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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 -
CultureModder Recreates Skyward Sword Dungeon In Breath Of The Wild
For players who may have been disappointed with the lack of traditional dungeons in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a new set of modding tools is helping players add dungeons inspired by previous games. As spotted by PC Gamer, Earth Temple is a mod that adds the dungeon of the same name…
By Ethan Gach Published July 25, 2019 -
Culture74% Of Adults Have Been Harassed While Gaming Online, Study Says
74 percent of adults who play games online have experienced some form of harassment, according to a new report released today. The report, published Thursday by the century-old civil rights nonprofit organization Anti-Defamation League, offers some staggering statistics on the prevalence of trolling, threats, discrimination, and just plain rude name-calling in online gaming. Alongside a…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 25, 2019 -
CultureJapan’s Getting A Disney-Themed Nintendo Switch
On October 10, Nintendo will be releasing this very Japan-only Nintendo Switch model, which is covered in images and logos from Disney’s Tsum Tsum line. There’s a game (Tsum Tsum Festival) that this whole thing is centred around, and the bundle includes this software, along with some DLC for the game But more interesting is…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 25, 2019