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OpinionImpressionsBPM: Bullets Per Minute Is A Shockingly Fun First-Person Rhythm Shooter
“Rhythm FPS roguelike” is not a series of words I thought I’d see strung together to describe a video game. But the year 2020 is committed to surprising the hell out of me, sometimes for ill (mostly for ill nowadays) but sometimes for good. BPM:Bullets Per Minute is one of those good surprises. Out now…
By Ash Parrish Published September 16, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsMicrosoft Cloud Gaming Is As Good As Your Internet Connection
On a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note20 with a solid 5G T-Mobile connection, Microsoft Cloud Gaming works like a charm. Shooters like Halo 5 stream without stutter. Fighters like Marvel vs. Capcom Ultimate are passable for casual play. If I switch to the spotty wireless shared by my entire household, games get choppy and stuttery. It’s…
By Mike Fahey Published September 16, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsFall Guys’ New Mini-Game Variations Are Kicking My Ass
Earlier today, Fall Guys received a mid-season update meant to shake the game up before things get medieval. Mini-games that were previously a walk in the park have been remixed with new obstacles. As someone who had previously burnt out on the battle royale, this has been the perfect opportunity to step back into the…
By Ian Walker Published September 15, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsOthercide Is A Goth Tactical RPG That Embraces Death
Most tactical games condition you to avoid failure. In XCOM, once a character dies, they’re gone. Same for Fire Emblem (at least in Classic mode) and others of its ilk. Othercide isn’t like that. Playing Othercide means rewiring your brain to tolerate and even seek out failure. Death comes quickly and brutally and recurs ad…
By Ari Notis Published September 15, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsPumpkin Jack Is Colorful Halloween Action Game
Fall is nearly here, and I’m fully ready for the spooky season. With perfect timing comes a demo for the upcoming game Pumpkin Jack, an action platformer heavily inspired by Medievil and other PS1 and N64 era games. The Pumpkin Jack demo is available on Steam as part of PAX Online. It features one level…
By Zack Zwiezen Published September 15, 2020 -
OpinionAsk KotakuIs 512GB Enough Storage For The New Xbox Series S?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take. This week we Ask Kotaku: Is 512GB enough storage for Microsoft’s just-announced, next-gen console Xbox Series S? Ethan I am very lazy at loading the dishwasher. When I finish, it kind…
By Alexandra Hall Published September 14, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Outer Worlds’ First DLC Is Too Cynical For Its Own Good
Peril on Gorgon is a good excuse to return to the Outer Worlds’ retro-futurist dystopia. I only wish doing so had finally given me some hope that its neo-feudalist colonies might someday be saved. Out last week on PS4, Xbox One, and PC (it will arrive sometime later on Switch), Peril on Gorgon is the…
By Ethan Gach Published September 14, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSpelunky 2 Doesn’t Mess With A Good Thing
In the original Spelunky, every run is different, but it’s also always the same. Your objective never changes; enemy behavior is always predictable. In the 100 hours I’ve spent with the first game, my skills, mistakes, and choices are what make every run unique and exciting. Spelunky 2 keeps the original’s winning combination of change…
By Riley MacLeod Published September 14, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsMobile Game Crux Lets You Rock Climb Without Going To The Gym
My climbing gym reopened recently, but thanks to the coronavirus, for the first time in my rock climbing life I’m not in a rush to spend every available second there. New mobile game Crux almost scratches my climbing itch: the climbing gym simulator gives me the problem-solving fun of rock climbing, but without the sore…
By Riley MacLeod Published September 11, 2020 -
OpinionI Love The Bamboo Strike Mini-Game In Ghost of Tsushima
I’ve been taking my time with Ghost of Tsushima. A highlight of my completionist playthrough has been the “Bamboo Strike” mini-game, which asks you to slice through multiple bamboo shafts with your sword. There are 16 Bamboo Strike locations scattered throughout Tsushima Island, which is the perfect amount—rare enough that finding a location is a…
By Kevin Wong Published September 10, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsSpellbreak Is Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Battle Royale, And It Owns
I am, by nature, regrettably competitive. I like winning—big fan of not falling on my face and eating shit, here—but win/lose scenarios fill me with anxiety. Spellbreak sank its hooks into me the moment I realized that it made me stop caring about that. I was in the middle of a wild, multi-person melee. Gouts…
By Nathan Grayson Published September 9, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsHands-On With Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Multiplayer Alpha
An early look at Black Ops: Cold War’s multiplayer unveils new game modes, promising maps, and plenty of opportunities for scorestreaks. Thanks to an online preview event held by publisher Activision, I was recently able to get hands-on with the multiplayer for this year’s upcoming Call of Duty. Developed by Treyarch Studios and Raven Software…
By S.E. Doster Published September 9, 2020 -
OpinionI Love The Xbox Series S “Speaker” Grill
With Microsoft’s smaller next-gen console finally official, there’s not much to do between now and its release but talk about how excellent the machine’s one defining visual feature is. And I’m not talking about its diminutive size. I’m talking, of course, about the console’s eye-catching “grill”, which you’ve all spent the last 24 hours making…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 8, 2020 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat Is Your Favorite Gaming Handheld Of All Time?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites assemble to deliberate on a single burning question. Sometimes a serious one, other times less so; mostly it’s just a nice opportunity to talk more about video games. You down? This week we Ask Kotaku: What is your favorite gaming handheld of…
By Alexandra Hall Published September 7, 2020 -
OpinionThank You, Kotaku UK
Our sister site Kotaku UK, which is managed by British publisher Future Publishing, is shutting down this week after a strong six-year run. Kotaku UK EiC Rich Stanton delivered the news to readers this morning. Our regional sister sites are the result of licensing deals with outside publishers. A company such as Future pays to…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 7, 2020 -
OpinionDownhill Jam Still Sucks In Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
The new Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 remake released this week is really good. As a long time fan, I’ve been unable to put it down. It feels like a classic Tony Hawk game, but with fancy visuals and some quality life of improvements. And also, Downhill Jam, a level from THPS1, still sucks. I’m…
By Zack Zwiezen Published September 6, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsIron Harvest Has Some Problems
Iron Harvest should, by all accounts, be just the game for me. It’s set in a universe I dig, and has a lot in common with Company of Heroes—a game I’m on record as saying is “the perfect RTS” And yet every time I force myself to sit down and play it, something just feels…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 3, 2020 -
OpinionFree-To-Play Online Games Still Aren’t Really Free On Xbox One
Yesterday, Rocket League developer Psyonix announced that when the game goes free-to-play later this year you’ll no longer need a paid subscription to play it online on PS4 or Switch. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case on Xbox One. Rocket League will instead be the latest in a long line of free-to-play online games that…
By Ethan Gach Published September 3, 2020 -
OpinionI Wish The Wheelchair-Using Inhuman In Marvel’s Avengers Did More
As a wheelchair user I applaud Crystal Dynamics for going out of its way to include a wheelchair-using character in Marvel’s Avengers. It’s heartening to see someone with a disability taking part in the grand battle between good and evil. I just wish Cerise had more to do than just scoot back and forth in…
By Mike Fahey Published September 2, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsAvengers’ Story Campaign Is Bigger And Better Than I Expected
When you start Marvel’s Avengers, the in-game menu suggests you complete the single-player campaign before diving into online multiplayer. Now I’m over six hours into the campaign and only just unlocked Black Widow, my fourth of the game’s six playable launch characters. This might take a while, but I’m not irritated. I’m having a great…
By Mike Fahey Published September 1, 2020