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ReviewsToysHey Kids, It’s My Partner Eevee And Snooze Action Snorlax
One of last year’s most popular Pokémon toys was Jazwares Company Wicked Cool Toys’ My Partner Pikachu, a tiny, touch-sensitive plastic pal. But not everybody wants to partner with Pikachu. Some want a four-legged friend with endless evolutions. Others just want a nap. My Partner Eevee and Snooze Action Snorlax, introduced by Wicked Cool this…
By Mike Fahey Published February 21, 2020 -
ReviewsBoard GamesDune: The Kotaku Review
Dune is an experience so broken I don’t even know where to begin. Except to say it’s the best board game I’ve played in a long time. While coming out in time for a new movie later this year, this isn’t a new game. It’s actually a reprint of a classic, dating all the way…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 20, 2020 -
ReviewsToysThe Transformers Trading Card Game’s Fortress Maximus Is Three Bots In One
The Transformers Trading Card Game’s “Titan Masters Attack” expansion, launching on April 17, introduces robots with heads that transform into other robots. Fortress Maximus, one of the largest, most powerful Autobots, features a head that transforms into a robot whose head also transforms into a robot. Let me explain. Titan Masters is the name Hasbro…
By Mike Fahey Published February 20, 2020 -
ReviewsToysBig-Headed Bloodborne Action Figure Is A Bitty Badass
Most video game characters who receive Good Smile Company’s Nendoroid treatment, giving them tiny bodies and massive heads, end up looking somewhat adorable. Turns out if you make the Bloodborne Hunter’s head larger, it just makes his ragged tricorn hat that much more imposing. The secret to the Nendoroid Hunter’s suave success is that the…
By Mike Fahey Published February 18, 2020 -
ReviewsHardwareComputersThe New Razer Blade Stealth Is The Tiny Gaming Laptop I Always Wanted
When Razerintroduced its 13-inch Stealth laptop in 2016, I didn’t do a review. I was told it wasn’t a gaming machine, strictly a productivity device. The latest Razer Blade Stealth, outfitted with Nvidia’s Geforce GTX 1650 mobile graphics, can play PC games capably without taking up too much space. It’s exactly the tiny gaming system…
By Mike Fahey Published February 13, 2020 -
ReviewsThe Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Is A Little Weird, But Mostly Fine
When I left the theater after a private screening of Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the organizers walked up to me with a question. Would the movie please hardcore fans? I took a moment to think. It didn’t matter, I said, shrugging. It wasn’t a movie for them; it was a movie made for kids.…
By Heather Alexandra Published February 13, 2020 -
ReviewsToysVideo Game Characters As Horrific Rubber Ducks
There is a line of toys called Tubbzthat consists of rubber ducks cosplaying as video game and pop culture characters. Today Numskull Designs announced wave two of the line, featuring characters from Street Fighter, Sonic the Hedgehog, Doom, Resident Evil, and The Last of Us. I find them quite disconcerting. I like a good PVC…
By Mike Fahey Published February 7, 2020 -
ReviewsToysUnassuming Cube Transforms Into Awesome Lego Robot
Making a box out of Lego bricks is easy. Making a smooth cube using flat Lego pieces slightly more challenging. Creating a smooth cube with cool decorations that transforms into a small robot with a ton of personality, as Lego engineer Moko has? That’s master builder stuff. Moko’s Cube-Robo, via The Brothers Brick, is a…
By Mike Fahey Published February 7, 2020 -
ReviewsToysLego Masters Is A Magnificent Showcase Of Building Talent
The American version of Lego Masters debuted on Fox last night, pitting 10 teams of creators against the clock, each other, and host Will Arnett’s sense of humor as they attempt to construct elaborate Lego builds. Even the creations that fail are extraordinary. Lego Masters is like the Great British Bake Off, but players work…
By Mike Fahey Published February 6, 2020 -
ReviewsToysDeath Stranding Action Figure Carries All The Cargo
The standard edition of Good Smile Company’s big-headed figure of Death Stranding’s Sam Porter Bridges comes with a couple of cargo cases, his terrain scanner, and the cutest little BB pod you ever did see. The “Great Deliverer” edition comes with two additional head pieces, sunglasses, and a grand total of 21 pieces of cargo,…
By Mike Fahey Published February 6, 2020 -
ReviewsKeyboardsThe Best Rhythm Game Controller Is A Keyboard, Specifically This One
To make up for all those times I used a console gamepad to play first-person shooters on PC, I’ve purchased a mechanical keyboard specifically designed for playing rhythm games on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. It’s called the K28 Keyboard Style Controller, and it is almost perfect. A mechanical keyboard is the absolute shizz…
By Mike Fahey Published February 3, 2020 -
ReviewsToysLet Waddle Dee Have An Apple, You Monsters
I know Waddle Dees are Kirby’s enemies, minions of King Dedede, but that isn’t stopping my heart from breaking over the sad face on Good Smile Company’s new Waddle Dee figure. Like Good Smile Company’s popular Kirby figures, two of which are being re-released in conjunction with this latest addition to the line, Waddle Dee’s…
By Mike Fahey Published January 31, 2020 -
ReviewsToysPutting Together Bandai’s Pokémon Models Is Fast, Fun, And Mildly Horrific
Earlier this month Bandai and Bluefin announced the North American release of Bandai Spirits Hobby’s Pokémon models kits, starting with Pikachu, Eevee, and Mew this spring. Last night I assembled all three. It only took me about an hour, and I was only slightly traumatized by Pikachu’s hollow plastic face. The PokePla kits are perfect…
By Mike Fahey Published January 27, 2020 -
ReviewsMultiplatformKentucky Route Zero: The Kotaku Review
After seven years, the haunting episodic adventure game Kentucky Route Zero is finally complete. The game’s first chapter came out on PC in 2013. Tomorrow’s Act V marks the end of the story. A new “TV Edition” for consoles collects all five acts—the main story pieces of the game—and four interludes—side content that ties back…
By Riley MacLeod Published January 27, 2020 -
ReviewsMultiplatformJourney To The Savage Planet: The Kotaku Review
We get a lot of funny video games. We get a lot of strange games. But wacky video games are rare. Journey to the Savage Planet, a short new sci-fi first-person shooter, is, despite some flaws, wonderfully wacky. In this game, you don’t punch enemies. You slap them, complete with a comedic thwack sound. Alien…
By Zack Zwiezen Published January 27, 2020 -
ReviewsToysUntitled Goose Game Could Get An Official Lego Set
The Lego Ideas program lets amateur builders submit their creations for consideration as official Lego products. One of the hottest projects in the program right now is based on one of the hottest video games of 2019, That F***ing Goose. Here’s how Lego Ideas works. Builders submit their creations to the website. Lego fans browse…
By Mike Fahey Published January 22, 2020 -
ReviewsToysBig-Headed Anime Fortnite Figures Are Coming
Japanese toymaker Good Smile Company makes big-headed anime figures out of everything from Blizzard hero shooters to scary clown movies. It was only a matter of time before they started in on Fortnite. Already big-headed, the bright pink cuddle team leader is a great place to start. I don’t play Fortnite, but I love the…
By Mike Fahey Published January 17, 2020 -
ReviewsToysLook At This Little Corgi Burger
Look at this plush corgi cheeseburger. As both Kotaku’s resident toy and snack aficionado, I’ve been mesmerized by this glorious thing for days. Do I tag it “Toys”? “Snacktaku”? Both? Probably both. It’s a seven-inch plush double cheeseburger with a corgi face for the top bun, which is completely silly and I love it. It’s…
By Mike Fahey Published January 15, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe 87 Games I Played Last Year And The Ones I Recommend
For the 14th straight year, I’m listing all the games I’ve played in the past 12 months. I’m also offering some recommendations. I’m a little late this year, because of distractions, but I’m not going to let anything end this tradition. When I first started tracking the games I’d played in a given year, I…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 13, 2020 -
ReviewsToysHere Is Kirby On Pancakes Brandishing A Stick Of Butter
What is sweeter than Kirby? How about Kirby sitting on a stack of syrup-soaked pancakes raising a glistening stick of butter over his head? Throw in a strawberry and that’s about as sweet as Kirby can get. This little two and a half inch-tall figure is part of Banpresto Box’s Kirby’s Dolce Collection, a $30…
By Mike Fahey Published January 13, 2020