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OpinionI Love The Xbox Series S “Speaker” Grill
With Microsoft’s smaller next-gen console finally official, there’s not much to do between now and its release but talk about how excellent the machine’s one defining visual feature is. And I’m not talking about its diminutive size. I’m talking, of course, about the console’s eye-catching “grill”, which you’ve all spent the last 24 hours making…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 8, 2020 -
EsportsOverwatch Team with 4-17 Record Could Somehow Win the League Playoffs
Over the weekend, the Washington Justice became the embodiment of Overwatch League playoff chaos. They are other teams’ spoilers and the playoff Cinderellas. They’ve gone from one of the worst regular season performances to knocking out one tournament champ and almost knocking out another. And although their chances of ultimate triumph are still mathematically slim,…
By Ash Parrish Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureFormer Paradox Testers Say “We Were Severely Underpaid” Before Being Laid Off
Paradox Interactive, one of the biggest developers and publishers of PC strategy games—they’re responsible for this month’s Crusader Kings III—closed their internal Quality Assurance (QA) department last year, and a report on Rock Paper Shotgun alleges it was done in about the worst way possible. Speaking with former employees of the department responsible for testing…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureJoy-Con Fighting Game Character Is So Accurate, It Constantly Drifts Left
Smash-like platform fighter Rivals of Aether allows players to create custom characters and put them up for download through the Steam Workshop. One such character, modeled after the Nintendo Switch’s ubiquitous Joy-Con controllers, is pretty dang accurate. So accurate, in fact, that it even drifts like a real Joy-Con. The fighter, simply named Joy Con,…
By Ian Walker Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureTwitchAmong Us‘ Improbable Rise To The Top Of Twitch
When Among Us, a game of deception set in deep space, was first conceived a few years ago, online multiplayer wasn’t in the cards. It wasn’t even going to be on PC. Streamers were the last thing on its developers’ minds. And yet, over the weekend, the game solidified its status as a Twitch phenomenon,…
By Nathan Grayson Published September 8, 2020 - Uncategorized
The A.V. Club 10 must-see episodes of Star Trek | Deadspin The Deadspin 2020 NFL Previews, NFC East: Can Anyone Break Up This Two-Horse Town? | Gizmodo The Mandalorian Season 2 First Look Teases a Game of Thrones-Style Escalation | Jezebel Disney’s Mulan Reboot Created an Exciting New Character and Did Absolutely Nothing With Her…
By G/O Media Published September 8, 2020 -
Tips & GuidesHow To Make The Most Of Avengers’ Endgame
Marvel’s Avengers becomes a different game once you wrap up the campaign. Though the fundamentals—punch evil robots while on a never-ending quest for better gear—are unchanged, the game shifts from narrative-driven, third-person action game into a never-ending feedback loop: find better gear to level up enough to find better gear so you can level up…
By Ari Notis Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsI Can’t With These Confusing Xbox Names
With the price of one of the next-generation Xbox consoles confirmed and the other one likely forthcoming as Microsoft and Sony’s big game of next-gen pricing chicken drags on, there needs to be a frank discussion about the names of these consoles. A discussion wherein I sit down with Mr. Microsoft and ask a simple…
By Ash Parrish Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureEA Sports Adds Colin Kaepernick To Madden NFL 21
Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback whose political activism made him a divisive figure, has today been added to Madden NFL 21 as a free agent after being left out of several previous iterations due to his status with the league. “Knowing that our EA Sports experiences are platforms for players to create, we want…
By Ian Walker Published September 8, 2020 - Uncategorized
The A.V. Club All our yesterdays: 15 times Star Trek altered the timeline | Deadspin The Deadspin 2020 NFL Previews, AFC North: Young Guns and Scumbag Ben | Gizmodo It’s 2030, and This Is the Stuff That Doesn’t Exist Anymore | The Root ‘Every 24 Hours It’s Pain’: Jacob Blake Speaks Out for the First…
By G/O Media Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureHow’s It Going? Young Wallander Edition
Younger is not always better, especially when it comes to rough-and-tumble Swedish police inspectors. Welcome back to our daily open thread. I am a big fan of Kurt Wallander. He’s a detective whose adventures were chronicled by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. He’s the star of a series of novels, a bunch of films, a…
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureNew Hyrule Warriors Is A Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Prequel, Arrives In November
Nintendo’s not ready to tell us more about the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but they’re fine springing a surprise prequel on us. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, due out November 20 for the Switch, is a hack-and-slash RPG set 100 years before Breath of the Wild. Developed by Koei…
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureEverything You Need To Know About Kamala Khan, The Star Of Marvel’s Avengers
When you think of the Avengers, you think Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow, comic book characters who’ve been around for over half a century. The main character in the Marvel’s Avengers video game, however, has only been in existence since 2013. That makes it pretty easy to read up on Kamala…
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2020 -
ReviewsToysPlaymobil Is Making The Most Adorable Volkswagens
Coming in 2021 from Zirndorf, Germany’s famous toy company is a pair of iconic Volkswagen rides that translate perfectly to Playmobil style. The Playmobil VW Beetle and the Bulli camper van even come with their own ‘60s and ‘70s era drivers. Look at those sideburns on the driver of that baby blue Beetle. While we…
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureWhat the world needs now is incredibly underdressed zombie slayers? D3Publisher’s unconventional hack-and-slash series returns on October 14 with Onee Chanbara Origin for PS4 and PC. Want to know if this game is for you? Hit play on the trailer above with the sound on, see how long you last.
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureMorning MusicGate of Thunder Had A Weird Duran Duran Connection
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s new, daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today we’re checking out one of the more acclaimed CD shmup soundtracks of the 16-bit(ish) era, which has a surprising connection to ‘80s superband Duran Duran. Red Company’s 1992 PC Engine Super CD shooter Gate…
By Alexandra Hall Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureThe Internet Reacts To Xbox Series S
Today, Microsoft revealed its smallest Xbox ever, the Xbox Series S. The internet, inevitably, reacted. Upon first glance, the console does not look like a console, but a speaker, or maybe a washing machine, among other things… But let’s not just judge the way it looks. That’s so superficial! There are many more important things,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 8, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanTetsuya Nomura Wants You To Look Forward To 2022, Kingdom Hearts‘ 20th Anniversary
This year sucks. 2021 will hopefully be better, but Tetsuya Nomura has his eye on 2022. It’s a big milestone in the history of Kingdom Hearts The first Kingdom Hearts game was released back in March 2002. In a recent Famitsu interview, Nomura was asked what’s next for Kingdom Hearts, to which he replied, “2022…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 8, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapan“Ass Warp” Is A Good Translation For Super Mario 64 Glitch
In Super Mario 64, the Backwards Long Jump trick has been used to refer to a glitch that’s known in Japan as Ketsu Waapu (ケツワープ). Surely, there has to be a better English translation. Turns out, there is. In the original game, the glitch is used in Princess Peach’s Castle to get to the top…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 8, 2020 -
CultureTrack: Fake Plastic Trees (cover) | Artist: Phoebe Bridgers x Arlo Parks | Album: N/A
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 8, 2020