The Messenger’s New Island DLC Is A Perfect Substitute For A Day At The Beach

It’s already mid-July, and I still haven’t made it to the beach. Maybe you haven’t either. The Messenger’s free Picnic Panic expansion can fix that. You won’t actually hear seafoam waves crashing along the shore or feel the grainy piles of hot sand beneath your feet, but Picnic Panic’s bright colors, catchy new chiptune-inspired melodies,…

The Nintendo Switch Lite Has Sealed The 3DS’s Coffin

Remember the Nintendo 3DS? Enjoy that while you can, because after the Nintendo Switch Lite comes out, the 3DS will be erased from all of our collective memories. Okay, not really, but the Switch Lite does look nifty. On this week’s Kotaku Splitscreen, we talk about playing Switch games while lying in a hammock and…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: Is My Ex Leading Me On?

Hello you beautiful and terrifying love piranhas, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the dating advice column for people who got a recommendation from Dr. Mario. This week, we’re gonna squash some relationship viruses. How do you clear up a misunderstanding that’s led to a conflict in your friendship? How can you tell whether your…

I Can’t Deal With People Getting Ahead Of Me In MMOs

Earlier today, my Kotaku coworker Heather Alexandra posted what I am sure was an amazing and insightful look at the end of Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion. An ending that I’m still a level and a half and a whole bunch of quests away from experiencing. I am so damn jealous. It’s not just Heather.…

Dragon Quest Builders 2 Is Even Better Than The First

The first Dragon Quest Builders was an underrated gem, a delightful game that proved that Dragon Quest and Minecraft go together as nicely as peanut butter and pickles. The second game, which comes out Friday, is even better. I’ve played a couple dozen hours of Dragon Quest Builders 2 on Switch so far thanks to…

The End of Final Fantasy XIV‘s ‘Shadowbringers’ Expansion Is The Emotional Spectacle I’ve Been Waiting For

It’s hard for any story to end well, and even harder when it’s set in the constantly changing world of an MMORPG. Lengthy questlines that require years’ worth of player investment are hard to sell. Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion, ‘Shadowbringers,’ makes it work with an emotionally charged climax that helps create one of the…

When Yu-Gi-Oh! Meets Tokyo Fashion

Recently Tokyo high schooler Makocha was featured on the popular Tokyo Fashion Instagram account, wearing a hoodie, cutout pants, Dr. Martens, and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Have a closer look at Makocha’s outfit. Each card is a piece of Exodia the Forbidden One Makocha’s chain motif works well thematically with the cards.

What One Ton Of Manga Looks Like

Have you ever wondered what a ton of manga looks like? You know, as in 2,204.62 pounds (the “ton” that people pretty much everywhere outside the U.S. use) of manga. It looks like this, apparently. Twitter user Pekin-san has a collection of Weekly Jump manga spanning 30 years. Another Twitter user did the math, calculating…

Imabari Castle. Imabari, Ehime, Japan. By JC. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Lupin III’s First 3D Movie Trailer Looks…Not Terrible?

Taking Lupin III’s gorgeous 2D style and turning it into a modern 3D animated film sounds like a recipe for disaster, but somehow, this first trailer for Lupin III The First looks OK! I mean, we’re stuck with natural lighting and colour palettes, same with most other 3D films, but the characters themselves look pretty…

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Ivan Rastrigin is a concept artist at Wargaming, the developers of World of Tanks/Warships/Warplanes You can see more of Ivan’s stuff at his ArtStation page

What World Of Warcraft Would Look Like Running In Unreal Engine 4

It’s hard to get excited about World of Warcraft in a visual sense, but if you’ve ever held out hope that the game might get a sequel, or at least a more modern makeover, then this is the video for you. Daniel L has spent years remaking some of the game’s environments in Unreal Engine…