- Esports
Blizzard Vows To Improve Twitch Chat After Hearthstone Racism Fiasco
During the recent Dreamhack Austin event, Hearthstone pro Terrence “TerrenceM” Miller came in second. It was quite a moment, a breakout performance for a relative unknown. And while many viewers were impressed, others in the thousands-strong Twitch chat refused to stop pointing out the obvious: Miller is black. You can probably guess which slurs were…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedIf Your ARK: Survival Evolved Mod Is Good Enough, The Developers Will Buy It
ARK: Survival Evolved got another map today, a Tolkien-inspired landscape that doubles the game’s size. But the game’s developer, Studio Wildcard, didn’t make it. It was a mod from the community that became popular, prompting Studio Wildcard to offer a bunch of money for it and hiring the guy. This map, called The Center, is…
By Patrick Klepek Published May 17, 2016 - Uncategorized
DOOM‘s Approach To Collectibles Is Smart, Fun, And Satisfying
DOOM levels are pretty straightforward: kill demons, find the exit. But there’s a lot hiding beneath the surface, and though it’s optional, I’ve become obsessed with finding everything before moving on. I don’t usually do this in games! Collectibles are usually bullshit, time wasters meant as padding. I’m not against collectibles as a concept, though—they’re…
By Patrick Klepek Published May 17, 2016 - Uncategorized
Valkyria Chronicles Holds Up Pretty Well
Today, Valkyria Chronicles comes to PS4, and if you’re looking for a new strategy-RPG, you could do far, far worse. Although the folks at Sega haven’t added anything to this new remastered version of the 2008 PS3 game, they didn’t really need to. Thanks to some fantastic art direction and a really cool battle system,…
By Jason Schreier Published May 17, 2016 - Culture
Too Real, Unicorn Lady
Emily Chen is a young artist just starting out in the video game business, currently interning at Blizzard. You can see more of Emily’s work at her personal site To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 17, 2016 - Uncategorized
Salt & Sanctuary, both a 2D take on Dark Souls and an excellent game, is now available on PC. Previously, it’d only been out on PS4, and it’s coming to Vita…eventually. If you’re looking for something to fill the Dark Souls 3 void until the DLC arrives later this year, this is a good option.
By Patrick Klepek Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedFirst-Person Dark Souls III Looks Like Nope
First-person mods in this third-person series are nothing new, but they’ve previously been fairly janky affairs. This one looks good enough to trick you into thinking it’s meant to be in the game. It’s not, of course, since playing the game like this is for lunatics and those not up to speed on the the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedFallout 4 Player Leaks Unreleased DLC As A Mod, Gets Shut Down By Bethesda
For a while now, some lucky Fallout 4 players have been able to play unreleased DLC as a part of a closed beta held by Bethesda. Anyone participating in these tests is technically under a non-disclosure agreement. Things haven’t really been working out that way, though. From the very first Automatron DLC beta back in…
By Patricia Hernandez Published May 17, 2016 - Culture
Shaq Is Shilling Counter-Strike Now
Oh how far we’ve come. Turner Broadcasting is kicking off the spring Counter-Strike tournament in their eSports initiative, ELEAGUE, so they got someone as big as their ALL-CAPS LOGO to promote it: retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. Because sure, why not! It’s actually a pretty funny video. Or at least, you know, a couple parts…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedPlayable TimeSplitters Levels Are Hidden In Homefront: The Revolution
It doesn’t seem like a Timesplitters sequel is coming anytime soon, but as a consolation prize, Homefront: The Revolution has the next best thing. The reviews haven’t been kind to Homefront: The Revolution so far—stay tuned for our own take on the game!—but hey, at least the game seems to have some cool easter eggs?…
By Patrick Klepek Published May 17, 2016 - Uncategorized
Call of Duty: Black Ops Is Now Backwards Compatible On Xbox One
Maybe this will please some fans who are still mad about Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare—the Xbox 360 version of Black Ops is now compatible with Xbox One, Microsoft said today. Call of Duty: Black Ops was one of the most-requested backwards-compatibility games, along with Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, and Black Ops II. It’s on…
By Jason Schreier Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedDragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Announced, Coming This Year
Last year’s Dragon Ball Xenoverse is getting a sequel. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will arrive this year on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, publisher Bandai Namco said today. Bandai says we’ll see more from the new DBZ game at E3 in June. Here’s the full press release: SANTA CLARA, Calif., (May 17, 2016) – BANDAI…
By Jason Schreier Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedLeaked Footage Shows The Cancelled Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Game For PSP [UPDATE: Lawyered]
This morning brings us a rare gem: footage of the cancelled Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game for PSP, which was due to be part of the Elder Scrolls Travels series before it was axed. Game preservation channel PtoPOnline brings us a few new videos, showing off what an Elder Scrolls game on PSP might have…
By Jason Schreier Published May 17, 2016 -
ReviewsBattleborn: The Kotaku Review
If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be reviewing Battleborn in May, I would have asked them “Which one is Battleborn again?” Now that I’ve spent a couple dozen hours in Gearbox Software’s latest I think I’ve figured it out. It’s not Battleborn’s fault, really. Announced in July of…
By Mike Fahey Published May 17, 2016 -
Uncategorized6,000-Piece LEGO Replica Of Halo 5‘s Rocket Launcher
That’s the SPNKr, Halo 5’s iconic double barrelled rocket launcher in all its glory, remade with LEGO bricks by Nick Brick (via Brothers Brick). Looks amazing! It’s double barrelled, and you can remove the launch tubes and reload the weapon just like in the game. Even if it only shoots imaginary rockets, made with After…
By Gergo Vas Published May 17, 2016 -
UncategorizedFan Spent Two Years Animating His Journey Through Dark Souls II
Just in time for Dark Souls 3, Jameserton, a really dedicated fan, finished his animation about his painful journey through Dark Souls 2 and all its locations and bosses. It took him nearly two years, but that’s no surprise. All the jokes are on point and the voice acting’s very well done. Pretty funny couple…
By Gergo Vas Published May 17, 2016 - Uncategorized
Even Crocheted Pokémon Need Rest After Battle
When there are no Pokémon centers nearby, the battle-weary Pokémon plops on the ground to take a breather between random encounters. At least, in the universe where these crochet Pokémon are from. Growlithe, Psyduck, Mew, Meowth, Mudkip and Cubone are part of a crochet doll series made by Heartstringcrochet, showing the Pokémon in their adorably…
By András Neltz Published May 17, 2016 - Uncategorized
Nintendo Wants To Make Movies
The last time Nintendo went Hollywood, it was a disaster. But now that the company is offloading the Seattle Mariners, it’s ready to get back into showbiz. In an interview with the Asahi News, one of Japan’s biggest newspapers, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima pointed out that when companies license out their characters for movies, they…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2016 - Kotaku East
If Marvel’s Civil War Starred Anime Girls
It does not. But what if it did? Then, Civil War would probably look something like this. As pointed out by tipster Sang, Twitter user and artist Bin1 Production has been uploading images of characters from Namco Bandai’s The Idolmaster as if they were Marvel superheroes. You can follow Bin1 Production on Twitter here or…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2016
