- Esports
The UK Is Getting Its First eSports Arena in March
When we considered last month whether 2015 will finally be the year that eSports gets big in the UK, we mentioned plans for Gfinity’s eSports arena in London. Well, it’s opening in March. There’s enough space for 600 people in the Gfinity Arena in Fulham Broadway, in the “comfiest seats in eSports“. It’s part of…
Keza MacDonald Published February 18, 2015 - Kotaku East
“Ninja Day” Is an Actual Holiday in Japan
February 22 is “National Ninja Day.” The Japanese holiday isn’t an official day off. That is, at least not for those unable to slip out of work. Why 2/22? It’s a word play, because in Japanese the number two is “ni.” You know, kind of like the “ni” in “ninja” (忍者), but with “nin” or…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 18, 2015 - Kotaku East
Remember that 20th Anniversary PS4 charity auction? It seems things fell through with the winner bidder. Sony, however, is going to shell out the winning amount to Save the Children Japan, along with the other 15 million yen it had promised. The PS4 will go on display at the Sony Showroom in Tokyo.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 18, 2015 - CultureCosplay
Cosplay Boobs, Reinvented
Not everyone has enormous boobs. I don’t, for example. And not everyone with large breasts is keen to show them while cosplaying. Fair enough! So here’s a smart solution via one industrious cosplayer. Cosplayer Nameko Children has come up with what she calls the “fluffy bust.” Her creation does a fine job of capturing the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 18, 2015 - Uncategorized
A Video Game Art Book That Also Helps People
Last year, we toldyou about an art book that was raising funds to help pay for Blizzard artist Kevin Kanai Griffith’s battle against cancer. Sadly, in October 2014 Kevin passed away, but the book hasstillgone ahead, albeit with a different focus. “After he passed we spent a great deal of time deciding how the project…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2015 - Culture
If StarCraft Was A Kid’s Cartoon
Johannes Helgeson is an artist at Activision’s Beenox studio. His idea for a StarCraft cartoon, with cute/terrifying Kerrigan here, is very cool. You can see more of Johannes’ work at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2015 - Uncategorized
Looks Like We’re Getting A Gold Mario Amiibo
Oh, hey, were you already too stressed out about the availabilityand value of Nintendo’s Amiibos? Maybe don’t look at this image then. It’s reportedly a photo of a banner ad for Walmart, and shows not only a Golden Mario Amiibo itself, but also says that something (it’s unclear whether it’s the Amiibo or just a…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2015 - Culture
War Never Changes, Except Sometimes When It Does
It looks like Fallout and seems to taste like Fallout (although that might just mean my monitor tastes like Fallout—which is… ominous), but it’s not Fallout. CreepBOOM made this gorgeously mournful piece in Garry’s Mod, along with copious others. Here are a few Garry’s Mod shots based on the excellent STALKER Chernobyl survival FPS series,…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 17, 2015 - Uncategorized
When You Think A Game Is Being Made Just For You
As crude and reductive as it can be, video games love to compare themselves to other video games. It’s the easiest way complex systems and settings can be conveyed to people who haven’t played (or maybe not even seen) something that’s still in development. Sometimes, this can work against a game. If someone tells me…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2015 - Culture
Not Even Gabe Newell Death Threats Can Keep This Game Off Steam
You might remember that roguelike FPS Paranautical Activity was yanked—with a large cane of plus 12 unceremoniousness—from Steam after its developer threatened to kill Valve head Gabe Newell. Now, amazingly, it’s back. I imagine it helps that the dev in question is no longer involved. It all went down after Valve accidentally mis-classified the finished…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 17, 2015 -
UncategorizedHacker Builds Machine To Trade Pokémon With Himself
Trading Pokémon typically requires another person to swap monsters with you. But, sometimes trading with someone else is a hassle. And that’s why one guy decided to make the whole trading process easier for himself. Check out Pepijn de Vos‘s Arduino creation, which acts as a pseudo Game Boy that can hold Pokémon. He can…
By Patricia Hernandez Published February 17, 2015 - CultureCosplay
Sherlock Already Knows You’re Into His Cosplay
God, this Sherlock cosplay is so good. It’s a great example of how replicating an expression can make you look as much like your subject as any amount of make-up or prosthetics work. Cosplay is by Myrddin Emry, photo by Silhouette
By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2015 -
UncategorizedA Card-Based Role-Playing Game Like No Other
Take one part deck-building card game, add one part Choose Your Own Adventure novel, and shuffle with a little light action combat—that’s the deck composition of Hand of Fate, a unique twist on card-based role-playing now available on Steam, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. That Defiant Development’s2013 Kickstarter for Hand of Fate barely squeaked past…
By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2015 -
UncategorizedHorde Of H1Z1 Players Drops Weapons In Protest Against Violence
The scene: a battle royale (that is, last man standing) match in zombie survival MMO H1Z1. The goal: to convince a teeming crowd of bloodthirsty players to drop their weapons and survive encroaching toxic clouds together, hand-in-hand. The result: improbable success! Well, mostly. In this video, streamer and YouTuber CDNThe3rd rallies an entire (or most…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 17, 2015 - Uncategorized
Studio Behind Phantom Dust Reboot Shuts Down
Independent development studio Darkside Games, which was working on the planned reboot of the cult classic Phantom Dust, shut down this afternoon in the wake of news that Microsoft had cancelled their version of the game, Kotaku has learned. Around 50 people lost their jobs, according to sources at the studio. Microsoft, however, says they’re…
By Jason Schreier Published February 17, 2015 - Uncategorized
Heads up: The Sims 4 is now out for Mac. If you own the PC game, you can get the new version for free. If you’re just starting out, make sure to check out our tips for how to improve your Sims experience. Or how to kill your Sims once you start to get bored.…
By Yannick LeJacq Published February 17, 2015 - Uncategorized
YouTube Leak Derails Launch Of Big PS4 Exclusive
On February 14, a YouTube account called PlayMeThrough uploaded a series of videos titled “The Order: 1886 Gameplay Walkthrough.” The title was rather literal—the videos, which were separated into 16 parts, walked viewers through the entirety of The Order: 1886, from prologue to final boss. Given that The Order: 1886, a highly-anticipated PS4 game, doesn’t…
By Jason Schreier Published February 17, 2015 - Tips & Guides
Tips For Playing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
If you’ve never played Monster Hunter, then Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the best jumping-on point – but it’s still hella confusing to the uninitiated. There are so many menus and icons and confusing screens of help text, and there’s quite a lot to do before you can just grab a weapon and kill something…
Keza MacDonald Published February 17, 2015
