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Romance of the Three Kingdoms Is A Perfect Blend Of Strategy And Alt History

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (ROTK) is my Civilization, the tactical strategy game I poured hours of my life into without regret. As my parting article for my run as guest editor today, let me tell you why I love this series so much. Worldbuilding I grew up with the book on which the game…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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How Xenoblade Chronicles X Made Me Rethink JRPGs

Traveling the alien landscape of Xenoblade Chronicles X (Chronicles X) is sublime. You really feel like you’ve crashed onto a whole new world, where even gravity is different and you leap through the awe-inspiring environments of Mira. There’s whole ecosystems where creatures interact with each other and go about their business, too preoccupied to concern…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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The Helplessness Of Clock Tower

Most survival horror games give you weapons to improve your chances for survival. In the original Clock Tower on the SNES, all you can do is run, and even that’s limited by your stress gauge. Released in 1995 by Human Entertainment in Japan and inspired by an Italian horror film, Phenomena (Creepers in the U.S.),…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

Culture

Five Strangest Football Games

I’m not the biggest fan of traditional sports games. What I really enjoy are the wackier takes on popular pastimes that channel the familiar into a stranger landscape of rules and regulations. I’ve been hooked on HBO’s Hard Knocks which has led me back to American football. Following my series of “strange” articles, here’s five…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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The Immoral Morality of Ultima V

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar was a revolutionary game because there wasn’t a traditional villain to fight against. Instead, the focus was on becoming the Avatar, chasing after honor, sacrifice, humility, and spirituality. In Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny, the teachings you’ve embodied have become totally corrupted. Twenty years have passed since the events…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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Metal Gear Solid 2 Was A Twisted Experiment in Mind Control

It was E3 2000 when I nearly lost my shit. The sequel to one of the best games I’d played on the PS1, Metal Gear Solid, was coming out on the PS2 and the graphics showcased in Sons of Liberty were unbelievable. Realistic rain poured down on a tanker as it is taken over by…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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How 11 Developers Got Their Start In the Game Industry

I love origin stories, especially when they’re related to games. Back when I got my start in the game industry at LucasArts, there weren’t many schools for gaming or technical art. It was all about the reel. I made mine spending sleepless nights learning the 3D program, Maya, barely awake, sculpting polygons into spaceships and…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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GTA V’s Missions Are The Ultimate Thrill Ride

The Grand Theft Auto series is the modern epic, encompassing American culture in all its decadence and corrupted glory. The humor is crass, the violence is shocking, and the game’s allure keeps us going mission after a mission as we follow a cast of conflicted criminals. The latest in the series, Grand Theft Auto V,…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

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JRPGs, Grand Theft Nightmares, And Retro Horror

Hail Kotaku Readers! My name is Peter Tieryas and I’ll be your guest editor today. That means lots of retrogames, existential musings, and a list of the strangest football games I could find. I’ve heard people rhetorically ask, can a game make you cry? While that’s a great aim, I want games that make me…

By Peter Tieryas Published August 27, 2016

Culture

This Week In The Business: Backtracking, Flip-Flopping, And Other Changing Plans

QUOTE | “What’s changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it…” – EA Studios executive VP Patrick Soderlund on the company’s reversal when it comes to remastered re-releases of games. Less than a year ago, EA’s Peter Moore decried the practice as a sign companies had run out of ideas…

Brendan Sinclair Published August 27, 2016

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The latest update to Blizzard’s Battle.net launcher allows players to stream games like Overwatch, Hearthstone and World of Warcraft directly to Facebook

By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2016

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No Man’s Sky Mods Make Everything Huge

Not awed by No Man’s Sky? Maybe you just need a change in perspective. The No Man’s Sky mod scene is still super young, but it’s already spawned some pretty popular mods. Among them, the BigThings mod stands tallest in that it’s already got extremely enthusiastic supporters and, well, it makes everything really tall. Trees,…

By Nathan Grayson Published August 26, 2016

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The Attack On Titan Game Has One Job, And It Does It Pretty Well

All I wanted from Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom, the video game adaptation of the action horror anime sensation, was to feel like a badass swinging around town in my 3D maneuvering gear. As long as Tecmo Koei got that right, everything else could be wrong. The 3D maneuvering gear is the coolest anime…

By Mike Fahey Published August 26, 2016

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Anime director Hideaki Anno, of Evangelion fame, is producing his studio’s first TV anime series: “The Dragon Dentist.” Crunchyroll reported today that, in February 2017, Studio Khara will spin the 2014 short into two 45-minute episodes. It’s a well-wrought short with excellent world-building and character design, so I can’t wait to see how Khara will…

By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published August 26, 2016

Culture

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It’s still hot, and it’s still summer! It’s also the weekend. What are you gonna be playing? Video games? Board games? A knock-off Fender that you found in a hotel room while on an assassination contract? I’ve recently gotten into doing Hitman escalation missions and I am fully obsessed. I’m going to do as many…

By Kirk Hamilton Published August 26, 2016

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Deus Ex‘s Blocked Doors Are Infuriating Me

What is this, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided? What the shit is this? I’m only a few hours into Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, but I’ve already encountered a few doors like this, mostly in random apartments and things of the like. Un-openable. Impregnable. Blocked by boxes—of crappy beer, in this case. I found this particular blocked…

By Nathan Grayson Published August 26, 2016

Reviews

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV: The Kotaku Review

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is what you’d get if you took two hours of JRPG cutscenes and edited them into a movie: It’s oddly paced, confusing, and full of corny dialogue. It’s also surprisingly fun to watch. As a standalone movie, Kingsglaive is kind of a mess. Most of the plot threads are left unresolved,…

By Jason Schreier Published August 26, 2016

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Titanfall 2‘s tech test has started a second weekend of testing on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Earlier this week, Respawn Entertainment promised key changes after mixed reception to the first weekend test. Movement speed has been increased and players will enjoy more time in their Titans now their mech’s spawn meeter partially fills…

By Heather Alexandra Published August 26, 2016

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Thousands Are Poorly Explaining Their Furry Personae On Twitter

Curious about the latest trend? You’ve come to the right place. In the last hour, over 200 furries have tweeted with the hashtag #poorlyexplainyourfursona. Since midnight last night, when the furry hashtag was trending, there have been over 2,000 instances of #poorlyexplainyourfursona on Twitter. A “fursona” is a portmanteau of the words “furry” and “persona.”…

By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published August 26, 2016

Reviews

The Olympic Summer Games: The Kotaku Review

The Olympic Games is a massively multiplayer event wherein local champions from various territories convene in a single geographic location to compete in a wide variety of mini-games within larger categories (aquatic, track, gymnastics, cycling, and others). Winners in each event acquire a gold medal. Second prize is a silver medal; third prize is a…

Tim Rogers Published August 26, 2016