When it’s not stealing or plagiarizing, generative AI is improving quickly. Images that used to look uncanny now appear more natural and humanly imperfect. But it still struggles with plenty of things. Apparently video game controllers are one of them. Someone asked Midjourney for simple pictures of a person having…
Source: Kotaku – AI Image Generator Is Making Wild And Horrifying Game Controllers
Recently, Spotify’s “fake artist” problem, first spotted as far back as 2017, has been a topic of conversation yet again, with a playlist of 49 virtually identical songs from different artists making the rounds on the internet. And no, this isn’t a snarky jab about how all pop music is built on the same general…
Source: Kotaku – Let’s Go Down The Latest Spotify ‘Fake Artist’ Rabbit Hole
Some guy is currently suing Tolkien and Amazon to the tune of $250 million. That alone takes serious bravery. But what’s notable about this lawsuit is the reason he’s suing: Copyright infringement over his Lord of the Rings fanfic. Specifically, he’s arguing that Amazon lifted elements of his fan-fiction for its own…
Source: Kotaku – Lord of the Rings Fanfic Writer Sues Amazon, Tolkien Estate For 0M
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of God of War (the new one, and yes, it’s been that long), Sony Santa Monica shared a bunch of behind-the-scenes footage of Kratos and Atreus’ final battle with Baldur. Spoilers for a five-year-old dog walk down below.
Source: Kotaku – God Of War Devs Break Down Epic Final Boss Fight For Fifth Anniversary
Garry Newman, the creator behind the classic sandbox game Garry’s Mod, has spoken out against the game’s long-running Nazi issue. On Twitter, Newman wondered whether he should ban the roleplay servers run by “a bunch of guys that really seem to love the Nazis.” Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me.
Source: Kotaku – Garry’s Mod Creator Ponders Banning The Nazis
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are still getting updates ahead of the Switch RPGs two-part Hidden Treasure of Paldea DLC, and while we don’t know much about what both chapters will entail, we might have an idea of what Pokémon will be added when the DLC is released later this year.
Source: Kotaku – We May Know What Pokémon Will Return In Scarlet And Violet’s DLC
The long awaited Pixel Remasters of Final Fantasy I through VI finally arrived on Switch and PlayStation 4 on April 19. Unfortunately for longtime fans, the physical editions of the collection sold out immediately on Square Enix’s website and show no signs of coming back in stock. Scalpers are now trying to flip them…
Source: Kotaku – Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters Sold Out Immediately And Scalpers Are In Heaven
Just two weeks after launching in Overwatch 2’s fourth season, Lifeweaver is getting a pretty significant update to make him more viable as a support hero.
Source: Kotaku – Overwatch 2’s Lifeweaver Is Getting Overhauled Two Weeks After Launch
As a series dating back to the 1980s, you normally expect a new Street Fighter game to play it safe. Sure, every generation or two there might be a visual shift, but Street Fighter is Street Fighter, it began as a 1v1 fighting tournament and shall forever be one. Until, that is, Street Fighter 6 came along.
Source: Kotaku – Street Fighter 6 Will Let You Fight A Refrigerator
Saying “history will not be kind to [thing or person]” is a practice that has always fascinated me. Who are we to judge the future’s thoughts on the topics of today? That’s the future’s problem. All we can do in the present, as historians or otherwise, is evaluate what has come before us.
Source: Kotaku – Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: The Kotaku Re-Review
Video games and weed have enjoyed a lovely relationship for decades now, entangling themselves throughout history in both accidental and purposeful ways. For the last few decades, the two have been seen as activities for lowlifes, things to be avoided. Now that each is established, acceptable, and the basis of…
Source: Kotaku – The Cringiest Weed References In Video Games
Blizzard announced that Diablo IV’s super-popular beta will get one final playable weekend from May 12 through May 14, letting you take another trip to Hell and Sanctuary before the action-RPG’s imminent June 6 release date.
Source: Kotaku – Diablo IV’s Super-Popular Beta Returns For One More Weekend
I’m not exactly up to speed on laws governing the sale of marijuana here in New York, but as a way of circumventing certain restrictions, there are some shops here where, rather than buying weed, you’re “technically” buying something else and getting some weed, gratis, with your purchase. This is how I wound up with a…
Source: Kotaku – Every Pokémon Card I’ve Gotten From My Local Weed Shop, Ranked
Throughout the years, stoner culture and gamer culture have become enmeshed, occasionally being mistaken for each other. While it may be a somewhat tired cultural connection (stoners are lazy, gamers are lazy, blah blah), there’s no denying that the two are quite complementary. They work well together, and have for…
Source: Kotaku – The Best (And Worst) Video Games To Play High
When developer Alexandre Spindler revealed footage of a “body cam style game” he was working on last fall, it exploded across the internet as people marveled at its eerie ambiance and photorealistic look. “This is awesome,” wrote District 9 director Neill Blomkamp. Now the game has been announced for real, and it’s…
Source: Kotaku – Police Bodycam Game Explodes, But Not Without Doubt And Controversy
A few months ago, a video came across my Twitter timeline, starring one of the most nightmare blunt rotations I’d ever seen: Mr. Incredible, Marlin from Finding Nemo, and Spy and Pyro from Team Fortress 2 performing “Carry On Wayward Son.” Of course, this motley crew of cartoon characters couldn’t convene in the…
Source: Kotaku – Guitar Hero Modders Are Keeping The Stoner Game Alive
The official Nintendo account just tweeted that, in Japan, the foreman character in the NES game Wrecking Crew will be renamed from “Blackie” to “Spike” in games and The Super Mario Bros. movie. This change was already made in the U.S. and EU versions of the original game, likely because Spike’s original Japanese name…
Source: Kotaku – Nintendo Renamed This Super Mario Bros. Movie Character, Possibly To Avoid Racism
If you’re a foodie like me, your algorithm on social media apps like TikTok is filled with over-stylized cooking videos from influencer chefs endeavoring to broaden your cooking horizons. While these overly-produced videos make for helpful slap-dash references whenever I put on my big boy pants and fuck shit up in my…
Source: Kotaku – The Top 5 Anime To Watch While You Have The Munchies
