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The Tokyo Olympic Mascots Look Like Pokémon
Children across Japan voted for the Olympic mascots they liked best. Surprise! The two they picked resemble Pokémon. That’s not just me, as others thought the mascots looked like Pocket Monsters. The reaction is similar among Japanese Twitter users. During the presentation announcing the winners, one slide features quotes from the kids that voted. One…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2018 -
Kotaku EastK-Pop Pick Of The Day: Final Fantasy
Hey, did you watch Tim Rogers’ latest video in his series on Final Fantasy VII translations? He briefly mentions a K-Pop song (at around 9:15) based on the game’s Cosmo Canyon soundtrack, and didn’t really say much about it except to call it really, really bad. Well, never fear, because your intrepid social media editor…
By Seung Park Published February 28, 2018 - Culture
Noodle Time, Major
Elena Bespalova is an artist at Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends You can see more of Elena’s work at her ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Sega Accidentally Released Yakuza 6 For Free
Yakuza 6’s demo, made available on the PlayStation Store earlier today, clocked in at over 30GB. There was a good reason for that: the download actually contains the full game, with only the opening stages made playable. The idea was that if you later decide to buy it, you’d be purchasing an unlock code. That…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Call of Duty: WWII’s Long-Promised Gun Customization Is Still MIA
It’s been almost four months since Call of Duty: WWII launched with its ambitious new Headquarters social space, but one promised HQ feature is still missing in action. There are plenty of things to do in WWII’s Headquarters. When you venture to the back half of the social arena, you can test out all the…
By S.E. Doster Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
There Was A 1908 Board Game About Women Fighting Cops In The Streets
Over 100 years ago, a board game was released called Suffragetto. The game pitted Suffragettes—women seeking the right to vote—against London police, with players basically orchestrating running street battles between the groups. It’s easy to look at the setting as a sensationalised product of the times—oh no, the women are rebelling!—but there’s historical grounds for…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
The Best Quest in Dragon Age: Inquisition Barely Has Any Combat
‘Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts’ is the best quest in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and it makes me feel like shit. If there’s one thing you’ll learn about Orlais before ‘Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts,’ it’s what they call The Grand Game. Orlais is a wealthy country that prides itself on its complex codes of honor…
By Gita Jackson Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
The Internet Is Using Fortnite To Test Their Relationships
You’re playing Fortnite. You’ve made it to the final ten, and the pressure’s on. Suddenly, there’s a buzz from your phone. It’s your significant other. You can either continue your dogged push toward victory, or respond to keep the dwindling flames of your romance alive. Which do you choose? Our hyper-connected future society brings with…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 27, 2018 -
UncategorizedHalf-Life Fan Game Has Messy Launch On Steam
In 2016 a demo was released Hunt Down the Freeman, a Half-Life 2 mod starring the leader of a squad beaten down by series hero Gordon Freeman. It was not very good. Last week the standalone version of the mod went up for sale on Steam, and it’s a huge mess. In its current released…
By Mike Fahey Published February 27, 2018 -
CultureAs Mario Odyssey Patches Change The Game, Speedrunners Scramble To Keep Up
Super Mario Odyssey speedrunners often use glitches to grab tricky power moons or skip through major portions of the game. A new patch implemented alongside the new Luigi’s Balloon World mode last week blocked some of those crucial tricks, slowing any runner who upgraded their game. Now, the community is trying to figure out what…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Oh No, Chrono Trigger Looks Awful On PC
Excitement for the surprise Steam release of Chrono Trigger quickly turned into dread today as fans realized that this port, like most of Square Enix’s PC ports, looks like garbage. Why has Square had such a hard time getting this right? No, Square Enix hasn’t replaced all of the character models with washed-out sprites as…
By Jason Schreier Published February 27, 2018 -
ReviewsPCInto The Breach: The Kotaku Review
Into the Breach is a game about the accumulation of small decisions, good or bad. It’s a game that never lets you forget your past runs, especially your failures. Into the Breach is made by Subset Games, the studio behind 2012’s FTL, the hit strategy game that charged players with keeping a spaceship in flight…
By Riley MacLeod Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
This VR Girlfriend Simulator Is About More Than Cybersex
I have often wondered what the future of VR socialization is. Is it a tool for single-player gratification and fantasy, or for multiplayer friendship-building? Maybe it’s too soon to answer that question, but last week, I played VR Kanojo, and it gave me a good idea of what’s happening in VR now VR Kanojo, which…
By Kate Gray Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
Ten Games For Your Friends Who Don’t Play Games
It’s only natural to want to share your hobbies with people you love, but video games can sometimes have a barrier of entry based on skill. If you have friends who you’d like to play games with, but haven’t played any before, here’s a few good places to start. Quiplash Almost all the games in…
By Gita Jackson Published February 27, 2018 -
UncategorizedRussian News Accidentally Airs Video Game Clip During Segment On Syrian War
Russian state news network Pervi Kanal accidentally aired footage from military shooter Arma 3 during a segment about the Syrian War on Sunday. After the fact, Arma 3’s developers told Kotaku that although they’re happy that their “efforts to make authentic simulation gameplay [appear] pretty successful. . . this is definitely not a method we…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published February 27, 2018 -
UncategorizedHalo: Reach Players Spent Seven Years Trying To Get Into A Cutscene Room
Halo: Reach’s ninth campaign level, The Package, has a cutscene where Noble Team goes through a destroyed science wing. This area only exists for the story—it never becomes playable, nor was it meant to be explored by real people. And so, a team of hardcore Halo fans sought to achieve the impossible: they wanted to…
By Patricia Hernandez Published February 27, 2018 -
UncategorizedChrono Trigger Gets Surprise Release On PC
The best thing about today’s surprise announcement of Chrono Trigger on PC is that Square Enix hasn’t changed the graphics. This is a port of the mobile version, which didn’t get the sort of ugly remake that Final Fantasys V and VI received. UPDATE (2:44pm): Oh no The $15 purchase of 1995’s Chrono Trigger, widely…
By Jason Schreier Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
PlayStation’s New VR Mouse Game Is the Best Pet Shop Visit Ever
As a kid I spent a lot of time at the local pet shop in front of the small animal cages. Hamsters and mice went about their business, ignoring my looming presence, but occasionally a pair of tiny feet would press against the glass, beady black eyes peering my way. PlayStation VR adventure Moss feels…
By Mike Fahey Published February 27, 2018 - Uncategorized
After Months Of Controversy, ESRB Will Add ‘In-Game Purchases’ Label To Games
As pressure from pundits and politicians mounts, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) said today that it will start adding the “In-Game Purchases” label to any game that lets you pay real money for digital goods. The label will apply to “bonus levels, skins, surprise items (such as item packs, loot boxes, mystery awards), music,…
By Jason Schreier Published February 27, 2018