Mario Maker 2‘s New Speedrunning Mode Looks A Lot Like A Popular Fan-Made Hack

In addition to the ability to play as Link, Super Mario Maker 2’s latest update has added a new speedrunning mode that’s remarkably similar to one rom hacker’s mod of an SNES emulator called Quantum Mario. This has raised questions about Nintendo’s relationship with the Mario homebrew community and the designers that power its Mario…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for finally fixing my endlessly running toilet, a process internet videos say is very easy but has thusfar involved me opening the toilet tank, staring in confusion, and then closing the tank again. The weekend is also for playing video games while I avoid this task. I’m excited to check out Mosaic…

The Words For Gaming In Different Languages

Like any community in the world, people who play video games have collaboratively created their own language and slang. Many of these words are international, but different languages have different ways of talking about play. This piece originally appeared 3/29/18. I’m totally fascinated by the way language influences culture and the way we think. It’s…

The Latest Paper Mario-Style Steven Universe Game Keeps It Simple

In 2015, Cartoon Network and developer Grumpyface Studios released Steven Universe: Attack the Light, a simple yet delightful turn-based mobile RPG with strong Paper Mario vibes. 2017’s console follow-up, Save the Light, beefed up the series with intricate combo attacks and free-roaming exploration. A new entry in the series recently released for Apple Arcade, Steven…

Cult Classic Game Where You Can Raise A Princess Of Hell Coming To Switch

Child raising simulator Princess Maker 3 is coming to Switch on December 23, and—no, wait, come back! I promise it’s cool. In Princess Maker 3, you schedule out your daughter’s time between various school and work activities to raise her skills. You can also take her on adventures, which are basic RPG sequences where your…

Slot Machine Logo Sure Looks Familiar

This is the logo for an upcoming slot machine called Wheel of Fortune. I’m sure I’ve seen it before. OH RIGHT. It’s not an exact copy, but there certainly are many close similarities. As pointed out on Hachima, this is from Tokyo-based pachinko and slot machine maker Kita Denshi. The logo was included in a…

Late Night Walk. Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Japan. By Butch Smith. 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!

Halo: Reach, As Told By Steam Reviews

Halo: Reach, Bungie’s final entry in its second (of three, so far) series about armored space knights, is finally on PC. People are clearly excited, so much so that they managed to propel it to the third most-played slot on Steam earlier this week. But do they actually like the port? Yes and no. For…

RIP Gamerankings.com

Older heads might remember Gamerankings.com, a site that rounded up reviews from all over the place and gave them an overall aggregated figure out of 100, as a cornerstone of forum arguments the world over back in the day. Sadly, it’s about to close its doors. I’ll be honest: I wasn’t even aware the site…

Amazon Customers Buy Nintendo Switch, Get Sent Condoms, Tambourines, Electric Toothbrushes Instead

There are reports coming out of the UK that at least a dozen people who bought a Nintendo Switch as part of Amazon’s Black Friday sales did not get sent a Nintendo Switch. Instead, they’ve received everything from air freshener to photopolymer resin instead. The Mirror has been rounding up some of the complaints, which…

Snoop Dogg Is Now A Sports Game Commentator

Because why the hell not, Snoop is now an official commentator in EA Sports’ NHL 20 While this might sound like a random event generator got us to this point, there is a reason behind it: Snoop has done actual NHL commentary work in real games, which if you’ve never heard it is wonderful: Here’s…

Goodbye To Cecilia D’Anastasio, Planeswalking Cyber Sleuth And Aspiring Palutena Main

Cecilia D’Anastasio, Kotaku Senior Reporter and resident Overwatchologist, has completed her last sidequest around these parts today and is heading off to new adventures elsewhere. We’d like to wish Cecilia the best as she embarks on the newest chapter in her career and tries to sell a whole new group of strangers on the merits…

I Miss Cheesy Video Game Voice Acting

The decade is coming to a close, year and years of forward progress in design and production having transformed games as we know them. Professional actors fill video game casts and look so realistic that they might as well be right there. It’s a remarkable change, but I’ve gotta say, I miss the hammy voice…

Actually, It’s Good When Video Games Start With Your Character Waking Up

A whole lot of video games begin with your character waking up. It’s one of those things that you can’t stop noticing once you start. Most Zelda games start this way, as well as any number of classic role-playing games like Chrono Trigger. The awakening scene in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a popular meme.…

In Defense Of Hop, The Unlucky Pokémon Rival

I will not hear any more slander about Hop, your rival in Pokémon Sword and Shield Your rivals in the more recent Pokémon games have trended more towards “childhood pal” than the “bigtime assholes” you had to trounce in the older ones. I have strong memories of wanting to just beat the shit out of…