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EsportsThe Stories Behind Some Of Pro Gaming’s Oddest Names
Esports may be bigger than ever, but it can still be hard to take players seriously when their competitive names are things like Dr. Pee Pee, Balls, JesusStick, FruitDealer, and Rape. Yes, there’s a Counter-Strike player called Rape. This piece originally appeared 2/11/15. There’s a disconnect with esports that doesn’t exist with real-life athletics, the…
By Patrick Klepek Published March 22, 2017 -
ReviewsMass Effect: Andromeda: The Kotaku Review
Mass Effect: Andromeda sprawls and sprawls, eagerly offering you so much to see and do that it nearly loses itself in the process. In this massive and uncertain voyage into an alien galaxy, the best way to center yourself is to hold on to other people, and trust that the mission will accomplish at least…
By Patricia Hernandez Published March 22, 2017 - Kotaku East
The Last Naruto Episode Is Tomorrow
It’s the end of an era. The final episode of the Naruto-starring TV anime will be aired on March 23, bringing to a close a highly successful series. The first Naruto TV series debuted back in October 2002 and ran to 2007. That same year, the current series Naruto Shippuden kicked off. Now, fourteen and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 22, 2017 - Kotaku East
Explaining Japanese Geek Slang: “Babumi”
Recently on Japanese television, the anime slang babumi (バブみ) was introduced. For many, it was the first time they’d heard it. In the above image, the handsome guy on the left is “pre-babumi,” while the cuted up version on the right is “post-babumi.” So, what the heck is babumi? In Japanese, “babuu” (バブー) is baby…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 22, 2017 - Kotaku East
Yu-Gi-Oh Hair Looks Insane In Real Life
Not surprising! It looks nuts in the manga and anime, too. Out of all the Yu-Gi-Oh characters, Yami Yugi has the most amazing hairdo. It’s always been tricky to replicate in real life. In a new series of ads, Konami tries to do just that—even if the result is more plastic hat and less actual…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 22, 2017 -
Kotaku EastPoll: The Most Anticipated Anime Of Spring 2017
Soon a new anime season will start. Excited? A thousand people in Japan were polled about which shows they were looking forward to most. Here are the results. The poll comes via Japanese site Charapedia, and the data breaks down to 63.7 percent men and 36.3 percent women. Age-wise, 66.2 percent were in their teens…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 22, 2017 - Uncategorized
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Is Now A Nintendo Switch Game
The Wii U version is no more. It’s been canned! Instead, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is coming to the Nintendo Switch. “During our Kickstarter campaign, the Wii U was at the height of its popularity, but the situation has drastically changed after the release of Nintendo Switch,” states Bloodstained designer Koji Igarashi on the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 22, 2017 -
UncategorizedThe next new faction for Civ VI will be *drum roll* the Persians.
By Luke Plunkett Published March 22, 2017 - The Bests
The Best Civilization VI Mods
Civilization VI is a very good video game, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Since the game’s launch in October 2016, fans have been working on mods that do everything from make the game look better to improving the creaky AI to speeding up your trips through the user interface. Below you’ll…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 21, 2017 -
CultureCosplayShowcaseSailor Moon Cosplay Is The Height Of 90s Fashion
Inspired by, of all things, this 2015 post about a Korean fashion store, a team of cosplayers, photographers and videographers got together last month and produced this absolutely incredible Sailor Moon fashion shoot. The project was assembled by CineCosu Studios’ Dominique Zamora. “I wanted to shoot a cosplay editorial that highlighted not only the scouts…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 21, 2017 - Uncategorized
Just Because A Game Is Old Doesn’t Mean It Must Be Cheap
I’m nuts for Secret of Mana. That blend of Final Fantasy RPG gameplay with Zelda-style action combat was the game that made me a fan of what we used to call “Squaresoft” back in the day. Today, all Square Enix has to do is put up a website that auto-plays one of the tunes off…
By Chris Kohler Published March 21, 2017 - Uncategorized
New Horizon: Zero Dawn Patch Fixes ‘Issues When Playtime Exceeds 200 Hours’
Today, Sony released a new patch for Horizon: Zero Dawn that makes a bunch of improvements including quest fixes, X-axis inversion, and, most pivotally, a fix for “game running into issues when playtime exceeds 200 hours.” I don’t know what those issues are, exactly—Sony hasn’t responded to my request for comment—but I do know that,…
By Jason Schreier Published March 21, 2017 - Uncategorized
Microsoft Is Making A New Xbox Controller Inspired By The Military
Xbox just announced a new controller: the special edition Recon Tech wireless controller, to be released next month. With a stylized utilitarian look Xbox says was inspired by “military technology,” combat armor and sci-fi mechanical gear,” the controller has etched textures on the front and back, apparently for grip. Like other Xbox wireless controllers, it’s…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published March 21, 2017 -
UncategorizedPC Building Simulator Is Much Less Nerve-Wracking Than The Real Thing
Last week Kotaku’s Nathan Graysontold us about PC Building Simulator, an indie game in which the nightmare of putting together a gaming PC follows us into the virtual world. This week I played the demo release, and it’s not nearly as difficult as it is in real life. Having recently assembled, disassembled, then rebuilt with…
By Mike Fahey Published March 21, 2017 -
UncategorizedOverwatch‘s Newest Hero, Orisa, Is Now Live
After an especially lengthy stay on the PTR, Overwatch’s newest hero, “anchor tank” Orisa, is finally live. She’s accompanied by major changes to precious heal boy Lucio, a new tiebreaker system for competitive matches, and balance changes that span multiple heroes and maps. First announced a few weeks ago, Orisa is meant to occupy a…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 21, 2017 - Uncategorized
A Beginner’s Guide To The World Of Mass Effect
Hey, there’s a new Mass Effect game out this week! How about that. While Mass Effect: Andromeda tells a story independent of the original trilogy, there’s enough existing lore, jargon and backstory that you probably want to brush up before you dive in. I’m here to help. I’ve played a dozen or so hours of…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 21, 2017 - Culture
Portrait Of A Guardian
Tim Kaminski is a concept artist and illustrator who has worked for companies like Ready at Dawn and Runic Games. You can see more of Tim’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…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 21, 2017 - Uncategorized
Game Developers Respond To Nasty Tweets By Donating Thousands To ‘Girls Make Games’
Over the weekend, Naughty Dog artist Alex Neonakis started getting nasty Twitter messages from GamerGaters and other internet cretins. Exasperated, she tweeted some screencaps, along with a message: “I just donated to @GirlsMakeGames in honor of these lovely boys. Thanks guys!” Other developers followed her lead. By Tuesday, hundreds of game developers had donated thousands…
By Jason Schreier Published March 21, 2017
