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CultureFree Fallout 76: Update Adds An Extra C.A.M.P. And S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts
The headline for this post would have been “Free Fallout 76 update makes players incredibly happy,” but that would have been too vague. Along with kicking off the game’s fourth season, Cold Steel, the “Locked and Loaded” update finally adds easily swappable S.P.E.C.I.A.L. builds and the ability to build and maintain a second C.A.M.P. slot.…
By Mike Fahey Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy New Favorite Stormblood Character Is A Random Pirate
In a development shocking to absolutely no one, Stormblood is fucking awesome. I started Final Fantasy XIV’s second expansion mere days ago, and it’s already made the leap from, “this is not Heavensward. I want Heavensward back,” to, “Ok, give me more of this.” I was prepared for Stormblood to underwhelm me. In the FF14…
By Ash Parrish Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureHere’s May 2021’s PlayStation Plus Lineup
May’s PlayStation Plus lineup isn’t a knockout, but it’s also not a bad-looking group. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PlayStation Plus membership. May’s PS Plus games are: PS5 Wreckfest: Drive Hard, Die Last PS4 Battlefield V Stranded Deep All games are available starting May 4.
By Riley MacLeod Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureDespite Supply Issues, PS5 Sales Outpace The PS4
The PlayStation 5 is nowhere, and yet, the PlayStation 5 is everywhere. Sony has sold 7.8 million PS5s since the console officially launched last November, according to a company quarterly earnings call held this morning. It’s no secret that getting your hands on a PS5 is nearly impossible, in part thanks to a global semiconductor…
By Ari Notis Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsA Belated Apology To The Child Whose Pokémon Gym I Stole
In 2016, Pokémon Go took the world by storm, and I wanted to be the best like no one ever was, regardless of who I hurt in the process. As I make my return to the app in 2021, I can’t help but feel bad about a child I bullied all those years ago. I…
By Lisa Marie Segarra Published April 28, 2021 -
ReviewsSwitchNew Pokémon Snap: The Kotaku Review
After 21 years, gaming’s least violent on-rails shooter triumphantly returns to usher in a new generation of Pokémon paparazzi. New Pokémon Snap adds layers of complexity to the monster photo safari without straying too far from what made the original so damn lovable. New Pokémon Snap tasks you with helping Professor Mirror and his research…
By Mike Fahey Published April 28, 2021 -
AnimeDragon Ball Composer Shunsuke Kikuchi Dies At 89
Famed composer Shunsuke Kikuchi has died from pneumonia, Oricon reports. He was 89. Kikuchi was born in Aomori Prefecture in 1931. He made his music debut in 1961 and went on to compose for an array of iconic shows, including the themes for Kamen Rider and Doraemon. His “Doraemon no Uta” (Doraemon’s Song) with lyrics…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureEarth Defense Force 2 Coming To Nintendo Switch In Japan
This summer, Earth Defense Force 2 will be released in Japan under the title Earth Defense Force 2 for Nintendo Switch. Clever! The game is based on the PlayStation Vita’s Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space, which was a remake of 2005’s Global Defense Force. Soon, folks can shoot up giant insects on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 28, 2021 -
AnimeWatch Anime Style Paint Jobs Bring Figures To Life
Over the years, Kotaku has featured the work of artists specializing in anime-style paint jobs (here, here, and here, for example). Now let’s watch as YouTuber MA-Man shows how it’s done. While the clips are in Japanese, even if you don’t speak the language, you can follow along as MA-Man does an anime paint job…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsA Golden Wii Made For Queen Elizabeth II Is Now For Sale
Back in 2009, as part of a publicity stunt for… Big Family Games, publisher THQ commissioned the creation of a golden Nintendo Wii, and had it delivered to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II The Queen likely never received the console—as outlined in this excellent episode of People Make Games—but it did eventually find its way…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureSega Wants To Sell NFTs, Can Fuck Right Off
Sega Japan announced earlier today that it will be getting into the NFT business, partnering with (and buying a stake in) a company called Double Jump Tokyo, with plans to not only sell character-related tokens, but NFTs in future games as well. The announcement is thin on details, but as Pocket Gamer reports, Sega hopes this…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 27, 2021 -
CulturePokémon Go Player Celebrates Holding Gym For 1,332 Days, Immediately Loses It To Cheater
Where there’s a will (to cheat), there’s a way (to use cheats to functionally climb a real-life mountain in the wilderness of Montana). Recently, Pokémon Go player BootsMade4Walking’s tale of triumph quickly gave way to a cautionary tale. Yesterday on Reddit, they posted a screenshot of a gym they’ve held for three and a half…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsThis Is The Coolest Ryu Has Looked In Years
Street Fighter protagonists Ryu and Chun-Li are crossing over to Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid on May 25. And while the world warriors’ respective Power Ranger uniforms are fantastic enough on their own, I’m also very much here for the ‘90s throwback the developers revealed for Ryu today. The alternate skin imagines what Ryu…
By Ian Walker Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureLet’s Build A Zoo Is A Zoo-Building Game With Moral Choices To Make
Coming this summer to PCs everywhere, Springloaded Games’ Let’s Build A Zoo is a charming game about building a fantastical theme park starring nature’s beautiful creatures. Or splicing together animals into hideous hybrids dwelling in a twisted meat factory. How fun! While there’s no real sign of it in this morning’s launch trailer, Let’s Build…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2021 -
CulturePokémon Go Introduces Sponsored Gifts Because Capitalism
The massively popular Pokémon Go has raked in over $4 billion since launching in 2016. Now, developer Niantic is looking to get a little more with the addition of floating ads. After some limited regional testing, Niantic recently introduced “sponsored gifts” to the game worldwide, which directly advertise businesses like Baskin Robbins and Grubhub to…
By Ian Walker Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsGoing To See Demon Slayer Was The Perfect Post-Vaccination Celebration
Yesterday, my fully vaccinated partner and I (also fully vaccinated) decided to inaugurate our newly vaccinated life with one of the most bacchanalian things you can do in this mid-pandemic world—we went to the movies. The new Demon Slayer movie Mugen Train (its full title is so unwieldy that I refuse to name it here)…
By Ash Parrish Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureOne U.S. Dollar Will Buy You Unlimited Invincibility In Capcom Arcade Stadium
Having a hard time with the classic games of Capcom Arcade Stadium? Well, the developers have just the thing for you: paid invincibility. Starting on May 25, Capcom Arcade Stadium players will be able to enable invincibility across its 32 games for just a buck. That’s coincidentally the same day the collection arrives on PlayStation…
By Ian Walker Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsThe PS5’s Screenshot Overlay Is Incredibly Annoying
Last night, I tried to snap multiple rapid-fire screenshots of a [redacted big scary thing] in Returnal, the upcoming PlayStation 5-exclusive action game. (Sorry, can’t share ‘em yet. Embargos!) When I looked back at the collection, many of them were tarnished, overlaid by a little box with a check mark and a film reel in…
By Ari Notis Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureMonster Hunter Rise 2.0 Launches Today With New Monsters And Stuff
Anyone fancy a tussle with Apex Rathalos, maybe kill it, strip it like a stolen car, and wear its skin like a trophy? That’s a thing you’ll be able to do once today’s Monster Hunter Rise update 2.0 hits later today, bringing with it Apex Rathalos, Apex Diabalos, a trio of elder dragons, layered armor…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2021 -
OpinionAsk KotakuAre You A Gaming Snob?
It’s a new week 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: Are you a gaming snob? Interpret as you like. Fahey Some people have very complex feelings about how games should be played, which platforms…
By Lisa Marie Segarra Published April 27, 2021