Cute Truck, Space Cops

Koko Liem is an art director based in Singapore who has been working in the games business for around three years. You can see more of Koko’s work at his ArtStation page

The Week In Games: Might As Well Jump

Everyone’s favorite uncomfortably detailed manga dream team leads a powerful and stylish week of new games. I mean, just look at that hair. In high school I was a big fan of the various series featured in the long running Shonen Jump magazine, as well as the many television shows they had inspired. I bought…

What’s Your Greatest Gaming Comeback Moment?

The final decision I made in Into the Breach cost me the life of one of my pilots, and almost cost me the entire game. Into the Breach isn’t really a game of comebacks. As the game shows you enemies’ attacks before they play out, any bad decisions made are basically your fault. Sure, there’s…

Enter The Gungeon‘s Composer Talks Rap, Video Game Music, And Bullet Hell

Enter the Gungeon demands so much of your attention. Mastering the bullet hell means enduring a cycle of dodging, rolling, shooting, and dying. Its intense gameplay is driven by the fierce beats of its soundtrack composed by Doseone, whose background as an indie rapper intersects his video game work in a way I didn’t quite…

20 Years Later, Snowboard Kids 2 Remains a Hidden Gem

While the Nintendo 64 wasn’t the most revolutionary home console, the clunky cartridge-based system still managed to house some of the best games of the mid-to-late ‘90s. Quite a few N64 classics, including Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong 64, and Pokemon Snap, will celebrate their 20th anniversaries in 2019. Joining these memorable 64-bit outings is…

The Weird Desire To Play Resident Evil 2 Even After Quitting Out Of Fear

Two days before the release of the Resident Evil 2 remake, I had a nightmare about zombies. In my low-budget looking dream, I was fending off undead hordes in a sunlit hallway resembling those of Resident Evil 2‘s Raccoon Police Department (R.P.D). The dream was a result of my decision to play the game alone…

Lights, Camera, Action Figures!

It’s not often one sees a picture of a stormtrooper shopping for sugary sweet cereal or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles duking it out in a heated game of Mario Kart 64. And yet it’s this type of nostalgic crossover imagery that keeps amateur toy photographer Duane Perera working late into the night. Perera, who…

Exploring One Of Dragon Quest XI‘s Most Devastating Stories

Dragon Quest XI features a collection of gut-wrenching, bittersweet redemption stories. The Dragon Quest series often puts the spotlight on tragic stories affecting its main characters and NPCs alike. NPC characterization is strong in the worlds of Dragon Quest, with Dragon Quest XI paying special attention to its cast as well as the characters they…

Sunday Comics: Horrific Slime Farms

Hey there! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published June 2, 2017. This week’s comic was focused on Hourly Comic Day and was a bit too long to post, so we went…

What Is The Hardest Game Level You’ve Played?

Dark Souls, Battletoads, Ninja Gaiden, and Cuphead wear their difficulty as a badge of pride. They crush souls and spirits alike, and results in a lot of fatigued fingers. Playing them feels like Groundhog Days of death; Live, Die, Repeat, and Repeat! Sometimes it’s about memorization, recognizing patterns, knowing where random enemies spawn, like in…

The Brilliant Use of Mode 7 In Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts’ Fourth Stage

When I think of the toughest games of my childhood, the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series from Capcom immediately comes to mind. They’re unforgivingly difficult, taunting you at each corner with a thousand deaths. Arthur’s armor gets shredded by every moving object and even upgraded weapons offer little protection. What’s worse is that you have to…

I Still Think About Detroit: Become Human’s Tales Of Abuse

My wife and I look forward to playing each of David Cage’s games. There were parts of Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Indigo Prophecy that we found fascinating, weaving a unique experience unlike any other. With Detroit: Become Human, I had avoided all articles so I could go in with a fresh perspective. I…

Dragon Quest XI Has Some Of The Best NPC Stories Ever

Playing a main series Dragon Quest game is a serious time investment. I’ve finished half of them, and the last three I played (V, VII, and VIII) each required almost 100 hours. But there’s something special about the games that director Yuji Horii is involved with, whether it’s the Dragon Quest games, Chrono Trigger, or…

The Swords of Ditto‘s Brilliant Twist Makes Me Want To Finish More Games

Leaving games unfinished is a practice I recently developed. God of War? 75% done. Persona 5? It’s forever November as per the in-game calendar. This habit bothers me because I could be missing out on worthwhile adventures—something I was reminded of by The Sword of Ditto’s surprising ending. I’ll admit it was tough seeing The…

I Tried These Weird New Cereals So You Don’t Have To

If you’ve walked down the breakfast aisle of your local supermarket in the last few months you’re likely aware that some sort of bizarre cereal apocalypse is upon us. Classic cereals of the past are currently being forced to bump elbows with some of the strangest new additions to the junk food breakfast market in…

Activision-Blizzard Employees Brace For Massive Layoffs

Staff at the game publisher Activision-Blizzard are preparing for big layoffs next week, waiting to see who will be one of potentially hundreds of employees who could lose their jobs on Tuesday. There’s been no official news from the publisher yet, but we first heard word of upcoming layoffs late last year. At the time,…

A Look Behind TV’s Most Relatable Gaming Story In Ages

Writing an episode of a TV show that revolves around video games can be a tricky endeavor. It’s all too easy for showrunners to gravitate towards common tropes such as being sucked into a digital world or becoming overly obsessed with a flashy new game. Stories like these have been overused in the decades since…

In case you missed me and Tim stream The Division 2 Private Beta, check out the stream archive to hear us chat animals, cereal recipes, and our favorite movies. Oh we talk about the game too. Follow us on Twitch for more streams!