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CulturePalia Could Be The Chill Animal Crossing MMO Of My Dreams
As much as I love storming castles, raiding dungeons, and waiting for rezzes, sometimes I just want to go online and hang out in a peaceful setting. New community simulation MMO Palia, with its fishing, farming, exploring, and decorating, might just fit the bill. Palia is the first game from Singularity 6, a Los Angeles-based…
By Mike Fahey Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsResident Evil Village Vs. Resident Evil 4: The Best Merchant
In one corner, a large, helpful man who sells weapons and cooks meals. In the other corner, a mysterious figure who has a lot of good things on sale today, stranger. He also might be infected? It’s time to figure out who’s better: The Duke from Resident Evil Village or The Merchant from RE4. The…
By Zack Zwiezen Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureWhy Everyone Is Playing Knockout City, A Multiplayer Dodgeball Game
Knockout City, the recently released multiplayer dodgeball game about dodging dodgeballs, has apparently clocked more than five million players, publisher EA announced today. No matter how you slice it, that figure is nothing to sneeze at. Now, consider that the game hasn’t even been out for two weeks. Yeah. “Holy shit” is right. You might…
By Ari Notis Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureARK: Survival Evolved Wraps Its Story With Doctor Who’s David Tennant
ARK: Survival Evolved, in anticipation of its upcoming Vin Diesel-led sequel, is closing out its overarching story with the release of today’s expansion, Genesis Part 2. Oh, and Doctor Who is in there, too. Although ARK may look like just another survival game on its surface, developer Studio Wildcard has spent the last six years…
By Ian Walker Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureTwitchThe Most Viewed Twitch Hot Tub Stream Yet Is Also The Most Cursed
At this point, there are more parody hot tub streams on Twitch than actual hot tub streams—so much so that one now holds the distinction of being the most viewed hot tub stream of all time. Credit where credit’s due, though: Minecraft megastar George “GeorgeNotFound’’ Davidson at least went out of his way to make…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 3, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsEarth Defense Force: World Brothers Is EDF Meets Lego, And Mostly Works
Released last week with little fanfare, World Brothers is a spin-off of the big-shooting Earth Defense Force series in which players collect cute voxel-built warriors based on cultures from around the world. Only a few of these blocky caricatures are horrible. Known for its tongue-and-cheek humor and low-budget vibe, the Earth Defense Force series proper…
By Mike Fahey Published June 3, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsA Medieval Micromanagement Sim Is Tearing Up The Steam Charts
I didn’t expect to play five hours of Going Medieval in one sitting right after installing it. I spotted the game on Steam’s top-selling charts, it looked neat, and I gave it a try. Suddenly, after what only felt like a few minutes, I looked up at the clock and realized I had spent hours…
By Zack Zwiezen Published June 3, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesFinal Fantasy VII Remake Save Transfers Are A Mess
On June 10, Final Fantasy VII Remake, a game about wearing all the hottest styles out of the 2012 Paris Fashion Week, will land on PlayStation 5. Good news: You’ll be able to transfer your save data over from the PlayStation 4 version. Bad news: The process is, and you’ll never believe this, kind of…
By Ari Notis Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureEA Hires Call Of Duty Boss To Lead Battlefield Team
Electronic Arts has appointed Byron Beede as the new SVP and general manager of the Battlefield series. Beede previously spent nearly 20 years at Activision Blizzard, where he most recently worked as the executive vice president and general manager of the Call of Duty series. Beede will be reporting to Vince Zampella, one of the…
By Jonathan Lee Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureThe Nintendo Download: Save Us, Super Hero Girls
This week sees a mighty torrent of 47 new games barreling towards the Nintendo eShop. Can the DC Super Hero Girls save us from this tidal wave of games, or are they part of the problem? They’re definitely part of the problem. Here’s hoping Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Bumblebee, Zatana, and Green Lantern don’t get…
By Mike Fahey Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsDissecting The Ridiculousness Of Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is all Kotaku’s staff has been talking about since it came out. Between the plot twist, hand gore, and Tall Lady Thirst, there was much to discuss, so staff editor Lisa Marie Segarra, weekend editor Zack Zweizen, and staff writer Ian Walker got together for a spoiler-heavy chat. Zack Zweizen: Hello, Ian…
By Lisa Marie Segarra Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureE3Here’s Your E3 2021 Schedule, From Ubisoft To Nintendo
As fan registration opens for access to the E3 2021 portal and app, organizers have released a tentative schedule of virtual press conferences for the four-day event, starting with Ubisoft and Gearbox Entertainment on Saturday, June 12, and ending with Nintendo on Tuesday, June 15. The four-day show, hosted by Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez, Jacki Jing,…
By Mike Fahey Published June 3, 2021 -
CulturePokemonProfessional Photographer Takes Excellent New Pokémon Snap Pictures
New Pokémon Snap is about a Pokémon photographer who takes photos of Pocket Monsters. But what happens with a real pro turns his or her eye on the game? Ayato is a professional photographer who shoots for Red Bull in Japan as well as D. League, a professional dance league. Recently on Twitter, he’s been…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2021 -
Kotaku EastBukkake Noodles Get A Safe For Work Name In The U.S.
In Japan, bukkake udon is a traditional noodle dish that’s especially popular in the summertime. The word “bukkake” refers to the “splashing” of the savory broth. Yes, it also means something else. (In the above photo, broth has yet to be added to the noodle dish. You can see how the noodles were made here.)…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2021 -
CulturePS5 x Balenciaga T-Shirts Cost More Than A PS5 Does
PlayStation is normally pretty savvy when it comes to high-profile fashion collaborations, but this latest partnership with luxury label Balenciaga, consisting of a t-shirt and hoodie that both cost more than an actual PlayStation 5, is dumb. While luxury labels dipping their toes into this popular culture/streetwear stuff is nothing new, the extraordinary prices being…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 2, 2021 -
CultureTekken Director Challenges Virtua Fighter Team To Make Another Game
In the latest video for his personal YouTube channel, Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada spoke at length about this week’s release of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, sharing that he’s always viewed surpassing Sega’s foundational 3D fighting series as a personal goal. “There was an 11-year gap [between releases], but I’ve been thinking about [Virtua…
By Ian Walker Published June 2, 2021 -
CultureThe NFT Market Has Collapsed, Oh No
Does anyone remember March 2021, when some techbros and artists were convinced that NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) were going to change the world? Well hi, it’s now June 2021 and the bubble has burst. I know, I am surprised as you are. Despite clear evidencethat the entire thing was “at best a scam and at worst…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 2, 2021 -
CultureMass Effect: Legendary Edition, As Told By Steam Reviews
Mass Effect is back, and so are the memes. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has given Steam users the opportunity to revisit the beloved space opera, and they’ve largely been having a grand time Mako-ing down memory lane. Is it the most elaborate remaster ever? No. Is the PC port perfect? Definitely not. But as most…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 2, 2021 -
CultureTwitchLast Month’s Most Popular Twitch Clip Was Just A Butt
Turns out, people like butts. Per data compiled by analytics site Streams Charts, the most viewed Twitch clip of the entire month of May was a single shot from the stream of adult film actress and Twitch broadcaster Mia Malkova. She stood up in a tub, facing away from the camera. It would be hard…
By Nathan Grayson Published June 2, 2021
