• Esports

  Pro Panda Takes Down Tekken Champ

  A top Tekken player was eliminated from Korea Masters today, by none other than a Panda player. Choi “Saint” Jinwoo is considered one of the best in the world at Tekken 7, consistently placing in the top 3. His opponent Rangchu, however, was in the middle of a stellar run in the tournament, and wasn’t…

  By Eric Van Allen Published April 29, 2018
• Culture

  What’s The Last Game You Abandoned?

  I love the rhythmic gameplay of Crypt of the Necrodancer. I was glued to my Switch once it released last February. With laser focus, I danced through its clever design and roguelike dungeons. Then I quit right after getting destroyed by the game’s titular boss. I had spent days and hours learning enemies’ attacks, failing…

  By Narelle Ho Sang Published April 29, 2018
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  The Misadventures Of Playing God Of War With My Dad

  I played the first few hours of the newest God of War—a game about a father, son, and their host of relationship issues—with my dad. The experience turned out exactly as I anticipated: it involved a series of mishaps, frustrations, and a ton of laughs. Warning: Mild Spoilers to Follow When the latest entry in…

  By Narelle Ho Sang Published April 29, 2018
• Esports

  Street Fighter Player Mounts Comeback From The Magic Pixel

  The “magic pixel” is a sliver of health that doesn’t even show up in your fighter’s health bar, an amount so tiny you would probably measure it in subpixels. It was from that tiniest pip of heath that Zeku player Air fought back, and in a rousing match, took the series while barely alive. A…

  By Eric Van Allen Published April 29, 2018
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  That Time LEGO Launched An Anime-Inspired Universe

  LEGO has released some unexpected and outlandish themes over the years, and Exo-Force is certainly a standout in both regards. As the late ‘90s gave way to the early ‘00s legendary toy manufacturer LEGO found themselves in financial trouble. While they had seen great success in the past with their interlocking bricks, the amount of…

  By Ben Bertoli Published April 29, 2018
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  The Agony Of The First Minute Of Minit

  Before I even really began playing, Minit presented me with a challenge. Unsurprisingly, when I started the bite-sized adventure, my instinct was to explore, explore, explore. I didn’t yet have a 60 second timer looming over me, which is the interesting mechanic the game touts as a major part of its appeal. There’s not much…

  By Narelle Ho Sang Published April 29, 2018
• Esports

  Pine’s Widowmaker Play Is One Highlight After Another

  Kim “Pine” Do-hyeon missed most of the Overwatch League’s second stage, but over the last few weeks, he’s been making up for lost time. Pine has been cutting Widowmaker highlight reels almost every night of stage 3. While he can play other heroes, Pine really excels at the Widowmaker. In last night’s match against Seoul…

  By Eric Van Allen Published April 29, 2018
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  Every Kong, Ranked

  It’s time to settle which of Nintendo’s simian superstars is truly top banana. With Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze coming to Switch next week, it seems like a great time to rank every Kong who ever graced a TV screen or handheld device. Ok, not actually every Kong. There were a few qualifying credentials for…

  By Ben Bertoli Published April 29, 2018
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  Ten Years Later, GTA IV’s Multiplayer Is Still Fun (And Active)

  This month marks the 10 year anniversary of GTA IV’s release. The last time I visited the grimy streets of Liberty City was in 2013, a few hours before the launch of GTA V. Now in 2018 I decided to take a break from the sunny beaches of Los Santos and head back to the…

  Zack Zwiezen Published April 29, 2018
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  Say Hello To Ni no Kuni II‘s Biggest Jerk

  In Ni no Kuni II there are well over 100 sidequests you can undertake. They’re mostly a collection of sugary mini-stories that helps bring you into its good-natured, colorful, storybook JRPG world. It took a special kind of bastard to undermine the game’s overwhelming positivity. I found him in Hydropolis. Warning: Spoilers to follow Ni…

  By Narelle Ho Sang Published April 29, 2018
• Culture

  Sunday Comics: I Shouldn’t Have Done That

  Well, 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 April 23. Read more of Awkward Zombie Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published April 26. Read more of Corpse Run. Dedicated…

  By Ben Bertoli Published April 29, 2018
• Esports

  Splyce Is Leaving Competitive Counter-Strike To Focus On Other Games

  Esports organization Splyce announced today that it will be leaving professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to put resources towards other scenes. Confirming a report earlier this week from Dust2.us, the organization will part ways with its North American roster ahead of a fight against relegation in Season 7 of the ESL Pro League. Splyce co-founder and…

  By Eric Van Allen Published April 28, 2018
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  Which Console Has The Best RPGs?

  Every console has had amazing RPGs. I’m still making my way through Persona 5 for the PS4, but it’s one of the best JRPGs I’ve ever played (Nier:Automata was no slouch either). The Last Story on the Wii was incredible, Lost Odyssey for XBox 360 is one of the best Final Fantasy games not named…

  By Peter Tieryas Published April 28, 2018
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  How Playing Games With My Wife Changed My Gaming Experience

  Sometimes, sharing a game can give you a whole new perspective on it. The titles have varied, from Grand Theft Auto V and Final Fantasy VII, to more recently, Dragon Quest Builders and Super Mario Odyssey. While Angela and I prefer multiplayer games when possible, the majority of games we play together are single-player ones…

  By Peter Tieryas Published April 28, 2018
• Esports

  Valve Won’t Release Dota Patches During Tournaments Anymore

  The most recent Dota 2 patch landed right on top of the currently ongoing Epicenter XL major. A big shift in gameplay riled up some folks in the community, and now, Valve is adjusting the way it will release future updates. Valve announced yesterday that “for upcoming majors where the Thursday patch would land during…

  By Eric Van Allen Published April 28, 2018
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  The Game Boy’s Most Valuable Games

  Back before the days of glasses-free 3D and touch screens, there was a Nintendo handheld that conquered the globe. The Game Boy was introduced to the world in 1989 and the battery-powered brick quickly grew to become one of Nintendo’s greatest successes. Throughout its lifespan and various iterations no other handheld system came close to…

  By Ben Bertoli Published April 28, 2018
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  Final Fantasy VII’s Cosmo Canyon Sequence Is A Meditation On Family, Sacrifice, And Existence Itself

  My favorite Final Fantasy game is VII. But it’d been over a decade since I last played FFVII and I wondered how it would hold up. I downloaded the PS4 version and played through the entire game again. This time, Square gave players endless limit breaks, the option to avoid random battles, and the ability…

  By Peter Tieryas Published April 28, 2018
• Esports

  Attack Torbjörn Makes A Surprise Appearance In The Overwatch League

  During last night’s Overwatch League matches, Houston’s Jake Lyon backed off after his team took the first point to switch out his hero. Turns out it wasn’t to Sombra or maybe his signature Junkrat; it was Torbjörn. A momentous moment for Torb mains, and a horrific omen for everyone else. While this isn’t the first-ever…

  By Eric Van Allen Published April 28, 2018
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  Monster Hunter: World‘s Music Is Fantastic And Sometimes A Little Weird

  Monster Hunter: World is chock full of fun given its potential for multiplayer shenanigans. Yes, its battles are epic—hunting down fearsome monsters takes patience and discipline. But you know what else is great? The music which scores its brilliantly strange world, and its collection of crazy monsters’ theme songs. Monster Hunter: World is my latest…

  By Narelle Ho Sang Published April 28, 2018
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  Shining Force’s Brilliant Use Of Geography And Tactics In The Battle Against The Laser Eye

  Shining Force was the game that made me fall in love with tactical JRPGs. Everything from its anime visuals to its catchy music and its grid-based battle system had me hooked. My love for tactical games back in the 90s was limited to traditional PC style strategy games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with…

  By Peter Tieryas Published April 28, 2018