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ReviewsBacklogThat’s A Wrap On Backlog Month
This past month was Backlog Month at Kotaku. April, our thinking went, would be fairly slim in terms of new games, bookended by two blockbusters (Outriders and Returnal) but devoid of tentpoles in the interim. What better time to play the games we already have? May, however, looks a lot busier. Today, the much-anticipated Resident…
By Ari Notis Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsShiny Final Fantasy XIV Player Wants To Become Even Brighter
Like most online games, Final Fantasy XIV is what you make of it. You can dedicate yourself to hitting the level cap in every job, focus on completing tough raids on max difficulty, or simply cultivate a second life through role-playing with your friends. But Chungo Humongo, a level 80 Roegadyn Paladin, has a much…
By Ian Walker Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsApple Lawyer Points Out Epic Games Store Top 20 Has 25 Games
During Apple’s cross-examination of Steven Allison, general manager of the Epic Games Store, Apple’s lawyer walked all assembled, piece by piece, through the Epic Games Store. Alongside saying game titles like Warframe and Necromunda: Hired Gun like they’re normal human words, Apple’s lawyer also pointed out a glaring, perhaps even fatal, discrepancy on the store.…
By Riley MacLeod Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureSplitscreenResident Evil Village‘s Lady Dimitrescu Was Worth The Wait
After the internet spent months pining and meme-ing, she’s finally here: Lady Dimitrescu—and also Resident Evil Village, I guess. But was she (and, I suppose, the game) worth all the hype and marketing-driven hoopla? On this week’s village- (and Village-) themed episode of Splitscreen, we find out. To kick off the episode, Ash Parrish, Mike…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureUpgraded Yuffie Version Of Final Fantasy VII Remake Exclusive To PS5 For ‘At Least’ Six Months
I still don’t have a PlayStation 5. If you are like the majority of human beings, you also probably do not, even after six months of futile longing. I say this not to rub it in your/my face, but to instead deliver further sobering news: If you played through Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryApologies To The Pig I Absolutely Obliterated In Resident Evil Village
In my Resident Evil Village review, I said that the scares were a little light for an installment in the popular survival horror franchise. I stand by that critique, but I’d be remiss to ignore one of the game’s best jump scares. That it’s provided by a pig is neither here nor there. I’ll take…
By Ian Walker Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureApple’s Not Happy With Epic’s Xbox Witness
On Wednesday, vice president of Xbox business development Lori Wright testified in the ongoing trial between Epic and Apple. Now, Apple wants the court to make an “adverse credibility finding,” due to Microsoft withholding pertinent documents in her testimony. Apple’s lawyers took issue with Wright’s testimony in a motion filed yesterday, pointing out that Wright…
By Riley MacLeod Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiarySkate City Filled The Skate-Sized Hole In My Heart
Help, I can’t stop playing Skate City, a lo-fi skateboarding game that landed on consoles and PC yesterday following a period of exclusivity on Apple Arcade. I’m of the belief that, when it comes to games based on action sports, players fall into one of two camps. You’ve got your players who favor impossible tricks…
By Ari Notis Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureFuture Yakuza Games Will Stick With Turn-Based Battles
Sega confirmed today that the Yakuza series will continue on as a turn-based RPG. This comes after the success of the last entry, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which left behind the fast-paced brawling the series once featured for more tactical, turn-based combat. However, action-craving fans can still get their fill in the Judgment series of…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureDon’t Worry, You Can Still Make-o The Mako Horrible In Mass Effect Legendary Edition
If there’s one universal truth about the original Mass Effect, it’s that the Mako is the worst. Or the best? I don’t know, I’ve never played the first Mass Effect, so I will think whatever you want me to think—which puts me in lockstep with developer BioWare. In the upcoming remaster, you’ll be able to…
By Ari Notis Published May 7, 2021 -
Opinion‘ThAnk YoU FOr YouR PuRcHAse!’ (Please Stop This, Sony)
A few days ago I grabbed the free PS Plus games on my PS5, like I usually do. And just like always, later that day I checked my phone and saw a series of emails from Sony confirming supposed purchases, which prompted a mild freakout before remembering they were just Sony confirming I “bought” games…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsWhat Did Fortnite Do To My Boy?
You all know I’m a fan of Meowscles, Fortnite’s needlessly sexy cat avatar introduced in Season 2. But Epic, not content to ruin my week just by making me listen to court testimony six hours a day, has given him a Steamboat Willie makeover. I’m not having it. Toon Meowscles is now in the item…
By Riley MacLeod Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureWhat Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is for watching everyone else talk about Resident Evil Village while I have a damn good time playing a hack-and-slash action RPG from two decades ago. Y’all can have your giant lady survival horror, this weekend’s all about Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance for me, baby. It’s been ages since I last played the…
By Mike Fahey Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureSega Announces Judgment Sequel
It’s called Lost Judgment and once again stars celebrity Takuya Kimura as lawyer-turned-detective Takayuki Yagami. According to Sega producer Toshihiro Nagoshi, with this sequel Judgment has officially become a series. For Nagoshi, the keyword for these games will be “action”, in contrast with the RPG turn-based style of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The difference between…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureSign-Ups Open For The Final Fantasy VII Battle Royale Closed Beta
Mobile battle royale Final Fantasy VII The Last Soldier is looking for Android device users in the U.S. and Canada to play in the weeklong closed beta test for the game kicking off June 1. Who’s up for killing some generic Final Fantasy characters? Final Fantasy VII The Last Soldier is a free-to-play mobile battle…
By Mike Fahey Published May 7, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOver Twenty Years Later, Nintendo Fan Completes Famicom Game Collection
Back in December 2000, Somari began a Famicom game collection with the 1986 title Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble. And now, as of this spring, the YouTuber finally owns all 1,053 games for the consoles. What makes Somari’s collection so interesting is that it’s not just a collection of games, but also their boxes…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2021 -
CultureThe Witcher 3’s Next-Gen Update Might Be Using Some Fan-Made Mods
The Witcher 3 is getting a next-gen re-release later this year, and when it does, some of the “visual and technical improvements” it introduces might actually be thanks to the work of fans in the modding community. Earlier this week Halk Hogan, the creator of the The Witcher 3 HD Reworked project (which swaps out…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2021 -
CultureBeloved Gun ‘Hung Jury’ Is Coming Back To Destiny
Step aside, extraterrestrial babies that may or may not be grenades. There’s a new sheriff in Destiny-town. A beloved weapon, Hung Jury, is apparently coming back to Destiny 2, Bungie all but announced in a blog post detailing the upcoming Season of the Splicer today. The season focuses on the Vex and an “endless night,”…
By Ari Notis Published May 6, 2021 -
CultureRandy Pitchford, What The Hell Are You Talking About
I’m generally able to follow along with Gearbox president Randy Pitchford’s manic energy, but two tweets he made this morning have thrown me for a loop. He’s not really announcing Borderlands 4, is he? It all started with a rumor. Two days ago, UK outlet Gamereactor reported that more Borderlands is on the way, specifically…
By Ian Walker Published May 6, 2021
