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ReviewsVideo GamesCall Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: The Kotaku Review
Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launched on November 13 across multiple platforms, marking the first Call of Duty title to support cross-gen crossplay. Even during a pandemic and a shortened development cycle, we get all the Black Ops goodness we could expect from a Treyarch Call of Duty. There’s a paranoid-filled campaign with…
By S.E. Doster -
ReviewsHardwareGame SystemsXbox Series X: The Kotaku Review
The Xbox Series X does not feel like the kind of machine we usually get at the start of a new generation, when we’re used to clean breaks with radical new hardware that basically starts our time with a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo device over. Instead, the Series X feels like another version of Microsoft’s…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsMultiplatformAssassin’s Creed: Valhalla: The Kotaku Review
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, a huge game made during a pandemic and with its own studio and parent company in crisis, is a game trying to do some difficult things. The first Assassin’s Creed in two years, and the 12th major Assassin’s Creed overall, it is the work of creators who are trying to honor the…
By Zack Zwiezen -
ReviewsHardwareGame SystemsPlayStation 5: The Kotaku Review
I’m sitting at my desk, staring at the PlayStation 5 looming over my media stand—“entertainment center” is a little too grandiose for the small piece of Target furniture that holds all my gaming stuff—and wondering how the hell I’m going to review this thing. How would my boss, whose various PlayStation 4 reviews I’ve skimmed several times…
By Ian Walker -
ReviewsOne Of The Best USB Streaming Mics, Now In World Of Warcraft Flavor
Blue Microphones’ Yeti X is one of the most caster-friendly high-end USB microphones going, with cool features like on-mic LED volume metering and an outstanding software utility for tweaking every aspect of your voice recording. The Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is all that with a cool black-and-gold rune-etched look and entertaining WoW-themed voice-changing…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsSwitchMario Kart Live: Home Circuit: The Kotaku Review
I experienced legit childlike glee upon first laying eyes on Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit during Nintendo’s recent Mario 35th Anniversary Showcase. A real-life Mario Kart? “Holy shit, that’s cool!” But that glee soured quickly as my 12-year-old inner Ash gave way to the cynicism of 32-year-old adult Ash. Could Mario Kart Live deliver more…
By Ash Parrish -
ReviewsMultiplatformStar Wars: Squadrons: The Kotaku Review
While plenty of games over the last few years have let lightsaber and blaster fans live out their dreams, it’s been a while since a big Star Wars game focused exclusively on starships and space combat. Thankfully for more dogfight-obsessed fans, the newly released Star Wars: Squadrons lets you become an ace pilot for both…
By Zack Zwiezen -
ReviewsToysLego Sneakers Seem Like A Good Idea
What happens when one of the world’s most notorious instruments of foot destruction joins forces with a brand dedicated to foot preservation? The Adidas Originals ZX 8000 LEGO sneakers, which should have hard plastic stud-covered insoles but probably don’t. Part of Adidas’ year-long A-ZX collaboration event, the ZX 8000 LEGO sneakers trick out the iconic…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsHardwareThe Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Is My New Favorite Gaming Phone
Way back in 2012, approximately three decades ago, Iswapped my iPhone for a then brand-new Samsung Galaxy Note II. The large size and open-ended Android ecosystem stole me away from Apple for at least a couple of years. Now I’m back on my large phone kick with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Between its gorgeous…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsSwitchSuper Mario 3D All-Stars: The Kotaku Review
Anyone who says “you can’t go home again” obviously never played a Mario game. My history with the Mario games isn’t a secret. As soon as I could hold a controller I was transfixed, especially when jumping. Unlike in Castlevania or Street Fighter, jumping as Mario was dynamic. You could tap the button for short…
By Ian Walker -
ReviewsMultiplatformMarvel’s Avengers: The Kotaku Review
There are many things I do not like about Marvel’s Avengers, one of the best comic book video games I’ve played. I don’t like grinding missions to earn more powerful equipment so I can take on more difficult missions. I don’t like my heroes’ inventories slowly filling with junk until I have to pause the…
By Mike Fahey -
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 -
ReviewsPCMicrosoft Flight Simulator: The Kotaku Review
One of the first places I wanted to fly in Microsoft Flight Simulator was the Grasberg Mine, an open pit mine high in the Sudirman Mountain Range of Indonesia. That might seem like a strange destination. But when Microsoft Flight Simulator was announced at E3 in 2019, it came packaged with a signature promise: the…
By Will Partin
