- Culture
Sorry, Steam Award Nominations Don’t Involve Half-Life 3
Last month, Valve revealed its first-ever Steam Awards. They came with a twist: a final category to be plucked from user submissions, many of which ended up being tongue-in-cheek. Now Valve’s revealed their selections, and sorry, but no: none of them acknowledge fans’ many write-ins of “the game most in need of a sequel.” Despite…
By Nathan Grayson Published December 20, 2016 - Culture
Our Thoughts On Overwatch‘s Tracer Being Gay
With the release of Overwatch’s holiday comic, gamers saw the game’s first openly gay character: Tracer. Many of us here at Kotaku, an Overwatch fansite, took time to sit down and reflect on how Blizzard has treated the topic of diversity in our favorite team based shooter. Update—5:40 p.m.: Shortly after publication, Blizzard sent Kotaku…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 20, 2016 -
CultureCards Against Humanity’s Never-Ending Fight Against Copycats
There’s a reason why Crabs Adjust Humidity, Humanity Hates Trump and Cards & Punishment might sound familiar. Their cards might look familiar, too—so familiar that the popular card game Cards Against Humanity has been forced to buckle down on those and several other lookalikes. Cards Against Humanity doesn’t own the rights to black and white…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published December 20, 2016 - Uncategorized
Asheron’s Call Calls It Quits After 17 Years
On November 2, 1999, Microsoft and Turbine launched Asheron’s Call, a massively multiplayer online fantasy role-playing game that stood toe-to-toe with the likes of EverQuest and Ultima Online. On January 31, Asheron’s Call and its sequel are coming to an end. Asheron’s Call was my first serious MMO, before I got my hands on EQ…
By Mike Fahey Published December 20, 2016 - Uncategorized
After 18 Years, Fans Find Wild Secret In Suikoden II‘s Code
Suikoden II should have probably had a New Game Plus. Between the time-sensitive Clive quest, the branching endings, and the grueling decisions over which monsters to recruit, there are a lot of reasons to replay the game. Well, as it turns out, a replay-friendly feature might’ve actually been in the works. More than 18 years…
By Jason Schreier Published December 20, 2016 - Uncategorized
New Overwatch Comic Is Full Of Holiday Cheer
Blizzard just released a new Overwatch comic, and it’s a refreshingly joyous look into the lives of the game’s heroes. Especially Tracer. Like the game’s recent Winter Wonderland update, the comic centers around the holidays. In it, Tracer rushes to find a gift for A Special Somebody, only run out of time (and the magical…
By Nathan Grayson Published December 20, 2016 - Uncategorized
Telltale’s The Walking Dead: A New Frontier Is Off To A Great Start
I’m a staunch defender of Telltale’s The Walking Dead’s less popular second season. It served as a sort of zombie bildungsroman for Clementine, a coming of age story after the end. But for all the season’s strong character beats, it lacked a sense of forward momentum. The third season, A New Frontier, breathes some much-needed…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 20, 2016 -
CultureWhat We Liked And Didn’t Like About Watch Dogs 2
Three of us on staff have been playing Watch Dogs 2. Two of us have finished it. We figured it was a good time to chat about the good and bad of the game. There was a lot to consider! Bonus: We may accidentally wandered into a discussion about why one of us is very,…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 20, 2016 -
UncategorizedThe Long Dark just received its biggest update of the year, “Resolute Outfitter.” It adds new clothing items and clothing stats, as well as the ability to visualize what your character is wearing. There’s also a new region, frostbite, and more.
By Riley MacLeod Published December 20, 2016 -
UncategorizedPrison Architect‘s Surprise Update Makes Guards More Human
Introversion updated their somewhat controversial resource management sim, Prison Architect, last night, after saying the August 2016 2.0 update would be final. The new update adds a gameplay option for the prison staff to have their own set of needs, requiring them to eat, take breaks, and have time for recreation. While the 2.0 update…
By Gita Jackson Published December 20, 2016 -
UncategorizedHere’s January’s Xbox Live Games With Gold Lineup
The new year means time for some new (or new to you) games. Paying subscribers to Xbox Live can grab these four games for “free”if they have an Xbox Live Gold subscription. January’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap (available January 1-31) Killer Instinct Season 2 Ultra Edition (available January…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 20, 2016 - Uncategorized
Street Fighter V Winter Update Makes Rage Quitters Play Together
Street Fighter V’s holiday update is here, bringing with it festive holiday costumes, the debut of Akuma and tons of tweaks and balance changes, but the most entertaining change of them all is tweaking matchmaking to ensure frequent rage quitters wind up playing each other. Docking League Points and temporary bans have gone a long…
By Mike Fahey Published December 20, 2016 - Uncategorized
Crytek Closes Five Studios After Rough Year
After a year of financial hardship, Crytek is closing its studios in Hungary, Bulgaria, South Korea, China, and Turkey, the developer said today. Crytek says they plan to “refocus on its core strengths of developing innovative games and game-development technology.” This news comes after months of late and missing employee paychecks at the multinational developer,…
By Jason Schreier Published December 20, 2016 -
Uncategorized2016’s Good Video Games, In Two Minutes
There were a lot of good video games released in 2016. Here, in just under two minutes, we can see a whole lot of them in one place. Once again this is Malcolm Klock doing what he does best on roundup duties. If you’re worried that your favourite game won’t make the cut, remember, you…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 20, 2016 - Kotaku East
In Japan, There’s A Freaky-Looking Way To Relax
This is called “otona maki” (おとなまき) or “adult wrapping.” The practice is certainly not mainstream, but was recently introduced on Japanese TV. The idea is that it is supposed to help you relax by wrapping your body tightly, returning you to the feeling you had in the womb, creating a sense of security. After seeing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 20, 2016 - Kotaku East
Atlus Is Making A New RPG That’s Not Persona or Shin Megami Tensei
Famed JRPG maker Atlus is setting up a new development arm caled Studio Zero to work on a new project. Details are currently scant with more to be revealed later this week, but according to Famitsu, the game is a “fantasy RPG.” Above is the game’s only concept image that has been released so far…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 20, 2016