- Culture
Fatal Call Of Duty Swatter Pleads Guilty To 51 Charges [UPDATE]
Swatter Tyler Barriss, 26, pled guilty yesterday to the crimes that led police to forcibly enter the home of Wichita resident Andrew Finch, who diedfrom an officer’s gunshot wound. Barriss originally pled not guilty to this fatal instance of swatting, which occurred over a dispute in Call of Duty in 2017. The Associated Press reportsthat…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published November 14, 2018 - Kotaku EastJapan
Today Was A Big Victory For Japanese Tattooing
Last fall, the Osaka High Court ruled that tattooer Taiki Masuda broke the law by tattooing without a medical license. Today, the court issued a ruling on his appeal. According to Asahi, the Osaka High Court ruled in Masuda’s favor, overturning the previous guilty verdict. Masuda’s lawyers argued that his intention wasn’t a medical procedure,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 14, 2018 - Anime
The Silly Theory About Ash’s Dad In Pokémon
It’s been called Pokémon’s greatest mystery. Where is Ash’s father? There is one theory that Professor Oak is Ash’s dad. If you think that’s bonkers, then this theory is even more out there. What if Mr. Mime is really Mr. Ketchum? Silly, I know! With Mr. Mime freaking out everyone with its Hollywood movie version,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 14, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Mistake
Drug Restaurant (yes, that is their name) is a four-member Korean indie band that is perhaps most well-known for its lead vocalist, Jung Joon Young, who rose to fame through Superstar K, a popular music survival program. This eponymous album and their title track, Mistake, was their second album—and their first since they changed their…
By Seung Park Published November 14, 2018 -
UncategorizedBattle Princess Madelyn is a Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts-inspired action-platformer whose “honorary assistant creative director” is a 7-year-old girl. Madelyn Obritsch wanted to be in Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, so her dad, game designer Christopher Obritsch, decided to grant her wish—and involve her in the creative process. The resulting game, which smashed its Kickstarter goals last year,…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 13, 2018 - Culture
The Art Of Castlevania’s Netflix Series
With two seasons now under its belt, Castlevania’s animated series is looking cool as hell. Here’s a bit of a celebration of that, with a collection of art that went into the series’ production. There’s not only character and background/environment art, but some 3D stuff, logos, posters and even animation as well. You’ll find links…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 13, 2018 -
ReviewsBoard GamesArchitects Of The West Kingdom: The Kotaku Review
Architects of the West Kingdom is what you get when a designer takes a very good board game they’ve already made and figures, you know what, I’ll now do something similar, only better I reviewed Shem Phillips’ Raiders of the North Sea earlier this year after absolutely loving it. A simple worker placement title, it…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 13, 2018 - Esports
Toronto Esports Team Pulls Out Of Overwatch Because It Couldn’t Use ‘Toronto’ Anymore
There’s taking your ball and going home, and then there’s whatever Toronto Esports just did. After a few days of unusual tweets from the organization’s president and founder, including an unanswered challenge issued to Overwatch League’s new Toronto team, Toronto Esports suddenly dropped out of Overwatch’s minor league, Contenders, over a naming dispute. In a…
By Nathan Grayson Published November 13, 2018 - Uncategorized
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s New Cyclops Boss Is A Letdown
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey continues to expand after the game’s release, offering new challenges and rewards for hearty mercenaries. The latest, a battle against a towering cyclops, could have been a tough and rewarding fight. Instead, it’s surprisingly mundane. Odyssey’s live events hit a snag last month when Ubisoft failed to implement the promised legendary mercenaries…
By Heather Alexandra Published November 13, 2018 - Culture
Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime Has Some Games He’d Like To Sell You
Reggie Fils-Aime is in hype mode. That is the main gear for the president of Nintendo of America the week before Black Friday as he sits in a 38th-floor Manhattan hotel suite full of Nintendo game and system boxes. “As we look forward to the next 45 days or so,” he says, “we’re excited that…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 13, 2018 - Uncategorized
The Long-Awaited Sims 4 Terrain Tools Helped Me Build A Better Roof
Not to sound like the guy who sold you weed in high school, but did you ever think about roofs? What the fuck are those, man! Thanks to the latest Sims 4 update, I finally understand what makes a roof a roof. It’s been a long time coming. Every single time I’ve tried to build…
By Gita Jackson Published November 13, 2018 -
UncategorizedAIs Are Getting Better At Playing Video Games…By Cheating
Earlier this year, researchers tried teaching an AI to play the original Sonic the Hedgehog as part of the The OpenAI Retro Contest. The AI was told to prioritize increasing its score, which in Sonic means doing stuff like defeating enemies and collecting rings while also trying to beat a level as fast as possible.…
By Ethan Gach Published November 13, 2018 -
UncategorizedOverwatch’s newest hero, Ashe, is live. The new patch also includes a handful of other changes, including buffs to Mercy, Symmetra, Reaper, and Roadhog, the latter of whom Kotaku’s resident Roadhog expert Cecilia D’Anastasio says is now “saved.”
By Nathan Grayson Published November 13, 2018 - Uncategorized
Now Your Keyboard Can Match Your Game Boy
The original Game Boy is getting a lot of love this week. There’s aSwitch remake of two of its greatest games, a tribute to its green screen inTetris Effect, and now there’s a deluxe set of keyboard keys based on its iconic white, navy, maroon and black color scheme. Currently running as a group buy…
By Mike Fahey Published November 13, 2018 - Uncategorized
Flashy Player Intros And Wild Comebacks At Red Bull’s Street Fighter V Invitational
Red Bull Kumite, which started with Street Fighter IV in 2015 before transitioning to Street Fighter V in 2016, often serves as a summation of the year’s competition. The event invites some of the most accomplished players in the world to compete in Paris, France, and also gives additional challengers the chance to earn a…
By Ian Walker Published November 13, 2018