- Esports
The Weekend In Esports: So Long, Stage 2
We’re almost halfway done with the Overwatch League’s inaugural season. While this stage had its fair share of highs and lows, the real standouts for me are the two teams who will be vying for the third spot in the stage playoffs this weekend: the Philadelphia Fusion and the LA Gladiators. The Fusion got off…
By Eric Van Allen Published March 24, 2018 -
UncategorizedWe Played A Mystery Game While Trapped In A Coffin
The Alt.Ctrl.GDC exhibit at Game Developers Conference shows off a selection of games that use wild, weird, sometimes gigantic control schemes. Nathan Grayson and I took a tour of the booth this week, which all culminated in me getting inside an actual coffin. Well, an IKEA dresser on its side painted black. But still. You…
By Chris Kohler Published March 23, 2018 - Esports
Overwatch League’s Code Of Conduct Got Leaked [UPDATE]
Esports broadcaster Richard Lewis posted a scanned hard copy of what he says is the Overwatch League rulebook today—about two months after commissioner Nate Nanzer said he would but still hasn’t done so. What the 35-page leaked documents show is incredibly sweeping. If these rules are still in place, it means that Blizzard owns the…
By Maddy Myers Published March 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
Game Warns Players It Includes ‘Sexism,’ But Developer Says ‘No Actual Sexism Inside’
An upcoming game listed on the Nintendo Switch’s online store boasts some surprising features along with its four different endings and “amazing soundtrack”: “Obscenity and sexism.” Metropolis: Lux Obscura is already on Steam, but on April 4, Metropolis, which is rated “Mature 17+,” arrives on the Nintendo Switch. It’s film noir-styled interactive comic book game…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published March 23, 2018 - Culture
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for making mac and cheese, oh boy! Also, video games. I’m finally going to get the chance to play some Sea of Thieves, which I haven’t touched since the first beta. I had a good time getting into trouble with my friends, so I’m hoping the full game has lots more opportunities…
By Riley MacLeod Published March 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
Six Things PUBG Mobile Does Better Than The Original
PUBG Mobile isn’t just a surprisingly solid port, it also has a few key features that the main game doesn’t. These changes could help breathe life into the game as it battles Fortnite and helps all us chicken dinner-seeking buffoons enjoy the game even more. Log-in Bonuses Mobile games often use log in bonuses as…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 23, 2018 -
EsportsOverwatch League Star’s Long Break Is Well Deserved
Most everyone who watches professional Overwatch remembers the January night when “Big Boss” Kim “Pine” Do-hyeon casually laid waste to an entire enemy team like he was a grown adult at a county fair popping balloons with darts. Pine’s celebrity grew as his wild, risky plays became even wilder and riskier. Then, without much warning,…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published March 23, 2018 -
UncategorizedFar Cry 5 Has A Great Riff On Far Cry 4‘s Early Ending
This secret is neat, and you can experience it in the first 15 minutes. Spoilers. Far Cry 5 takes place in the fictional Hope County, a small town in Montana led by cult leader named Joseph Seed. You play as “The Deputy,” a cop who is heading into town to hopefully arrest Seed. Far Cry…
By Gita Jackson Published March 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
The Best Video Game Trees, According To Someone Who Makes Them
Fun fact: there’s an entire company dedicated to helping game developers create believable trees. SpeedTree offers developers a huge library of trees as well as tools that let them quickly make their own, and its tech has appeared in everything from The Witcher 3 to Forza to Destiny. Which video game trees are the best,…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
You Can Play A Way Out Online With Only One Copy
The fantastic prison break co-op game, A Way Out, drops today. In order to play it, you’ll need to grab a friend, whether that be couch co-op or online. If you’re opting to play online, don’t worry. It’s hilariously simple. Your partner doesn’t even need a copy of the game. Heather Alexandra and I played…
By Gita Jackson Published March 23, 2018 -
OpinionA Low Poly Horror Game That Gets Under Your Skin
Paratopic is a horror game about cursed video tapes and horrible monsters lurking in the woods. Following an assassin, a smuggler, and a photographer, it’s a slow-burning tale of violence that uses film editing techniques to ramp up the tension. It’s a perfect, moody Indie Pick. Paratopic, available now for Windows PC, tells the story…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 23, 2018 -
UncategorizedFar Cry 5 Changes A Lot More Things Than Just The Setting
We’ve heard a lot about Far Cry 5, and now we’ve finally played it. It doesn’t just offer a radically different setting from the series’ norm. It tweaks the Far Cry formula in some interesting ways—in terms of how you progress through its world, improve your character and more. We wanted to show all of…
By Paul Tamayo Published March 23, 2018 -
UncategorizedPUBG Bots And Pirate Crew Problems: The Week’s Hottest Game Topics
We’ve got Fortnite, PUBG, Luigi’s wiener, Star Wars, and more on this week’s video news roundup. There are a couple jokes in here. I’ll leave it to you to decide which of my words are jokes and which are just creatively worded facts. In Kotaku XP, Gita Jackson and I discuss the top Kotaku stories…
By Tim Rogers Published March 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
PixelJunk Monsters 2 Is Coming, And It Looks Gorgeous
PixelJunk Monsters 2, the sequel to Q-Games’ 2008 tower defense game, is coming May 25 to PlayStation 4, Steam, and Switch—and it looks gorgeous. Kotaku got a brief demo of the game at Game Developers Conference yesterday at the booth of its publisher, Spike Chunsoft. If you think the visual style looks nice in screenshots,…
By Chris Kohler Published March 23, 2018 - Uncategorized
Teens And Teachers Say Fortnite Mobile Is Destroying Some Schools
For months now, teachers everywhere have heard students talk about Fortnite, the world’s latest obsession, nonstop. While the popularity of the game is nothing new, its release on iOS has apparently only made things more intense. Fortnite is now a huge distraction you can now take anywhere, after all. Many schools have rules against cell phones,…
By Patricia Hernandez Published March 23, 2018 - Tips & Guides
Tips For Playing Ni no Kuni II
Ni no Kuni II is out today, and it’s easy enough that you probably won’t need much strategy to get through the story. But it’s also got some unique systems, including an elaborate kingdom-building feature that can be a little overwhelming. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of the whole…
By Jason Schreier Published March 23, 2018 -
UncategorizedMonster Hunter: World‘s New Monster Put Up One Hell Of A Fight
Last night I streamed Monster Hunter: World on Kotaku’s Twitch channel and teamed up with a group of loyal readers to hunt down the new monster Deviljho. Deviljho is a massive, pickle-looking monstrosity that’s able to body slam even the toughest of other monsters. A rainy battle against this slobbering beast became one of my…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 23, 2018 -
ReviewsMultiplatformNi no Kuni II: The Kotaku Review
It can be difficult, as a jaded adult, to appreciate a great fairy tale—one where the hero always wins and naivety is a character strength rather than something to grow out of. So it is with Ni no Kuni II. But if you can look past this game’s more childish tendencies, you’ll find a fairy…
By Jason Schreier Published March 23, 2018