Uncategorized

The State Of The PlayStation 4 In 2017

Nintendo might have gotten more buzz in 2017, but Sony’s PlayStation 4 just had a quietly excellent year. In fact, it was arguably the system’s best run since it came out. Throughout 2017, Sony’s approach to the PS4 was a mix of reliable and experimental. That’s a good combination. The company delivered a pile of…

There’s a new episode of Fave This, featuring Alex Bedder, who takes care of Kotaku’s social media. We talk about his new show, TL;DR, why gay gamers are really into Super Mario Odyssey, the pageantry of awards shows and why we both love The Room. You can grab the MP3 here

The Switch’s New Hip-Hop Game Is A Welcome Surprise

Growing up in New York City, it was hard not to be a fan of hip-hop, but there never were many hip-hop video games. I remember that Wu Tang fighting game, the Def Jam Vendetta games and Marc Ecko’s Getting Up. There hasn’t been much lately. But now there’s Floor Kids on the Nintendo Switch.…

On Xbox, Battlegrounds Is More Of The Janky, Troubled Game I Love

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ is on Xbox today. The console’s more casual feel benefits players who prefer a more strategic, slow-moving pace, but that’s in part because the game’s signature jankiness is significantly jankier here—it’s hard to play ambitiously when everything from switching weapons to jumping off the airplane is just a little more finicky. If you…

Survey Finds Kids As Young As 11 Years Old Have Gambled With In-Game Items 

The UK Gambling Commission released its annual report today examining the gambling habits of 11- to 16-year-olds. For the first time ever, betting on in-game items like skins were included in its analysis. The report, titled “Young people and gambling 2017,” states that 11% of children between between 11 and 16 had bet with in-game…

Here’s a two-month delay for Ni no Kuni 2, which will now be out on March 23, 2018. The sequel to Bandai Namco’s cartoony role-playing game was previously scheduled for fall 2017, and then for January 2018.

Oh No, My Sims Won’t Stop Having Sex

My sim Miranda, a chef, came home from work at 1 am. Her husband Marvin went outside to greet her. “Please,” I whispered at my game of The Sims. “Please don’t have sex right here.” My prayers fell on deaf ears. (NSFW warning!) Wicked Whims is a mod for The Sims that greatly expands the…

Life is Strange is coming to iPad and iPhone December 14th. The first three episodes will be available that day, with episodes four and five to follow in early 2018. Android will also be coming in 2018.

Why Some Video Games Are In Danger of Disappearing Forever

Years of neglect are eroding gaming history. Cartridges rot in garages, companies hoard demos that they will never release, and obscure titles fade into the ether. Some games may even be lost forever. What is happening? The biggest threat to game preservation is the degradation of physical media. Over time, game data and features literally…

Grim Fandango Remastered is free on GOG right now as part of the digital store’s winter sale. You can go download the LucasArts point-and-click adventure game for zero dollars from now through December 14 at 9am EST.

Terra Formars Manga Starts Up Again Next April 

Earlier this year, manga Terra Formars went on hiatus due to writer Yu Sasuga’s health. The manga was slated to return this fall but was still MIA. However, Sasuga appears to have recovered, and Terra Formars will resume publication next spring. Young Jump’s editorial department tweeted out the following image, with messages from both Sasuga…

Why Alita Has Big Anime Eyes And How The Internet Is Reacting

When the Alita: Battle Angel trailer hit last Friday, it was impossible not to notice the character Alita’s anime-style eyes. While talking to IGN Brazil, Sin City directorRobert Rodriguez explained the decision to give the character these peepers, saying, “The manga anime eyes that we’ve seen since the 30s and Astro Boy has never been…

Pokémon Fans Are Having Fun With “Cute Ash”

Next year’s Pokémon movie features a new look for Ash. Fans say the design looks kawaii or “cute” and are having fun churning out tweaked versions. Twitter user Majibeef’s “cute Ash” image has been retweeted over 75,000 times. Other Twitter users have been adding their own takes. Like clockwork, there has been fan art, too.…

Nagasaki Night Life. Nagasaki, Japan. By Peter Harder JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Top World Of Warcraft Guild Says Member DDOS-ed Teammates To Get Their Raid Spots

An MMO guild is like a giant family, a tangled yarn ball of love and dysfunction. Generally speaking, people don’t DDOS their families. It is, for obvious reasons, Not Cool. And yet, that’s exactly what top US World of Warcraft guild Limit claims one of its members did. Right now, top WoW guilds are racing…

Horror Game Hello Neighbor Is No Fun

Hello Neighbor is a stealth horror game with a winning premise and perhaps the worst execution of any game I’ve played this year. In the game, released last week for PC, Mac and Xbox One, the player sneaks into his insidious neighbor’s house. Developer Dynamic Pixels allegedly designed that neighbor as an advanced AI who…

‘We’ve Made Some Mistakes’: Bungie Backtracks On Locked Destiny 2 Content

Shortly after last week’s Destiny 2 expansion Curse of Osiris came out, it became evident that players who hadn’t bought the DLC were locked out of activities they’d previously been able to play. Today, Bungie acknowledged they’d made mistakes with the existing system and said they’re changing how it’ll work. “It’s clear that we’ve made…

Harmonix’s New Game Can Make Some Terrible Music

I was recently telling a friend about Dropmix, a new card/music/mobile game from Hasbro and Harmonix that I’d been messing around with that weekend. His childlike enthusiasm for the game’s concept made me feel a twinge of regret for what I intended to do to it. But scientific progress is not earned by the timid,…

Doki Doki Literature Club‘s Darkest Moment

Playing Doki Doki Literature Club is like realizing you have a fever: For a while you deny the creeping feeling that something isn’t quite right until it’s too late to do anything about it. In the beginning of the game you think it’s a cute dating sim, but before too long, you can no longer…

Splatoon 2’s Lobby Full of Fans Rallying Behind Banned ‘Bike Cuck’ Player

Splatoon 2’s lobby is a place to share art and shitposts. While many squid-kids are expressing their allegiance in the upcoming socks versus sweater Splatfest, others are rallying behind a player who says he was banned for the dubious username “Bike Cuck.” Spend a moment wandering Inkopolis Square today and it’s likely you’ll find posts…