The Division 2’s Developers Walk Back Planned Loot Change That Inflamed Fanbase

Citing fan feedback, player data and “intense internal discussions,” the makers of The Division 2 will not be introducing 515-level gear in the game’s big update coming next week. That decision that may seem granular to outsiders but is actually a significant acquiescence by the game’s creators in an ongoing drama around the game that…

Low-Profile Mechanical Keyboards Are Getting Really Good

Traditionally, flat keyboards are never as satisfying to type on as full-profile mechanical models with nice, chunky keycaps. But low-profile mechanical switches, like the Cherry MX models used in Cooler Master’s new line of slight keyboards, are shortening the gap. I’ve spent the past couple of months typing on each of Cooler Master’s three new…

Destiny 2’s New Exotic Quest Brings Back One Of The Best Guns From Destiny 1

Destiny 2’s latest update has added a new exotic quest whose reward is a re-issue of one of the best guns from the first game: Outbreak Prime. The new quest begins, like so many in Destiny do, with the hunt for a transponder. This one is located on Titan in a hidden room at the…

I Got Caught In A Silent Pokémon Go Battle With A Stranger A Few Feet Away

Like many people, I played Pokémon Go for a few months when it first came out in 2016, then I abandoned it for three years. Since I work from home and the game’s leveling mechanics revolve around a pedometer, I could never seem to level up my Pokémon fast enough. For the past six months,…

U.S. Senator Introduces Bill To Ban Loot Boxes And Pay-To-Win Microtransactions

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) today announced a bill that would ban loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions in “games played by minors,” a broad label that the senator says will include both games designed for kids under 18 and games “whose developers knowingly allow minor players to engage in microtransactions.” Hawley will introduce the bill, “The…

Minecraft Is Now A Browser Game, Is Still Good

Now you can play some old-school Minecraft in your browser. Minecraft, a game developed by a disembodied spirit and dropped here on Earth under mysterious circumstances, was once the game people asked me about when I told them what my job is. “Oh you play games?” they’d ask. “Do you know about Minecraft?” Now that…

Dwarf Fortress: The Kotaku Review

Dwarf Fortress is a brilliant game, but it will make you work to find that out. It’s a game that loves its complicated world and the adventures it offers players, even when the odds of winning are slim. It rewards you for putting yourself in a sticky situation—a goblin siege, a forgotten beast with deadly…

Nintendo Answer Questions About Its Plans For China

In the past, Nintendo released its consoles through a subsidiary called iQue. Even Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently admitted that they “cannot say these releases were a great success.” In a recent Q&A for investors, Furukawa was asked about Nintendo’s plans for China. Why all the China questions? Because the Switch is finally going on…

Paper Craft Makes For Impressive Yu-Gi-Oh Fan Art

Twitter user Yto makes incredible Yu-Gi-Oh fan art by cutting up paper. Just look! It’s glorious. Check it out for yourself. This Black Rose Dragon was made from paper purchased from Daiso for a couple bucks. Below is how Yto did it. Yto’s other Yu-Gi-Oh fan art, which involves cutting up cards and creating miniature…

Found Something. Tambuli, Cebu, Philippines. By Martin Tan. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Ah, If Only These Nintendo Games Were Real

It’s that time of year again! Time for indie Japanese games store Meteor to hold their annual Famicase exhibition, which asks artists from all over the world to create cartridge art for NES/Famicom games that don’t actually exist. These are all available to check out in-person if you’re nearby (the store is in Tokyo), but…

There Were Plans For A Metroid Cartoon, With Samus As A Man

An estate sale for a former DIC Animation City employee has turned up promo art for four old Nintendo cartoons (like the Mario and Zelda ones) that never actually made it into production, including California Games, Castlevania and a very different take on Metroid There’s nothing else to go on other than the art itself,…

Melee’s Intro Remade Using Smash Ultimate’s Video Editor

The new video editor in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is good for many things, but none more so than using it to recreate the entirety of Melee’s intro sequence from the GameCube. This was done by Sass TwoFiveThree, and is an absolute work of art. “My goal was to recreate (in some sense) every shot…