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EsportsBlizzard Making A Bunch Of Changes To Overwatch‘s Competitive Mode
Overwatch’s fifth competitive season was not the game’s finest hour. Doom and gloom dominated the proceedings, and no, those aren’t the names of Reaper’s shotguns. For season six, Blizzard is changing things up, albeit with a series of tweaks, as opposed to a total overhaul. The biggest news is that competitive seasons will be shorter…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
Throw NBA 2K18’s Cover In The Trash
Didn’t we only just go through this with PES? Now it’s NBA 2K’s turn to have its already-anointed cover athlete screw things up by changing teams before the game is even out. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reportsthat Cleveland and Boston executed a blockbuster trade todaythat sends Cavs superstar Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in exchange for…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2017 - Culture
Six Years Later, Bethesda’s Brink Is Suddenly Free-To-Play
Brink was weird. It mashed together multiplayer gunplay with single-player narrative, then spiced up its chunky concoction with parkour and levels set on floating cities (because global warming). It’s also telling that I speak about it in the past tense, because while it continues to exist, you could be forgiven for assuming otherwise. The Bethesda-published,…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
Just Angela Merkel, Playin’ Some Farming Simulator
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany and Leader of the Free World, was at Gamescom in Köln earlier today. And she spent some of her time in about the most Gamescom way imaginable. That is the exact same face I make playing Farming Simulator (which incidentally usually has one of the best booths at the show!)…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
“We’re continuing our playthrough of L.A. Noire live now on Twitch.” Press B to Doubt.
By Heather Alexandra Published August 22, 2017 -
CultureDon’t Stream And Tweet
Today on Highlight Reel we have keyboard malfunctions, tweeting, dancing cars, high-level Lúcioball play and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Battlefield 1 –…
By Chris Person Published August 22, 2017 -
UncategorizedObserver Explores the Scary Side Of Cyberpunk
The image above is that of a woman trapped at the moment before her violent death, endlessly repeating the combination to a secret door she’ll never reach. It’s just one small sliver of the sci-fi mind-fuckery that awaits in the Rutger Hauer-voiced cyberpunk horror game Observer. Developed by Bloober Team, the studio behind Layers of…
By Mike Fahey Published August 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
Cooperative Village-Building Game Is Challenging, But Fun
Have you ever wanted to be a chef or a warrior, but couldn’t decide which one? In Tree of Life, you can be both! Tree of Life is a sandbox RPG where you can build your own village, create your own guild, and fight monsters as you explore the vast open world of Vegonia. You…
By Chloe Spencer Published August 22, 2017 -
UncategorizedActually, The Shenmue III Trailer Is Fine
Shenmue 3’s first major trailer debuted yesterday, showing off a world of martial arts, beautiful locales, and uncanny facial expressions. For some, including my peers at Kotaku, it was troubling. For me, it was everything I could have asked for. Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue released on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, revolutionizing how games handle open…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 22, 2017 - CultureSplitscreen
Game Of Thrones Recap Podcast: At Least Daenerys’s Coat Was Cool
Well, that was kind of a bummer. We’re back with a slightly belated special Game of Thrones episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, just in time to talk about the not-very-good sixth episode of season seven, “Beyond The Wall.” We spoil the episode in its entirety, and also occasionally talk about differences between the show and the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published August 22, 2017 -
EsportsOverwatch Pro Leaves Wedding Reception, Wins Big Match, Goes Back To Reception
Over the weekend, Overwatch pro Joonas “Zappis” Alakurtti had a decision to make: attend a friend’s wedding, or play his first match in Blizzard’s $100,000 Overwatch Contenders tournament. He chose both. Alakurtti is a member of Finnish organization Team Gigantti, a team with a solid backbone (its members previously played Overwatch for major org Ninjas…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
Great Horror Games Can Scare You No Matter Where The Camera Is
What’s the greatest horror game of all time? I’m willing to bet that your choice was a game with a first-person, or at least tightly-cropped, perspective. Horror relies on immersion to be effective, and a P.O.V. that puts you in the action will often enhance the experience. A new game from Polish development studio Acid…
By Stacie Ponder Published August 22, 2017 -
UncategorizedInside The Hilarious Variety Show That Killed 175 Level 1 D&D Characters
A bloodthirsty janitor, Colonel Mustard, Death, a God-fearing cleric and a dabbing teen had one thing in common at Gen Con last weekend: they were among over a hundred Level 1 characters whom a sadistic dungeon master killed in the span of two hours. Killer Breakfast is a 20-year-long Gen Con tradition that takes the…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published August 22, 2017 - Reviews
The 2017 Solar Eclipse: The Kotaku Review
Have you ever looked directly at the Sun only to find it wasn’t there? That’s the question asked by The 2017 Solar Eclipse, the ultimate can’t-miss entertainment experience of the year. Unless you missed it. After years of anticipation, The 2017 Solar Eclipse finally arrived on Monday, perfectly hitting its scheduled launch date. No delays…
By Kirk Hamilton Published August 22, 2017 -
UncategorizedThe Next Naruto Game Lets Players Make Their Own Damn Ninja
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers might be a weird online multiplayer battle arena game instead of a traditional fighter, but it does one thing those other Naruto games don’t. It lets players make their own ninja. You can never have too many. Sure, there are dozens and dozens of characters in Naruto that players are…
By Mike Fahey Published August 22, 2017 - Reviews
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy: The Kotaku Review
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is an easy video game to like in spite of its flaws. It’s buoyed by a winning cast of characters and has some of the prettiest vistas this side of an actual trip to India. It also includes one of the most entertaining hidden features I’ve ever encountered in a video…
By Kirk Hamilton Published August 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
Lego’s 2017 Holiday Set Is Just Waiting For A Train
It’s that time of the year again, when adult Lego fans with children old enough not to destroy everything they touch find out what they’ll be adding to their Lego holiday display this season. Last year we got an amazing train. This year we get a place for it to stop. The Winter Village Station…
By Mike Fahey Published August 22, 2017 -
UncategorizedSWERY’s Games Find The Strangeness In Everyday Life
A trailer for Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro’s upcoming game The Good Lifereleased today. The strange game involving a town full of inhabitants who turn into cats at night is just another story by a developer well known for quirky concepts. Excitement surrounding The Good Life isn’t just tied to its intriguing core concept; it comes from…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 22, 2017 -
EsportsGwent Gets An $850,000 Tournament Series
Gwent, the in-universe card game from The Witcher 3, has been in beta as a standalone game since last May. Today, developers CD Projekt RED announced a new season-based competitive mode called Gwent Masters. Separate from the ranked mode already available to Gwent players, Gwent Masters will allow players to compete in online tournaments that…
By Maddy Myers Published August 22, 2017