- CultureShop Contest
‘Shop Contest: Make Sense Of Death Stranding
We’ve got some new Death Stranding footage, and it is just as confusing as ever. Your task this week is to make sense of the whole thing. When that guy whips off his golden mask in the footage, I thought, for just an instant, that something might become clear. I thought that there might be…
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 23, 2018 - CultureSplitscreen
We’re Worried The New Tomb Raider Is Getting Overshadowed
This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, we raided some tombs. Jason’s on vacation, so I was joined in his stead by my colleague Maddy Myers to talk about the PlayStation Classic, Nintendo’s new Switch Online service, the exciting Destiny 2 raid, and new safety concerns among professional streamers. Then Stephen Totilo came on to talk with…
By Kirk Hamilton Published September 23, 2018 - Culture
Sunday Comics: True Name
Hello! 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 September 17. Read more of Awkward Zombie Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published September 20. Read more of Corpse Run Double XP by…
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
Wandered into an Akihabara store last night and had an amazing score: Nintendo’s 1970s electro-mechanical Duck Hunt toy! This was what inspired the NES game. The store, notorious for its high standards, had it marked at 3000 yen ($27) because it was missing the battery cover.
By Chris Kohler Published September 22, 2018 -
UncategorizedThe Socialist YouTuber Using Cities: Skylines To Explain Politics
You can do a lot of things with city builder games. You can replicate real cities, or you can simulate massive natural disasters. A YouTuber going by the name of “donoteat” uses Cities: Skylines to explain the politics and power behind the creation of American cities. The world of Cities: Skylines “builder” YouTubers is substantial.…
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 22, 2018 - Uncategorized
Sunless Skies Now Has A Tabletop RPG
Sunless Skies, the follow up after Sunless Sea from Failbetter Games, now has a free tabletop RPG called Skyfarer that you can download from Tabletop Gaming After perusing through the rules, I can say that the game is more Dungeon World than Dungeons & Dragons. It is more concerned with telling interesting stories between players…
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 22, 2018 - Uncategorized
Mysterious New Creature Appears In Pokémon Go, Confuses Everyone
A new creature has appeared in Pokémon Go, and no one seems quite sure what it is or what it is doing. Yesterday, IGN reported that a data miner had pulled a potential new Pokémon from the files of Pokémon Go. As of this morning, Eurogamer and IGN have both reported that the regional Chikorita…
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 22, 2018 -
UncategorizedThere is new X Games DLC coming for Steep on October 30. It is going to bring “a series of new ski and snowboard events across the Big Air, SuperPipe, and Slopestyle disciplines, as well as new freestyle challenges scattered across the Alaskan mountains.”
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 22, 2018 - CultureShop Contest
‘Shop Contest: Princess Peach Forever, Winners!
The Mushroom Kingdom is in turmoil. The divine right of princesses has been challenged. Princess Peach must assert her authority. I asked you to ‘shop up some images that promoted Princess Peach, and you did not disappoint me. When we talk about the Mario video game universe, we often forget about the political machinery that…
By Cameron Kunzelman Published September 22, 2018 - Culture
This Week In The Business: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gambling
QUOTE | “Psychologically akin to gambling” – A phrase used to describe loot boxes by two researchers who conducted a survey of more than 7,000 gamers. Their report said loot boxes as they exist right now can provide publishers with an unregulated way of “exploiting gambling disorders among their customers”. STAT | 16 – Number…
Brendan Sinclair Published September 22, 2018 - Uncategorized
The Games That Drew Big Crowds At The Tokyo Game Show
Today was the first public day of the Tokyo Game Show. The crowds were massive, and the lines were long. Let’s look at which games were drawing the biggest crowds. It’s always hard to get around the show floor on the public day. Between noon and 12:30, which are peak show hours, I tried to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 22, 2018 - Uncategorized
Kojima Productions Has Things It Wants You To Buy
While Kojima Productions doesn’t have a game demo booth at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, it does have a merchandise booth. You can buy Kojima Productions branded t-shirts, key chains, logo figures and more. The studio sure is good at churning out merch. Looks like there is plenty of people who want to buy it.
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 22, 2018 - Uncategorized
Hands On With Yokai Watch 4
In 2014, Yokai Watch’s popularity exploded in Japan. The 3DS game and its anime became a nationwide phenomenon, with kids singing the theme song (and doing its catchy dance) and begging their parents to buy them Yokai Watch toys. It seemed like Yokai Watch was on track to surpass Pokémon, but by late 2016, the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 22, 2018 -
UncategorizedNinjala Is Multiplayer With Bubble Gum
One of the biggest booths at this year’s Tokyo Game Show is for Ninjala, a multiplayer action game for Nintendo Switch. The character design and the color palette are reminiscent of Splatoon, but I wondered if that’s where the similarities end. You gotta be charmed by a video game in which one of the central…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 22, 2018 - Culture
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for coming back from being away and dealing with the bag of lettuce you left in the crisper all week. Blugh. Also, video games. Risk of Rain had a surprise release on the Switch yesterday, thus adding to my tendency of only owning games I already own on PC. The game makes…
By Riley MacLeod Published September 21, 2018 -
UncategorizedShadow Of The Tomb Raider Fan Uncovers Discarded Alternate Ending, Drama Ensues
Fans who have dug into the depths of the new Tomb Raider have made a discovery that would make Lara Croft proud. By playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider without its day-one patch, they’ve found an alternate post-credits cutscene. The cutscene includes some easter eggs that weren’t in the ending most players saw and is…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 21, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Lightsaber
Yes, that Star Wars—the one from a galaxy far, far away—made a K-Pop song. Lightsaber, a 2015 song by EXO, was released for the purposes of marketing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Asian countries, where the intellectual property didn’t have as much pull as it does in America. (It still doesn’t, really; do a…
By Seung Park Published September 21, 2018 -
UncategorizedPro Magic Player Protests World Championships, Hoping To Change The Pro Scene
Magic: The Gathering pro player Gerry Thompson says he is protesting this weekend’s World Championship event, the game’s most prestigious tournament, citing complaints about how Magic publisher Wizards of the Coast is handling its pro scene. Thompson is a two-time winner of Magic’s Grand Prix and, in 2016, he earned first place at the Pro…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published September 21, 2018 - Uncategorized
Telltale Games Begins ‘Majority Studio Closure’
Telltale Games, makers of The Walking Dead adventure games and several other episodic series, laid off many of its developers today and may be shutting down according to messages on social media, a report by The Verge, and a Kotaku source with knowledge of the matter. [Update – 5:36pm]: Telltale sent Kotaku a statement confirming…
By Ethan Gach Published September 21, 2018