Google’s DeepMind AI Just Beat Two Pros At StarCraft II

Add StarCraft II to the list of increasingly sophisticated games at which well-trained AIs can smash fallible, meat-fingered humans to chunky bits. Google’s DeepMind AI beat two professional players of Blizzard’s StarCraftin two multi-game series that happened in December, the companies jointly announced today. The AI, which the DeepMind team has named “AlphaStar,” beat Team…

A Highlight Reel Of 2018’s Biggest Cosplay Shows

Throughout 2018, our photographer and videographer Mineralblu travelled the country covering cosplay conventions. To celebrate, and to recap some of the amazing stuff spotted at the shows, he’s put together this 15 minute highlight reel. There are 21 shows covered in all, from DragonCon to Comic Con to BlizzCon to New York Comic Con. Cons…

At The Gates Is A Gruelling Strategy Misfire

Jon Shafer, lead designer of Civilization V, has spent the last seven years working on a 4X strategy game of his own called At The Gates, which puts you in control of a barbarian tribe during the last days of the Roman Empire. There’s a lot of exploration and expanding to be had, but also…

Some Fortnite Guns Fire More Slowly On Switch

It turns out that people playing Fortnite at 30 frames per second are at a slight disadvantage in shootouts compared to opponents who are operating at higher frame rates. Speculation on the subject has been going on for some time in the Fortnite community, but a recent test by Digital Foundry has introduced some interesting…

We played Kingdom Hearts III live on our Twitch channel earlier today. We played on an Xbox One X and skipped all the cutscenes. Here’s two hours of sweet 60fps battle action in Hercules town!

Alien: Blackout Is A Great Concept But Falls Flat

Alien: Blackout sounds great on paper. Take the grimy world of the films and boil the terror experience into a tense management game during which you direct survivors, lock doors, and watch for the alien on your motion tracker. Mixing real-time strategy and survival is a smart concept, but Alien: Blackout is a bit too…

For Honor‘s Third Year Looks Promising

Ubisoft detailed upcoming plans for For Honor’s third year in a developer livestream today, showing/hyping new heroes, maps, and balance changes, alongside narrative driven seasonal events. The first major update of year three goes live on January 31 adding a new heavy class fighter belonging to the Black Priors, a cult-like group of “dark agents”…

Survey Of 4,000 Game Developers Says Half Of Them Want To Unionize

In a survey of nearly 4,000 game developers published today by the Game Developers Conference, half of developers surveyed said they thought game industry workers should unionize. Unionization has been a hot topic among game developers over the last few years, as anecdotes of 100-hour work weeks and $28 million CEO salaries circulate among game…

Games Are Made By More Than Just One Famous Figurehead

We all know that Cory Barlog didn’t single-handedly make the latest God of War, and Hideo Kojima didn’t go it alone on making Metal Gear. Yet as human beings, we can’t help but latch onto figureheads and their personal successes and failures. On this week’s Kotaku Splitscreen, Kirk and Jason and I discuss video game…

Overwatch‘s New Skins Are Based On Historic Figures

It’s that time again: Another year has passed, sapping us all of precious vitality and slowly pulverizing our faculties until we’re unidentifiable powder in the wind. But in return, we get new Overwatch skins as part of the game’s annual Lunar New Year event. Really, it’s a pretty even trade. Overwatch’s “Year of the Pig”…

Bethesda Outlines How Fallout 76‘s New PVP Mode Will Work

In a blog post today Bethesda announced that Fallout 76’s upcoming new player-vs.-player mode will go into beta in March and will be called Survival. Unlike in the regular game, the stakes in Survival will be higher, with no rules of engagement and the potential to lose more valuable items if you die. According to…

Kingdom Hearts’ Multiverse Paved The Way For Everything Else

With the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3 almost upon us, I wondered how much the entertainment landscape has changed since the series first showed up on the scene. In today’s media, nearly every franchise has started to build their own vast universes, just like the Kingdom Hearts franchise did 17 years ago. Tim and I chatted…

Life Is Strange 2 Is More Moving If You’ve Played Captain Spirit

Before you start the second episode of Life Is Strange 2, you’ll get a prompt that it’s more enjoyable if you play The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit first. After finishing the Life Is Strange episode, I’d recommend taking that advice. I didn’t play Captain Spirit initially. Its preview made it look a little too…

BioWare Says They Are Adding A Social Hub To Anthem Because Fans Asked For It

Anthem, BioWare’s upcoming online loot shooter, is only a month out from release and is already changing based on player feedback. The game’s lead producer, Michael Gamble, announced on Twitter yesterday that, following feedback gathered from alpha test players in recent weeks, the game will be getting a social hub. “After a mission, you can…

FutureGrind Is A Trippy Stunt Fest

Tron’s lightcycles are some of most iconic bikes in the history of nerddom, but they could honestly use a few more backflips. The stylish racing game FutureGrind, for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC, combines all the stunts of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater with the neon looks of cyberspace landscapes. Created by Milkbag Games, FutureGrind takes the…

When You Realize Your Strategy In A Video Game Is Doomed

When I landed at the location I’d designated in my latest game of Rimworld, I felt optimistic. It was permanent summer, but not so arid that there wasn’t anywhere to plant. I thought that this time, I’d make it a few years. A few minutes later, I realized I had gotten myself into a death…