- ReviewsYear in Review
The Year In Video Game Skies, 2018
Skies are an integral part of many video games, the backdrop against which all the action takes place. Even the most underwhelming game can make you want to hang around and play a little longer if there’s some striking eye candy hanging up above. I started the end of the year roundup of video game…
By Ethan Gach Published December 28, 2018 - Culture
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for scrambling to prepare for a trip next week to Norway, for which I have done more or less nothing but buy some warm socks. But are they enough warm socks? It’s all very exciting but stressful, so I will probably blow off some steam by playing video games. Over the holiday…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 28, 2018 - Uncategorized
Black Mirror’s New Interactive Netflix Movie Is A Letdown
Last night, Netflix released a special interactive episode of Black Mirror. From a technical perspective, it’s impressive. The story, on the other hand, blows. “Bandersnatch” is a Black Mirror special about a young man, Stefan Butler, who is making a video game based on a fictional book of the same name in 1984. It’s an…
By Gita Jackson Published December 28, 2018 - CultureKotaku Game Diary
My Decision-Packed Return To Final Fantasy XV
Having recently acquired a Playstation 4 Pro, I sat down to decide what game I would play with its graphical boosts. After some consideration, I opted for Final Fantasy XV. I played it when it first came out and enjoyed it a lot. But the game’s grown since then, with DLC campaigns, expanded story sequences,…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 28, 2018 - ReviewsYear in Review
The Gamers Of The Year, 2018
At the close of every year, Kotaku highlights not just video games but gamers—people who did noteworthy or influential things in the world of video games. This year, we’ve decided to honor an entire community, one that did its best to group together and recover after a senseless, unthinkable tragedy. In the early afternoon on…
By Ethan Gach Published December 28, 2018 - Kotaku EastJapan
The Year That Was In Kotaku East
It’s late December. Let’s take a moment and look back at some of the Kotaku East stories from over the past year. Have a look below! Also, let me take this moment to tip my hat to our own Seung Park, who tirelessly chronicles K-pop with fascinating and in-depth daily music picks. Catch up with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2018 - Kotaku EastJapan
In The Resident Evil 2 Remake, Leon’s Backstory Has Been Cleaned Up
The remake’s official Japanese Twitter account tweeted out the character’s backstory for the new Resident Evil 2 remake. It is rather dull. It reads, “New officer Leon S. Kennedy was assigned to Raccoon City. Before going on duty, Kennedy was at home on standby, waiting for his orders. After no one contacted him and feeling…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Love Love Love
It’s still the holiday season, right? Right??? I’ve yet to encounter a song and music video that is as good-cheer-spreadable like After School’s 2010 end-of-year holiday track, Love Love Love. This Christmas-themed song is also a window back to a time before Pledis Entertainment’s current crop of artists like Seventeen, NU’EST and Pristin dominated the…
By Seung Park Published December 28, 2018 - Uncategorized
Blackout Keeps Crashing On The Xbox One X
A recent Black Ops 4 update has made Blackout unplayable for many players on Xbox One X, and currently there’s no fix or update. On December 18, the arrival of Black Ops 4’s Absolute Zero event on Xbox One brought a new Specialist character, tons of new Contraband loot, and an unfortunate Blackout issue that…
By S.E. Doster Published December 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Every Bar In Red Dead Redemption 2, Reviewed
Red Dead Redemption 2’s saloons are the hubs of their towns. Whether you want a full belly, a quick drink, a place to stay the night or even a haircut, you’ll find a saloon to meet your needs. I’ve spent tens of hours in them over the course of my playthrough, downing whiskey and flirting…
Samuel Horti Published December 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Dragon Ball FighterZ Has Been Mysteriously Pulled From Multiple Fighting Game Events
The future of Dragon Ball FighterZ competition is in flux. Over the last few months, several prominent fighting game events have had to pull the game from their official lineups, and no one is quite sure who’s to blame. Dragon Ball FighterZ has become one of the most popular games in the fighting game community…
By Ian Walker Published December 27, 2018 - ReviewsYear in Review
Paul Tamayo’s Top 10 Games of 2018
2018’s games have blindsided me in many different ways, but one thing remains true: video games are straight up digital magic. Whether they make me emotional, sit on the edge of my seat or zone out for hours on end, I still feel that same wonder wash over my brain. Here are my top 10…
By Paul Tamayo Published December 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Dragalia Lost Gets Its First (Very Short) Story Update
Having torn through Dragalia Lost’s first six story chapters within a couple weeks of launch, I’ve spent the past few months collecting characters and dragons and participating in regular special events while I waited for the narrative to expand. Well, it expanded. I burned through the new stuff in an hour, and now I wait…
By Mike Fahey Published December 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Boy, Atlas Is Having A Rocky Launch
Atlas, the latest game from ARK: Survival Evolved’s developers, is meant to be a large multiplayer experience about being a pirate in a strange new world. But as reactions and discoveries trickle in following the game’s early access launch, the supposedly swashbuckling adventure sounds like one big mess. Atlas was announced at The Game Awards…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 27, 2018 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryI’m Determined To Build A Tiny House For My Sims
I’m home for the holidays, and my parents love the interior-design focused TV station HGTV. That means a lot of Property Brothers, House Hunters, and Tiny House, Big Living. Although I have my own obsession with House Hunters (how do they keep finding such horrible people?), I also have a soft spot for the tiny…
By Gita Jackson Published December 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
PlayStation Classic Gets Huge Price Cut, Which Says A Lot
One month after the NES Classic launched, it was impossible to find. One month after the SNES Classic launched, it was the hottest console on the market. And one month after the PlayStation Classic launched, it’s been marked down from $100 to $60 at every store on the internet. This 40% price drop, which went…
By Jason Schreier Published December 27, 2018 -
UncategorizedPlayer Collects Every Unique Moon In Mario Odyssey Without Taking Damage
The idea behind the challenge is simple: collect all 880 unique moons in Mario Odyssey without getting hurt or dying. The execution, however, is hard, which is why it took speedrunner Timpani over 10 hours to be the first to do it, finishing in the early hours of Christmas day. Timpani’s run is amazing to…
By Ethan Gach Published December 26, 2018
