Xbox

Battlefield 1 Players Are Getting Banned For Playing Too Well [Updated]

Skilled Battlefield 1 players appear to be clashing with the game’s anti-cheating measure. What exactly are they getting banned for? Being too good at the game. FairFight is a real time cheat detection that has been used in all Battlefield games since Battlefield 3. It uses a function called Algorithmic Analysis of Player Statistics (AAPS)…

Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, released a statement on the Halo Waypoint forums clarifying the development of Halo/Mega Bloks project Haggar and confirming its development. She noted that Haggar was “just one example of several similar projects we have evaluated throughout the years.” Ross’ statement reads as follows: “Over the past few days, footage…

Microsoft Cancels Scalebound [UPDATE]

UPDATE (3:36pm): Microsoft confirmed this afternoon that Scalebound is no more. Their statement to Kotaku and other press: After careful deliberation, Microsoft Studios has come to the decision to end production for “Scalebound.” We’re working hard to deliver an amazing lineup of games to our fans this year, including “Halo Wars 2,” “Crackdown 3,” “State…

Apparent Leaked Footage Reveals Cancelled Mega Bloks Halo Game [Updated]

It seems that Master Chief almost ended up blasting Covenant made of Mega Bloks. After showing the Diddy Kong racing sequel that never was and a scrapped sequel to Oni, archivist Andrew Borman is now reporting on the prototype for Mega Bloks Halo in a new video on his YouTube channel Borman reports that the…

Overwatch’s latest map, Oasis, is now live to the public. It is a control point map set in an advanced city in Iraq. Among some of its major features are jump pads and a bustling street full of traffic.

What Made 2016’s Doom Great

Innovation is like a game of telephone. Someone creates a message, but as it spreads, it loses its meaning. Lessons that seemed clear back in the first-person shooter’s formative years became taken for granted and eventually forgotten. Shooters today are all about weapon limits, level design set pieces, and regenerating health. Doom’s return in 2016…

Battlefield 1‘s Christmas Truce Didn’t Quite Come Together

Battlefield 1 players hoping to recreate World War One’s Christmas truce couldn’t rein back the bloodlust of those eager to kill the fresh wave of new players. In real life, the Christmas Truce of 1914 was a near-miraculous cease fire across many fronts in World War One. It came after Pope Benedict XV suggested a…

Four Surprising Moments Tucked Into Watch Dogs 2

You may have expected hacking, driving and shooting in Watch Dogs 2, but did you expect a discussion of Aliens Vs. Predator? How about a chat about what’s cool about Latin? Yes, the language. Ubisoft’s developers have hidden some odd and interesting stuff in their latest massive open-world game. The Aliens Vs. Predator thing is…

Our Thoughts On Overwatch‘s Tracer Being Gay

With the release of Overwatch’s holiday comic, gamers saw the game’s first openly gay character: Tracer. Many of us here at Kotaku, an Overwatch fansite, took time to sit down and reflect on how Blizzard has treated the topic of diversity in our favorite team based shooter. Update—5:40 p.m.: Shortly after publication, Blizzard sent Kotaku…

What We Liked And Didn’t Like About Watch Dogs 2

Three of us on staff have been playing Watch Dogs 2. Two of us have finished it. We figured it was a good time to chat about the good and bad of the game. There was a lot to consider! Bonus: We may accidentally wandered into a discussion about why one of us is very,…

Space Survival Game Astroneer Will Kill You In All The Best Ways

While playing Astroneer, I kept messaging my colleagues about cool ways it had killed me. It was a morbid thing to be excited about. But a satisfying death is the hallmark of a good survival game, and, even in its early stages, Astroneer has a lot of them. Astroneer is a space survival game that’s…

GTA Online Has Become An Incredible, Ridiculous Playground For The Rich

This week, Rockstar Games released a big Grand Theft Auto Online update focused on stealing cars. Committing acts of grand theft auto, if you will. This new expansion is titled “Import/Export.” It adds new ways to make money and some wacky vehicles to spend that money on. The problem is that, unless you already have…

Battlefield 1’s Latest Patch Nerfs Popular Sniper Rifle

The Martini-Henry is one of Battlefield 1‘s most interesting guns. It is a sniper rifle that is very difficult to use. You have no scope and one shot before reloading. If you made it count, the Martini-Henry could be a beast. ButBattlefield 1‘s latest patchhas transformed it into a something of a joke weapon. You…

Minecraft Gets A Fallout Makeover

A new add on pack to Minecraft will add locations and characters from the Fallout series. In a new blog post, Mojang revealed that the additions are coming soon to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The pack will cost $5.99 USD and will add a variety…

Lost Odyssey Is Free On Xbox Right Now

If you like free video games, and you want to play a killer RPG that’s worth playing if only for the fantastic short stories that come packaged in interludes throughout the game, go get Lost Odyssey for free on Xbox One and/or Xbox 360 right now. It’ll be free until December 31.

Dishonored 2’s New Game Plus Lets Players Combine Corvo And Emily’s Abilities

Dishonored 2 is adding a New Game Plus Mode as part of its latest free game update. The mode won’t just let you play a new game with your old powers. It will let you play with every power there is. Game Update 1 is the first of two major free updates. It releases today…

Grand Theft Auto Online’s newest free expansion, Import/Export, is out today. It mostly involves stealing and driving incredible cars, including the ramp car in the video here, posted on YouTube by gamer Oderus Orungus. More details on Rockstar’s site

Battlefield 1‘s New Spectator Mode Highlights Player Stories

Battlefield 1‘s December Update has dropped. It adds a new map, Giant’s Shadow, as well as a surprisingly robust spectator mode. The tool is easy to use and allows players to see the Great War from a whole new perspective. Spectator Mode can be accessed when selecting your server. A quick look at information will…

The State Of The Xbox One In 2016

When 2016 began, you needed to own an Xbox One to enjoy most of the benefits of Xbox gaming. Here at the end of the year, you don’t. This is part of our 2016 “State of” series, a look at how the major consoles, VR platforms, and PC are doing this year. That twist arrived…

The Debate Over Cheating In Grand Theft Auto Online, Waged By Two Friends Who Disagree

Dirty Worka and Carbine King—not their real names, as you may have guessed—are two Grand Theft Auto Online players who clash about one important thing. Dirty Worka hates the rampant cheating in the game. Carbine King is a boastful cheater. Despite this, they’re friends and sometimes play against each other. “Dirty Worka is a great…