Uncategorized

On Virtual Realism

I do not relish the thought of academia, through few faults of its own. We’re just not that compatible. What I want to do and what it wants to do fits on a Venn diagram with “philosophy” as our only area of overlap. I mention this because I think I’ve figured out something about games,…

GameXplain Has A 2-Hour Examination of Zelda Up On YouTube

Wow! GameXplain has posted a 2 hour, 6 minute, 13 second in-depth exploration of all of the footage we have so far of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is pretty cool. I’m going through it now, and while some of it sticks out to me as over-analysis (gut feeling: those lights…

Doctaku, Day 2: Secretly Plotting Your Demise

Goooooood morning, Kotaku! It is I, your incredible weekend guest editor, Doc! Got a load of stuff planned for you today, including articles about the best X-Man, Why I should be given control of Duke Nukem, and a bunch of other stuff. Brace yourself. It’s gonna get weird But first, hey, a little more Deltron.

Everything Is Better In First Person

If there is one simple, undeniable fact about anything, it’s this: every game idea is improved by putting it in first person. Don’t believe me? Cool, that’s the point I’m here to prove, and I will do that simply by listing all the times the first person perspective made other, lesser games better. Fallout: New…

Digimon Cyber Sleuth Is One Of The Best Games I’ve Played In 2016

Mike Fahey is my role model, and he wrote this review of Digimon Cyber Sleuth, and it’s great, and you should read it, but in case you wanted someone else’s take on an excellent Digimon game, here’s mine: “Finally! A JRPG worth playing!” It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I’m not a…

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Corrupted My Saves

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a pretty good video game. I like many things about it. It is beautiful. I haven’t predicted where the story’s going yet. I get a kick out of running errands for people. Some of the quests have me genuinely unsure what decision to make. I dislike many things about it.…

Why Horror Is Scarier With Weapons

Our favorite games are often the ones that made us feel these really cool, powerful things. How’d you feel when you met your first Colossus or saw Rapture for the first time? I think the best games stick with us because everything about them, from mechanics to presentation, is all about crafting that perfect, powerful…

I apply the flow cannon…

Your Shooter Deserves Better Enemies

So, you’re in charge of a brand new giant AAA video game, and the execs up top are expecting you to drop one of the most slammin’ game designs of 2018 on their desks. What do you do? I’ve played a lot of video games, and if there’s one thing I love, it’s a good…

Six Novels That Could Become Great Video Games

I have an overactive imagination. When I read books, I imagine myself as being in the book’s world, as sharing the experience with the characters themselves. Video games are cool because they actually bring that experience to life; with The Witcher, for instance, fans of the books finally got to be the witcher Geralt, hunting…

It’s Kodocu Time (This Is Not A Drill)

I have horrible news. Everyone at Kotaku is presumably either celebrating Labor Day or died in a tragic fight over who would review Frog Fractions 2, which means that I’m in charge. I’ve been sitting at my computer trying to come up with a great way to explain who I am to those who might…

Duke Nukem 3D Returns To Consoles And PC With An All-New Episode

Arriving on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on October 11, Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary Edition World Tour reunites some of the original game’s creators to add a new eight-level chapter to the 1996 classic. Gearbox Software’s brought some of the band back together for Duke Nukem 3D’s 20th birthday, including original designers Allen…

Nukes Return To Call of Duty, Fans Cheer

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is bringing back one of the most infamous killstreaks. The tactical nuke is coming back and fans can’t wait to blow each other into the dirt. Tactical Nukes first showed up as a killstreak in 2009’s Modern Warfare 2, totally destroying the map and instantly winning the round for the…

A Discussion On Female Body Diversity In Games

Yesterday, critic Anita Sarkeesian published a video about female body diversity in games. “All the Slender Ladies” examines why games often showcase thin, young, humanoid women but rarely feature lady rock creatures or skeletal female priestesses. Male video game characters, she says, more often deviate from standards of male attractiveness, she explains. “It’s as if…

Four Minutes of Amazing GTA Online Car Stunts

GTA Online’s Cunning Stunts update has given players a whole slew of new toys to do mess around with, and some daredevils are taking advantage of this by concocting all sorts of entertaining car tricks. Behold, an impressive compilation of stunts pulled off by EvolveStunting: Damn.

Strike Vector EX Nails That Arcade Shooter Feel

Strike Vector EX is a fast paced flight combat game that pretty much feels like you’ve brought an arcade cabinet right into your living room. From the dogfighting to the near sensory overload of information, it really makes me feel like I should have some quarters on hand in case I need to continue. The…

Pokémon Go’s Buddy System Will Let You Have Special Time With Your Favorite Monster

While it has been rumored for a while now thanks to data miners, Niantic finally acknowledged an upcoming feature that will let you have more one-on-one time with Pokémon. Here’s Niantic, explaining how it’ll generally work: The next addition to Pokémon GO will be Buddy Pokémon. You will be able to pick your favorite Pokémon…

What Happens If You Wear The Silver Shroud Costume In Fallout 4’s Nuka World DLC

The Silver Shroud costume was one of the best gags in Fallout 4, and Bethesda has been keen to keep the joke going in all the DLC, including the latest installment, Nuka World. Let me tell you, the lines are excellent. FluffyNinjaLlama has documented ten whole minutes of scenes that can unfold in Nuka World…

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will launch a beta for preorder holders on October 14th. The beta will be first available on Playstation 4.

FFXIV‘s Dungeons Sure Can Feel Like “Duties”

What are dungeon runs for? In Final Fantasy XIV, you mostly run dungeons because you have to. Fittingly, in FFXIV, they’re called “Duties.” The urgency, and necessity, to complete dungeons is why all ten-plus of my dungeon runs in FFXIV have been beelines to boss fights. But yesterday, when I read about a hidden NPC…