In Persona 3 and 4, reality outside of the world of shadows was high school life, social links, and excursions that, for the most part, were enjoyable and light-hearted. In Persona 5, every day life is bleak. Warning, spoilers abound. High School Blues From the opening, the main protagonist is threatened, talked down to, and…
There are many scenes in Terranigma that challenged my notions of morality and how even our well-intentioned decisions can impact a society in ways we couldn’t imagine. It’s arguably one of the most compelling JRPGs ever developed because of those ambiguities, standing as the finale in the Quintet trilogy that includes Soulblazer and Illusion of…
Track: Dead In The Water (Live at RTÉ 2FM Studios, Dublin) | Artist: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds | Album: Who Built The Moon? Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.
VR Zone Shinjuku, Namco Bandai’s virtual reality arcade in Tokyo, is getting a four-on-four Ghost in the Shell team-based multiplayer shooter. Dubbed Ghost in the Shell Arise: Stealth Hounds, the game straps a PC on players’ backs and outfits them with VR markers, VR googles and an arcade gun. Battles go down in a dedicated…
Earlier in the new Pokémon TV anime series, Pokémon: Sun Moon, Ash was shown as a wimp. He’s always been superhuman strong, so this depiction was a break from tradition. Good news! The most recent episode is a return to form. Herculean Ash is back and stronger than ever. Over the years, the Pokémon anime…
Cabugao Sunset. Ilocos Sur, Philippines. By Martin Tan. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!
Jon Juarez is a freelance artist and illustrator from Spain. You can see more of Jon’s work at his personal site and ArtStation page. You can also buy prints of some of his pieces at his online store To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner.…
DialVision is an unofficial app for the excellent X-Wing miniatures game that works as targeting computer, using augmented reality to project firing arcs and range limits onto the table so you don’t have to fiddle with those rulers all the time.
A team of researchers from the University of Lyon, Purdue and Ubisoft have published a paper showing what may well be the future of creating video game worlds: an AI that is able to construct most of its own 3D landscapes. Similar to Nvidia’s work that is able to conjure its own celebrity mugshots, the…
There are two ways to unlock stuff in Battlefront II. You could pay for it, which sucks, or you could build a sense of pride and accomplishment by constructing a robot to grind progression for you. Lowberg has opted for the latter, whipping up this cute lil’ joke robot that obviously can’t play the game…
Super Mario Galaxy 2’s gameplay is superb, having some of the most creative level design I’ve experienced. Discovering the new rules and parameters of each galaxy is a joy. Yoshi is back. There’s a variety of suits that are available like the Cloud Mario and Rock Suit that mix up the control scheme and the…
When gamers talk about Earthbound, it’s usually about the quirky nature of the game and how it’s a refreshingly unique take on the JRPG. It definitely exudes charm in its eclectic interpretation of American culture from the vision of writer and director, Shigesato Itoi. But there’s one scene that resonates with me and made Earthbound…
The PS1 had some of the most innovative JRPGs ever developed. Vagrant Story was at the top of its class. Directed and written by Yasumi Matsuno, it’s a role playing game that defied categorization, mixing genres while telling a complex story that blended seamlessly with the gameplay and art style. It’s by far the darkest…
It was midnight and I was alone in my room, talking with the Seaman on my Dreamcast. Seaman was asking about my love life and I felt embarrassed to admit I didn’t have one (this was many years ago before I was married). Seaman wondered, “Ok, I want to ask you something. This one is…
Child of Light is a beautiful game and a mesmerizing experience that crafts a perfect fusion between RPGs and platforming. In many ways, it encapsulates what I love most about JRPGs, which are wondrous worlds with engrossing mechanics and a charming cast. On top of that, the art is sublime as the hand-painted environments and character…
We all love to compete, but as the generation that grew up on Quake and Brood War gets older, we’re not as keen on energy drinks and pop rocks anymore. Joints can ache after an hour’s worth of play, and quality-of-life improvements are a bigger deal than a mild video card increase or another headset.…
Happy Thanksgiving Kotaku! My name’s Peter Tieryas and I’m your guest editor for the next two days. Last time I was guest editor was about a year ago and I wrote about some of my favorite games including Chrono Cross, Metal Gear Solid 2, and even some Xenoblade Chronicles X. For the next two days,…
Track: You’re The Best Thing About Me | Artist: U2 | Album: Songs of Experience Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.
Every time Castle in the Sky is shown on Japanese TV, the country’s Twitter users flood timelines concurrent tweets. In the past, they’ve set new world records in the process. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says he has no idea about this. When Castle in the Sky is shown on TV, the characters say the word…
Tech research company Gatebox Lab is interested in hiring recruits who have deep feelings for 2D characters. The company will even pay a stipend to those who have married one. According to Nico Nico News, Gatebox Lab will pay 5,000 yen ($45) in support compensation to employees living conjugal lives with the characters they love.…
Mode
Follow us
