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CultureBlade & Soul Revolution Launches Worldwide Next Week
NCSoft’s martial arts epic Blade & Soul is one of my favorite massively-multiplayer online role-playing games in recent memory. Launching March 4 for iOS and Android, Blade & Soul Revolution is the free-to-play mobile adaptation of the PC game. And half of you left. I really should save the free-to-play bit for after the jump.…
By Mike Fahey Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsInternet Unites For Amazing Mii Channel Song Jam Session
Composer, musician, and YouTuber Alex Moukala let loose a funky, bass-tastic remix of the Nintendo Wii’s Mii Channel theme music on Twitter yesterday and then invited other artists to do the same. The result is an impromptu jam session full of super-talented people showing their love for one of gaming’s quirkiest songs. Moukala, whose music…
By Ethan Gach Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureHitman 3‘s Latest Patch Fixes Incorrect Arabic Text
IO Interactive released the first major patch for Hitman 3 today, bringing with it a raft of changes to the assassination game, including some much-needed updates to the environment. The patch also corrected some Arabic text in the game’s opening level, which was written incorrectly. Shortly after Hitman 3 was released last month, players spotted…
By Ari Notis Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureValheim, As Told By Steam Reviews
I’m getting the impression that maybe, just maybe, Valheim’s five-person development team might be onto something. Since the Viking survival game’s Steam release earlier this month, it’s sold 3 million copies. Over the weekend, more than 500,000 people played it at once. But what do players actually think? That you should avoid falling trees, mostly.…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Will Cost $10 To Upgrade To PS5 And Xbox Series X/S Versions
Last year’s remaster of the first two Tony Hawk Pro Skater games is heading to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch, Activision announced today. Unfortunately, those looking to upgrade their existing copy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 to the next-gen version will need to shell out an extra $10. The PS5 and Xbox Series…
By Ethan Gach Published February 23, 2021 -
ReviewsMultiplatformPersona 5 Strikers: The Kotaku Review
It’s now or it’s never, and I’ve got to Make my decision This time it could be my moment Is this a mirage or a chance to fulfill my mission? Between Persona 5 and its Royal variant, I’ve sunk over 200 hours into the Atlus role-playing game series that pits Japanese teenagers against malevolent, would-be…
By Ash Parrish Published February 23, 2021 -
CultureThe Half-Life 2 RTS Is Finally “Out” After 13 Years Of Development
For over a decade now, a group of fans have been working on Lambda Wars, a real-time strategy game set in the Half-Life universe. Originally a Half-Life 2 mod, and later a standalone beta, the thing is now finished, or as finished as a game ever gets these days, anyway. Having begun development in 2007,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureEpic Settles Real Lawsuit With Fake Money
Fortnite players who purchased one of Save The World’s randomized Loot Llamas will receive 1000 V-Bucks, developer Epic announced today. The move comes as part of a preliminary class action settlement regarding loot boxes. “Whether you were a fan of random item Loot Llamas or not, with preliminary approval for a class action settlement, we’re…
By Riley MacLeod Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureWhy Diablo IV Is So Obsessed With Ears
Ears. If you watched the debut trailer for Diablo IV’s rogue class, that was your main takeaway—at least, if you’re anything like me. The rogue showed up to “confession” with a big ol’ bag of ears. The priest had a whole darn trophy case of ears. This might have struck you as strange—most regular people…
By Nathan Grayson Published February 22, 2021 -
OpinionAsk KotakuWhat Was Your Best-Ever Year For Gaming?
It’s Monday and time for Ask Kotaku, the weekly feature in which Kotaku-ites deliberate on a single burning question. Then, we ask your take. This week we Ask Kotaku: What was your best-ever year for gaming? John Walker There is only one correct answer to this question, and then there are egregiously wrong ones. The…
By Alexandra Hall Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureGoogle’s Facing A Class-Action Suit Over Stadia’s Lack Of True 4K Gaming
There’s another gaming-focused class action lawsuit in the works, this one against Google Stadia over whether or not Stadia can run games at 4K resolution. The suit was originally filed in October, but had a development earlier this month when lawyers for co-defendants id Software filed a notice of removal with federal court. As noted…
By Ari Notis Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryWe Gotta Talk About This Main Story Quest In A Realm Reborn
My journey through Final Fantasy XIV continues apace. My bard and black mage are now at level 46, and I’m currently questing through the icy Coerthas, which seems oddly French with all the names ending in -x and -eau. When I first started playing, my circle of FF14-playing friends all told me to be patient.…
By Ash Parrish Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureDoom Eternal Director Has ‘Put A Lot Of Thought’ Into Making A Female Doom Slayer
During a playthrough stream earlier this month, Doom Eternal director Hugo Martin was asked if the team had ever considered developing a female Doom Slayer for the game. His answer was surprisingly thorough. “I’ve thought about it, actually,” Martin told Bethesda community manager Joshua Boyle following a viewer question. “I think if we did it,…
By Ian Walker Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsDestiny 2 Players Are Jumping Off Cliffs To Avoid Playing Trials Of Osiris
It happened to me: I was looking for groups on the Destiny 2 app to play Trials of Osiris with, joined one, and then found myself jumping off a clif for the next few minutes in a tribute to just how unfun the game’s competitive PVP loot grind can be. Trials of Osiris was lauded…
By Ethan Gach Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureWatch Dogs: Legion Gets Co-Op On March 9
Watch Dogs: Legion is about to become legion. The multiplayer mode for Ubisoft’s open-world hacking game comes out March 9. The multiplayer mode was initially planned to launch on December 3, 2020, but was delayed to a broad 2021 release in order to allow developers time and space to patch out the game’s many bugs…
By Ari Notis Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Persona 5 Strikers Arrives In Style
Persona 5 Strikers is one stylish-looking game and it comes out later this week for PS4, Switch, and PC. I don’t have much to say about Persona 5 Strikers, as I’ve never played a Persona game. Instead, I point you towards the fantastic review of the game. It honestly makes me want to give it…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureMorning MusicForrest 64 Is What A Fictional Nintendo 64 Game Sounds Like
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. We’ve got an odd one today: the soundtrack to a make-believe Nintendo 64 game hidden away in the Switch version of Firewatch Yep, if you’ve got the (I’m told, lovely) adventure game Firewatch on the Switch,…
By Alexandra Hall Published February 22, 2021 -
CultureTake-Two Goes After Reverse-Engineered Grand Theft Auto Code
Last week we shared the good news that the source code for Grand Theft Autos III & Vice City had been reverse-engineered, allowing folks to port the games and come up with cool new mods. Now, we bring you the predictable news that publisher Take-Two Interactive are not happy. The company, listing themselves specifically in…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 21, 2021 -
OpinionIt’s Weird To See Ryu Use A Gun In Fortnite
Yesterday, after some hints and leaks, Street Fighter characters Ryu and Chun-Li came to Epic’s mega-popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Watching Ryu run around shooting people with an assault rifle is weird. It’s also just one more example of how Fortnite consumes popular characters and franchises without much care or celebration. Guest characters have been…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 21, 2021