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EsportsDota 2 Now Lets You Bet In-Game Currency On Pro Tournaments
This week Valve rolled out a new smartphone companion app for Dota 2 that makes it easier for fans to keep track of big tournaments, follow the progress of their favorite teams, and get access to in-game stats in real-time. But that’s not all: the app also lets players gamble. Not with real world money,…
By Ethan Gach Published March 22, 2019 - Uncategorized
Anthem, One Month Later
It’s been one month since Anthem released, though it feels like a lot longer. So much has happened: a lot of it bad, but also some of it good. Despite all of the game’s issues, it has a small but solid foundation for BioWare to build on. There are also a lot of frustrating things…
By Ethan Gach Published March 22, 2019 - CultureSplitscreen
The Creators Of Into The Breach Came Very Close To Giving Up On It
The strategy game Into The Breach is elegant in its simplicity, but that’s because its designers had to scrap several huge sections of the game that just didn’t work. Matthew Davis and Justin Ma, the minds behind FTL and Into The Breach, came on Kotaku Splitscreen during GDC 2019 to tell Jason and me how…
By Maddy Myers Published March 22, 2019 - Uncategorized
No, Cuphead On Switch Won’t Be Any Easier
The retro-themed, hand-animated indie darling Cuphead is headed to Switch on April 18, and its developer is excited for a whole new group of players to try it, and maybe even play some impromptu two-player at a rooftop party with single Joy-Cons. But the studio isn’t about to make the notoriously difficult action game any…
By Chris Kohler Published March 22, 2019 -
Tips & GuidesTips For Playing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is fun and also challenging. There’s a lot to take in, both in and out of combat, and several aspects of the game require real concentration and attention to detail. I’m here with some tips to help you learn better and faster. There are lots of boss-specific strategies in this game,…
By Natalie Degraffinried Published March 22, 2019 -
UncategorizedWill Google’s Stadia Make Consoles Obsolete?
Google’s upcoming video game-streaming service Stadia aims to eliminate the middleman by letting you play games in 4K and 60 frames-per-second on almost any device as long as you have a decent internet connection. While this sounds pretty incredible on paper, it leaves us with a ton of questions. I sat down with Kotaku’s Ethan…
Paul Tamayo & Ethan Gach Published March 22, 2019 -
UncategorizedFate/Extella Link Is Delicious Hack And Slash Popcorn For My Soul
I don’t know a lot about Fate/Stay Night, a 2004 adult visual novel about stylized historical figures battling over the Holy Grail that spawned an anime, manga and video game empire. But I like over-the-top anime nonsense, and Marvelous’ Fate/Extella Link has that in spades. In proper anime style, the story of Fate/Extella Link takes…
By Mike Fahey Published March 22, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe words “video game addiction” elicit reactions ranging from disbelief to outright rage, and especially from gamers who feel their hobby is being unfairly criticized. Yet first-person stories of compulsive gaming exist. In The Atlantic’s new animated documentary I Was A Winner, published today, interviewees “are embodied in animated re-creations of their gaming avatars” as…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published March 22, 2019 - CultureKotaku Game Diary
The Division 2’s Tree Crates Are A Good Idea
Your average video game puts loot in boxes that sit on the floor or on the bodies of enemies who drop it when you kill them. The Division 2 does all that, but they are raising the game, folks, by also putting loot in trees. I support this. I was maybe 20 hours into The…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 22, 2019 - Uncategorized
Battlefront II is getting a capital ship assault mode. The 20 vs. 20 mode is called Capital Supremacy and will involve both a ground phase and capital ship assault. Doesn’t sound like there’s much starfighter combat though, so don’t expect a 100% repeat of 2005 Battlefront II’s fabulous ship takedown mode.
By Heather Alexandra Published March 22, 2019 - Culture
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for saying this is the weekend I’m going to make bread, again, and then for getting too intimidated to do it. Again. It’s also for playing video games. I’m excited to play some Apex Legends this weekend and get a bit further in the battle pass. Even though I’m not really into…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 22, 2019 - Uncategorized
Sony is launching a new PlayStation video series called State of Play, the first episode of which is set to air March 25 at 5:00 p.m. on Twitch and YouTube. There will be trailers, gameplay footage, and new game announcements, making it sound an awful lot like a Nintendo Direct.
By Ethan Gach Published March 22, 2019 -
UncategorizedVampire: the Masquerade– Bloodlines Is Getting A Sequel, And It Looks Pretty Good
Cult classic Vampire: the Masquerade– Bloodlines is getting a sequel. The 2004 roleplaying game left a lasting impression on roleplaying fans despite some clumsy gameplay. I spent time with the folks at Paradox Interactive and developer Hardsuit Labs to ask questions and see the game in action. It captures much of the original’s mysterious mood,…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 21, 2019 -
OpinionImpressionsNintendo’s Switch VR Games Have (A Little Bit Of) Nintendo Magic
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Nintendo is about to offer a lower-tech version of something other gaming companies are doing, but with a clever, inspired twist. It’s doing it this time with its entry into the world of virtual reality gaming—assuming Virtual Boy doesn’t count, I mean. Nintendo Labo VR Kit, to…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 21, 2019 - Uncategorized
Ladykiller in a Bind creator Christine Love gives a talk at GDC about sex as a reward in games. “The problem with ‘the chase’ is that it’s one-sided,” Love explained to a room of Sexy Microtalks attendees. Love instead suggests making sex a crucial and indispensible aspect of gameplay, not just a reward. When sex…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published March 21, 2019 - CultureSplitscreen
Tim Schafer Talks Unionization, Streaming, And The Future Of Double Fine
After cracking jokes on stage during the Game Developers Choice and IGF awards at GDC last night, Double Fine boss Tim Schafer had almost completely lost his voice, but he still croaked his way through his annual appearance on Kotaku Splitscreen. Jason and I talked to him about the unionization joke he told at the…
By Maddy Myers Published March 21, 2019 -
UncategorizedUnions Stole The Show At Last Night’s GDC Awards
“I’m not anti-union, but I don’t really think we need them, right?” said Double Fine head Tim Schafer while hosting yesterday evening’s Game Developers Choice Awards in San Francisco. “We’re all great here and in this show. No one here is union and…” Then the stage lights went out. “Oh, right,” said Schafer after the…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 21, 2019
