PlayStation

Japanese TV Meets Shuhei Yoshida, Thinks He’s Just Some Guy 

Recently in Tokyo, the mainstream Japanese media attended an exhibit about the history of video games and had no clue it was talking to one of the most well-known people in, well, gaming. D’oh! Instead of stating “Shuhei Yoshida President of Sony’s Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment,” television program Mezamashi TV introduced him simply…

The PS4 Is Finally Getting Features It Should’ve Had For Years

The PS4’s next firmware update will finally let you turn on notifications for when your friends come online. It still won’t let you change your username, but at least it’ll give you some privacy. With firmware 3.50, which goes into beta tomorrow—final release TBD—Sony is adding some much-needed features to their snazzy console including the…

Far Cry Primal Has Some Great Easter Eggs

It’s not an open world game without hidden references and easter eggs. And Far Cry Primal has some pretty cool ones: some related to other Ubisoft games, while others to our own prehistory. Blood Dragon cave There’s a cool reference, for example, to the retro futuristic spinoff game Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Remains of…

Far Cry Primal: The Kotaku Review

Far Cry Primal is frequently violent and occasionally, unexpectedly sweet. The caveman action game is an excellent concept best experienced by people who haven’t been playing every entry in Far Cry, another of gaming’s perpetual franchises. It’s an iteration. It’s a tweak. It’s another reprise of 2012’s Far Cry 3 formula of first-person open-world hunting…

1999 PS1 Game Launch Party Was A Wonder Of The 20th Century

Masaya Matsuura, of Parappa the Rapper fame, uploaded a video yesterday of the launch party—complete with live performances—for PS1 rhythm game UmJammer Lammy. It’s from 1999. It’s awesome Come for the late-90s wonder. Stay for Jeff Gerstmann winning a plastic guitar.

The Dangerous Animals I’ve Pet In Far Cry Primal

Who needs guns in a video game when you can tame and command bears and saber-toothed tigers to kill for you? That’s what I’ve been doing in Far Cry Primal, though there’s something to be said for just stopping and petting these furry four-legged instruments of death. I made a video of my favorite new…

Far Cry Primal Has A Roundabout Storyline Connection To Far Cry 4

There were no easy opportunities for any of the characters in today’s new Stone Age Far Cry Primal game to overlap with those of 2014’s modern-day Far Cry 4, but publisher Ubisoft has found a way to confirm they’re in the same universe. The connection—which isn’t a spoiler for the game, in case you’re wondering—holds…

The Witness‘ Lead Designer Tries To Race Through ‘The Challenge’

A full one hour and 30 seconds into this Giant Bomb video of Witness lead designer Jonathan Blow playing and talking about his team’s new game, he takes onThe Challenge. That’s the hardest puzzle in the game. He struggles, probably because it’s not as easy when people are watching. It’s still illuminating to watch him…

Our Favorite (And Least Favorite) Vita Memories

The PlayStation Vita turns four today in North America, which makes for a good excuse to look back and reminisce about Sony’s much-criticized portable console. Come join some of Kotaku’s staff for a chat about the Vita and what we’ve done with it over the past few years. Jason Schreier: Hi guys! Four years ago…

The Biggest Selling PS4 Games in Japan

Some of the big sellers will not surprise you. Some of them might. In the latest Weekly Famitsu, the magazine looks back at the last two years of PS4 hardware and software sales. As of February 7, 2016, here are the biggest selling games in Japan, based on Famitsu’s retail sales data: 20. Watch Dogs:…

How the PS4 Is Doing in Japan

The PlayStation 4 launched in Japan on February 22, 2014. With the console’s two year anniversary coming up in Japan, let’s see how the PS4 is doing in the country where the PlayStation was born. In the latest Weekly Famitsu, an article features monthly PS4 sales data, letting us track the console’s progress over the…

Track: You’re Not Alone | Artist: Nobuo Uematsu | Album: Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Wrestling With The Witness‘ Most Difficult, Divisive Puzzle

“This piece of the game is supposed to be difficult,” the game designer Jonathan Blow recently said to me as we discussed the hardest puzzle in The Witness, the so-called bonus “Challenge” that only 3.3% of PS4 players and 4% of PC players have managed to complete. He was helping me make peace that I…

Hitman GO, the mobile, Hitman-themed strategy game, is coming to PC, PS4, and PS Vita next Tuesday. Launching as the “Definitive Edition,” it’ll feature full Steamworks integration on PC and cross-buy/cross-save on PS4 and Vita, with upgraded visuals and all updates from the mobile version intact.

Here’s What’s Changing For The Division‘s Second Beta

Patch notes for Ubisoft’s open beta for the company’s early-March shooter The Division have some good news for those who tried the game’s recent closed beta and saw some flaws in its promising quasi-player-vs-player Dark Zone section. The notes indicate, among other things, that the Dark Zone will have more enemies and give a little…

No one told me Gravity Rush has a flaming windmill: I was expecting Gravity Rush Remastered to be a game about flying, walking on walls and kicking enemies in mid-air. I was even expecting a cat. But this windmill? No wonder Kirk and Evan like the game so much. A good addition to my PS4.

Firewatch: The Kotaku Review

Firewatch is a very lonely video game that’s all about people. Set in 1989, you play as Henry, aka Hank, a guy who has had a pretty shitty time of things lately, and who decides that a Summer job in a Wyoming national park is just the thing he needs to take his mind off…

Unravel: The Kotaku Review

Unravel, which stars a little red knitted character called Yarny, is unusually personal. It is an intimate game, tied to a certain place and time, and it very obviously means something to the people who made it. This post originally appeared on Kotaku UK Yarny is based on an actual doll that creative director Martin…

Track: Stupid Lullabies | Artist: Swingin Utters | Album: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX Original Soundtrack Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Tips For Playing Gravity Rush

You’re a discerning individual with refined tastes. Let’s say you want a really cool new video game to play. You think, “Hey, that Gravity Rush game is out on PS4. I’ll play that!” Wise decision, my friend. Yes, I really like Gravity Rush. It’s a good game, better on PS4, and I hope you play…