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CultureHere’s May 2021’s PlayStation Plus Lineup
May’s PlayStation Plus lineup isn’t a knockout, but it’s also not a bad-looking group. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PlayStation Plus membership. May’s PS Plus games are: PS5 Wreckfest: Drive Hard, Die Last PS4 Battlefield V Stranded Deep All games are available starting May 4.
By Riley MacLeod Published April 28, 2021 -
CultureMonster Hunter Rise 2.0 Launches Today With New Monsters And Stuff
Anyone fancy a tussle with Apex Rathalos, maybe kill it, strip it like a stolen car, and wear its skin like a trophy? That’s a thing you’ll be able to do once today’s Monster Hunter Rise update 2.0 hits later today, bringing with it Apex Rathalos, Apex Diabalos, a trio of elder dragons, layered armor…
By Mike Fahey Published April 27, 2021 -
Kotaku EastChinaReport: Knife-Wielding Man Arrested At Genshin Impact Developer’s Headquarters
According to Sina, one of China’s largest news portals, a man was recently arrested at Mihoyo’s Shanghai headquarters. It is believed the suspect intended to stab the company’s founders and then take his own life. The man had purchased two knives and had researched Mihoyo’s founders online. He was arrested on the company grounds, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2021 -
CultureI Need This Vehicle-Building Destruction Game Right Now
Launching into early access on Steam later this year, Instruments of Destruction is a physics-based vehicle-building destruction sandbox from the lead tech designer of Red Faction: Guerrilla. It’s advanced knocking things down from a guy who really knows knocking things down. We’ve been following the work of Radiangames’ founder Luke Schneider for ages here at…
By Mike Fahey Published April 26, 2021 -
CultureLeaked Documents Show EA Really Wants You To Buy FIFA Loot Boxes
EA purposefully drove players toward gambling-like microtransactions in FIFA 21, according to an insider who leaked internal documents to the CBC. “Video game company wants to make money” isn’t exactly a bombshell, but in light of EA’s long-held stance on loot boxes and microtransactions, the 54-page document might raise an eyebrow. FIFA 21 features microtransactions…
By Ari Notis Published April 26, 2021 -
CultureApex Legends Is Getting An Arena Mode
Apex Legends Season 9 starts next week. Ahead of its launch, developer Respawn detailed the game’s upcoming Arena mode, which sees two teams of three face off in a series of rounds. As detailed in a blog post, Arena will be a permanent mode. Players can be revived if knocked down but not respawned. Rounds…
By Riley MacLeod Published April 26, 2021 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Pokémon Paparazzi
New Pokemon Snap is out later this week on the Nintendo Switch. So grab your camera and get ready to snap some photos of Pokémon while singing Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi. I’ll be busy playing Returnal on PS5, but I will get around to New Pokemon Snap eventually. However, will it still be new by the…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsResident Evil Village’s Demo Contains A Small Nod To The Merchant From Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil Village has some confusing demo nonsense, with limited times and different windows of availability. But if you do get a chance to play the demo you’ll hear a nice little reference to the Merchant from Resident Evil 4 aka the best character in that game. In Resident Evil Village’s “Castle Demo,” you encounter…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 25, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSomeone Created An Evil Minecraft Mod That Camouflages Creepers
Most mods I download or see add helpful features or neat new elements, like a cool weapon or better sound effects. However, not all mods are helpful or fun. Some mods are downright evil, like this new Minecraft mod that uses different textures to hide Creepers based on what biome they are in. This evil,…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 25, 2021 -
The BestsLet’s Rank All The Doom Games, From Worst To Best
1993’s Doom is one of the most important, popular, and influential games ever made, and it spawned a whole franchise of (mostly) great shooters. To put it another way: Doom is very good. But even the best franchises have high points and low points. Before we jump into hell and start killing demons, a bit…
By Zack Zwiezen Published April 24, 2021 -
ReviewsBacklogI Have Backlog Anxiety
We at Kotaku have designated April as Backlog Month, in which we, in light of a looming dearth of new video game releases, turn our attention toward the games that we have wanted to play but missed. But unlike my colleagues, I’m having a problem—I have no idea what to do for Backlog Month, and…
By Ash Parrish Published April 23, 2021 -
CultureDisco Elysium Was Its Incredible Narrator’s First Voice Acting Gig
Narration plays a huge role in Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, the spiraling detective simulator that was recently updated for consoles. As such, one might expect the man chosen to lend his pipes to such a project to be some sort of master thespian, or at least a veteran voiceover artist. But in reality, the…
By Ian Walker Published April 23, 2021 -
CultureWhat Are You Playing This Weekend?
The weekend is about slowly and joylessly working through our backlog, somehow dripping with sweat and covered with coal dust. Where did all this sweat-enhancing coal dust come from? Speaking of backlogs, I’ll be spending my weekend free time with the newly released PS5 version (also out for Xbox Series X/S) of Yakuza spinoff Judgment.…
By Mike Fahey Published April 23, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsOne Of The Best WW2 Games Is Now Even Better
I reviewed Unity of Command II a couple years back and, a few quibbles aside, found it to be one of the most interesting and innovative turn-based tactics games I had ever played. It’s now back with a major expansion, and those quibbles are in the firing line. If you’re just joining us for Unity…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureDude Gets 100% On Guitar Hero Song That Looks Physically Impossible
Honestly, this is one of the most physically impressive video game feats I have ever seen. Streamer CarnyJared is one of the best Guitar Hero players on the planet, and here he is fucking around with the 6th version of Soulless, a series of custom songs made for the PC version of Guitar Hero by…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2021 -
ReviewsETCMortal Kombat 2021: The Kotaku Movie Review
As I said last month following a preview of the film’s first 12 minutes, the new Mortal Kombat movie starts off strong. The opening battle between the men who would become Sub-Zero and Scorpion is one of my favorite cinema moments of the year. The remaining 98 minutes? Not so much. The fights are outstanding,…
By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsThe Nier Replicant Remaster Does Many Good Things And One Awful Thing
I played the original Nier back in 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed it despite the main character being a hideous troll of an old man. Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, with the handsome younger hero originally exclusive to Japan, looks, plays, and feels better overall, save the unfortunate inclusion of an achievement for players who peek at the…
By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureCall of Duty Gets ’80s Map For Season Three
Following yesterday’s Warzone nuke events, Call of Duty’s Season Three has officially begun for both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Season Three introduces a “new” Warzone map, while Cold War gets new multiplayer maps, weapons, operators, Zombies updates, and more. There’s also a new 100-tier Battle Pass to grind. It’s a lot of what…
By S.E. Doster Published April 22, 2021
