This new Monster Hunter World armor is too perfect

Despite the recent arrival of Deviljho, I've been hesitant to dive back into Monster Hunter World.

I went from playing it every single day since launch to taking a now much-longer-than-expected break. The other day, I logged on with the full intent to fight the pickled monster. But once I got in, I fumbled with the controls and decided "not tonight." I need to set aside enough time to find my groove and build up my muscle memory -- if not for Deviljho, then for Capcom's new round of event quests.

Not to alarm you, but with the Egg Lovers United quest, you can craft a Kulu-Ya-Ku head piece.

Birds of a feather flock together. "Egg Lovers United" quest coming soon~ pic.twitter.com/BjIy4fPz8K

— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) March 29, 2018

This is everything. And, best of all, the quest pits you against a large-gold-crown Kulu.

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PUBG's tropical map will be available for testing next week

The recently teased tropical island map for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds will be available on the test servers next week. Going by the title of "Codename: Savage," the map will be a generally smaller take on the battle royale subgenre than what players are currently accustomed to. This was all revealed at GDC today along with a bunch of screenshots of the new island.

The testing window for this new map will begin on April 2 (7:00 pm PDT) and run until April 5 (4:00 am PDT). I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to the super janky test servers, but I'm very intrigued to see where PUBG will go in the wake of Fortnite's success.

Codename: Savage Map Testing Is Coming [Steam Community]

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Review: God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness

Reviewing faith-based movies can be tricky to say the least. I don't think I'm going to shock anyone by saying that faith-based movies can be very, very, very difficult to pull off correctly. Usually faith-based movies end up one of two ways. One, it is so inept in its message that it becomes hilarious and cannot be taken seriously (see Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas). Two, the movie becomes hateful and meanspirited to anyone that doesn't follow the movie's chosen faith and will shame you for it (see God's Not Dead). 

But if you're a religious person, who am I to tell you that you can't find spiritual meaning in a movie. Maybe the messages and values being preached in the God's Not Dead franchise hit you in all the right ways. I don't feel it's right for me to invalidate your experience with a movie just because we have differing ideals. So let's just agree right off the bat about something. I am not going to make any religious commentary or discuss the validity of faith here. All I'm going to do is talk about the movie as a movie and not as a piece of Christian filmmaking. Are we good? Can we do that?

If so, then it shouldn't be too much of a surprise for me to tell you that God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, it pretty dull and lifeless, but at least I wasn't offended by it. Progress...?

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Telltale is lifting the lid on The Walking Dead: The Final Season next week

Telltale has shared artwork for The Walking Dead: The Final Season and detailed its plans for PAX East. The festivities kick off next Friday, April 6 at 12:30pm Eastern with a first-look panel (viewable here) that will reflect on "Clementine's journey so far and take a sneak peek at how it all ends."

The studio is also hosting a post-show alongside some folks from Skybound. That'll start at 2:00pm Eastern on Twitch and the developers "will answer more questions about the upcoming season."

Finish Clementine's story.

The Walking Dead: #TheFinalSeason premieres later this year. pic.twitter.com/4cEQDhg5dJ

— Telltale Games (@telltalegames) March 30, 2018

If the composition looks oddly familiar, this might be why:

Nice callback pic.twitter.com/hYaCT111B4

— Swood (@SudoSwoodu) March 30, 2018

I'm interested to hear more and see how Clementine's journey does (or maybe doesn't!) come full circle. And with a sequel to The Wolf Among Us announced, I feel like I can finally rest easy.

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Wake the machine and bring water to the desert in Golem

Most people who are interested in Golem probably won't be familiar with its developer. Golem is made by Longbow Games, a Canadian studio that has spent nearly 20 years making historic-set strategy titles. This isn't like those. But Golem seems like a decent first stab at something new.

Golem is a point-and-click puzzle game in which a young girl tries to find water for her desert-bound village. She stumbles across the ruins of an ancient tower and befriends a sentient golem. Together, they traverse 10 seemingly-expansive levels in an effort to hydrate the dehydrated.

Early on, the golem seems to be more of a burden than anything else. It's in constant need of being pushed around, maybe only useful for applying weight on switches. It evolves as the game progresses, though. It has five different stages, most of which have real-world analogs like dog and ape. Eventually, it seems like the golem might be more useful than the girl.

As for the story Golem intends to tell, it's more than just a trek up a tower. Glyphs will illuminate in the background, and these images will shed light on the golems and the dire desert situation. Will it be well-conveyed though? Games often times struggle to tell coherent tales solely through player interpretation of hieroglyphics.

Regardless, Golem looks to have the other aspects figured out. It has that exact aesthetic and feel to it that we've come to expect from indie puzzle games. Longbow's first crack at this type of project seems to be on-track, but we'll find out for certain soon enough. Golem releases on PC sometime in the coming months. If all goes well enough, console ports might be a viable option.

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Sonic Mania Adventures is off to a good start

Sega is keeping the Sonic Mania train rolling with Sonic Mania Plus later this summer and also a five-part series of animated shorts, the first episode of which is out now on YouTube.

"Sonic has just arrived back after the events of Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, but something is already amiss. What are the huge holes being dug in the ground? And why is Eggman already capturing more animals? The story begins here, with the first of five parts in: Sonic Returns!"

Much like the game's intro, the animation is just wonderful to look at, but more than that, I like how they kept it light and fun. You're in, you're out, and you're left feeling good. There's no baggage!

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Nintendo will have Dark Souls, Travis Strikes Again, and more at PAX East

The Nintendo booth at PAX East is bound to be a madhouse. But, if you make time for it, you'll be able to get your hands on some cool upcoming first- and third-party games. Here's the official lineup:

• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze from Nintendo
• Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition from Nintendo
• Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido from Nintendo
• Dark Souls: Remastered from Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus from Bethesda Softworks
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes from Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda51
• SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy from NIS America
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy from Activision

There's also a "Nindie Arcade" section:

• Just Shapes & Beats from Berzerk Studio
• Dead Cells from Motion Twin
• The Messenger from Sabotage and Devolver Digital
• Lumines Remastered from Enhance Games
• Runner3 from Choice Provisions
• West of Loathing from Asymmetric
• Pool Panic from Adult Swim Games
• Pode from Henchman & Goon
• Garage from tinyBuild Games
• Next Up Hero from Aspyr Media and Digital Continue

PAX East runs from April 5 - 8 at the Boston convention center. Attendees can get a free poster at the Nintendo booth and, by checking in with their My Nintendo QR code, receive a pass "to a priority line to skip ahead to play select games during specified times." (While supplies last, of course.)

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I kind of miss old Assassin's Creed

As I make my way through Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered, I can't help but notice how Assassin's Creed Origins has already rewired my brain. I keep trying to crouch like an extra sneaky assassin, but that button doesn't exist. I find my fingers wandering to the shoulder buttons in combat, but this is the system where you just wait to counter-kill attackers.

It's sort of staggering how Assassin's Creed took a year off and changed so many fundamentals of the series. Playing the Origins DLC and Rogue Remastered in quick succession really highlights how different they are. I know this won't be popular, but I kind of miss the old Assassin's Creed.

My mom makes the best BLTs and that isn't much to brag about because a BLT is a stupidly easy sandwich to make. But I'll be damned if a BLT isn't the first thing I want to eat every time I go back home. It's a comfort food, and comfort foods don't have to make sense to anyone else. If my mom made a BLT for a stranger, that person would probably say "yeah it's fine, whatever."

That's the entirety of Assassin's Creed for me, right up until Origins. Objectively speaking, yeah, Origins is a better game. Origins is a hip gastropub's pork belly banh mi with duck fat fries that you wash down with a cask-aged floral IPA. So complex! So many notes and they complement each other so well!

Sometimes I don't want that, though. Sometimes I just want two pieces of toast with bacon, lettuce, and tomato between them. That's Assassin's Creed Rogue for me right now. It's familiar and it's comforting and it's simple. And it's more palatable knowing that the series is probably never reverting to this exact style.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi tables coming to Pinball FX3

Zen Studios are releasing two new tables to their ambitious pinball simulator Pinball FX3. These new additions are both based upon that Star Wars movie you-hate-even-though-its-fine-honestly, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.

The Last Jedi table will feature a recreation of 2017's muddled sci-fi opera. In keeping with previous Pinball FX Star Wars tables, game modes and "Hurry Ups" will be based around famous scenes from the movie, from the incredible Throne Room battle to that bit where BB-8 saved everybody in every given situation because reasons.

The second table is based around Anch-To island, where aces hero Rey goes to receive Jedi training and help the film make its 152-minute runtime. The Anch-To table is designed to be "more organic" according to the developer, with the various ramps and habitrails designed to represent the natural flow of the Porg-filled retreat.

The Star Wars: The Last Jedi pack comes to Pinball FX3 April 17. Pinball FX3 is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

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After several delays, Final Fantasy Explorers-Force hits two million downloads

As someone who mostly enjoyed the low key adventuring of the first Final Fantasy Explorers on 3DS a few years back, I've been looking forward to Final Fantasy Explorers-Force.

Initially folks thought the follow-up would also arrive on 3DS when it was slated for a 2017 release, but it was swiftly revealed as a mobile game on both iOS and Android, and was subsequently delayed multiple times throughout the year. Instead of arriving in late 2017 it was pushed back further to March 15, and now it just hit the two million download mark.

Right now you'll have to swap regions to grab the free-to-play game, but with any luck (given it's success, at least in terms of raw downloads) it could come westward.

Final Fantasy Explorer's Force [Square Enix via Gematsu]

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Dying Light receives free new content for a zombie-smashing, egg-snatching weekend

A batch of new DLC content has rolled out for Techland's roof-hopping zombie shooter Dying Light. Content Drop #4 has been made live on all formats, bringing a selection of fun additions to the 2015 release.

First up is new mode Prison Heist, where players, alone or with buddies, must bust into a new location, the originally titled "Prison Island" and tool themselves up with goodies from the penitentiary's over-stocked armory. Time is of the essence, as the speed in which you reach the loot will decides the quality of the rewards.

Sgt. Deathrow, and all-new Demolisher, has also been let loose in the game. This heavy-hitter is worth a chunk of XP if you take him down, so keep an eye out for him as he cuts a path of destruction through Old Town.

The final addition is the Eater-themed Harran Egg Hunt, where players can bag themselves a miserable, garish yellow outfit by gathering up eggs strewn around the map while watching out for a zombified Easter Bunny. Should the entire community gather one million eggs by April 3, then a gold-tier weapon will be unlocked. Get cracking.

CRACKING LIKE AN EGG CRACKS. CRACKING.

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This Legend of Zelda Korok cake rocks and I couldn't bring myself to eat it

I've had some mighty cakes in my time. Pretty much everyone I knew growing up was aware of my passion for games, so people have me made everything from Street Fighter cakes to Zelda cupcakes over the years. It rocks!

You know what also rocks? This Korok cake from the Instagram account "Always Be Caking," a self-described self-taught baker. The account is full of great cakes and dessert concoctions, ranging from properties like Skylanders to Trolls to Overwatch.

But the aforementioned Korok cake? It's something else! I'd find some way to preserve it and put it in my Zelda collection.

always.be.caking [Instagram via Reddit]

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Sorella Brella arrives in Splatoon 2 in time for European Championship finals

Nintendo are dropping new content in their popular arena-shooter Splatoon 2 this week. Yesterday we reported on the return of classic map Piranha Pit, while today brings the pain rain with news of the new Sorella Brella weapon.

The Sorella Brella is a variant on the classic Splat Brella. Opened, it provides basic protection for the carrier, while constantly dribbling a colourful path. When closed, the Brella allows for messy, unfocused blasts of ink, which can travel quite a distance when combined with a jump.

This new Sorella variant comes equipped with an Autobomb sub and a Splat Bomb Launcher special. It will arrive alongside the Piranha Pit map tonight in North America, with Japan and Europe to follow early tomorrow.

This weekend also sees the finals of the Splatoon 2 European Championships, which take place March 31 in Switzerland. Polymanga will also be hosting a special Off the Hook concert at the Montreux Music and Convetion Centre for those in attendance. How wonderful!

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Arc System Works just put out a rad overview video on all things BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

In case you were completely lost as to what BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle entails, developer Arc System Works just put out a four minute long plus overview on YouTube that reviews the cast and provides a general rundown of how the game works (albeit in Japanese).

Even if you don't understand every bit of text it's still a pretty comprehensive look at the combat system and worth watching -- if  only for tidbits like the return of the chibi lobby system that was used in Arc's own Guilty Gear and more recently Dragon Ball FighterZ.

As a reminder BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle brings together multiple franchises under one roof, including Under Night In-Birth, Persona 4 Arena, RWBY, and of course, BlazBlue. You can find its pricing scheme (which was a source of contention before it was fully revealed) below alongside of said overview video. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be released on May 31 in Japan, June 5 in the US, and an undisclosed date in Europe.

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Street Fighter Memorial Archive looks back at thirty years of franchise artwork

A new book was released in Japan this week celebrating thirty years of Capcom's incredible, genre-defining fighting game franchise, Street Fighter.

The Street Fighter Memorial Archive: Beyond the World is a 256-page tome packed full of artwork and info from three decades of digital fighting action. Although the text is obviously in Japanese, the book is filled with pictures from some of the franchise's legendary artists, such as Akiman, Murata and Fuzichoco.

This is the second 30th Anniversary compendium to date, as Capcom themselves put out their own 250+ page celebration, Dynamite publishing's Undisputed Street Fighter, in December 2017.

Street Fighter Memorial Archive, which is available to purchase from Amazon Japan and Play-Asia, is priced at ¥4000, or about $38. This obviously doesn't include shipping costs or any customs charges.

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Intrepid modder creates Resident Evil 7's Baker house in Far Cry 5

Ubisoft has unleashed Far Cry 5's arcade mode into the world, and they're doing some pretty great things with it already. TheRedTieGuy over on YouTube has a full video of the Baker house from Resident Evil 7, which showcases just how impressive and detailed the official mod creators can be (the creator is listed as wim_buytaert).

Right now the Baker house is an outside affair and a very short "point A to point B" objective, but it's just a matter of time until people start recreating entire games and stringing them together level-by-level in the arcade.

I haven't messed with the arcade a whole lot, but after seeing some pretty great stuff this week I'll probably start looking a little harder.

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Check out the cheerful Haru and Ken in this week's Persona Dancing trailers

Atlus are ringing in the weekend once again with two new characters trailers for their upcoming rhythm-action games Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night.

Gracefully cutting a rug for Persona 5 is classy rich-kid Haru Okumura, who brings a balletic grace to the spotlight, as opposed to the shape-throwing of other characters, she's eventually joined by everyone's favourite alarm clock, Morgana.

Flying the flag for Persona 3 is youthful smart-alec Ken Amada. Ken actually doesn't do too bad a job on the floor, which is pretty surprising, because kids generally can't dance for shit. Amada is backed up by fellow Persona 3 star Yukari Takeba.

Atlus are really pushing these releases. Not only are there these weekly character trailers, but there has been multiple live-streams, as well as a stage event planned for the upcoming Sega Fes event. Here's hoping all this hype and marketing pays off.

Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night are set for release in Japan May 24 on PS4 and PS Vita. A box set,, which includes Persona 4: Dancing All Night, will also be available.

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Lindsay Lohan Grand Theft Auto V likeness lawsuit struck down in court of appeals

It's hard to believe this is still an ongoing thing given that Grand Theft Auto V was released nearly five years ago, but that Lindsay Lohan likeness lawsuit -- in which she alleges that Rockstar used her likeness without permission -- is just about over.

Lohan contends that Lacey Jonas, an in-game character, was used to market the game, but the courts have reached another conclusion. A panel of five judges decided in 2016 that since Rockstar isn't explicitly using Lohan to sell the game they're in the clear. She tried to push the issue again in the Court of Appeals, who just shared their thoughts recently: "We conclude a computer generated image may constitute a portrait within the meaning of that law. We also conclude, however, that the subject images are not recognizable as plaintiff, and that the amended complaint, which contains four causes of action for violation of privacy pursuant to Civil Rights Law §§ 50 and 51, was properly dismissed."

Given that this decision was reached at the New York Court of Appeals where Lohan filed the suit, this is basically her last chance to try to take Rockstar down.

Court rejects Lindsay Lohan's appeal in GTA V likeness lawsuit [Gamasutra]

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Kansas passes 'anti-swatting' bill in wake of Andrew Finch shooting

Earlier this week, the Kansas senate approved the Andrew T. Finch Anti-Swatting bill, which has since been sent to Governor Jeff Colyer for final approval.

The new bill was drawn up after the tragic death Andrew Finch in December 2017. Finch, 28, was shot dead by a police officer outside his home after a fraudulent call was made regarding a supposed hostage situation at his residence. 25-year-old Los Angeles resident Tyler Barriss was later identified as the individual who made the call and was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Under the new law, anyone making a "swatting" call that results in death or severe injury will now face a level one felony charge which, dependent on the individual's criminal record, can carry a prison sentence from 10 to 41 years.

"I'm very happy that it's named after my son," said Andrew's mother, Lisa Finch, of the new bill. "If it prevents even one tragedy like this happening to another family, that will be amazing."

Kansas pass new "Anti-swatting" bill after Andrew Finch shooting [KSN.com]

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Bizarre 'allowed by Nintendo' Kickstarter campaign for Super Mario World: The Lost Chapter canceled right after it began

An Italian based Kickstarter that allegedly had the backing of Nintendo to release a "never before seen 1989 edition of Super Mario World" has unceremoniously been canceled mere days after it started.

With stretch goals for SNES/Switch/3DS ports, this campaign's goal, which again, was supposedly "officially accepted by Nintendo of America on March 16, 2018," went live several days ago, but came to an abrupt halt with just €971 of its €30,000 goal (and €90,000 3DS stretch goal).

Folks were immediately skeptical of the sanctions from Nintendo, not to mention the images lifted directly from UnSeen64's investigation on the Super Mario World prototype. This entire thing was littered with red flags, just like the "unofficial Star Wars open world RPG."

We've reached out to Nintendo of America to see if this was indeed approved, and if so, why it was canceled.

Super Mario World: Chapter 0 [Kickstarter]

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Review: Ready Player One

I've used the "insert X here" sub-header joke before, and now I really wish I hadn't because in other instances it was just a joke, but in the case of Ready Player One, Stephen Spielberg's new film based on the insanely popular book of the same name, it is so insanely appropriate that it isn't a joke at all. The film is nothing but inserted cultural references, a mash of quick cuts to all your favorite characters that you're supposed to freak out seeing next to each other on screen.

That's not always a bad thing. There can be a certain magic to using cultural references, pulling in something that makes the audience connect because they know that you get a joke, know a character or are just showing off your nerd cred. That can be fun and even emotionally effective. Ready Player One is none of these things, really, and it suffers instead of succeeds because of its desperate need to show off that it "gets it." It's kind of like that time in [insert culture reference here].

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Arc System Works teasing RPG announcement on questionable date

Japanese developer Arc System Works have opened a new teaser website announcing the coming of a new series. The site purports that the title will be an RPG, which would be quite a surprise from ArcSys, who are renown for their excellent anime fighting games.

It is, however, easy to raise an eyebrow at said announcement, as it is scheduled to take place on April 1, traditionally a day of Fake News (The fun kind, not the world-destroying-arguments kind), so there is a strong possibility that this is just an amusing joke.

Still, companies in the past have listed mysterious news on April 1 specifically because it was April Fool's Day, which then turned out to be true after all. I guess we'll all have to wait and see.

Arc System Works RPG announcement coming April 1 [Teaser site]

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Level-5 CEO: 'In the future our main titles will all be released on Nintendo Switch'

Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino is one of the most open studio leads out there, and recently he spoke to Nikkei Trendy to sort of lay out his company's plans for the rest of the year and going forward.

First off, Hino plainly states: "Basically, in the future our main titles will all be released on Nintendo Switch. The idea is that what we have created for 3DS will move over to Switch.” It's a pretty big statement for two reasons -- obviously Level-5 is now going to support the Switch in earnest, but based on this wording, the 3DS is a legacy system now.

He's kicking off this initiative with Snack World, a process he notes has been slow-going (remember when they announced it ages ago?) -- intimating that they bit off a little more than they could chew launching yet another cross-media project after Yo-Kai Watch. He also continues to tease the large-scale RPG he just let slip recently, and will reveal more information on where the company is going during their Level-5 Vision event this fall.

I'm into it! Level-5 makes some fantastic stuff, including the recently released Ni No Kuni II, so I'm always following them as closely as I can.

Level-5 [Nikkei Trendy via Gematsu]

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Guacamelee 2 is officially coming to PC, and it's launching sometime soon

When Guacamelee 2 was revealed solely for PlayStation 4 last October, it seemed like cause to raise an eyebrow. The original Guacamelee released on nearly everywhere, so the sequel being restricted to one platform came off as unlikely. Later that day, developer DrinkBox Studios coyly told us "[We] aren't announcing any other platforms at this time."

As it turns out, that hunch was right. DrinkBox has just confirmed a PC release for Guacamelee 2. Here's the Steam page for anyone who wants to wishlist it.

The other half of today's news is both encouraging and frustratingly enigmatic. DrinkBox says that Guacamelee 2 will launch "soon." No other details, just that it's coming sometime in the near future. We've also been told that the PS4 and PC versions will release simultaneously. If Guacamelee 2 ends up with ports to other platforms, that news will likely arrive post-launch. Right now, it seems like PS4 and PC are the only places it'll land at first.

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Psyonix is getting ready to completely overhaul Rocket League's visuals on Switch

Not too long ago Psyonix promised an update on some big Switch visual changes, and now they've laid it all out publicly in their latest blog post.

In handheld mode the target is going from 1024x576 to 1280x720, and docked, it's going from 1280x720 (720p) to 1664x936 (900p). The tournament update, which Psyonix calls "one of the biggest ever," will go live on April 3 and allow video quality options from the video menu.

You can either opt for the current 60FPS option or swap to 30FPS if you're so inclined, which also enables lens flare, dynamic shadows, depth of field, and light shafts. For competitive folk you're probably going to want to go 60FPS all the way, but as always, it's nice to have options.

Oh, and video capture is coming!

Update [Rocket League]

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Vandals is a turn-based graffiti game.

Vandals is a turn-based graffiti game. You sneak around cities like Tokyo and Paris while avoiding cops, dogs, and other authorities who hate it when walls look cool. The game will include works from over 40 real-life street artists and teach players how they’ve influenced culture. It’ll be out next month.

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Private Internet Access Is Discounting Several VPN Plans, Just For Our Readers

VPNs have been in the news, and whether you want to get around video geoblocks, circumvent proxy filters, or just keep prying eyes out of your browsing data while using sketchy public Wi-Fi, reader-favorite Private Internet Access has a deal to fit your needs.

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The Real-Life Atari Secret That Inspired Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ready Player One, like the source material, is chock full of references to 80s music, movies, and video games. It also throws in a few Master Chiefs, Overwatch characters, and the Iron Giant for good measure. Usually these references are surface level and fleeting, but a few carry more…

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The Original Arcade Punch-Out Plays Great On Switch

Punch-Out came out on Switch today! No, not Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. Not the Wii Punch-Out, either. The one that started them all, the granddaddy of Nintendo’s boxing series: the 1984 arcade version of Punch-Out. It’s worth playing if you love the series, but just be aware that it’s pretty rough around the edges by…

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CSGO Skin Traders Dumping Their Inventories After Valve Announces New Rules

Despite Valve’s crackdown on CSGO gambling sites that use Steam in 2016, there’s still an active cosmetic skin trading (and yes, sometimes gambling) scene around the game. A recent set of trade limits from Valve, though, has skin lovers selling off their collections for fear that the scene is on its deathbed.

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Earther Inside the Wild World of Shell Collecting | The A.V.

Earther Inside the Wild World of Shell Collecting | The A.V. Club 10 tolerable—even enjoyable—uses of product placement in pop culture | The Takeout Simple color-coded system combats jerk customers who harass restaurant servers |

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Nintendo Reached A DLC Tipping Point This Week

It’s been a quietly unprecedented week for Nintendo, and one that should change players’ expectations for the company’s games going forward.

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Friday's Best Deals: Home Networking Gold Box, OLED TVs, Amazon Dash Buttons, and More

Upgrade your home’s networking setup, binge watch on an OLED TV, grab some Dash buttons essentially for free, and find the rest of Friday’s best deals.

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The Devastating Loophole That Sticks Car Buyers With Interest Rates That Would Be Otherwise Illegal

On June 19, 2015, Bronx resident Carlos Guerrero-Roa went to an auto dealer in Brooklyn to purchase a 2005 Lexus RX that was being advertised online for $6,900. Guerrero-Roa left with the car that day, only after it was financed with a loan that, according to a lawsuit he later filed, carried an interest rate “well…

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for having ordered an immersion blender at long last and spending the whole weekend, I don’t know, blending stuff. Also, video games.

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Hacked Fortnite Players Say Epic's Response Is Too Slow

A torrent of hackers have been breaking into Fortnite player accounts and stealing hundreds of dollars at a time. After weeks trying to contact Epic Games about the security threat, many of them say they’re being left high and dry.

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The Good and the Bad of Far Cry 5's Co-Op

I’ve played many hours of Far Cry 5 co-op, both with my partner and with colleagues. A lot of the time it’s been a blast, except when you’re trying to actually get things done.

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Inside the Wild World of Shell Collecting

Picking up shells on the beach may seem like child’s play, but to elite shell collectors, it’s a hobby and a lifestyle. Unbeknownst to most non-shellers, there’s an entire culture of avid collectors who come together regularly to celebrate shells for their beauty and unlock secrets from the sea.

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Fortnite Mobile Now Warns People Not To Play In Class

Fortnite mobile’s portability has proven destructive in classrooms around the world, with some teachers struggling to keep their students’ attention from the battle royale game. It seems that developer Epic has caught on, because now the game says something about this hilarious situation.

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If You're A Pokémon Fan, You Should Play Detective Pikachu

Nintendo may be keeping the 3DS on life support at this point, but there are still reasons to boot up the handheld console. Detective Pikachu, released in North America last week, makes an especially compelling case for any fans of Pokémon who want to learn a bit more about the world of pocket monsters.

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Two New Super Saiyans Are Shaking Up Dragon Ball FighterZ

Two new fighters, Broly and Bardock, hit Dragon Ball FighterZ this week. Bardock comes from an appropriately named TV special, Dragon Ball Z: Bardock — The Father of Goku. Broly also hails from his own special movie named after himself, Dragon Ball Z: Broly — The Legendary Super Saiyan, as well as a few other…

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One Of Our Readers' Favorite Wallets Is Just $10 Today, In A Ton of Different Colors

Our readers listed these Crabby Wallets as one of their favorite front pocket wallets, and today, you can save $5 off a whole bunch of different colors and materials (click here for elastic models, and here for canvas) when you clip the on-page coupon. These wallets can hold up to 10 cards, include a ring for your…

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PUBG's New Event Is Fun If You Can Find The Damn Flare Gun

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is spicing things up with special events—limited time game modes with special weapons and squad rules. The latest event, which kicked off yesterday, adds a special flare gun for calling supply drops. It’s a good idea, but the execution is too timid.

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A Place Further Than The Universe Is A Wholesome Look At Female Friendship

In anime A Place Further than the Universe, a girl with long black hair drops an envelope containing 1,000,000 yen on a train platform. Unremarkable high schooler Mari Tamaki picks it up and, recognizing the girl’s uniform, tracks her down in the bathroom of her local high school. Shirase Kobuchizawa, the envelope’s…

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Far Cry 5’s User Interface Does A Lot Right

Far Cry 5 is a complicated game that needs to convey a ton of information at once. Good thing it’s got a great user interface.

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What We Liked (And Didn’t Like) About Ready Player One

A giant pile of nerd references masquerading as a movie, Ready Player One, premiered last night. Seung Park, Tim Rogers and I all watched it, and now they’re going to talk about it.

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Frustrated Teens And Docks Bricking Switches: The Week's Hot Game Topics

We’ve got a streamer faux pas, disillusioned teens, docks bricking Switches, Carmen Sandiego, Dragon Quest, and more on Kotaku XP, our weekly video roundup of what the heck is going on with games and the people who play them. Consider it Kotaku Cliff’s Notes. Watching Gita Jackson and I talk is probably sufficient…

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Burnout Paradise Remastered's Price Has Already Downshifted To $30

You can quibble over whether Burnout Paradise needed improved textures and lighting effects, but they certainly don’t hurt what was already an incredibly fun arcade driving experiment. The remaster came out for $40 on PS4 and Xbox One earlier this month, but you can already grab a copy for $30.

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Hey Ubisoft, Let Far Cry 5's Dog Ride In The Car

Far Cry 5 has three pets you can befriend and enlist to help you fight enemy cultists. They’ll help you, and they’ll follow you anywhere. They just won’t ride with you in a car. I can forgive that for the cougar or the bear. In the case of the third animal, a dog, it’s borderline criminal, and Ubisoft needs to fix it.

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Hasbro got 5,000 pre-orders to build a massive replica of Jabba's barge

The huge Jabba the Hutt barge replica Hasbro showed off at Toy Fair this year will soon become a real item making its way to backers' homes. That's because the toymaker's first HasLab project, a program that takes a leaf out of Indiegogo's and Kickst...

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Tesla: Autopilot was engaged in fatal Model X crash

After a fiery crash in Mountain View, CA last week killed the driver of a Tesla Model X, the company provided an update on the incident with a blog post. It did not name the driver, identified by ABC 7 News as Apple engineer and former EA programmer...

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