The Best Of Kotaku, This Week

Welcome to The Best of Kotaku, where Tina usually rounds up our best reporting, funniest stories, and otherwise favorite Kotaku content of the week. But Tina’s on vacation! Never fear. I’m the one collecting these gems.

I dare say it was a good week. A wild one, to boot.

(The art up top is from the gorgeous, upcoming game The Banner Saga.)

https://lastchance.cc/the-art-of-the-banner-saga-one-of-the-most-beautiful-v-5987200%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

It Will Blow Your Mind To See How Much It Costs To Add ONE New Character To A Fighting Game

https://lastchance.cc/it-will-blow-your-mind-to-see-how-much-it-costs-to-add-5986592%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Lab Zero Games, the guys behind 2D fighting game Skullgirls, want to add a new character to the game’s roster. To do this, they’re going to set up an IndieGoGo on February 25. More »

A Halo Easter Egg That Took Years To Discover

https://lastchance.cc/a-halo-easter-egg-that-took-years-to-discover-5987211%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

The people at Bungie are famous for putting obscure Easter Eggs into their games. Halo‘s creators have packed the massive sci-fi shooter franchise with all sorts of references and secrets, and fans love finding them

But sometimes, Halo‘s little secrets are so obscure, nobody ever sees them. More »

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Is The Next Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft Confirms. Now, About That…

https://lastchance.cc/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-is-the-next-assassins-cr-5987529%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

The worst-kept secret in gaming is no longer “secret,” as Ubisoft has revealed the cover art for the next Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. More »

This Assassin’s Creed Heroine Is a Great Black Game Character. Here’s How It Happened.

https://lastchance.cc/this-assassin-s-creed-heroine-is-a-great-black-game-cha-5987083%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

The odds should’ve been against Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. It starred a woman-specifically the half-black, half-French heroine Aveline du Grandpre. More »

This Is Why We Need More Black People Making Video Games

https://lastchance.cc/this-is-why-we-need-more-black-people-making-video-game-31741439%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

When I traded correspondence with writer David Brothers last week, I made the argument that video games needs its equivalent to Blazing Saddles. This time, I’m saying that it could use its own version of Milestone Media, the groundbreaking comics company started by a crew of black professionals. More »

https://lastchance.cc/this-is-how-we-get-more-black-people-in-video-games-5985340%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

If You Think Good Graphics Make Characters Worth Caring About, You’re Probably Insane

https://lastchance.cc/if-you-think-good-graphics-make-characters-worth-caring-5987665%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Last week, when the folks behind Killzone went on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show to talk PS4, they said something that stuck with me.

In response to Fallon’s question about what the PS4’s impressive memory could do for developers, Guerilla Games boss Herman Hulst answered with a great deal of… More »

https://lastchance.cc/jimmy-fallon-gets-the-first-ps4-hands-on-5986138%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

I Used To Smoke Pot Every Time I Played A Video Game. Here’s Why I Stopped.

https://lastchance.cc/i-used-to-smoke-pot-every-time-i-played-a-video-game-h-5985415%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

I started smoking pot during my junior year of college, after a loud and messy breakup with my first girlfriend that sent me into an absolutely manic rage. More »

Can We Talk About How Insane The Last Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Boss Is?

https://lastchance.cc/can-we-talk-about-how-insane-the-last-metal-gear-rising-5987305%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Now that Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has come out and people have had time to play the game, I think it’s time we had a frank discussion about how next-level insane the last boss battle is, because holy crap

(Obviously, spoilers ahead and in the video above)

Up until this point in… More »

The Real-Life Science Behind Crysis‘ Nanosuit

https://lastchance.cc/the-real-life-science-behind-crysis-nanosuit-5985111%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

“Nanotechnology offers unprecedented possibilities for progress-defeating poverty, starvation, and disease, opening up outer space, and expanding human capacities. More »

The Most Hilarious Sports Game Glitches, Now In Motion

https://lastchance.cc/the-most-hilarious-sports-game-glitches-now-in-motion-30756802%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

The constant progression of annual sport titles has another advantage besides the games getting more and more realistic every year. It creates moments where the players go nuts-suddenly, our ordinary game turns itself into Dragon Ball Z or Super Smash TV. More »

These Aren’t Photos Of Cars. They Are, Believe It Or Not, Screenshots.

https://lastchance.cc/these-arent-photos-of-cars-they-are-believe-it-or-not-5987730%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Below, you will find six images. As eyeballs on the internet, you may not believe it at first, but these are indeed screenshots from upcoming racer Project Cars

I’ve been playing the game for a week or so, with an in-construction build (the game is constantly being added to and refined by the… More »

A Small Detail About The PlayStation 4 Could Have Big Implications

https://lastchance.cc/a-small-detail-about-the-playstation-4-could-have-big-i-5987406%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Among the bits of information dropped during last week’s PlayStation 4 announcement was this from PS4 lead architect Mark Cerny, as he discussed the system’s enhanced social features:

“[With the] PlayStation 4 we are transitioning to a friends network based on real world friends. More »

Sony Asked Ubisoft What They Wanted From PS4. Ubisoft Said Make It More Like PCs And Phones.

https://lastchance.cc/sony-asked-ubisoft-what-they-wanted-from-ps4-ubisoft-s-30759029%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot likes the PlayStation 4. Otherwise he wouldn’t have showed up at Sony’s big PlayStation 4 event last week, right?

He likes the PS4 in part because it’s, well, a little less like a console and a little more like some of those other machines you might play games on: More »

https://lastchance.cc/every-single-thing-weve-written-about-the-ps4-all-in-o-5986120%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Every Single Thing We’ve Written About The PS4, All In One Place

https://lastchance.cc/every-single-thing-weve-written-about-the-ps4-all-in-o-5986120%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Ever try to drink out of a fire hose? Me neither, but I’d imagine that it might feel a little bit like trying to keep up with all the news that’s pouring out about the PlayStation 4.

For the sake of anyone who prefers to drink their news in a slightly more dignified manner, here’s everything we’ve… More »

Should Competitive Gaming Be On National TV? Experts Are Divided.

https://lastchance.cc/should-competitive-gaming-be-on-national-tv-experts-ar-5986835%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Competitive gaming has millions of fans. Its biggest stars earn six-figure salaries. Yet it’s nowhere to be found on American television. You may happen upon bowling, lumberjack contests, or even rock-paper-scissors while channel surfing, but nary a match of StarCraft or League of Legends. More »

‘Nintendo’s Doomed, They Should Go Third-Party!’—Said Everyone, Ever.

https://lastchance.cc/nintendos-doomed-they-should-go-third-party-said-ever-5986942%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Yesterday, former Epic Games designer and Dead Space aficionado Cliff Bleszinski was quoted by GamesIndustry International about what he perceived as the worst turmoil the industry’s experienced since the eighties. More »

https://lastchance.cc/dead-space-started-off-as-horror-but-now-its-so-much-m-5983817%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

The Art Of The Banner Saga, One Of The Most Beautiful Video Games I’ve Ever Seen

When I played the game last year, what hit me almost instantly about The Banner Saga was the fact that, aside from being a smart turn-based strategy game, it was also one of the most beautiful video games I’d ever seen.

So it’s a real treat, in the same week the game’s multiplayer component became… More »

https://lastchance.cc/the-banner-saga-is-the-most-beautiful-digital-board-g-5962037%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

A Look At The StarCraft Game That Never Was

https://lastchance.cc/a-look-at-the-starcraft-game-that-never-was-5987481%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

American artist Jason Felix has been working in the video game business for over 13 years now, and has had his artwork contribute to the development of series like Dead Space, Prince of Persia and even the ill-fated StarCraft Ghost

He’s also done some movie work, most recently with Blur Studios on… More »

https://lastchance.cc/blizzard-says-starcraft-ghost-revival-is-as-likely-as-5919319%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Anime and games are intimately tied together in Japan: popular games tend to get anime adaptations and popular anime tend to get game adaptations. Thus, over the years there have been a myriad of game-inspired anime-some good, others borderline unwatchable.

I saw my first game-inspired anime… More »

https://lastchance.cc/i-watched-the-persona-4-anime-without-ever-playing-the-5965353%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

The New Accel World Episodes Are Little More Than Lighthearted Filler

https://lastchance.cc/the-new-accel-world-episodes-are-little-more-than-light-5987780%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

Late last year, we took a look at Accel World, the sister series to Sword Art Online. But not all the episodes of the series aired on TV. Rather, two extra episodes were released as part of the collector’s editions of the two Accel World games: More »

https://lastchance.cc/accel-world-starts-strong-but-ends-wrong-5948119%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

A Defense of Aquaman—From the Voice of Aquaman

https://lastchance.cc/a-defense-of-aquaman-from-the-voice-of-aquaman-5987100%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

I heard from many of you after this lip-curling, anti-Atlantean tract last week, in which I explained my soft bigotry of no expectations of Aquaman. Your complaints were printed out, read and thrown into my fireplace to warm my home. More »

https://lastchance.cc/yes-i-am-an-anti-aquaman-bigot-5985449%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E