The Dystopian Journey Of Streets of Rage 2

Streets of Rage 2 is one of the greatest 2D action brawlers ever made and joins the pantheon of classic games like TMNT, The Simpsons, Double Dragon, and Final Fight. While Streets 2 has smooth controls, gritty bright environments, and outstanding music, it’s the narrative that gets expressed through the levels that makes it compelling…

One of Ultra Sun and Moon’s Pokémon Encounters Is Some Creepypasta Shit

Guzzlord the Ultra Beast may have appeared in the original Sun and Moon, but the latest games introduce this monster in one of the creepiest scenes in modern Pokémon games. Guzzlord, as many of you know, is a creature famed for devouring everything. To wit, here are his Pokedex entries in Sun and Moon: Sun:…

The Evil Within 2‘s Open World Is What Makes It Terrifying

Last night, I played The Evil Within 2 on Kotaku’s Twitch channel. I expected a linear series of monsters and scares but instead found a loose, semi-open world structure that made me feel anxious and helpless. It’s a chaotic, freeform take on horror that make every encounter unique and scary. The Evil Within 2 follows…

The Final Fantasy VR Fishing Game Is Not At All What I Expected

When I think about fishing, I think about relaxation: chilling out somewhere beautiful in the sun, watching the shimmering water, waiting for fish to bite. Admittedly all of my real-life fishing experiences took place in the rain-drenched Highlands of Scotland and were absolutely horrendous, but video games are about escapism. I hadn’t read much about…

Demon’s Souls Servers Are Shutting Down, Removing Part Of What Made The Game Great

Today, Sony Entertainment and Atlus announced that the online servers for Demon’s Souls will shut down next year on February 28th. The game, which mixed online and single-player elements, will transform into something completely different. This asks the question: how do we preserve experiences tied to online features? FromSoftware initially entered into the fantasy RPG…

Getting A ‘Haircut’ In Splatoon 2 Seems Like It Would Hurt

One moment my Squid Girl is sporting the same side tentacle she’s been rocking since Splatoon 2 launched, the next her gorgeous glistening appendage is sliced, chopped and tied off into a pair of wriggling pigtails. Sounds painful, doesn’t it? At first I was excited about the four new hairstyles added to Splatoon 2 in…

Ryus, Ranked

Some Ryus are better than other Ryus. Here is the official Compete ranking of the following notable Ryus. Hot Ryu Ryū ga Gotoku, a.k.a. Yakuza (for the Wii U, PS2 and PS3) A dragon Young Ryu (from the Street Fighter V tutorial) Ryu Hayabusa (from Ninja Gaiden) Ryu Hyun-jin Ryu Ryu (from Breath of Fire)…

As Destiny 2 Players Rage, Bungie Struggles To Respond

Throughout three years of Destiny and its sequel, several things have remained consistent. The shooting has always felt great. The aliens have always been fun to kill. And Bungie has always been unable to communicate with players in a way that doesn’t piss them off. On Friday, Bungie announced plans to change the game’s experience…

People Are Making Cults And Prisons In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has a couple weird rules about furniture, and players are using those to make some really creepy camps. There’s a couple quirks to how furniture works in Pocket Camp. If you place a lamp down, villagers will stand in front of it and turn it on and off. If you put…

Ultra Sun and Moon Shouts Out The Time Iwata Helped Save Pokémon

Last week, fans discovered that the latest Pokémon games reference beloved Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, who died in 2015. The easter egg is touching, but it’s also kind of brief. Here’s the full story behind how Iwata saved Pokémon—and a closer look at why the man became so legendary. Joe Merrick, proprietor of Pokémon site Serebii,…

What Did Black Friday Make You Buy? 2017 Edition

Black Friday and its numerous extensions (Cyber Monday, Just Buy Our Damn Stuff Thursday) are a magical time in retail, when the veil between wallet and willpower is at its thinnest. Which games, gadgets and gear made it past your defenses this year? I’ll start. First up we have the special Poké Ball version of…

Our Reviews Of Fall 2017’s Biggest Games

It’s Thanksgiving time, which (hopefully) means a long weekend to play some games. If you’re not sure what to play or are wondering what you missed, here are Kotaku’s reviews of some of the fall’s biggest games, in no particular order. This piece originally appeared 11/22/17.

The Week In Games: Xenoblade Strikes Back 

Xeno is Greek for “foreigner,” though Xenoblade Chronicles 2 hardly seems like a stranger at this point. A cult classic in the PS1 era with Xenogears, a lackluster trilogy of vague prequels with the PS2’s Xenosaga, and then a series stumbling toward renewed JRPG greatness across three different Nintendo platforms in the modern era. Clearly…

Why Japanese Actors Star In The Live-Action Fullmetal Alchemist Movie

The Fullmetal Alchemist movie was filmed in Italy. It stars two brothers named Edward and Alphonse. Yet, the cast is Japanese, and the characters speak Japanese. Director Fumihiko Sori recently explained why he thought the actors needed to be Japanese. On Twitter, Sori writes that while the location and the names were Western, the characters’…

It’s Late 2017 And Pokémon Go Can Still Draw Massive Crowds In Japan 

When Pokémon Go launched in Japan (and, well, everywhere), hordes of folks were playing it. The numbers of active players have dropped, but the game still has a dedicated following. Of course, Japan isn’t alone. The game is still played and enjoyed by people all around the globe. From November 24 to November 26, there…

Chrissy Teigen Reviews Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Supermodel Chrissy Teigen, who is excellent at Twitter, is playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and has some thoughts about it. They are: And this has been Chrissy Teigen’s review of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Yudanaka Onsen. Yamanouchi, Japan. By Thomas Rizza.  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!