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CultureTwitch Streamer PaladinAmber Does Not Have Time For Your Shit, Internet Creeps
Make creepy comments in PaladinAmber’s Twitch chat at your own risk. “How much for a hug?” somebody asked during a stream a few days ago. In the blink of an eye, PaladinAmber switched over to an infomercial-style overlay, complete with a (fake) phone number and a list of payment options. “You wanna know how much…
By Nathan Grayson Published July 25, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsTeam Rocket Has Invaded Pokémon Go, But They Sure Are Hard To Track Down
Pokémon Go players booted up the mobile game today to find the world invaded by the franchise’s original baddies, Team Rocket. In addition to taking over Pokéstops and challenging trainers to fights, the dastardly villains have also disrupted the local ecology, changing the kinds of Pokémon that players are likely to find. The theming is…
By Ian Walker Published July 25, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsMario Maker Level Locks You In A Room With A Goomba And Your Darkest Thoughts
A lot of the Mario Maker levels that go viral are pretty universally deranged. They’re usually levels made in the “kaizo” style, impossibly hard courses for expert-level Mario players to speedrun. It’s easy to see why these are widely shared online: We like spectacle. Mario games are easy to parse—a tiny plumber is running from…
By Joshua Rivera Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureCosplayGalleryOur Favorite Cosplay From San Diego Comic-Con 2019
There’s no bigger cosplay show on the planet than Comic-Con, which every year attracts thousands of cosplayers, from the biggest names to locals dressing up for a big, nerdy day out Mineralblu was there all weekend taking photos and video for us, and you can see the best of that stuff below (though as usual…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureIf You Want Fallout 76‘s Newest Items, It’ll Cost You $25
Some of Fallout 76’s most devoted players and biggest spenders appear to be drawing the line at a new $25 bundle of cosmetics up for sale in the game’s digital store. Conspicuous consumption is alive and well in Fallout 76’s wasteland thanks to the Atomic Shop, a clearing house for a range of character outfits,…
By Ethan Gach Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureA Bittersweet Glimpse Of Defiant Development’s Unfinished Game
Earlier this week, Defiant Development shared the unfortunate news that the studio would be shuttering, citing the company’s supposed inability to adapt to “changes both big and small” in the larger gaming industry as the main impetus behind the closure. As a parting gift, Defiant has also provided a brief glimpse at what would have…
By Ian Walker Published July 25, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe creator of Super Hexagon and VVVVVV has a new game called Dicey Dungeons coming to PC on August 13. Co-developed with designers chipzel and Marlowe Dobbe, it combines all the hottest Steam search phrases—deck-building, roguelike, turn-based RPG—into what looks like a genuinely fun, dice-driven dungeon-crawler.
By Ethan Gach Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureStudy: Sexualization Of Women In Games Doesn’t Impact Women’s Body Image
Long-argued is the theory that embodying a lithe and thin Lara Croft in Tomb Raider might make women gamers feel worse about their own bodies. It’s an argument that women like me have used to justify the importance of adding more realistically-proportioned, less-sexualized characters to our favorite games. Yet according to a new study by…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureDota Underlords has received an update intended to turn Primordials into a little less of an unholy force to be reckoned with. Instead of disarming enemies—functionally stunning them—Primordial units now have a chance to slow enemies’ attacks. Arc Warden, meanwhile, has been overhauled. Where once his clone ability was mana-dependent and could go on indefinitely…
By Nathan Grayson Published July 25, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3’s Inhumans Level Is Just Sad
Most of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3’s story chapters are lengthy affairs filled with enemies to fight, puzzles to solve, characters to recruit, and multiple boss battles. Chapter seven, set in the moon-based Inhuman city of Attilan, is a ten-minute trip to the most boring place in the Marvel universe. Of all of Marvel’s properties, the…
By Mike Fahey Published July 25, 2019 -
UncategorizedMaybe it’s just me, but when I see a supposedly unreachable small island at the edge of a video game level, I think “GoldenEye.” That’s why the sight above in one of The Division 2‘snew levels got me thinking about my colleague Heather’s article about a certain “dam island.”
By Stephen Totilo Published July 25, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsA Game Where You Try To Prevent A Shakespearean Murder In Real Time
Aside from the Bible and other great religious works, it seems fair to say that William Shakespeare’s plays are among the most far-read stories in the world. Of those, Hamlet might be the most well-known. A murdered king, a brother who marries the widowed queen, a woe-stricken son who plots revenge and everyone dies. Or…
By Heather Alexandra Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryHaving Someone To Pass The Controller To Makes Single-Player Games Better
I don’t play a ton of shooters, but after getting super obsessed with Apex Legends, I wanted to try Titanfall 2. I also wanted my boyfriend to try Titanfall 2, but I’d always rather play with someone sitting on the couch than online. Me and my boyfriend live about 10 minutes from each other—it would…
By Gita Jackson Published July 25, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe third episode for This War of Mine’s Stories DLC drops on August 6. Called Fading Embers, it’ll follow the story of Anja as she’s faced with decisions about saving people or the things they’ve created featuring non-linear gameplay and multiple endings. The game is currently free on the Epic Game Store.
By Ethan Gach Published July 25, 2019 -
ReviewsSwitchFire Emblem: Three Houses: The Kotaku Review
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a game for interesting times. At the start, none of the future rulers of Fódlan, the fantasy continent where Three Houses takes place, know that the regions they will lead are on the brink of war. Edelgard, the successor to the Adrestian Empire, is the only one who seems to…
By Gita Jackson Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureThe Mother Series 30th Anniversary Event In Smash Bros. Ultimate Is Too Cruel
July 27 will mark 30 years since the original Mother came out in Japan on NES. To celebrate, Nintendo is running a Mother-themed Spirit Board event in Smash Bros. Ultimate, torturing fans who have been desperate to see the rest of the series localized in the West. Smash Ultimate’s Spirit Board is a single-player affair…
By Ethan Gach Published July 25, 2019
