Xbox One S Sold As Ultra HD Blu-ray Player In Japan 

Yes, things are terrible for the Xbox One in Japan. Everybody knows that. But did you know that one major retailer is selling the console as an Ultra HD Blu-ray player? It’s true. The Bic Camera in Yurakucho, one of the biggest electronics stores in Tokyo, is selling the Xbox One S as first and…

Here’s a cool video tribute to Half-Life 2: Episode 3 by Anomalous Materials. Oh, what could have been.

Cute Little Things

Jan-Wah Li is a games artist who has worked with companies like Nintendo, Disney and Ubisoft. Below you’ll find an interesting selection of work, because Li is a bit of a generalist, having done everything from traditional concept art to UI work. Which explains why you’re seeing things like menu screens. You can see more…

Evangelion Sneakers Are Surprisingly Tasteful

There’s an official Evangelion x New Balance line of sneakers coming out in Japan and China this weekend. There’ll be four colours available, each in a very subtle scheme, while they’ll also come in nice padded zip-up boxes that feature Evangelion imagery. They’ll go on sale for around USD$100. More pics at Hypebeast

If NBA Teams Had Pokémon In Their Logos

Like very few of us, deezlobs wondered what the NBA would look like if every team had a Pokémon for a mascot instead of bridges and wolves and tiny little Irish men. Then he went and drew it The full collection is here. Some are a bit of a stretch, but others—like Milwaukee and Orlando—are…

Engineers Are Trying To Save The Miiverse Before It’s Gone Forever

With the impending demise of Nintendo’s Miiverse, some users are resorting to manually saving their images. Others, though, are looking for a solution that’s a little more comprehensive. Drastic Actions (aka Tim Miller), an engineer, began work the other day on an archiver designed to trawl the Miiverse and save it before it’s lost forever.…

Hearthstone’s All-Powerful Druid Class Is Finally Getting Nerfed

Since the launch of the Knights of the Frozen Throne expansion, competitive Hearthstone play has been in a bit of a turbulent state, mostly thanks to the overwhelming (and often rage-inducing) dominance of the game’s Druid class. Well, Blizzard has heard the community’s complaints, and Druid nerfs are finally on their way. But they’ll come…

Fine Print Raises Questions About Shadow Of War Memorial DLC

Last week’s feel-good news that Shadow Of War developer Monolith is commemorating the game’s late executive producer Michael Forgey with a piece of charitable DLC has taken a turn amid concerns of where some of the proceeds are going. Forgey died of cancer on March 3, and in advance of the release of the new…

Nintendo Designer Explains Why Salmon Run Isn’t Always Available

It’s super annoying that Splatoon 2‘s maps rotate, or that you can’t play Salmon Run all the time. One of the two Western designers at Nintendo says it comes down to the vastly different ways the Japanese developers approach game design. Jordan Amaro is a game designer at Nintendo’s Kyoto studio, and, “one of only…

EA Says It Will Try To Help Its Dreamer Employees

On Tuesday, President Trump and his administration announced that they would end the DACA program which allows undocumented youth brought to the United States as children to work and receive protection from deportation. Some major tech and gaming corporations have spoken out about DACA, including Madden and Sims studio Electronic Arts. A spokesperson for EA…

Destiny 2‘s Tribute To Veteran Players Is Just Lovely

Destiny 2 doesn’t let players carry over any of the gear or progress they earned in the first game. It’s a bitter pill, perhaps, but it goes down smoother thanks to the lovely way Bungie acknowledges those of us who’ve been there from the start. Spoilers! When you start up Destiny 2 after having played…

Despite My Skepticism, Before The Storm Is A Great Life Is Strange Game

Within minutes of starting Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, Chloe Price smoked a cigarette, stood in front of a moving train, tagged some graffiti, used a fake ID, insulted a burly man, drank beer, and nearly got into a fight. It seemed like she was trying too hard to be edgy. By the end…

How Knack Became The Internet’s Favorite Punchline

Knack was a Playstation 4 launch game and it wasn’t great. If you don’t get why Knack 2 is a persistent internet joke, that’s it. The entire joke is that Knack wasn’t much fun, and somehow there’s a Knack II. Turns out the sequel is actually pretty okay, and maybe even kind of fun. All…

Straight From PAX, It’s The First Ever Kotaku Splitscreen Live

At PAX West last week, we recorded the first-ever LIVE episode of Kotaku Splitscreen. And now you can listen to it, even if you weren’t there. On this show we’ve got games, live music, impressions of Reggie Fils-Aime, IRL Q&A, and of course, explanations for why you can’t change your name on the PlayStation Network.…

Battlefield 1’s Newest DLC Is Cold And Bloody

Battlefield 1’s latest expansion In The Name Of The Tsar adds the Russian Civil War to the game’s multiplayer with snow-swept maps and dangerous mounted cavalry. With a bleak atmosphere and expansive battlefield, it doesn’t just expand the game—it highlights what made it so compelling to begin with. One of Battlefield 1’s greatest strengths is…

10 Hours With Destiny 2: So Far, So Good

Over the past two days I’ve played roughly 10 hours of Destiny 2, a video game in which players travel through space, marveling at how things can feel so familiar and yet so new. In some ways it’s just more Destiny. Here we are again, shooting aliens and watching the numbers go up. Yet Destiny…