Culture

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl‘s Graphics Compared To The Original Games’

Late last week, Nintendo announced remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The original games were released in 2007 on the Nintendo DS, while the remakes will be out on the Switch this year. Plus, the new versions will not be developed by Game Freak, but rather, ILCA (the games’ original director, Junichi Masuda, will be…

Track: Mikata | Artist: My Hair Is Bad | Album: Love

RIP Legendary Artist Gary Meyer

Gary Meyer, an artist who has worked on so many projects, from Star Wars to theme park rides to video games to album covers, has died at the age of 86. Meyer, who began working as an artist in the 1960s for the US Air Force, is one of the most recognisable and beloved concept…

Yakuza Fan Is Out Here Fixing The Series’ PC Versions Again

Like I’ve said, it’s a little rough going back and playing older Yakuza games in 2021, and not just because of the stiffer animation and lack of first-person perspective. The PC versions of Yakuzas 3, 4 & 5 also have (or had) a few technical hiccups as well. A few weeks ago modder Silent—who we…

I Love The Roku Screensaver

The past six months (or more) have been a whirlwind of shit news, terrible events, and moments of pure absurdity and horror. It’s been bad, is what I’m saying. Because of this, I often get lost doomscrolling on Twitter or reading another horrible news story about something dreadful. Meanwhile, my patient Roku TV quietly clicks…

‘Shop Contest: New Mail Truck

Did you hear the big news? Sit down, folks. I’m happy to tell you that the United States Postal Service is getting…NEW TRUCKS! They look kind of dorky, but cute. Let’s have some fun with them. Your challenge this week: Let’s have fun with this new mail truck. You can add it to a game,…

Someone Recreated The Entire First Act Of Hamilton In Animal Crossing

Hamilton is one of the most popular musicals in the world. Animal Crossing is one of the most popular games around right now. I guess it only makes sense that someone would combine them, but I didn’t expect it to be so damn good. Somehow, all of us at Kotaku missed this when creator Guitar_Knight14…

Sunday Comics: I Outrank You!

Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published Feb. 25. Read more of Corpse Run Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published Feb. 22. Read more of Awkward Zombie Clueless Hero by…

‘Shop Contest: The Legend Of Zelda 35th Anniversary, Winners!

Last week marked the35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise. To celebrate the iconic series, I asked you all to create Zelda-themed images. You didn’t disappoint. Our winning image this week comes from MonoArtan who creates something I didn’t realize I wanted: A sidescrolling sequel to Wind Waker. Someone call Nintendo! Some very interesting…

E3 2021’s Live Show Has Been Cancelled According To LA Tourism Documents

Shocking nobody, it seems there won’t be a big, physical live E3 event this year in Los Angeles. As spotted by Resetera user Rösti and reported by Twinfinite, newly filed documents from the Board of Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development Commission appear to list E3 2021’s live show as cancelled Earlier this month, it…

Welcome To Hell, Bambi

This week on Snapshots we have some great Assasin’s Creed shots, a laid back Spider-Man, a large rodent in danger, some nice-looking vistas, and one very, very lost deer. “Oh dear, deer, I think we in Hell.” Kotaku Snapshots is a weekly look at some of the best, funniest and coolest screenshots players have taken…

Pikachu Gets More Powerful The More It Sleeps

Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Pikachu! Pikachu Details Type: Electric Average Height: 1′ 04″ Average Weight: 13.2 lbs First Added In Generation I Happy…

Happy 25th Birthday, Pokémon

Dear Pokémon, Ah, my beloved game series. Happy birthday! Man, 25, huh. That’s a big one. It seems like yesterday you were just a little Red and Green version, entertaining gamers of all ages with your signature mix of 151 adorable monsters and your compelling take on rock-paper-scissors. But look at you now—from 151 to…

Terraria Will Release On Stadia As Planned After Developer Regains Access To Google Accounts

The Stadia port of Terraria was canceled suddenly earlier this month after a developer’s Google account was abruptly locked. But after working with Google, the team behind the indie hit has announced a happy ending: Terraria is coming to Stadia. Earlier this month, Terraria dev Andrew Spinks was locked out of his Google account, making…

New Pokemon Games, New Final Fantasy VII Spin-Offs, Anthem Is Done, Call Of Duty Is Way Too Big, And More

This week on Morning Checkpoint we learn about the next terrible thing involving Cyberpunk 2077, learn the future of Anthem, check out a new trailer for more Hot Wheels in Forza, talk about some good dads and watch Destiny 2 players jump off a cliff over and over. Great Kotaku Content From The Past Week…

Fight Sans Undertale Right In Your Browser

Sans is unique in that he’s the most popular character in Undertale while also providing one of the most frustrating boss fights the game has to offer. If you’d like to relive the experience of wrapping up a Genocide run without playing through the whole game again, this “Bad Time Simulator” lets you face the…

Two Minor Changes Could Mean Big Things For EVE Online

This month has seen a flurry of announcements about EVE Online’s immediate future. Alongside the usual spaceship changes and rebalancing, a brand new, somewhat controversial skill system will be introduced, as well as what sounds like a largely cosmetic change to the game that could have huge implications for players. In almost every big science…

How One Of The Worst Video Game Movies Of All Time Got Made

Somehow, miraculously, video game movies and TV shows are suddenly good. The Witcher is fun, Sonic inhaled box office money like so many chili dogs last year, and star-studded renditions of Borderlands and The Last of Us are on the way. Also, the new Mortal Kombat movie looks dumb as hell in the best possible…

Report: Stadia Blew Millions On Red Dead Redemption 2 And Other Ports

Just how badly did Google’s Stadia video game streaming service flop when it launched back in 2019? According to a new report by Bloomberg, it underperformed its sales target by hundreds of thousands of users, despite spending “tens of millions of dollars” secure ports of big blockbuster games. It’s not hard to see why either,…

State Of Decay 2 Remembers Punching Nazis Is Good, Actually

I think most of us can agree that punching Nazis is a good thing. Heck, a bunch of great video games are founded on that very premise. That’s why it was weird when a State of Decay 2 player discovered that the game gives characters a negative effect for having taken out the trash in…