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Video Games Are Embracing Being Weird

On this week’s Fave This, Gita and guest Heather Alexandra talk about how games can benefit from being campy. Whether it’s Metal Gear Solid’s Vamp or Deadly Premonition’s sinner’s sandwiches, lots of games embrace how weird they are to be more fun. (Get the MP3 here.) With Patricia Hernandez out sick, I’m joined by Kotaku…

The New Call Of Duty Could Learn A Thing From The First Call Of Duty

Call of Duty: WWII wants to tell a harrowing tale of heroes and sacrifice by following the US Army’s 1st Infantry Division throughout the war. The game’s squad-building mechanics are supposed to have impact, but they mostly mean having a dude sometimes toss you a medkit. In Call of Duty: WWII, your squadmates can assist…

Fortnite Player Snipes Opponents From Atop A Flying Pumpkin

Some streamers just discovered that, in Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode, rockets are both dangerous weapons and efficient modes of transportation. A Fortnite Battle Royale player named Zaccubuswas streaming the game, which just got a very cute Fall expansion, and stumbled upon the event’s rocket launcher, which shoots pumpkins. In the clip below, he and his…

How Microsoft Almost Published Torchlight, And Other Memories From Runic Games

Last week, publisher Perfect World shut down Runic Games, the Seattle-based developer of Torchlight and Hob. To commemorate, we asked one of the studio’s co-founders to share some thoughts and anecdotes. Runic was founded in 2008 by Travis Baldree, Diablo co-creators Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, Peter Hu, and members of the defunct Flagship Studios,…

Delicious Recreations of Studio Ghibli Food

One of the things that makes Studio Ghibli movies so great is that they’re filled with delicious-looking food. But you can eat animated food! That’s why Instagram user En93 has been making them real.  Not only does she recreate the food, but she also does her best to make the dishes and the tableware. Her…

This Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Character’s Voice Is Complete WTF 

Musubi is a rare Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. She looks like an angel, but certainly doesn’t sound like one. Her voice is a total mismatch.  Have a listen for yourself. Redditor WildToeFu put it best: “I was expecting some angelic lady voice, but then I was hit with a little sister voice.” Kotaku East…

A New Version Of The Classic Pokémon Theme Song

When the English-language version of Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! opens, the movie will get a new version of the iconic theme. The “Pokémon Theme” debuted in 1999 and is also known as “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.” Here is how the theme will sound when Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! comes out in…

In Japan, Call of Duty: WWII Ads Are Being Called “Dorky”

Call of Duty: WWII’s Japanese poster campaign sure looks different. Instead of battle hardened troops, it features young folks in dark clothing, holding controllers and saying things like “I’ll do anything for my team.” The posters look like they’re promoting anything but a WWII game. In English, the Japanese ad campaign’s slogan translates to “You…

Harmonica Kitchen. Tokyo, Japan. By Richard Fuentes. 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!   

First-Person Castlevania Game Looks Amazing

Remember how moving to first-person was the best thing that happened to Metroid in years? Maybe Castlevania should try something similar, if this fan-made game (built atop Doom) is any indication. A proper, modern first-person game with decent visuals wouldn’t be very Castlevania at all, but this pixellated acid trip through vampire hell looks like…

PlayStation Trophies Can Now Earn You A Very Small Amount Of Money

There’s finally a reason to pay attention to the Sony Rewards program: you can now start trading in new PSN trophies for money on your PSN account. A new section of the Rewards Passes page over at the Sony Rewards website that appeared late week lists silver, gold and platinum trophies as milestones you can…

Call Of Duty: WWII‘s New Social Space Is Pretty Lonely At The Moment

A big part of the marketing for the new Call of Duty game has surrounded Headquarters, a new social hub where players are supposed to be able to hang out and customize load-outs together in-between multiplayer matches. The only problem is that they’ve spent most of the weekend vacant. The up to 48-player space is…

Finally Someone’s Collecting All Of Nintendo’s Old Flash Games In One Place

Flash games have been on their way out for some time. Many are already lost, scattered to the far corners of the internet with only a handful of people on an old forum to grieve for them. As a result, one Nintendo fan has decided to collect as many of the company’s flash games as…

Massive World Of Warcraft Diorama At BlizzCon Sets World Record 

On the BlizzCon show floor this weekend was a massive World of Warcraft diorama. There are 10,000 characters in it, but here’s the crazy part: each figure is based on an individual BlizzCon attendee’s actual in-game character. It’s totally wild. Titled the “Battle for Lordaeron,” it’s meant to be a depiction of the battle between…

Beautiful Cyberpunk Game Tokyo 42 Has New DLC Missions

The isometric stealth-shooter just got an expansion called Smaceshi’s Castles that adds new missions providing players like me the perfect excuse to return to its dazzling, minimalist worlds. Tokyo 42 came out in June which already feels like forever ago, but despite all of the great games that have come out since, it remains one…

Just Because Nintendo Didn’t Give The Switch A D-Pad Doesn’t Mean Others Aren’t Trying

Nintendo launched the Switch on March 3 of this year. The system was surprisingly well received. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was amazing, plus it was portable, and the Switch has been gaining momentum ever since. There’s just one problem: it doesn’t have a d-pad. The Switch is the first Nintendo console…

Meet BlizzCon’s Dancing Reaper

When I arrived at BlizzCon today, I saw a Reaper dancing all by himself. I walked up and asked him why he was dancing. He paused for a moment, shrugged, and then resumed dancing. Here’s a video of him dancing:

StarCraft fans who have always wanted to visit Joeyray’s Bar got their wish at Blizzcon 2017. It’s the perfect place to sling back a drink, gaze at a photo of Kerrigan, and wonder what might have been. Don’t take too long, though! There’s a line of other folks also hoping to have a seat at…

A Closer Look At Scrapped Overwatch Hero Jetpack Cat

Here is concept art of legendary scrapped Overwatch hero, Jetpack Cat. During a BlizzCon panel about Overwatch’s formative days, game director Jeff Kaplan and art director Arnold Tsang talked more about his origins, saying that they were trying to figure out how far was too far with regards to character designs. “We tried a robot…

Overwatch‘s New Hero Moira Is A Blast To Play, But Comes With A Learning Curve

In some ways, Overwatch’s new hero, Moira, announced yesterday at BlizzCon, feels like a stronger take on the basic premise underlying sniper grandma Ana: she’s a healer for people who hate playing healers. I’ve gotten to play a few matches as Moira (first name: “Mines Of”) during BlizzCon, and I’ve been having a blast. Two…