Windbound Nails The Terrifying, Calming Peace Of Being In Open Waters

Six minutes into Windbound, I died. Shortly after the game started, I found myself stranded on an island with nothing but my wits and a knife. I saw a boar-like creature. It wasn’t bothering me, but it had something I needed. So I did what video games have taught me to do and struck it…

Yes, I Have Bagged Red Dead Online’s Most Elusive Bovine

Gather round folks, and let me share with you the absurd tale of my week-long hunt to find a stupid bull in Red Dead Online.  A few weeks ago a new role involving animals, the naturalist, was added to Red Dead Online. The role’s main focus is collecting samples from most of the game’s animals,…

Dragon Ball FighterZ Gets Harsher Penalties For Rage Quitters

The latest Dragon Ball FighterZ update includes a new system that will impose harsh penalties on those who rage quit, in an effort to stem the tide of players disconnecting from online matches. According to an in-game news bulletin, players who “deliberately disconnect” from an online match will be restricted from entering online lobbies for…

PS5 Will Only Be Backward Compatible With PS4 Games, According To Ubisoft [Update]

A new support page about the transition to next-gen consoles over on Ubisoft’s website appears to confirm that PS3, PS2, and PS1 games will not be backward compatible on PS5. “Backwards compatibility will be available for supported PlayStation 4 titles, but will not be possible for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, or PlayStation games,” the support…

Platforming roguelite Scourgebringer is leaving Early Access on Steam and coming to Xbox One and Switch on October 21. It’s a bit like Celeste with twitch hack’n slash combat. You can read our impressions here.

How’s It Going? Bill And Ted Edition

Be excellent to each other and welcome back to our daily open thread, dudes. Two movies came out this past weekend. One, New Mutants, only came out in theaters, forcing folks to brave movie theater crowds during a global pandemic in order to be horribly disappointed. The other, Bill and Ted Face the Music, launched…

Crusader Kings III: The Kotaku Review

Crusader Kings III is a game that takes in 600 years of human history, from the 9th century through to the 15th, with all the geopolitical conflict, religious turmoil and interpersonal struggles that went along with it. So…where do we even begin with this game, let along this review? How about with a quick history…

Here’s The Prettiest Purple Gaming Headset I Ever Did See

Normally I turn to pink hues when I am looking for new gaming accessories, but the lilac Logitech G’s G733 Lightspeed wireless gaming headset, part of the company’s new Color Collection, is pushing me in a purple direction. Logitech G makes good gaming gear. Now it makes good gear in fancy colors. The new $130…

The Week In Games: Avengers Assemble!

It’s time to grind for gear and beat up bad guys. Marvel’s Avengers comes out this week on PS4, Xbox One and PC. Our own Mike Fahey didn’t love the beta for this upcoming superhero game. I wasn’t as down on it, but I also found myself hoping the full game has more to it.…

Shadowgate’s Simple Melodies Conjure Danger And Unease

Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s new, daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. The deadly adventure game Shadowgate was an unlikely hit on the NES, and I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest its tremendous soundtrack played a role in that. Shadowgate was originally a…

Pikachu Stars In The PPAP Singer’s New Music Video

In 2016, comedian Pikotaro went viral with his song “PPAP.” Earlier this year, he released a song to encourage people to wash their hands. Now, he’s back, and this time he’s hanging out with an electric rodent. The new song is called “Pikataro and Pikotaro” (Pika to Piko in Japanese). In much of it, Pikataro…

This Isn’t Anime, But A Model Diorama

Twitter user Annkoromoti makes incredible models, bringing them to life in anime-like dioramas. Pictured is a Valkyrie from the Macross anime—a model with a cell-shaded paint job. Have look! Amazing, no? Here is how it compares to an anime still: This is truly great. A close-up look really shows the detail: We’ve previously seen other…

Akihabara Will Look Different After This Arcade Closes [Update]

The Sega Akihabara 2nd arcade, which was formerly known as Akihabara Gigo, is closing at the end of the month because 2020 sucks. The arcade, a two-minute walk from Akihabara Station, is famous for its Sega-emblazoned escalators and is an area landmark. The official notice states that the arcade’s last day of operation is August…

After Nine Years, A New Haruhi Suzumiya Novel Will Be Released

Originally a light novel, Haruhi Suzumiya launched an iconic anime and manga in the 2000s. The manga is ongoing, but there hasn’t been a new Haruhi novel since 2011. Until now. This November, a new Haruhi volume will be released in Japan. According to Japanese site Kai-You, it will be out November 25. Titled Suzumiya…

Track: Cathedrals of the Mind | Artist: Doves | Album: The Universal Want