- Esports
Pokkén Tournament Match Reignites Debate Over Supposedly Boring Fighting Game Strategies
Winning by any means necessary is a core staple of fighting game competition, but it’s still unsettled whether fighting game pros need to entertain spectators while trying to do so. It’s been an issue in Street Fighter for decades, and top Super Smash Bros. players have even been booed for their controversial approaches to competition.…
By Ian Walker Published August 29, 2017 - Tips & Guides
Tips For Playing Absolver
Martial arts brawler Absolver drops today, a mix of kung-fu and Souls games from developer SloClap. It’s a deep game that can be pretty hard at times. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you on your road to absolution. Pick a class that suits you. At the outset of Absolver, you can…
By Eric Van Allen Published August 29, 2017 -
ReviewsSwitchMario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: The Kotaku Review
Mario’s power as an icon is defined by his versatility. The plumber doesn’t just jump: he fights, he drives, he plays sports, he parties. He does it all, really, without ever looking out of place. And yet earlier in the year, the announcement of a Mario and Rabbids mash-up was met by some skepticism on…
By Patricia Hernandez Published August 29, 2017 -
UncategorizedFinal Fantasy Fighting Game’s Beta Is So Laggy
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a fast-paced three-on-three arcade combat game featuring characters from Square Enix’s beloved role-playing franchise, coming to the PlayStation 4 early next year. It’s currently in closed beta, where players are enjoying some spectacular lag. First, take a look at this early practice match against AI competitors. I’m still getting the…
By Mike Fahey Published August 29, 2017 - Uncategorized
Japan Comes Up With Polite Slang For Twitter Replies
When people in Japan see “FF,” they immediately think Final Fantasy. And for good reason! For decades, “FF” has been shorthand for the iconic role-playing game series. But recently, Twitter users have been using “FF” as a polite way to reply to others. As GetNews reports recently, “FF” refers to “Follow” and “Follower.” It is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 29, 2017 - Kotaku East
How Anime Art Has Changed: An Explainer
Anime, you’ve changed! To be honest, the look of it is always changing. Styles and fads suit each age, so let’s see how anime has evolved over the past few decades. On 2ch, a commenter uploaded the following image below, which Kotaku has translated into English: I quite like this as it gives a good,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 29, 2017 -
CultureRobots Want All Our Ice Cream Jobs
It’s not just the factory jobs that robots are taking, but the ice cream ones. For example, look at Yaskawa-kun, a robot that serves soft serve ice cream in a cone. The bastard. Yaskawa-ku has been doing this for years. After putting in a 100 yen coin ($.92), you select what you want via touch…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 29, 2017 - Uncategorized
Nintendo Is Officially Killing Miiverse In Japan
Nintendo’s Miiverse social network launched on the Wii U in Japan when the console went on sale in the region on December 8, 2012. This November, Nintendo is ending its service in Japan. In an official release, Nintendo announced that Miiverse, along with Wii U Chat and Nintendo TVii, will end on November 8, 2017,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 29, 2017 - CultureCosplay
The Best Cosplay From Sri Lanka’s Comic Con
The thirdSri Lankan Comic Con was held on August 26-27 at the SLECC in the country’s largest city, Colombo. Just like last year, there was a lot of great cosplay! Below is a selection of some of the best of it, courtesy of photographer Prasanna Welangoda. You can see more shots of the show at…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 29, 2017 -
UncategorizedDude Builds Perfect Jumanji Replica
Steven Richter, a man so talented with wood and blades that it’s a little terrifying, felt like creating a “screen accurate” recreation of Jumanji. So he did, and filmed the whole process. And I mean whole process. The entire thing is built from scratch. The magnets are a very nice touch. Please leave all whatyear.gif…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 28, 2017 - Culture
May We All Be As Chill As This Very Chill Cat
HJW is an artist from Korea working in the games business. You can see more of HJW’s work at their 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 the best of…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 28, 2017 -
CultureThe Closest Game To A Modern Robocop
miniLAW: Ministry of Law’s cyberpunk aesthetic of pay phones, pagers, robotic-suited cops, along with the underpinnings of a totalistic police system make it an intriguing game. It’s also the closest thing to a modern Robocop game we’re going to get. It doesn’t have the biting satire of Robocop but it does have a seeping dread.…
By Leo Wichtowski Published August 28, 2017 -
EsportsController Mod Forces A Controversial Rematch During Smash Melee Major
On Sunday night, the Super Smash Brothers: Melee tournament at Shine 2017 forced a controversial rematch between William “Leffen” Hjelte and Daniel “ChuDat” Rodriguez, partway through the Top 8 finals. It all came down to a new rule about a Melee controller modification. Shine 2017 is the first Smash Bros major to require the use…
By Maddy Myers Published August 28, 2017 - Uncategorized
Switch Game Pulled From Eshop Due To Ratings Problem [Update]
Released on Nintendo Switch on July 28, the mostly harmless Infinite Minigolf was pulled from the console’s online shop on August 10 due to an unexpected change to its ESRB rating. Zen Studios says the change was due to a poster on the wall in the game’s “Giant House” level. I’m pretty sure we’ve figured…
By Mike Fahey Published August 28, 2017 - Uncategorized
Battlegrounds Player Infiltrates Red Shirt Squad, Blows Them Up
Staying alive in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds can be a challenge that requires quick thinking. Faced with a massive squad of enemies, one Korean streamer decided to go undercover before blasting them into bits. Squad matches in Battlegrounds normally split players into teams of four. To get around this limitation and engage in wider collusion with other…
By Heather Alexandra Published August 28, 2017 - Uncategorized
If Valve Won’t Make A New Half-Life, Maybe These People Will
Last week, former Valve writer Marc Laidlaw posted his version of what might be a genderswapped plot summary of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 on his portfolio website. (There’s a version with the names swapped back here). Now there’s a game jam based on the synopsis that lets Half-Life fans bring their sequel visions to life.…
By Chloe Spencer Published August 28, 2017 - Uncategorized
How do you practice consent in an online role-playing game? Game designer Raph Koster published a fascinating blog postyesterday about how players in MMOs now have tons of agency over their characters’ actions (“/bite”), but others can’t control what is done to them (have you ever seen “/accept”?).
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published August 28, 2017