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A Lot Of Work Goes Into Making Skylanders The Most Story-Focused Toys-To-Life Game
Where Disney Infinity delivers a series of small self-contained stories and LEGO Dimensions is just getting started, the Skylanders series has spent the past five years building an original fictional universe—and tearing it apart. With toys from all three series littering my desk at any given moment, I think about the blossoming toys-to-life genre a…
By Mike Fahey -
Skylanders Amiibo Figures Finally Available Without Buying A Skylanders Game
Amiibo collectors who purchased a Skylanders Superchargers starter pack for the Wii U, Wii or 3DS solely to acquire the exclusive Bowser and Donkey Kong combo figures are kicking themselves right now. The most recent installment of the Skylanders toys-to-life franchise piggybacked on Nintendo’s Amiibo craze to create an exclusive pair of figures that allows…
By Mike Fahey -
Esports
Activision Buys Out Major League Gaming [UPDATE]
UPDATE (1/4/16, 5:15pm): It’s official: Activision has purchased MLG, they announced in a press release today. Despite this weekend’s report, CEO Sundance DiGiovanni will actually stay with the company. Original article follows: According to a report from eSports Observer, Activision has entered into an agreement to purchase a majority of North American eSports organization Major…
By Mike Fahey -
It’s A Pretty Great Snoopy Game, Charlie Brown
Snoopy’s imagination adventures may have ruined the Peanuts comic strip, but they’re the perfect fodder for a solid movie tie-in platformer. Thought it shares the movie’s 3D look, The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Grand Adventure doesn’t have much to do with Charlie Brown and friends’ big-screen debut. The kids are playing hide and seek, and Snoopy…
By Mike Fahey -
Reviews
Call Of Duty: Black Ops III: The Kotaku Review
There are too many Call of Duty games. Let me clarify that statement: There are too many Call of Duty games in Call of Duty: Black Ops III. In my initial impressions of the single-player experience of the latest installment of Activision’s annual military shooter series, I celebrated what Treyarch had achieved with an extra…
By Mike Fahey -
Call of Duty: Black Ops III‘s Most Brutal Scene Haunts Me
Lately I’ve been having nightmares about robots. Spoilers for the end of the first mission of Call of Duty: Black Ops III follow. It’s strange. I thought it would have been the zombies. My mind’s been fertile soil for the seeds of bad dreams since I was a small child, and over the years I’ve…
By Mike Fahey -
My Favorite Black Ops III Feature So Far Is Theater Mode
Because official screenshots wouldn’t dare get us this close to Jeff Goldblum’s majestic virtuosity, there is Theater mode. Giving players free access to gameplay footage and virtual camera controls is nothing new—games that pride themselves on their visual flair have been letting players show off their stuff for years. Perhaps one day it will be…
By Mike Fahey -
The First Five Minutes Of Black Ops III‘s Hidden Arcade Game
Continuing the proud tradition established in the original Black Ops, Black Ops III has a hidden arcade mini-game, only it’s not really all that mini. If you’d rather find it yourself, close your eyes and ears. And maybe don’t read on. With news of the hidden game splashing about the internet briefly yesterday, Call of…
By Mike Fahey -
Black Ops III‘s Solo Experience Is Surprisingly Deep
There are certain things I’ve come to expect from a single player Call of Duty experience—bombastic set pieces, an in-your-face message, some sort of betrayal and a slow motion enemy take down. Black Ops III delivers three out of four, plus a whole lot more. The latest installment of Activision’s biggest franchise that doesn’t involve…
By Mike Fahey -
Esports
Activision Hires Former ESPN Boss To Run New eSports Division
The company behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft is starting a new eSports division. Activision Blizzard announced the move today, vowing in a press release to come up with “all-new ways to deliver the best-in-class fan experience across games, platforms and geographies.” The division will be headed by two industry veterans: Major League…
By András Neltz -
ReviewsGuitar Hero Live: The Kotaku Review
Guitar Hero Live is two separate games united by a single plastic guitar. One is the first game in the series to truly live up to its name. The other is decidedly different. The core idea behind the Guitar Hero series is right there in the name—make the player feel like a rock (or pop…
By Mike Fahey
