-
CultureSega’s Tokyo Olympics 2020 Game (The One Without Mario And Sonic) Drops Next Month
With the real games delayed until July of this year due to covid-19, Sega’s had plenty of time to cobble together Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game, coming June 22 to PC, consoles, and Stadia. It’s a collection of 18 sports you can play with your own goofy-looking, costume-sporting avatar. Despite lacking…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesHow To Choose The Right Faction In Biomutant’s First Major Choice
Within the first few hours of Biomutant, you have to make a choice. You’ll find yourself at the fulcrum of a war between two opposing factions. Whichever one you don’t choose will, by virtue of you being an unstoppable badass, eventually cease to exist. And the one you align with will dictate the rough roadmap…
By Ari Notis Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureCall Of Duty Has Banned Over 350,000 Players For Racism And Toxicity In The Past Year
Call of Duty big. Now Call of Duty ban number big, too. Today as part of an anti-toxicity progress report, “Call of Duty staff”—which could include a large portion of the human population, given how many studios work on the series at this point—announced that they’ve banned over 350,000 accounts in the past year for…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureRoger Craig Smith Is Voicing Sonic The Hedgehog Again
Roger Craig Smith announced this morning that he will return as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in future games. “I can’t fully express my gratitude for the [Sonic the Hedgehog] crew and community,” Smith wrote on Twitter alongside a picture of a mended blue heart. “I hope to honor your support and passion.” Smith…
By Ian Walker Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureBlizzCon Is Skipping 2021 Due To Continuing Covid-19 Concerns
Citing the complicated nature of coordinating a live event for thousands of people, evolving California in-person event guidelines, and the fluctuating status of the global covid-19 pandemic, Blizzard has announced BlizzCon will be skipping another year. It was a year ago today that Blizzard canceled BlizzCon 2020 due to covid-19, leading to the all-digital BlizzConline…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSmash Bros. Creator Masahiro Sakurai Is Thinking About Retiring [Update]
Masahiro Sakurai has a regular column in Japanese game magazine Weekly Famitsu. In the latest issue, just released and read by Kotaku, Sakurai’s article is titled, “Everything comes to an end.” According to Sakurai, he wrote the article earlier this month at the end of Golden Week, which is a string of national holidays in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Factory In Resident Evil Village Is So Damn Boring
I’m tired of Heisenberg’s Factory in Resident Evil Village. So much so that I, once again, might quit playing. The difference here from Village’s infamous Dollhouse—that also caused me to almost quit the game prematurely—isn’t because the factory is particularly scary or difficult. It’s just tedious. It’s a labyrinthine place filled with monsters that cause…
By Ash Parrish Published May 26, 2021 -
UncategorizedHere’s June 2021’s Xbox Live Games With Gold
June’s Xbox Live Games with Gold aren’t too exciting, but hey, they’re games. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. June’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One/ Xbox X | S The King’s Bird (June 1-30) Shadows: Awakening (June 16-July 15) Xbox 360 (compatible with newer…
By Riley MacLeod Published May 26, 2021 -
UncategorizedMonster Hunter Rise Update 3.0 Adds More Monsters And A New Ending
Just when you thought you were done hunting monsters, bam! Capcom drops a free title update adding two new ferocious beasts to conquer and “a new ending to advance the story,” which is not how endings work but that’s what Capcom says, so we’ll run with it. Monster Hunter Rise version 3.0 goes live this…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
CulturePokémon Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, And Legends: Arceus Get Release Dates
Make sure to kiss your mom goodbye and stock up on your Max Potions, because the three latest Pokémon games finally have release dates. Today, The Pokémon Company announced that the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes will launch on November 19, and a new open-world game Pokémon Legends: Arceus will come later on January…
By Ash Parrish Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureFollowing One Final Update, Echtra Games Ends Work On Torchlight III
Yesterday Echtra Games released the “Cursed Captain” update for Torchlight III, adding a playable class, new pets, and applying several bug fixes and quality-of-life changes to the dungeon crawler. The developer also announced this update would be its last, due to its acquisition by Zynga in March Founded by original Torchlight studio Runic Games’ co-founder…
By Mike Fahey Published May 26, 2021 -
AnimeAnime Super Cub Breaks The Law, Yes, But Is Fiction
In a recent episode of Super Cub, the anime about schoolgirls and the Honda motorcycle, two characters are shown riding on the same motorcycle. That is illegal in Japan. In Japanese, two people riding on the same motorcycle or bicycle is called futari-nori (“two riders”). Those who violate this traffic law can be fined up…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 26, 2021 -
AnimeHow Demon Slayer Energized A Japanese Canned Coffee Brand
Japan is famous for its canned coffee. But with consumption on the slide, canned coffee makers needed to wake up sales. They found it: Anime. As Mainichi News reports, Osaka’s DyDo Drinco launched its Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba line of “collab-cans” in October 2020. Featuring 28 different designs, some “Kimetsu-can” as they’re called were…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 26, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy XIV Patch Fixes The Ages Of Non-Playable Characters
Typically, patches correct bugs and glitches or add new features and content. The latest Final Fantasy XIV patch does that, but it also changes the ages of two non-playable characters, Mikoto Jinba and Menenius sas Lanatus Prior to the patch, the character Mikoto (pictured) was 29 years old, but afterwards, her age has been lowered…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 26, 2021 -
ReviewsBoard GamesWho Goes There?: The Kotaku Review
You’ve seen The Thing, right? Well this is the board game adaptation. Very serious fans of the movie will already know that of course, since Who Goes There? is the name of John W. Campbell Jr.’s original 1938 novel that the film is based on, but I just wanted to get that clear up top,…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureTotal Recall1994 Story On Video Game Crunch Is Brutal Reading
Widescale reporting of terrible working conditions at video game studiosis a relatively recent thing, but crunch has always been with us, and as we can see in this rare story about the practice from the 1990s, when it’s bad it can be life-threatening. Sega historian John Harrison has shared a translated version of a story…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesEverything You Need To Know About Creating A Biomutant Character
Following the long-standing convention of complicated role-playing games, Biomutant makes you customize your character—their stats, class, and so on—before you actually know how the game plays. You’re essentially funneled into a situation in which you make lasting decisions without fully understanding their context or long-term ramifications. The following advice should guide you. What breed should…
By Ari Notis Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureReport: Valve Is Making A Switch-Like Portable Codenamed SteamPal
If the Nintendo Switch has proven anything, it’s that being able to play previously PC-only indies on the go rules. Soon, though, you might not need to wait for Switch ports of your Steam-powered faves: a new report claims Valve is working on its own handheld. The report comes from Ars Technica and cites “multiple”…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsNintendo Patent Looks Like A Giant Shitpost
On June 5, 1997, Nintendo filed a patent titled “Video game system and method with enhanced three-dimensional character and background control due to environmental conditions.” I can’t even begin to parse what the heck that means on a technical level, but what I do know is that the document’s contents are ripe for absurd internet…
By Ian Walker Published May 25, 2021
