A Satisfying Platformer About Smashing Skeletons And Befriending Acrobats

Sometimes you need to punch a skeleton and use their severed arm to smack a ghost in the face. Long Live the Axe is an exciting action platformer about exploring crypts and finding keys. It mixes the sensibilities of Metroid with an arcade brawler, and it’s this week’s Indie Pick. Designed by Jesse Burnett, Long…

Racist Jokes Keep Showing Up In Overwatch League Broadcasts

On the opening night of Overwatch League, a Dallas Fuel fan at the Blizzard Arena hoisted a sign with the alt-right meme frog Pepe on it, and had it confiscated by event staff before the night was over. But that was only the first meme with racist associations to worm its way adjacent to Blizzard’s…

Guy Turns His Steam Link Into An Arcade Cabinet

The Steam Link is a nice way to play PC games when you’re not at your computer. Usually people set it up in their living room to so they can play on a TV while sitting on the couch, but the device can be turned into a nifty arcade machine as well. Inferno156 recently turned…

With Overwatch’s newest map “Blizzard World” comes some shiny new skins. Cecilia and I take a look at them and take the new map out for a spin. The new map is live now for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Check it out in the video above.

Toys’R’Us Closing Up To 182 U.S. Locations

It’s going to be a little bit harder to be a Toys’R’Us kid in the U.S. soon, as the toy retailer puts plans in motion to close up to 182 locations across the country as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan. Court documents filed yesterday detail closure plans for the 182 locations across…

Japan Is Good At Snow Sculptures

This week, Tokyo was hit with heavy snow. And like every time it snows in Tokyo or other parts of the country, people go outside and make snow sculptures based on video game, movie and animated characters. Via NetLab, here are some of the best ones. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture,…

Japanese TV Show Talks Online Gaming Addiction, Explains First-Person Shooters 

Recently Japan’s AbemaTV did a report on “net game addicts,” discussing those who are racking up long hours online. AbemaTV is an internet television network, which has snagged some famous Japanese celebrities for its shows. The AbemaTV segment was a breath of fresh air compared to the typical way the traditional Japanese media covers gaming,…

Your Name. Suwako, Nagano, Japan. By Evan Largent. 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! 

Spawn Camped Overwatch Player Sneaks Away, Wins Match

Overwatch’s quick play mode can be the pits, especially when your team is hopelessly outmatched. Sometimes the other team rolls you so hard that you end up stuck in spawn, barely even able to play the game, let alone win. Faced with such a situation, one player took matters into their own hands. After a…

YYYAAAARRRGGGHHHH

Yinfaowei Harrison is a freelance artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. You can see more of Yinfaowei’s work at his personal site. To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both…

We’re going live and drinking coffee in the offbeat crime thriller Deadly Premonition right now on Twitch. It’s about time we shaved York’s beard.

EVE Players Are Poised For A Million-Dollar Battle

EVE Online has once again been plunged into a major battle—possibly its biggest one ever, depending on how it all goes. At around 3 PM Eastern today, Keepstar-class Citadel (the single largest object that can be owned by a player in EVE) held by the Pandemic Horde alliance has come under attack, and is poised…

Rhythm Games Don’t Get Much Cooler Than Cytus II

No one makes rhythm games that are quite as cool as independent Taiwanese studio Rayark, creator ofDeemoand Voez. With outstanding music, sleek visuals and a unique instant message-based story system, mobile game Cytus II is Rayark’s coolest rhythm game yet. In a future where the internet has progressed to the point that it can easily…

Despite Its Glamour, Overwatch‘s Latest Map Feels Familiar

Today, Blizzard dropped Overwatch’s latest map, a literal carnival of Blizzard references. “Blizzard World” is a theme park about Hearthstone, Starcraft, Heroes of the Storm and Warcraft. Playing it feels a lot like being invited to loud, garish party that you leave feeling just okay. Putting aside cute easter eggs, like a spawn point designed…

The Division’s fourth week-long global event, Ambush, is live. Like its predecessors, it changes basic rules governing combat. This time, you do more damage in firefights if you’re stationary, losing the buff if you move outside of cover. The event is part of this game’s post-release elevation from flawed to fantastic.

Bayek gets a really good new outfit in Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Hidden Ones DLC. I’ve played a few hours, and it’s a straightforward expansion so far. There’s a bit more armor to upgrade, three new regions to unlock, some new loot to chase, and a few new levels to earn. I’ll share some more thoughts once…

WW2 Submarine Board Game Looks Ridiculously Complicated

UBOOT is an upcoming board game from Phalanx. It’s played in real-time with 1-4 people joining up co-operatively to manage everything about a German U-Boat, from the crew to the tactics. It’s also got an app, and a giant cardboard model of a submarine. Goodness me. Players have to team up to do everything. Stuff…