-
CultureEarly Bugsnax Idea Had You Skinning And Butchering Them
Look, we knew Bugsnax was a cute game with a dark heart, but this is particularly bleak. The game’s developers have been sharing some early, ditched ideas for the game on Twitter today, like the fact it was originally an on-rails experience: And, uh, that you would “have to peel and dismantle their bodies before…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureSquare Enix Announces Two More Final Fantasy VII Games
Just after wrapping up Sony’s media show this evening with some Final Fantasy VII x PS5 news, Square Enix announced that there are two more Final Fantasy games coming, both based on the Final Fantasy VII universe. First up is Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, which is a “battle royale game set in Midgar…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureEverything Sony Announced During Today’s PlayStation State Of Play
Here’s everything Sony announced, revealed, or otherwise discussed during today’s PlayStation State of Play broadcast. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is getting some PlayStation 5-exclusive upgrades when it launches on March 12. These include faster loading times, DualSense features like improved haptics and adaptive trigger usage, and enhanced 3D audio. Players will also be…
By Ian Walker Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy VII Remake Gets PS5 Version With New Story Starring Yuffie
This summer, Final Fantasy VII Remake is getting a PlayStation 5 upgrade with all sorts of graphical bells and whistles—and also a new “episode” starring a Final Fantasy VII character who didn’t appear in the game previously: Yuffie Kisaragi. Square made the announcement as part of today’s State of Play Sony event. The new PS5…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureBaldur’s Gate 3‘s ‘Biggest Patch Yet’ Is Now Live
I rue every day that the complete Baldur’s Gate 3 experience isn’t out yet, but we’re getting there. Today, developer Larian dropped the fourth patch for the Divinity: Original Sin 2 sequel/Baldur’s Gate sorta-sequel, which it calls its “biggest patch yet.” Standout features include the druid class, loaded dice to keep you from critical failing…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureAfter Anthem‘s Failure, Dragon Age 4 Will Reportedly Be Single-Player Only
We praise dancing in the Chantry y’all! According to a report from Bloomberg, EA is allowing BioWare to ditch “all multiplayer components” originally planned for the latest game in the Dragon Age series. EA is a company known for its dogged insistence on adding multiplayer and microtransactions to every one of its games, pushing its…
By Ash Parrish Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDestiny 2 Is Sunsetting Sunsetting
Bungie announced today it’s getting rid of Destiny 2‘s most beleaguered mechanic: sunsetting. Starting in Season 14, new weapons will no longer have an expiration date. “This is a big change for Destiny and one that we did not make lightly,” assistant game director Joe Blackburn wrote in a sweeping new State of Destiny post…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDestiny 2‘s Next Big Expansion The Witch Queen Delayed To 2022
Destiny 2 has gotten a big expansion every year since it released, but 2021 will be different. Bungie announced today that The Witch Queen, originally planned to launch in the second half of this year, will be delayed until 2022 due to its size and ongoing issues around working from home during the covid-19 pandemic.…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsBlack Ops Cold War’s Large-Scale ‘Outbreak’ Mode Shakes Up Zombies
Season Two of Black Ops Cold War arrives today, with a new 6v6 multiplayer map, new weapons, more challenges to complete, and another 100-tier battle pass to grind. It also brings the most unique Zombies experience we’ve seen in a while, in the large-scale “Outbreak” Zombies mode. As a part of Black Ops Cold War’s…
By S.E. Doster Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureCourt Orders Valve To Hand Over Data On 436 Steam Games To Apple
Apple has been asking a bunch of companies to give it confidential information in its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games over how much money each company gets to collect off of Fortnite skin sales on the iPhone. Yesterday, a California magistrate judge ordered Valve to comply with one of these requests and hand over…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureDestruction AllStars, Originally Planned As A $70 Game, Will Sell For $20
Destruction AllStars, the PlayStation 5-exclusive derby game, will soon sell for $20, developer Lucid Games announced today—a $50 price drop from the game’s original sticker price of $70. Last September, during a digital showcase, Sony announced that some PS5 games would cost $70, a notable increase over the long-standard price point of $60. One of…
By Ari Notis Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureCall Of Duty Is Getting Too Big For Your Base PS4, Activision Warns
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are now so big, Activision is telling base PS4 owners they may no longer be able to fit both full games on their console’s hard drive. Call of Duty: Warzone’s season two update is live, and it’s another hulking 17GB on PS4…
By Ethan Gach Published February 25, 2021 -
CultureReport: Hack Locked Cyberpunk 2077 Developers Out Of Their Computers For Two Weeks
Earlier this month, you may have read about a major cyber attack against Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red. According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, that hack all but halted work at the Polish game studio for two weeks. Citing sources who wished to remain anonymous, Bloomberg’s report details how the hack…
By Ari Notis Published February 24, 2021 -
CultureCyberpunk 2077‘s Next Big Patch Delayed Following Cyber Attack
The next major patch for Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed to an unspecified date in March, CD Projekt Red announced in a tweet today, citing the recent cyber attack against the company as a reason for the delay. “While we dearly wanted to deliver Patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 in the timespan we detailed previously,…
By Ari Notis Published February 24, 2021 -
CultureStar Wars: Republic Commando Comes To PS4 And Switch Over A Decade Later
Tactical first-person shooter Star Wars Republic Commando is finally coming to other platforms, port studio Aspyr Media announced today. Originally released on PC and Xbox, the Clone Wars-era game will launch on PS4 and Switch on April 6. The new port will be $15 and only include the single-player campaign, which is a shame for…
By Ethan Gach Published February 24, 2021 -
CultureMorning MusicI Hope Halo Infinite Sounds Half As Great As Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, let’s listen to the soundtrack for one of last year’s best games: Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the ethereal platformer from Moon Studios. Plenty of games have terrific music. (See: Exhibits A through…
By Ari Notis Published February 24, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy XVI Is Taking Steps For Players Who Don’t Like Action Gameplay
During a recent radio interview, producer Naoki Yoshida was asked about Final Fantasy XVI. Despite some earlier wariness about spilling any beans, he revealed that following the very action-focused trailer, they’re developing a mode for people who prefer to focus on story. Previously, Yoshida has mentioned that Square Enix didn’t want to say “something that’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 24, 2021 -
CultureMore PC Games Get Magical DLSS Support
Two more PC games have gotten DLSS support—a form of modern sorcery—from Nvidia, meaning anyone with a card that supports the tech will now be getting much better performance. Those games are Nioh 2 (which did not launch in the best shape) and Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, which should both be getting framerate boosts…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureStardew Valley Is Now A Co-Op Board Game
For the past two years, designers Eric Barone and Cole Medeiros—who met while playing Stardew Valley online—have been working on turning the idyllic video game into something folks can play on a table. Their work is now done, and in addition to announcing the board game, they’ve also announced that it’s available for purchase, right…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryPersona 5 Strikers’ Menus Are As Vibrantly Alive As Its Cast
Video game menus are like assholes—every game has them and more often than not, they stink. They are often the least-pretty, least splashy part of an otherwise beautiful game, partly because they aren’t central to gameplay (unless it’s Crusader Kings or something). But Persona 5 Strikers shows us a world in which menus do not…
By Ash Parrish Published February 23, 2021