For Mario, 3D used to mean freedom. In 1996, Super Mario 64 broke Nintendo’s mascot from the shackles of having to run in a straight line, letting the player choose their own path. But for quite some time now—no matter how 3D the graphics may have been—Mario’s adventures have reverted back to running on a straight line. With Super Mario Odyssey, that changes once more, and it’s a glorious thing. It’s not easy to go back and play Mario’s previous free-roaming adventures. Mario 64 is great fun, of course, but it’s also old enough to drink and feeling every year of it. Super Mario Sunshine, assuming you still have a GameCube, starts off strong but devolves into a frustrating Blue Coin hunt. These are brilliant games, but they were begging for a modern interpretation. Odyssey, to be released Friday on Nintendo Switch, fits the bill perfectly. It’s not a slavish recreation of the old Marios, but a fresh take that feels unlike any other … [Read more...] about : The Kotaku Review
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Every Game Kotaku Splitscreen Played In 2018, Part One
It is now time for Kotaku Splitscreen’s Game of the Year discussions. Except we don’t really want to pick a Game of the Year. We want to pick every Game of the Year. As has become annual tradition, this week we’re going back and talking about all of the games we played in 2018. Kirk, Maddy, and I go from January through May, mostly discussing games that came out this year but also tackling a handful of older games we happened to play. Listen here: Get the MP3 here. Games discussed in today’s episode: January: Divinity Original Sin 2, Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, Monster Hunter: World, Lost Sphear, Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC, Resident Evil Revelations 1 & 2 Switch, Celeste, Warframe, Fortnite February: Secret of Mana (PS4), Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, Dragon Quest Builders (Switch), Into The Breach, A Case of Distrust March: A Way Out, Ni no Kuni 2, Far Cry 5, The Alliance Alive, Tekken 7, Kirby Star Allies April: God of … [Read more...] about Every Game Kotaku Splitscreen Played In 2018, Part One
Every Game Kotaku Splitscreen Played In 2018, Part T
It is now time for part two of Kotaku Splitscreen’s Game of the Year discussions. Except we don’t really want to pick a Game of the Year. We want to pick every Game of the Year. This week, Kirk, Maddy, and I close out 2018 by talking about all the games we played this year from June through December. It’s a wide variety of games and genres, as you might expect. (You can find part one, January through May, right here.) Listen here: Get the MP3 here. Games discussed: June: Hollow Knight, Mario Tennis Aces, Prey: Mooncrash, Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion, Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, Sushi Striker, Skull Wizards of the Chaos Caverns / D&D, Bloodborne July: Octopath Traveler, No Man’s Sky NEXT, Mega Man X Legacy Collection, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Heaven Will Be Mine, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Switch) August: Dead Cells, Ghost Recon Wildlands, The Messenger, Madden 19 September: Dragon Quest XI, Spider-Man, Destiny 2 Forsaken, Star Wars: Imperial Assault, … [Read more...] about Every Game Kotaku Splitscreen Played In 2018, Part T
The Year That Was In Kotaku East
Kotaku East East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. It’s late December. Let’s take a moment and look back at some of the Kotaku East stories from over the past year. Have a look below! Also, let me take this moment to tip my hat to our own Seung Park, who tirelessly chronicles K-pop with fascinating and in-depth daily music picks. Catch up with what you missed right here and definitely check out his coverage of America’s largest K-pop festival. For The First Time In 11 Years, The Japanese Console Game Market Has Grown Over the past few years, the console market in Japan—both hardware and software sales—has been sluggish. In 2017, however, that changed. Japan Isn’t Happy With Logan Paul’s Tokyo Video, Either On January 1, the most important day on the Japanese calendar, when families gather and think about the new … [Read more...] about The Year That Was In Kotaku East
How are video games regulated in the U.S.?
Sen. Lieberman speaks during a news conference with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). © Joshua Roberts/X01909/Reuters/Corbis Everybody knows that video games are regulated by your mom, who steadfastly believes that gaming as a legitimate pastime pales in comparison to reading or playing outside. In other words, Big Game — aka the gaming industry — may be wasting its time lobbying Congress or other corporate interests to deregulate the industry for more mass appeal. What the industry needs to do is come to your house and convince your parent or guardian that playing "Minecraft" will, eventually, build character. All right, we kid. First of all, 74 percent of moms play video games, so the stereotype of the nagging, out-of-touch mother — at least as it pertains to video games — can probably be abandoned [source: ESA]. Second, you might not realize that video game ratings are accepted on a purely volunteer basis — as are movies, … [Read more...] about How are video games regulated in the U.S.?