-
UncategorizedSix Years Later, Minerva’s Den Remains The Best BioShock Thing
BioShock: The Collection is out now, bringing Rapture and Columbia into glorious high(er) definition. But the most important thing is that the collection includes the best BioShock title ever made: Minerva’s Den. It is a humble piece of downloadable content for BioShock 2 and it is damn near perfect. This piece originally published in September…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 9, 2020 -
UncategorizedThe Bittersweet Journey Of A Short Hike
A Short Hike isn’t just a delightfully relaxing game. It’s also an unexpectedly real outing, with an ending that hit me hard. Initially, I approached A Short Hike, created by Adam Robinson-Yu, as I do so many other games: running here and there to finish quests with the mindset of trying to complete the main…
By Narelle Ho Sang Published February 9, 2020 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: Gaming Valentine’s Day Cards
This upcoming Friday is Valentine’s Day and Nintendo released a bunch of Animal Crossing inspired Valentine’s Day cards. I’ve never played Animal Crossing on Valentine’s Day, or any day for that matter, but these cards have me curious what this game is about and how groovy my day will go if I actually received one…
Peter Tieryas & Narelle Ho Sang Published February 9, 2020 -
UncategorizedStarfleet, You’ve Changed
The final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All Good Things…” was the best way to finish one of my favorite shows of all time. So I was thrilled, but also wary, of revisiting these iconic characters again. For the most part, I’ve been happy with Picard so far. The acting is superb, the…
By Peter Tieryas Published February 9, 2020 -
UncategorizedI Finally Got My First Xbox
I’ve never wanted to own an Xbox console, if I’m being completely honest. For the past 19 years Microsoft has put out exclusive after exclusive that don’t appeal to me in the slightest. The consistency is actually kind of impressive. Not that Xbox consoles or exclusives are poorly made—they’re just usually not for me. Even…
By Ben Bertoli Published February 9, 2020 -
UncategorizedThe Weird, Funny Things That Make Pokémon Sword and Shield So Delightful
The idea behind Pokémon games is a weird one. Kids trekking across the country in their quest to collect cute, sometimes dangerous, creatures is strange enough. But the things I saw while playing Pokémon Sword? Hoo boy. I haven’t played too many Pokémon games. With every new generation of the mainline RPG series, however, I…
By Narelle Ho Sang Published February 9, 2020 -
CultureSunday Comics: You Stupid Idiot
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 Feb. 2. Read more of Corpse Run (This week’s comic was for Hourly Comic Day and it was a bit long, check it…
By Ben Bertoli Published February 9, 2020 -
CultureIf You Could Replay A Game For The First Time, Which Would You Choose?
In 2019, I played the brilliant sci-fi space exploration game, Outer Wilds. If only the game’s time loop was a real thing so that I could go back and experience it all over again. If you’ve played Outer Wilds by Mobius Digital Games, you’ll know that being trapped in its time loop isn’t the best…
By Narelle Ho Sang Published February 8, 2020 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryLost Odyssey Brilliantly Explores The Tragedy Of Being Immortal
Last month, I wrote about the first leg of Lost Odyssey and how much I was enjoying it. The second disc and first half of the third have been even better. The worldbuilding is mysterious and intriguing, with each new section making me want to know more about the immortals I’m playing as. The narrative…
By Peter Tieryas Published February 8, 2020 -
UncategorizedThe Brutal Lessons Gaming Taught Me About Revolutions, Robots, And War
I recently had lunch with a friend who works in tech and he posited to me the ethical question of how we should treat AI as they get more and more sophisticated. He mentioned how machine learning and AI has progressed in ways that would push even science fiction authors to disbelief. As their thought…
By Peter Tieryas Published February 8, 2020 -
UncategorizedI Can’t Get Enough of Trails of Cold Steel III‘s Intense Battle Music
I love picking fights with tough monsters in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III, even when I don’t have to. Why? Because it means I get to hear one of the game’s fantastic battle themes over and over again I’ve heard a lot of great tracks during my 80 hours with the…
By Narelle Ho Sang Published February 8, 2020 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: Speaking Simulator Winners!
Hi everyone! I’m back to judge the shop contest for this week! Last week, Zack asked everyone to create some photos featuring the dude from Speaking Simulator. He’s on break this weekend and graciously asked me to come in a guest judge again. As I was going through the entries, I realized I was receiving…
By Peter Tieryas Published February 8, 2020 -
UncategorizedLast Window Is One Of The Best Murder Mysteries In Gaming
The duology of Last Window and Hotel Dusk has become my favorite series on the original DS. The two games are noir at their best, involving murder, robbery, and explorations of the sordidness of human nature. They’re also some of the best written games I’ve ever played. It’s been a few weeks since I finished…
By Peter Tieryas Published February 8, 2020 -
UncategorizedRevisiting Animal Crossing: New Leaf Was A Mistake
There’s a reason why I don’t return to Animal Crossing games long after I stop playing them. But stupidly, I decided to break that rule last week. I have some regrets. When Animal Crossing: New Leaf released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, I sank hundreds of hours into building up my virtual town, Tennant.…
By Narelle Ho Sang Published February 8, 2020 -
CultureI Tried More Weird Cereals So You Don’t Have To
The world of breakfast cereal is an ever-changing battle ground, ruled by dependable classics and littered with the broken boxes of sugar-coated newcomers. Only you, the consumer, can shape the outcome of this century-long struggle to rule “the most important meal of the day.” Ok, maybe cereal selection isn’t quite that serious. One year ago…
By Ben Bertoli Published February 8, 2020 -
UncategorizedThe Owl House Is Off To An Enchanting Start
While animated shows often cater to specific age groups, there are many that strive for a mix of humor, action, and emotional weight that can appeal to all audiences. The cartoons that manage this feat always seem to draw a devoted following overnight. The Owl House, which premiered on Disney Channel this past month, appears…
By Ben Bertoli Published February 8, 2020 -
UncategorizedAn Ode To The NPCs We’ve Robbed
Hi Kotaku! It’s Ben, Narelle, and Peter back as your guest writers for the weekend. It’s been too long! Since we were last here, we’ve traveled to many worlds, visited countless cities, and met some of the most unique NPCs in gaming. The one factor that they all share is that they have items, gold,…
Peter Tieryas & Ben Bertoli & Narelle Ho Sang Published February 8, 2020 -
CultureGranblue Fantasy Versus Player Gleefully Wrecks The Competition
There’s nothing better in fighting games than completely getting one over on a fellow player, especially if they have no idea how to counter whatever attack or strategy you throw their way. Granblue Fantasy Versus, which launched earlier this week, lends itself to these kinds of situations simply because of how new it is, and…
By Ian Walker Published February 7, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsIf You Like Celeste But Wish It Had More Swords, Try Scourgebringer
It only took about 15 minutes of zipping around in Scourgebringer for my fingers to start feeling sore. One moment, bell chimes were echoing through a peaceful room. The next, I was tearing through enemies in every direction while some heavy metal kicks up. I’ll strap ice to my knuckles if that’s what it takes…
By Ethan Gach Published February 7, 2020
