Like game director Ji Won Choi promised in early November, duo-developers Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio have dropped a new update for their gothic, Belle Époque-era Soulslike RPG, Lies of P. And just as expected, this update makes some significant changes to the game so that you have an actual fighting chance at…
Source: Kotaku – The Best Soulslike Of 2023 Just Got Easier
Super Mario RPG was a revelation when it came to the SNES in 1996. A mashup of everyone’s favorite platforming plumber and the turn-based, stat-driven combat of a Final Fantasy game proved to be an enduring mix that spawned multiple spiritual successors. Does Nintendo’s remake of the retro gem on Switch do it justice?…
Source: Kotaku – The Super Mario RPG Remake Sounds Like A Faithful Nostalgia Trip
Nine months after its initial announcement during February’s Pokémon Presents, we finally have a trailer for Pokémon Concierge, the upcoming stop-motion Netflix series set in the Pokémon world. The four-episode series is set to premiere on the streaming service on December 28, and y’all, it looks like a vibe and a…
Source: Kotaku – I Would Die For Psyduck In The Netflix Pokémon Show
This week, creator and host of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, revealed which games are in the running for prizes at his showcase in December. Dozens of games were named across over 30 categories. What was missing?
Source: Kotaku – Kotaku Asks: Who Got Snubbed At The Game Awards Nominations?
I love Persona 5, but over the years, Atlus’ stylish, supposedly socially-conscious RPG hasn’t loved me. Queer Persona fans know the series to be fraught, and even the most passionate among us treat it like the fun uncle who claims to love everyone and still says something extremely out of pocket each holiday. I…
Source: Kotaku – Persona 5 Tactica Tries To Make Up For The Series’ Homophobia
It’s been a surprisingly strong year for the Nintendo Switch even as sales slow and fans eagerly await its successor, and today the company promoted a bunch of indie games that will fill out the console’s release calendar heading into 2024, from a new Shantae action-platformer to a port of beloved cult-hit sci-fi…
Source: Kotaku – Every Game We Saw At Nintendo’s Latest Indie World Showcase
We are now six days into the Epic v. Google legal showdown over whether the Google Play Store is an illegal monopoly with high fees and strict rules designed to control Android app developers. Things are getting wild as Google employees—including the company’s CEO—might have deleted evidence or hidden chats from court…
Source: Kotaku – The Epic Vs. Google Courtroom Battle Sounds Bonkers
It’s been nearly a decade since GamerGate, the misogynistic game industry tantrum that harassed women under the guise of demanding journalistic ethics—yet 2023 has felt like we’re not that far past it at all.
Source: Kotaku – Dear Video Game Industry, Please Name A Woman
Danny DeVito’s wonderfully awful Frank Reynolds from the long-running TV show It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has become an internet icon over the last decade, thanks to his wild behavior and meme-worthy antics. And now the famous asshole has been added to the depressing world of The Last Of Us and the results are…
Source: Kotaku – Always Sunny’s Frank Is Perfect In The Last Of Us
Modern Warfare III players are begging Activision to remove a “literally invisible” cosmetic first introduced in Modern Warfare II that’s plaguing multiplayer matches yet again.
Source: Kotaku – Modern Warfare III Players Beg For OP ‘Groot’ Skin To Get Removed
As AI-generated content continues to encroach on everything from advertising to the voice acting profession, YouTube is adding a requirement for users to flag their videos when they include anything made by an AI program. However, looking at the guidelines, it doesn’t seem like the video hosting site has any way to…
Source: Kotaku – YouTube Now Requires Creators To Label AI Content
Persona 5 met with near-universal acclaim when it came to the West in 2017, and was widely credited with revitalizing the turn-based RPG after a years-long slump. In the six years since its release, some have argued that P5’s villains are excessively evil, but our real-world corporate overlords, power-hungry…
Source: Kotaku – Persona 5 Tactica: The Kotaku Review
The chess world was rocked by a cheating scandal last September after former world champion Magnus Carlsen insinuated that an opponent, grandmaster Hans Niemann, had used foul play to beat him at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis, Missouri. Now, some British YouTubers have put the most outlandish theory that arose from…
Source: Kotaku – YouTubers Put Anal Bead Chess Conspiracy To The Test
After dropping a handful of stellar games earlier this month, Microsoft is filling out the weeks surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday with more games you can download if you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, including a former PlayStation exclusive.
Source: Kotaku – PlayStation Exclusive Rollerdrome Hits Xbox Game Pass This Month
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth isn’t out until early next year, but ahead of the game’s launch it’s been rated and reviewed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Turns out the Teen-rated RPG will contain a “bodacious beach bod.” The question is: Who’s rocking that body?
Source: Kotaku – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Will Feature Bodacious Beach Bod, But Who?
Like Sombra before him, Roadhog is getting a rework in Overwatch 2’s seventh season. And much like Sombra’s, it highlights a problem I have with Blizzard’s approach to reworks and balance changes, giving him an ability pretty analogous to one used by other tanks in the game. Over time, this approach is making the game…
Source: Kotaku – Roadhog’s Overwatch 2 Rework Has Me Skeptical
Another day, another round of video game industry layoffs. This time Amazon is laying off roughly 180 employees from its gaming division, as confirmed in an internal email from Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Games.
Source: Kotaku – Amazon Games Lays Off 180 Employees
Say what you will about Modern Warfare III—it was developed in a confusing rush, hence why its campaign mostly sucks, and it’s currently the worst-rated Call of Duty game in the franchise’s 20-year history—but god damn, does its multiplayer make me feel like I’m in college again.
Source: Kotaku – Modern Warfare III Multiplayer Is A Helluva Nostalgia Trip
A Baldur’s Gate 3 player has just set the world record for speedrunning to steamy bear sex with the Druid companion Halsin in just under an hour, a feat that would typically take the average player much longer to accomplish.
Source: Kotaku – Baldur’s Gate 3 Speedrunner Races To Bear Sex
The tenth annual Game Awards are less than a month away and creator and host Geoff Keighley has finally announced the 2023 nominees. The “Game of the Year” category includes expected hits like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate III, but also Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 4. Conspicuously…
Source: Kotaku – Starfield Ghosted At The 2023 Game Awards