Xbox Live has never suffered a major hack, and Microsoft would like to keep it that way, in part by rewarding people who report vulnerabilities in the gaming network with cash.
Friday, 31 January 2020
Friday's Best Deals: Jach's Sweaters, Cole Haan, Tactical Sporks, and More
An Anker wall adapter, LG monitor, an itty-bitty lighter, and New Balance shoes lead off Friday’s best deals from around the web.
Install 'Desktop Goose' to Have the Horrible Goose Mess With Your PC
I love a good geeky prank, and the new Desktop Goose utility from 18-year-old Sam Chiet is the perfect app to bring around on a flash drive. Your friends will hate you. Your school’s IT department will really hate you. But little is more fun, and silly, than watching the star animal of Untitled Goose Game wander…
Someone Talk Me Out of Spending $900 on Some Keyboard Caps
I need your help. When I get anxious, I like to buy things. I’ve been good about it for the last few years. I buy a couch—because I need a couch. Or I buy a new computer case because my old one is too big for the space where I’m putting the computer. Sometimes, I’ll blow money on a much pricier and more useless item.…
The Latest Magic: The Gathering Game Is A Decent Card-Based Tower Defense
If you want a pure Magic: The Gathering video game experience, stick with Arena. Netmarble’s Magic: Manastrike, out now for iOS and Android, has two players dropping card-based creatures and spells into a two-lane battlefield in order to destroy their opponent’s towers. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it.
Lego Masters' Superstar Tells Us How to Become a Professional Builder
Wanting to make a show about Lego is one thing. Actually making a show about Lego is something else. You’d need an expert. Someone to make sure you were doing things right and had everything you need. You’d need someone like Nathan Sawaya.
What We Loved And Hated About Mythic Quest, A TV Show About A Fictional Game Studio
My coworker Ethan Gach and I watched press screeners of the first season of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, a sitcom that premieres on Apple’s new streaming service on February 7. Mythic Quest is a workplace comedy about a video game studio. We’re pretty mixed: Parts of the show are hilarious, others are touching, and…
Let Waddle Dee Have An Apple, You Monsters
I know Waddle Dees are Kirby’s enemies, minions of King Dedede, but that isn’t stopping my heart from breaking over the sad face on Good Smile Company’s new Waddle Dee figure.
Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: Top Albums Of 2018 • Psycho-Pass:
Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: Top Albums Of 2018 • Psycho-Pass: Sinners Of The System Trilogy Review (Scotland Loves Anime) • TAY Retro: Nintendo Entertainment System - Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode [TV Commercial, NA]
Cloud Strife Looks Great In A Dress In Final Fantasy VII Remake
In the original Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife dons a dress as part of a rescue mission. Way back in 2015, Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura said the character would once again wear a dress in the remake, and now the character finally shows off those threads.
Chun-Li Cosplayer Now Treating Coronavirus Patients
Previously, Kotaku introduced Yuan Herong. She’s a bodybuilder who works as a physician in Shandong Province, China.
Nintendo Says No New Switch Models Planned For 2020
Despite already announcing and releasing a new Switch model in 2019, rumours that Nintendo would release another variant of its latest console—a beefier, fancier “Pro” version—have refused to go away. So Nintendo has come out and just flat out said it: there are no new Switch models coming. At least in 2020.
Maybe Just Run, Guys
Luis Carrasco is an artist who has worked on stuff like Solo, Jurassic World and The Revenant.
Sega Europe Ditches Plastic Game Boxes On PC, Everyone Else Should Follow
After what I guess was a trial run with Football Manager last year, Sega Europe has made the decision to make all the boxes for its PC releases cardboard. They’ll be made from 100% recycled materials, and will in turn be 100% recyclable themselves.
If You’re Going to Buy Her Lingerie for Valentine’s Day, Buy It From One of These Brands
At the risk of mixing cultural metaphors, Valentine’s Day is the Super Bowl of men buying lingerie for their significant others. Christmas and Hanukkah are celebrated with family, usually, making sexy undergarments a less-than-ideal gift, while anniversaries call for nostalgic presents rather than romantic ones. As…
Nintendo Is Releasing An Animal Crossing Switch, And It Is Beautiful
To tie in with the release of New Horizons, Nintendo is releasing this new themed Switch console in March that has very strong animal vacation vibes.
$350 Baby Yoda Figure Is An Exercise In Abject Terror
Yeah, he’s cute on the screen, but in the flesh? With those enormous dead eyes and wistful stare? Anyone who buys this “life-size” recreation of Baby Yoda is in for nothing but nightmares.
Overwatch Is Making Big Changes To Keep The Meta 'Fluid'
By this point, I would imagine that Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan is sick of talking about the meta. It’s a perennial topic among vocal portions of the Overwatch community and a near-constant source of consternation. The meta over-prioritizes certain heroes, say some people. It changes too slowly, say others, asking…
New Mortal Kombat Animated Film Releasing In April
Arriving on digital platforms April 12 with Blu-ray and DVD on April 28, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge will tell the story of the original arcade battle between Outworld and Earthrealm, before things got more complicated.
If Anybody Gives Animal Crossing An 8 Out Of 10 I Will Die
A new mainline Animal Crossing game comes out on March 20th. We have waited nearly seven years for this. It saddens me to say I simply can’t afford to wait those last two months before yelling myself unconscious about it. So I went ahead and reviewed it based on its trailers and my knowledge of the series, starting…
Let's Finally Get To The Bottom Of This: Does Stuart Little Drive A Toy Car Or A Miniature Actual Car?
As you can expect, there’s lots of strange bullshit trending on Twitter at the moment: World War Six, for example, the Corona virus, all kinds of miserable bullshit. There’s also another Tweet that’s generating an awful lot of likes—maybe not quite the scale of the global disaster ones, but still—and it brings up a…
More Bans Are On The Way To Combat Idle Players Exploiting Halo: Reach
343 Industries says another wave of bans is on the way in response to the ongoing problem of players trying to farm experience points in matches without actually playing them.
Thursday, 30 January 2020
On Star Trek: Picard, Everyone But Starfleet's Got Their House in Order
Star Trek: Picard’s premiere re-introduced us to a world where the Federation feels more beaten back and weary of its ideals than it has in years—even more than when it was actively at war. Its second episode reveals this weariness has rendered its finest champions frustratingly aimless, to the advantage of friend and…
Thursday's Best Deals: Electric Blankets, Fancy Pajamas, Mucinex Gold Box, and More
A Jack Link’s jerky Gold Box, refurbished MacBook Pros, and a Columbia sale lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.
Locke & Key, High Fidelity, and 18 other new shows to watch this February
February is the month of love (or so we hear), which means there are dozens of opportunities to fall for a new show, from the latest adaptation of a classic sci-fi novel to the story of big city strivers to the handsome new visage of Altered Carbon. The A.V. Club has made a bouquet of February’s premieres to go with…
Jalopnik At $31,500, Could This Camper-Converted 2004 Land Rover Discovery II Help You Discover Your True Nature? |Jezebel Ciara—Pregnant! |The Root Wishful Thinking: Joe Biden Would Like Michelle Obama as His Running Mate |The A.V. Club Locke & Key, High Fidelity, and 18 other new shows to watch this February |
Top Streamers Are Leaving Twitch Amidst Big Money And Shady Deals
Let’s say you’re an up-and-coming streamer. You’ve done it for a while and you make decent money, although you’re no Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. But you’re on your way there, or so you hope. A while back, you got the opportunity to sign with an agency that promised to help you set up deals to advertise brands on your…
Untitled Goose Fan Game Unleashes Havoc On Your Desktop
There’s a pixelated goose dragging my cursor all over my computer screen and every time I try to close the program that unleashed it more just pop up, threatening me with bad jokes and a chorus of honks.
Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: The AniTAY Anime Awards Of 2019 •
Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: The AniTAY Anime Awards Of 2019 • My Return To AAA Games Episode 2: Spider-Man Is All Over The Place • TAY Retro: Nintendo Entertainment System - Power Pad [TV Commercial, NA]
Damn, The Nintendo Switch Is Doing Well
Today, Nintendo released its financials for April to December 2019. One thing that sticks out is just how much of the company’s coffers are filled by the Switch. It’s not surprising considering a revamped Switch console, the Switch’s China launch and the Pokémon Sword and Shield juggernaut.
Charge Your New (Or Old) Gear With a $14 Dual-Port Charger for $14 [Exclusive]
Xcentz 36W USB-C Power Adapter PD Fast Charger | $14 | Amazon | Use the promo code KINJA3591
The Japanese Esports License System Is Mess
In Japan, there is a gaming license system that defines what a pro player is. The system was established in February 2018 and nearly two years later, the awkward stop-gap seems like a mess.
Live-Action One Piece Coming To Netflix, Eiichiro Oda Involved
The hugely successful One Piece is making the jump from manga (and anime) to live action. Working with Tomorrow Studios, Netflix has okayed a ten-episode adaptation.
God Damn Just Look At This Anthem Art
Look, I get it, Anthem has not been a fun time, but there’s this beautiful and convenient thing with this feature where we’re able to separate the art from the gameplay and wonder, holy shit, even if Anthem does suck these character designs are amazing.
Blizzard Cancels Overwatch League Matches Over Chinese Coronavirus Fears
Blizzard has tonight cancelled all Overwatch League matches scheduled to take place in China for the next two months due to the country’s Coronavirus crisis.
Great Outdoor Gear That Costs Less Than $50
There are three universal truths: we have to pay taxes, Facebook will never die, and outdoor gear is perpetually pricey.
Soccer Star Has Sweet Street Fighter Boots
German star Lukas Podolski—who I’ll be honest, after a move to Japan in 2017 I thought had since retired—is still kicking around in the Turkish league, and doing so in style with this pair of custom Street Fighter boots.
Monster Hunter Is A Perfect Crossover Game For Dragalia Lost
Mobile role-playing games love their crossovers, and Nintendo’s Dragalia Lost is no exception. It’s fiddled about with Fire Emblem and messed around with Mega Man. Today the free-to-play action RPG launches its most appropriate crossover yet. The Dragalia Lost x Monster Hunter event combines a game about collecting…
Kentucky Route Zero's 'Multiplayer' Isn't What You'd Expect, But It Fits
Surreal point-and-click adventure game Kentucky Route Zero is out on consoles now. While PC games tend to shy away from local multiplayer, Kentucky Route Zero features some multiplayer instructions that are new to the console version. Spoilers: it’s still a single-player game in the traditional sense, but its…
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Schlock and awe: 3 grown-ups try Rainforest Cafe
It’s the dead of winter, and most of the fun holidays are behind us—but there’s still months of cold and slush to get through. So we’d like to welcome you to Tropical Staycation, a week of island-inspired recipes and other stories that will transport you to much warmer, sunnier places. Just don’t look out the window…
Arrow's Series Finale Was Really a Beginning for the Show's Most Underrated Character
Eight seasons and who knows how many arrowheads later, Oliver Queen has finally saved that damn city. Who would have thought back in 2012, watching that dirty, hairy man run around on an island, that all he needed to do was command some mighty cosmic powers?
Bioshock: The Collection And The Sims 4 Are February's PS Plus Games
February’s PlayStation Plus games are a good bunch, with Bioshock: The Collection containing all three Bioshock games and their single-player DLC. There’s also, in a twist, a third game for PS VR. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PS Plus subscription.
Wednesday's Best Deals: Everlane Choose What You Pay, Rice Cooker, Puzzles, and More
A PC accessory Gold Box, Timbuk2 sale, $5 ring light and an AOC monitor lead off Tuesday’s best deals from around the web.