Uncovered Developer Tools Let Players See Behind The Scenes Of GTA III

Grand Theft Auto III has some interesting features and code hidden within the game. These hidden features were originally used by developers to debug and fix glitches during development and should have been removed. Crafty GTA fans and modders have been able to not only find these hidden features in retail copies but reactivate them…

After Playing Episode 3, I Think I’ve Been A Bad Brother In Life Is Strange 2

The third episode of Life Is Strange 2 has the player grapple with the fact that protagonist Sean Diaz’s younger brother Daniel is his own person. It can go very badly. Each episode of Life Is Strange 2 is a delight, albeit the kind of delight that has me covering my face with worry. Sean…

How Hollywood Didn’t Screw Up The Detective Pikachu Movie

It seems like a miracle. As a rule of thumb, Hollywood’s video game adaptations have been subpar. But the Pokémon Detective Pikachu is the exception to the rule. The movie is good “Did you have trepidation about adapting Pokémon?” I asked director Rob Letterman late last month in Tokyo. “I still do! I’m very nervous,”…

The Most Beautiful Tank In The World

Daniel Joustra is an artist at Guerrilla Games, the developers of Killzone and Horizon Zero Dawn. He’s also worked on games like Star Citizen You can see more of Daniel’s art at his personal site and ArtStation page

Disgraced Magic: The Gathering Star Banned, Removed From Hall Of Fame

Magic: The Gathering pro Yuuya Watanabe, the star at the centre of cheating allegations following the discovery of marked cards in a tournament earlier this month, has been found guilty and heavily punished by officials at the The Magic Pro League. Despite protestations of innocence from both Watanabe and his sponsors, the MPL todayissued a…

Barotrauma is a game where up to 16 players cooperatively pilot a submarine—in space. You play as a captain, engineer, mechanic, medic, or security officer to help your teammates survive or, ominously, “make sure no one does.” Along the way, you’ll explore alien ruins and the darkest corners of the deep space-sea. There’s a Sunless…

Louis Vuitton Fashion Show Uses Final Fantasy Music

Last night, European designer fashion brand Louis Vuitton took to the Kennedy Airport to show off its 2020 cruise collection, its latest line of fancy new clothes and accessories. The stylish show was packed with celebs, and…music from Final Fantasy VIII? The fashion show began with models slowly coming down the terminal staircases to a…

Cities: Skylines Is Going Back To College

Universities are enormous, sprawling places, so it makes sense that if you were going to put one in a city-building game, it should be a much bigger (and more complicated) deal than simply dropping a 3×3 structure on the map and leaving it be. That’s what I love about Cities: Skyline’s expansions, of which Campus…

The Final Fantasy VII Remake Finally Re-Emerges

After a long period of development hell, the Final Fantasy VII remake is finally back in the real world, with Square Enix dropping a short teaser trailer today and promising more to come in June. It looks great. First announced at E3 2015, the Final Fantasy VII remake went through some mysterious problems, with Square…

Taiwanese Game With Art Insulting China’s President That Was Pulled In February Is Still MIA

Back in February, the makers of the P.T.-inspired Steam horror game Devotion experienced a haunted house horror story of their own. The game came out, and at first, everything seemed to be going all right—great, even. Reviews were unanimously positive. Sales were good. Then players discovered a piece of in-game art that seemed to disparage…

Nothing Lasts Forever In Fortnite

Fortnite Battle Royale’s season nine has transformed the game’s world once again, with a futuristic Tilted Towers and trippy, robotic character outfits. It’s also brought balance changes, including the curious decision to retire one of the game’s oldest weapons. The pump shotgun is going in the vault, and it’s a reminder that nothing really lasts…

Both Democrats And Republicans Agree: Loot Boxes Bad

Earlier this week, Republican senator Josh Hawley announced a bill that would regulate the use of loot boxes and microtransactions in “games played by minors.” But aren’t Republicans typically against any type of regulation on the free market? On this week’s Kotaku Splitscreen, we talk about the idea of politicians seeking out the gamer vote,…

Kingdom Heartbeats Is The Perfect Name For A Kingdom Hearts Dance Remix Album

RoboRob is a noted producer of dancy electronic music. Kingdom Hearts is a beloved video game series filled with fluid, soulful music. Combine the two and you get Kingdom Heartbeats, a remix album featuring electronic takes on some of Kingdom Hearts’ best tunes. It even starts with a remix of “Simple and Clean.” If Kingdom…