We liked what we saw at E3 of zombie survival sim State of Decay II. The sequel still involves leveling up a group of survivors, still has permadeath. Adds online co-op (with permadeath!) and hundreds more character traits. Can a guilt-motivated groundskeeper co-exist with a fight choreographer who snores? Spring 2018 for PC, Xbox One.

Square Enix’s Next JRPG Aims To Fix I Am Setsuna‘s Flaws

Lost Sphear, the next game from Square Enix’s Tokyo RPG Factory, looks to improve upon its predecessor in several ways. The combat system is more complicated. The enemies are more challenging. And—hope you’re sitting down for this one—there are inns This is the second role-playing game in a series that Square is calling ‘Project Setsuna,’…

Here’s July’s Xbox Live Games With Gold Lineup

There’s a range of games in July’s Xbox Live Games with Gold lineup, from the adorable Grow Up to the gritty Kane & Lynch 2. As ever, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live subscription. July’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One Grow Up (July 1-30) Runbow (July 16-August 15)…

Pathfinder‘s Upcoming Video Game Looks Like Baldur’s Gate

Dungeons & Dragon’s cousin, the tabletop role-playing game Pathfinder, is finally primed to get its own dungeon-crawly video game. Last week, Pathfinder: Kingmaker met its Kickstarter funding goal, raising over $500,000, which will furnish the base game with add-ons. Pathfinder: Kingmaker, developed by Owlcat Games, looks a little like Baldur’s Gate. It’s a single-player game,…

My Life In 3,000 Hours Of Dota 2 

I started playing Dota 2 when I was in college, something I wanted to do to distract me from what I thought I was supposed to do. (Everyone gets a Bachelor’s degree today, right?) In high school, I liked fooling around with free music composition software, building quartets and ensembles I’d print and pass out…

It’s A Great Time To Level Up A New Job In Final Fantasy XIV

With the launch of Final Fantasy XIV’s Stormblood expansion, tons of players are exploring the new post-level 60 content. But if you’re on the right game server, massive experience point bonuses are a great incentive to take a break from the new stuff and start a new job at level one. In the video above…

Star Fox 2 Programmer Is Surprised And Thrilled The Game Is Finally Coming Out

Nintendo announced that the SNES Classic will come with the previously-unreleased Star Fox 2. Were you surprised? Imagine how the game’s original programmer Dylan Cuthbert feels. He told Kotaku via email that he found out with everyone else when the news broke. “It made my day,” Cuthbert said. He certainly seems pleased Star Fox 2…

Trying To Buy A Nintendo Switch In Japan: A Story In Four Photos

Platinum Games developer Hideki Kamiya recently tried to get a Nintendo Switch. He documented the experience in four photos. As Kotaku previously reported, it’s not easy getting a Switch in Japan! Things have been so difficult that Nintendo apologized. We have no idea if Kamiya has another Switch (or if there’s one at Platinum’s office),…

Oh Bother

Piotr Forkasiewicz is an artist from Poland who specialises in the kind of aircraft illustrations you see on stuff like model kits and history magazines. It’s absolutely incredible stuff. Fighters, tanks, bombers, battleships, there’s a lot of WW2 going on here. You can see more of it on Piotr’s ArtStation page To see the images…

Japan And Europe’s SNES Classic Is Better

Just like how the actual PAL/JP Super Nintendo looked better than the North American model, so too it is with the Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which like the NES Mini will release in two versions. Americans will be getting the one we showed you earlier today, while those in Japan, Europe and Australia…

Top Pistol Mercy Will Wreck Your Shit, But Only If She Has To

Mercy is Overwatch’s most straightforward healer. While Ana and Lucio are clearly built to mix (and/or boop) it up, Mercy’s got nothing but a dinky pistol and a dream. Many Overwatch players ridicule offense-minded “Battle Mercys” because they get slaughtered and they waste precious healing time. Perhaps, though, people are looking at the innocent angel…

There’s A Persona 5 Messaging App For Android

There’s an IM app available on the Play Store that will let you message just like the protagonist from Persona 5. It’s great, including everything from the swish animations to the colour-coded days of the week. Made by Nick Greenan, it’s free, though once you download it there’s the option of donating. And if you…

This Ain’t Rocket League, Son

Today on Highlight Reel we have Murphy’s Law, car crashes, Rainbow 6 surprises, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Ghost Recon: Wildlands –…

Nex Machina Is An Excellent Arcade Throwback

Nex Machina is a twin stick shooter from the developers of Resogun and Robotron creator Eugene Jarvis. It’s packed with lasers and giant robots. Staff writer Heather Alexandra and Kotaku editor in chief Stephen Totilo blast their way to victory in this archived stream. There’s one thing to do in Nex Machina: shoot things. Thankfully,…

Secret World Legends Lets The Game’s Story Shine

Secret World Legends launches today, a free-to-play reimagining of Funcom’s 2012 Lovecraftian MMO The Secret World. Secret World Legends streamlines a lot of the game’s core systems to make it more action-oriented and player-friendly. These changes let the story, always the game’s best feature, take center stage. I came late to The Secret World, in…