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CultureSplitscreenSometimes You Just Have To Let Backlog Games Go
Most of us will probably never play every game we own right now, let alone all the others we’ll buy or download in the future. In that sense, backlogs are like the universe: infinitely expanding and confounding to physicists. Sometimes you just have to make peace—or force yourself to make peace—with the fact that certain…
By Nathan Grayson Published April 23, 2021 -
CultureWhat Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is about slowly and joylessly working through our backlog, somehow dripping with sweat and covered with coal dust. Where did all this sweat-enhancing coal dust come from? Speaking of backlogs, I’ll be spending my weekend free time with the newly released PS5 version (also out for Xbox Series X/S) of Yakuza spinoff Judgment.…
By Mike Fahey Published April 23, 2021 -
CultureEvercade Turns Its Cartridge-Based Retro Handheld Into A Console
TheEvercade is a lovely retro handheld that plays games sold in delightful cartridge-based collections. The Evercade VS is a new $100 retro console from the makers of the original Evercade with dual cartridge ports and support for four-player local multiplayer. The original Evercade retro console was one of the highlights of 2020 for me. There’s…
By Mike Fahey Published April 23, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOpening Osaka’s Super Nintendo World Last Month Seems Like A Mistake
On March 18, Shigeru Miyamoto appeared at the Super Nintendo World opening at Universal Studios Japan. For the photos, he seems to have briefly removed his mask, which was probably safe. However, in light of the ensuing state of emergency, the photos reflect poorly on the seriousness of the pandemic, especially now it’s been announced…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2021 -
AnimeDude Trains Like One-Punch Man During The Pandemic, Gets Buff
Back in 2019, in the before times, Kotaku reported that an investor named Sean trained like One-Punch Man for thirty days and got in terrific shape. Now, in 2021, another dude has trained like the character for a whole year. As Yutara reports, YouTuber Jigoku Dera Guren Maru started at 82.7 kilograms (182 pounds). But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsOne Of The Best WW2 Games Is Now Even Better
I reviewed Unity of Command II a couple years back and, a few quibbles aside, found it to be one of the most interesting and innovative turn-based tactics games I had ever played. It’s now back with a major expansion, and those quibbles are in the firing line. If you’re just joining us for Unity…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureDude Gets 100% On Guitar Hero Song That Looks Physically Impossible
Honestly, this is one of the most physically impressive video game feats I have ever seen. Streamer CarnyJared is one of the best Guitar Hero players on the planet, and here he is fucking around with the 6th version of Soulless, a series of custom songs made for the PC version of Guitar Hero by…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureLast Stop‘s Meant To Feel Like A Playable TV Show
You’d think a game featuring mysterious green magic swirling in the London underground would be all about weird stuff. But Last Stop—at least from what I’ve seen of it so far—is first and foremost a game about people. Last Stop is the latest from Variable State, the U.K. indie studio behind 2016’s oddball mystery Virginia,…
By Ari Notis Published April 22, 2021 -
ReviewsETCMortal Kombat 2021: The Kotaku Movie Review
As I said last month following a preview of the film’s first 12 minutes, the new Mortal Kombat movie starts off strong. The opening battle between the men who would become Sub-Zero and Scorpion is one of my favorite cinema moments of the year. The remaining 98 minutes? Not so much. The fights are outstanding,…
By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryClone Hero Is So Much Fun I Don’t Mind The Carpal Tunnel
As the last of the notes disappeared from the screen, I put my fake, plastic guitar down to look at my hands. They were shaking, and my fingers were curled as if they were still wrapped around the fretboard. I felt pain twisting around my wrist and creeping into my finger joints. Still, I wore…
By Ash Parrish Published April 22, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Nier Replicant Remaster Does Many Good Things And One Awful Thing
I played the original Nier back in 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed it despite the main character being a hideous troll of an old man. Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, with the handsome younger hero originally exclusive to Japan, looks, plays, and feels better overall, save the unfortunate inclusion of an achievement for players who peek at the…
By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureCall of Duty Gets ’80s Map For Season Three
Following yesterday’s Warzone nuke events, Call of Duty’s Season Three has officially begun for both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Season Three introduces a “new” Warzone map, while Cold War gets new multiplayer maps, weapons, operators, Zombies updates, and more. There’s also a new 100-tier Battle Pass to grind. It’s a lot of what…
By S.E. Doster Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureCD Projekt Refunded Only 30,000 Copies Of Cyberpunk 2077
Only a tiny fraction of the overall Cyberpunk 2077 sales resulted in refunds, CFO Piotr Nielubowicz told investors during an earnings call earlier today. Out of the 13.7 million copies sold, the Polish developer apparently issued just 30,000 refunds. As for the monetary impact, the “Help Me Refund” program CD Projekt set up to handle…
By Ian Walker Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureDestiny 2‘s New Transmog System Sounds Like A Grind-In-The-Ass
Bungie finally shed some light on Destiny 2’s upcoming transmog options in a blog post today. The new system, called Armor Synthesis, will be added to the loot-shooter service game within a few weeks, fulfilling a long-standing request of the Destiny community. Unfortunately, its implementation sounds like more of a grind than anything you’d find…
By Ari Notis Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureHades Wins Game Of The Year At The 2021 DICE Awards
Beloved indie game Hades scored the most wins at this year’s DICE Awards. Supergiant’s excellent roguelike action game ultimately won five awards, including “Game of the Year.” While Hades had a great showing, it was Sony’s stable of PlayStation exclusives that swept the awards, winning nine awards across five games. Ghost of Tsushima grabbed four…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureGearbox Threatens To ‘Expand Outside’ Texas Over Anti-Trans Bill
During a committee hearing held yesterday in the Texas House of Representatives, Gearbox exec David Najjab testified against Texas House Bill 4042, which would force transgender athletes in public schools to compete in sports according to the gender they were assigned at birth. “I’m a Texan,” said Najjab, who has worked as Borderlands developer Gearbox’s…
By Ian Walker Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureMicrosoft Adds FPS Boost To 13 More Xbox Games
Microsoft announced today that 13 EA Play games now support FPS Boost on Xbox Series X/S consoles. A bunch of these FPS-boosted titles support 120Hz including Star Wars: Battlefront, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, Titanfall 2, Battlefield V, and more. The vast majority of these newly boosted games originally ran at 60fps on Xbox One…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsNew Fortnite Skin Is Full Of References To Game’s Past Maps
Eco is a new Fortnite skin in the item shop today. It looks like the Earth, maybe for Earth Day. But it’s also full of easter eggs to the old battle royale island. Epic tweeted that the skin was inspired by Fortnite creator NolloBandz. It sells for 1500 Vbucks, and the set also contains a…
By Riley MacLeod Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureEpic Games Store Adds New Apps Including, Um, Another Game Store
Epic announced today that a slate of new non-gaming apps are now available on the Epic Games Store. The most interesting new app added is the indie games storefront Itch.io, potentially giving the thousands of smaller games on their store a huge new audience of EGS users. The Itch.io store being added to EGS is…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 22, 2021
