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ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of Xbox In 2020
This time last year, Microsoft’s current flagship console was little more than a swanky video spot aired during a swanky awards show. Now, it’s the capstone to one of the biggest years for Xbox in recent memory. Time sure works in funny ways. Yes, it’s been almost one year to the day since Microsoft officially…
By Ari Notis Published December 21, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Worst Video Games Names Of 2020
What’s in a name? When it comes to games… not much. Games can be great and have terrible, awful, dumb names. In fact, many games on this list are good games that are just unfortunately saddled with an awful title Some of these names are silly, some are dumb, some don’t really make sense, others…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewZack Zwiezen’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
When I first sat down to put together this list, I wrote down two titles and then sat and thought for a while about what else I played. I think this year has thrown my whole mind into a strange funk, because I couldn’t even name 10 games I had played, let alone loved. But…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 19, 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 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewSeven Games That Were Almost My Game Of The Decade
When people ask me to name my game of the decade, I pause. There are so many. I took away hard-won lessons from some of them, but over time, I’ve come to realize that those lessons were probably wrong. On a more or less annual basis, my game of the decade changes. This is not…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 3, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Worst Games Of 2019 According To Metacritic
2019 was a year filled some damn good games. Baba Is You, Resident Evil 2, Control, The Outer Worlds and many more high-quality games released this year. But it’s not all good and this year also saw the release of some games that weren’t well-reviewed by critics or fans. Here are the top five worst…
By Zack Zwiezen Published January 1, 2020 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe 12 Best Video Games Of 2019
2019 has run its course, and now we have a whole new decade to look forward to. As always, Kotaku’s staff has come together to pick our favorite games of the year. Here, in alphabetical order, are our top 12 games of 2019. Apex Legends Baba Is You Control Death Stranding Disco Elysium Fire Emblem:…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 31, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Year In Title Screens
I’m the biggest sucker for a good PRESS START screen. For all the many hours I spend with a game, I reserve a lot of fondness for those first moments before I even push a button. Final Fantasy X-2, Persona 3 FES, Chakan: The Forever Man—I’m sure they’re all games I’d remember even if I…
By Joshua Rivera Published December 30, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Greatest Game Trailers Of The Decade
The decade ends, history’s book turns another page, and you’ve still not finished playing The Witcher 3 for some reason. While the games of the past decade have left their marks, we can also remember the flashier side of things: trailers. Here are the best of the decade. Writing a list of best trailers feels…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 30, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewFahey’s Top 10 Games Of 2019
Can you pick out my top ten games of 2019 from the image above? Of course you can’t, there are only seven games shown there. Want to find out what the other three are, maybe read my justifications for them being on my list? Gonna have to click. That’s how I get you. I spent…
By Mike Fahey Published December 30, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in Review2019’s Video Games, In Under Two Minutes
2019 is on its way out. Just like every year, Malcolm Klock has cut together some of the year’s biggest games and crammed them into less than two minutes for your reminiscing/enjoyment. There’s a few games in this video I completely forgot (Far Cry New Dawn does not feel like this year to me), but…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 30, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Jackbox Party Games Are Some Of The Best Games Of The Decade
For Christmas this year, my GF and I went to her parents’ home and chilled out all day there. We ate brunch and dinner, opened gifts and relaxed. It was nice. But what made it even better was Drawful 2. And this ability to make nearly any party, gathering or hangout better is why The…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 28, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Year In Tiny Video Game Text, 2019
Games are cheaper than ever, but the three cataract surgeries I paid for this year in order to read the words in them has made the hobby itself way more expensive. In all seriousness, it’s 2019 and so many games, both big and small, are still impossible to read without squinting until a blood vessel…
By Ethan Gach Published December 27, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewVideo Game Fashion Disasters Of The Decade
Video game clothes are usually either very good—like every single thing Bayonetta wears, or all of Jesse Faden’s boss bitch suits in Control—or they are very, very bad. This is a celebration of the decade’s fashion blunders in video games. May they all rest in piss. Low Rise Pants In The Sims 4 Low rise…
By Gita Jackson Published December 27, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewWhat Are Your Video Game Resolutions for 2020?
The year is ending and a new decade is upon us, which means a chance to reinvent ourselves and embark on new adventures. It also means more video games. As the new year approaches, we ask: what are your video game resolutions? Resolutions are largely arbitrary, but there’s still fun in setting a goal. Head…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 27, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewGita Jackson’s Top Ten Games Of 2019
I hate writing top ten lists. At the end of a year, I’m so exhausted that I can barely remember which games came out that year. I’ll start writing a list and then realize that half the games on it came out in 2012. Luckily, I played a lot of great games that stuck in…
By Gita Jackson Published December 26, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Year In Video Game Skies, 2019
Despite video games’ best efforts to make me spend my time staring down at the floor and picking up random junk, I keep looking up to the skies above and the stars beyond. 2019 was full of lovely depictions of both. This is the third annual collection of video game skies, and each year I’m…
By Ethan Gach Published December 26, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewRiley’s Top 10 Games Of 2019
My 2019 in games was weird. The year’s biggest offerings—games like Jedi: Fallen Order, Death Stranding, and Pokemon Sword and Shield—weren’t my style. My recent sobriety often pulled me away from my gaming PC, as my interests expanded to include running, rock climbing, and being in pain from getting into sports in my late 30s.…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 25, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewFahey’s Favorite Toys Of 2019
2019 was U.S. toy fans’ first full year without Toys’R’Us, or at least Toys’R’Us as we once knew it. Desperate Americans were forced to buy from non-dedicated toy sellers, with their lower prices and convenient one-stop shopping. It was a nightmare, but somehow we made it through with some pretty cool stuff. Let’s check it…
By Mike Fahey Published December 24, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewJason Schreier’s Top 10 Games Of 2019
It’s been a challenging year for many reasons here at Kotaku—well, really just one reason—and I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do know that 2019 had a lot of really cool video games. Let’s talk about them, shall we? From lightsabers to logic puzzles, here are my top ten games of…
By Jason Schreier Published December 24, 2019