Kotaku articles

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild doesn't just evoke the feelings of a boundless world; it gives you one. The game feels, in so many ways, like what Zelda has always strived to be. Free of the traditions that the series has followed so rigorously over the past decade, Breath of the Wild emerges triumphant. It is groundbreaking. It is the pinnacle of Zelda.

Nintendo Switch Review

The Nintendo Switch is a fascinating new game console built around a novel and well-executed central idea. It also has plenty of problems that will doubtless be improved upon in a future version. Nintendo is yet again trying something new, and here we are to take the plunge alongside them.

Torment: Tides of Numenera Review

Tides of Numenera is the Kickstarter-borne spiritual follow-up to Planescape, a 1999 cult classic. Numenera is a single-player RPG with an emphasis on text and dialogue, and while it's not set in the same universe as Planescape, it approaches similar themes from intriguingly different angles. Oh, it's also similar to Planescape in that it's really good.

The 12 Best Games on the iPhone

You've got yourself an iPhone and you want to play some games on it. You might not want to just plunge into the App Store-it's a jungle, full of deadly spiders, wild animals, and bad games. Here, let us help you. Below, we've listed the 12 games we feel are a great starting point for iPhone gaming.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Review

Horror games are a difficult thing to get right. They can feel like carnival attractions, full of overblown scares, or have so little horror that they elicit nothing but eye rolls. Resident Evil 7 gets it right. It's a scary and violent blast of survival horror that sneaks up behind you before plunging a chainsaw in your gut.

Razer Blade Pro Review

Where the original Razer Blade was an exercise in compromise, the new Razer Blade Pro is about seeing how much power can be stuffed inside of a 17 inch wide, 11 inch deep, .88 inch tall aluminum housing. Thanks to engineering know-how, recent advances in graphics technology and Razer's willingness to disregard what most might consider a reasonable price tag, the latest Blade Pro packs a remarkable amount of gaming goodness into these cramped confines.

The State of PC Gaming in 2016

PC gaming is on the forefront of gaming. So many of today's trends: early access, survival game elements in everything, multiplatform mods, esports, and virtual reality – all started on PC. Even as it inspired other platforms, PC gaming itself evolved this year, making big strides and taking ugly spills.

The first 10 things to do when your PC can't run a new game

You just got a new PC game! Hoo buddy, you are excited. You've been looking forward to this one for years. You load it up and... oh, hell. Something's off. You go into the options menu and make the usual tweaks. Turn off MSAA. Turn down shadow quality. Turn down reflections. Turn off any feature with a weird name and Nvidia branding. None of it does much to help.

Final Fantasy XV Review

Let's get this out of the way: Final Fantasy XV is a great video game. It steers the series in a promising new direction, reveals a spectacular new world, and introduces a combat system as satisfying as any I've played. For all of its warts and wrinkles---and there are quite a few warts and wrinkles---Final Fantasy XV is often a thing of beauty.

Long Live the Mouse and Keyboard, a Great Way to Control Video Games

A year or so ago I moved my gaming PC away from the TV and upstairs to my desk. I got a monitor that's better than that TV. So, I decided to start using a mouse and keyboard again. I'm not really to the point where I obsess over DPI or key resistance or anything like that. I've found a pretty standard setup, and I stick with it. It's still been interesting returning to the mouse and keyboard fold after so many years away. Here's what I've learned.

Civilization VI Review

Civilization games have all shared the same core design ideas. 2K's marketing will try and sell you on new stuff all they want, but the nuts and bolts of this game are the same as they've always been and they're what really makes Civ great. You take turns, you build cities, you research tech, you fight.

World of Warcraft: Legion Review

After 12 years of performing outrageous acts of heroism in the name of the Alliance or Horde, it's time for World of Warcraft players to take their place in the pantheon of Azeroth's greatest heroes. Where 2014's Warlords of Draenor elevated player characters from adventurers to military commanders, Legion makes them legends, wielding weapons of unimaginable power against the greatest threat the fantasy world has ever faced.

PlayStation VR Review

I've been using Sony's PlayStation VR for the better part of a week and have played a handful of the games that will be available at launch. I've been impressed by some things, turned off by others, and made nauseous by a few. Throughout that time I've also been disappointed. Read on for the full review.

FIFA 17 vs PES 2017: Head-to-head

FIFA and PES are like Batman and The Joker, their entire existence defined by the presence of the other. You can't play PES without talking about FIFA's licenses, and you can't play FIFA without talking about PES' gameplay, because those things are as much a result of targeting the competitor's weaknesses as their own inherent strengths.