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CultureOh, Goody, E3 Will Have An Awards Show
Following a weeklong flurry of digital events, and a four-day spree of press conferences, E3 2021 will culminate in an awards ceremony, the Entertainment Software Association announced today. Yay… You might be thinking to yourself, “Wait a second, haven’t E3 awards always existed?” You’re not wrong. There’s a reason box art for games like Dragon…
By Ari Notis Published June 1, 2021 -
CultureWatch Dogs: Legion Gets A Surprise Free Zombie Mode Of Sorts
Available today, as a surprise free alpha test for Watch Dog: Legion PC players, Legion of the Dead fills the game’s London with zombies. Up to four players are tasked with scavenging the resources they need to survive while using their special skills to thwart the zombie hoards. Sounds neat! I sure hope people play…
By Mike Fahey Published June 1, 2021 -
CulturePhantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Launches Launches June 9
Here we go. Sega announced that Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis will launch on June 9. That’s next Wednesday! PSO2: NGS marks the twentieth anniversary of Phantasy Star Online—and ten years of PSO2. This is a massive expansion, featuring a revamped graphics engine and updated game system. Here’s the official release info: Scheduled Launch…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 1, 2021 -
CultureIf You Want Indie Gaming News, You Just Have To Ask
Earlier today, I tweeted explaining that for some mad reason Kotaku had left me alone at the wheel of their website today, and asked my followers for breaking AAA news to fill in the awkward holiday Monday-driven game-world silence. It turns out they don’t know what triple-A means, but what they heck, here’s the breaking…
By John Walker Published May 31, 2021 -
CultureMany Need For Speed Games Are About To Be Erased From Reality
Publishers, like entropy, will eventually destroy everything. Rather than preserving their games like the works of art they should think they are, instead the instinct is more usually to go to enormous lengths to make them impossible to play. The latest victims of these murderous antics are many of the Need For Speeds released between…
By John Walker Published May 31, 2021 -
CultureTotal War: Three Kingdoms Fans Review Bomb The Game After Final Update Announced
Total War: Three Kingdoms, as of the weekend, is an “Overwhelmingly Negative” game on Steam. An organized review bombing has seen fans react somewhat negatively to the news that the 2019 game will receive no further updates, least of all a promised “building out the North of the map.” Creative Assembly, which releases approximately forty-seven…
By John Walker Published May 31, 2021 -
CultureOdds and Ends15 Years Ago This Month, Valve Announced Half-Life 2: Episode 3
It seems like just yesterday when Valve announced a trilogy of expansions for their super-popular PC game, 2004’s Half-Life 2. But it’s actually been 15 years since Episode 3 was announced. And while Valve has since released a new Half-Life game, it wasn’t the one the developer announced back in 2006. Thanks to the internet…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 30, 2021 -
CultureBenoît Sokal, Creator Of The Syberia Series, Has Died
Belgian comic book artist Benoît Sokal, the creator of the adventure game series Syberia, died on May 28 after battling a long-term illness. He was 66 years old. The news of his passing was confirmed via a statement from game publisher Microids Sokal began creating comics in the 1970s. One of his first characters was…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 30, 2021 -
CultureDestruction AllStars Is Getting Bots Because Not Enough People Are Playing
Destruction AllStars, released in February exclusively on PS5, doesn’t seem to have a huge community of players online. So to help improve matchmaking the developers have announced plans to add online bots. The news of bots being added to the game was revealed in a Dev Update post on Reddit. In the post, the devs…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 29, 2021 -
OpinionUbisoft Insists Latest Game, [INSERT NAME], Isn’t Political [Update]
Today, Ubisoft showed off some new gameplay from the upcoming [INSERT GENRE] game [INSERT NAME]. The footage shows that the game’s setting and story seem to be politically charged and potentially filled with commentary about [INSERT CURRENT EVENT]. However, as usual, Ubisoft has been quick to explain that, no, this game is not, in fact,…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMusings Of A Mass Effect 1 Newcomer
Mass Effect Legendary Edition has given me a chance I missed the first time around. Though I’ve played through the other games of BioWare’s long-running space opera—3, Andromeda, and, years later, 2, in that order—’m tackling the first Mass Effect for the first time ever. Playing Mass Effect in 2021 is, of course, very different…
By Ari Notis Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureBloodstained: Ritual Of The Night Might Be Getting A Sequel, Maybe
In its latest round of fiscal results, 505 Games parent company Digital Bros appeared to reveal that a Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night sequel was in the works. But when reached for comment, the publisher was surprisingly aloof. The original Digital Bros document included a bullet point in its Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night slide…
By Ian Walker Published May 28, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsGraven Looks Great, But Right Now It’s A Bit Boring
Graven is the latest game from resurrected publisher 3D Realms. Like its recent releases Ion Fury and Wrath, Graven is a throwback to 1990s PC first-person shooters, this time being a spiritual successor to Hexen and Heretic. It’s a visual delight to run around the world of Graven, kicking bad guys and exploring a creepy…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureNew Site Teaches You How To Play EVE Online
EVE Online is a tough game to learn without a lot of effort and assistance. The good news is that there’s now an easier path to getting started: the EVE Academy, a new companion website to the 18 year old MMO, was created specifically to show new players the ropes, and potentially teach a few…
By Lee Yancy Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureSplitscreenMass Effect Is Back, But It Seems Like Morality Meters Are Gone For Good
Will you save the orphans or eat them? Will you blow up the planet or give it renewable energy and free healthcare? Will you hug Leonardo Da Vinci or let his outstretched arms wither? For a minute there, it felt like games were characterized by binary choices like these—even if their prevalence might have been…
By Nathan Grayson Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureMicrosoft Flight Simulator Is Much Smaller Now
Video games are big, and as new technology supports greater visual fidelity, they’re only bound to get bigger. That’s why it’s always nice when the developers behind bulky games like Microsoft Flight Simulator figure out ways to decrease those download sizes. Microsoft Flight Simulator’s base file size was reduced from over 170 GB to just…
By Ian Walker Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureFar Cry 6 Out October 7, First Gameplay Trailer Released
Today, Ubisoft revealed our first good look at the gameplay of Far Cry 6. It included a missile-launching backpack, guerrilla warfare, and a bunch of guns. Ubisoft also shared Far Cry 6‘s release date. The open-world shooter launches on October 7, 2021 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. During Ubisoft’s…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsFortnite X Books You Read In High School
Fortnite’s gotten a crossover with Mistborn, a fantasy series by Brandon Sanderson. Following a Twitter teaser, players can now get a skin of character Kelsier along with a themed back bling, pickaxe, and load screen. It’s the game’s first book tie-in. A few Kotaku staffers have read Mistborn and were excited by this news. Another…
By Riley MacLeod Published May 28, 2021 -
CultureCharlie Guillemot, Son of Ubisoft’s CEO, Is Leaving The Company
Charlie Guillemot, co-head of Ubisoft mobile studio Owlient, is stepping down based on a new report from Axios. Back in August of last year, his studio faced controversy when a Tom Clancy branded mobile game used Black Lives Matter imagery in relation to a fictional in-game terrorist group. Charlie Guillemot is also the son of…
By Zack Zwiezen Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureHere’s 14 Minutes Of Horizon Forbidden West Running On PS5
Today, during a State of Play digital showcase, Sony showed off 14 minutes of gameplay for Horizon Forbidden West, the much-anticipated sequel to 2017’s awesomest open-world robot dinosaur-hunting game. The demo opens on the beachfront ruins of San Francisco, six months after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. Raiders show up, riding machines, leading a…
By Ari Notis Published May 27, 2021