience so broken I don’t even know where to begin. Except to say it’s the best board game I’ve played in a long time. While coming out in time for a new movie later this year, this isn’t a new game. It’s actually a reprint of a classic, dating all the way…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 20, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryWoW Classic Is Showing Me The Limits Of Nostalgia
Once every month or two, I have this dream. I’m standing in a cavernous entryway to what my brain tells me is absolutely a World of Warcraft raid dungeon. Its walls are streaked with throbbing orange and purple veins, akin to the armor sets dropped in Molten Core, an actual WoW raid dungeon. It is…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 20, 2020 -
UncategorizedDemocratic Socialism Simulator Lets You Tax The Rich, Nationalize Amazon
In Democratic Socialism Simulator, the goal is simple: loads of cute American animals are going to either ask questions about, or give advice related to, government policy. And you, as “the first socialist president of the United States”, have to decide what to do. It’s not quite as simple as just saying “yay” or “nay”,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 20, 2020 -
UncategorizedSony is backing out of this year’s Game Developers Conference due to concerns over the coronavirus. This comes a day after the company said it wouldn’t be attending PAX East because of the virus either. Facebook also announced it won’t at GDC 2020 for the same reason.
By Ethan Gach Published February 20, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsDeath Is Like A Hurricane Here In Darksburg
There’s a sinking feeling I get every time my team in Darksburg gets surrounded by purple-tinted goth zombies. Waves of them break against us, driven back by our attacks, only to reform and come at us again. Surely this is the last one, I think, only to find our party of four overwhelmed once again…
By Ethan Gach Published February 20, 2020 -
CultureApex Legends‘ Original Map Returns Tomorrow
Apex Legends players looking for a little nostalgia will be able to return to the game’s first map tomorrow, when Kings Canyon becomes playable alongside the current map, World’s Edge. Developer Respawn announced on Twitter that both maps will be available through February 24. The game looks different than it did when it first launched…
By Ian Walker Published February 20, 2020
