- Esports
Top Street Fighter V Player Rage Quits During Massive Upset
New York City’s fighting game community saw one of their own step up to the plate in a big way at this weekend’s Defend the North tournament just north of the city in White Plains. Derek “iDom” Ruffin faced off against Philadelphia’s Victor “Punk” Woodley, arguably the best player in the United States, and effectively…
By Ian Walker Published July 31, 2017 - Uncategorized
GameStop Will Be Open On Thanksgiving This Year, To Employees’ Dismay
GameStop’s stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day this year, the company told staff during a series of conference calls this morning, according to two people who were on those calls. It’s a change in policy that has upset some employees of the massive video game retail chain. The company has not yet finalized Thanksgiving…
By Jason Schreier Published July 31, 2017 -
UncategorizedBattlegrounds Is Most Fun When You Stop Trying To Win
This may come as a surprise, but Battlegrounds is not about winning. With everyone’s obsession with achieving the coveted “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner,” it’s easy to mistake Battlegrounds for a game you should aim to win. And maybe, if you’re a very certain type of person, it could be. But the vast majority of us…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 31, 2017 - CultureSplitscreen
Game Of Thrones Recap Podcast: Bran Stark Is The Worst
Jason and I are back with another special Game of Thrones episode of Kotaku Splitscreen. This week we’re talking about the third episode of the seventh season, “The Queen’s Justice.” We spoil the episode in its entirety, obviously, and talk about differences between the show and the books. However, we do not discuss any leaked…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 31, 2017 - Culture
Player Cuts The Stardew Valley Marriage Speedrunning Record In Half
You can pretty much speedrun anything: Google doodles, having your video game children taken away, and even (video game) marriage. While many fans deliberate for a good while over what characters to romance in Stardew Valley, for the past year, some players have sped their courtships up through speedruns. Three days ago Underscore76, the current…
By Gita Jackson Published July 31, 2017 - Esports
This Week Is Prime Time To Farm Abilities In Splatoon 2
This weekend’s Splatfest isn’t just about deciding the better condiment (hint: it’s the red one), but it’s also prime time to farm up a big store of ability chunks for your competitive wardrobe. Once you’ve taken a side in the great Mayo v. Ketchup conflict in this month’s Splatoon 2 Splatfest, you receive a blank…
By Eric Van Allen Published July 31, 2017 - Uncategorized
Revisiting The Opening Cases of L.A. Noire
Last week, we started playing L.A. Noire on Kotaku’s Twitch channel. It’s a 2011 detective game with a lot of cases to solve. Recently, we finished the cases for the traffic detective desk. It’s a good introduction to the game that also has a few problems. In L.A Noire you play as Cole Phelps, an…
By Heather Alexandra Published July 31, 2017 -
UncategorizedNew Rick And Morty Visits A Nihilistic Mad Max Wasteland
Last night’s Rick and Morty wasn’t the premiere, as the first episode of season 3 ran on April 1st. This is the start of the season proper, and while it wasn’t as inventive as classic episodes like “Total Rickall” or “Interdimensional Cable,” the confidence of the writing lets the show’s characters grow without getting corny.…
By Gita Jackson Published July 31, 2017 -
UncategorizedSplatoon 2 Fans May Destroy Themselves Fighting Over Mayo vs Ketchup
Splatoon 2‘s first post-launch Splatfest has a theme, and while the event hasn’t officially begun yet, people are already getting riled up. The lobby has become a battleground, with everyone making a case as to why you should pick one side over the other. Marina, as everyone guessed, is Team Ketchup, while the gremlin squid…
By Patricia Hernandez Published July 31, 2017 - Uncategorized
This Is The Silliest Hearthstone Card Yet
In the digital card game Hearthstone, there’s a common card called Thoughtsteal that is a core part of many Priest decks. For three mana, this card will let you copy two cards from your opponent’s deck and add them to your hand. How… quaint. This weekend, Blizzard revealed Archbishop Benedictus (via Phil Kollar), a new…
By Jason Schreier Published July 31, 2017 - Uncategorized
Twitch Plays Battlegrounds, Manages To Win Third Place
Yesterday, TwitchPlaysBattlegrounds, a bot playing Battlegrounds through Twitch viewers’ crowdsourced gaming inputs, miraculously obtained third place in a solo Battlegrounds game—a feat I have not yet accomplished as a mundane human player. TwitchPlaysBattlegrounds is a 24/7 Twitch channel where anyone who tunes in can tell the computerized Battlegrounds player what to do by entering commands…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published July 31, 2017 - Uncategorized
Super Rare Atari 2700 Found At California Thrift Store
According toRedditor L064N, he was shopping at a thrift store in Oceanside, California last week when he came across a very strange Atari console. Some quick Googling told him it was a rare prototype for the Atari 2700, an un-produced wireless follow-up to the 2600. He bought it for $30. And then hesold it on…
By Mike Fahey Published July 31, 2017 - Culture
Nice Place You Got Here. Be A Shame If Nathan Drake Ever Found It.
Robin Lhebrard is a freelance artist from France. You can see more of Robin’s work at his 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 both their professional…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2017 - Kotaku East
The Pokémon Anime’s Timing Was Perfect For Breaking News
When news breaks in Japan, text is directly inserted into broadcast shows so viewers can stay up to date on what’s happening. During last Thursday’s episode of Pokémon Sun Moon, news broke., and the way it coincided with the onscreen antics was perfect. That evening, there were reports that politician Tomomi Inada was going to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2017 - Kotaku East
Kirby Made From Cardboard
Twitter user RMX_Dice completed a cardboard Kirby by slicing each individual piece of cardboard and placing each layer on top of the next. Below you can see the completed work: Here is the schematic RMX_Dice created: This past spring, the work was still connected to the back slabs. But now, the sculpture is free-standing and amazing.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2017 -
Kotaku EastThe New Final Fantasy XV Invincible Suits Look Terrifying
Earlier this year, Square Enix revealed “muteki suits” (invincible suits) as an upcoming free download. Immediately, they were compared to Power Ranger costumes and soon scrapped. Square Enix has now released the new suits. They are scary. In case you missed Kotaku’s earlier coverage, here are the old muteki suits. Notice how they kind of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2017 - Kotaku East
Long Lines And Sell-Outs For Dragon Quest XI In Japan
Water is wet. Sugar is sweet. And Japan loves Dragon Quest. In the least surprising news of the weekend, the latest DQ release drew long lines. At some locations, the game sold out. Website Inside Games covered the Tokyo launch, reporting how over 200 people lined up at the Bic Camera in Ikebukuro. Another 200…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2017 - Kotaku East
Like Initial D? According to YouTuber DriftHunterAlbo, he met the grandson of the Fujinoya Tofu Shop (reportedly, the real-life Fujiwara Tofu Shop). The shop, which has since been destroyed, was even used as a location for the 2005 live-action flick. The front of the shop is now on display at the Ikaho Toy, Doll and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2017