The Fastest Damn Racing Game I’ve Ever Played

When I was young, I remember being enraptured by the stark vector graphics of tank-shooter Battlezone. The green hues and blocky shapes approximated explosive combat that couldn’t quite be rendered in high fidelity. Byte Driver, a new indie racing game, embraces that aesthetic and adds some 1980s flair to create one of the fastest and…

Conan Unconquered Is A Real Time Strategy Game Without Any Fresh Ideas Of Its Own

If you were to ask Conan Unconquered, “What is best in life?” it might say back “To effectively manage your resources, build big walls, and hear the lamentations of your enemies when they see there’s another wall right behind the first big wall.” Conan Unconquered is a new real-time strategy game that came out on…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: Is There Any Point In Dating When The World Is On Fire?

Hello all you frightening nipplybeasts, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column to help you speed run through the worst parts of dating and start the New Game Plus of your love life. This week, we’re diving into the weird corners of relationship drama, the sorts of questions you never thought…

The Makers Of Divinity: Original Sin 2 Are Teasing Baldur’s Gate 3

Are the developers behind my favorite role-playing game of the decade making a sequel to my favorite role-playing game of the decade before? It sure seems that way, as Larian Studios, makers of Divinity: Original Sin 2, are teasing news of a Baldur’s Gate 3 This morning, Larian put up a teaser on the company’s…

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Announced, Will Be A Dark Reboot For The Franchise

Following a cryptic tease Tuesday afternoon, Activision announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the latest installment in the long-running series of first-person shooters. In a new trailer released Thursday, we got our first look at the rebooted Modern Warfare. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released October 25, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One,…

The Division 2 Replaced A Mystery With An Anticlimax

I don’t play games for rewards. I never minded much that collecting the flags in the first Assassin’s Creed gets you nothing, didn’t mind that grabbing all the stars in Mario 64 lets you talk to Yoshi but not ride him. The journey’s the fun and whatnot. There was, however, this one mission in The…

Death Stranding Is Going To Make No Sense And That’s Just Fine

This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, how could we not dive into the delicious insanity of yesterday’s nine-minute Death Stranding trailer? First we talk about some video games we’re playing, from Dark Souls 3 to Observation, then dive into news of the week (29:00) including Death Stranding’s ridiculous new trailer (and 2019 release date!), Call of…

Portal Headlines June’s Xbox Games With Gold

There’s a fun mix of games in June’s Xbox Games with Gold, from sports to puzzles. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. June’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One EA Sports NHL 19 (June 1-30) Rivals of Aether (June 16-July 15) Xbox 360 (compatible with…

DIY Retro Gaming Handheld Is As Fun To Build As It Is To Play

This is the GameShell, a retro gaming handheld that I built from a kit. I clipped and trimmed the plastic pieces, inserted the circuit boards, connected the wires and snapped it all together. It plays old games, emulated titles and homebrew software. It’s pleasing that something I built does those things. The folks at Clockwork…

A Theory Why Marvel Movies Don’t Dominate Japan

Marvel movies are successful in Japan. They are popular. But while Avengers: Endgame dominated theaters around the world for weeks, it was soon toppled in Japan by the latest Detective Conan anime. Why are American superhero movies less popular in Japan? Is there a reason? According to film journalist Koremasa Uno, yes there is  Uno…

KFC Is Now Serving Chicken Skin In Indonesia

As far as ideas go, KFC serving bags of crisp, fried chicken skin is an excellent one. Who doesn’t love the skin? KFC is offering bags of chicken skin at six locations in Indonesia: MT Haryono, Salemba, Cideng, Kemang, Kalimalang and Kelapa Gading. One order is the equivalent of 95 cents. This isn’t a first…

Iron Maiden Is Suing The Video Game Ion Maiden

Ageing British metal band Iron Maiden (or at least the band’s holding company) are suing video game publisher 3D Realms over retro shooter Ion Maiden, claiming the game’s logo and marketing is “an effort to confuse consumers into believing Defendant’s products and services are somehow affiliated with or approved by Iron Maiden”. The lawsuit, filed…

Gato Roboto is a Metroidvania where you play as a cat in a mech suit. In space. However, there are locations that your mech suit—and I’m sure all the cats in mech suits out there can identify with this—is too bulky to traverse, forcing you to pop out and be a regular little kitty in…

Tough Day At The Office

Vladyslava Hladkova is a concept artist based in the UK who works in the games business. You can see more of Vladyslava’s stuff at her ArtStation page.  

You Can Now Have Official Pokemon Weddings In Japan

ESCRIT, a Japanese company specialising in wedding ceremonies, recently teamed up with The Pokemon Company to start offering officially licensed Pokemon weddings. There are now some pictures of the first ceremony to be hold, and there is a lot to take in. As you cast your eyes over these images, please remember this is not…