Culture

Why Veronica Mars Is Still Worth Watching, 15 Years Later

Veronica Mars has been on a hell of a ride. The beloved, short-lived TV series debuted in 2004, telling sun-drenched teen noir stories about a high school girl who solved mysteries in her spare time. Starring Kristen Bell as the eponymous troubled amateur detective, the show gained a cult following for its sharp wit, heartbreaking character arcs,…

Steam’s New Customizable AI Tool Scans Your Playtime And Tells You What To Buy Next

Just days after the end of a summer sale that laid bare many of Steam’s issues with helping people discover new games, Valve has announced a new section dedicated to “experiments around discoverability, video, machine learning, and more.” It’s called Steam Labs, and the first bits of mad video game science to emerge from it…

The Nintendo Switch Lite Has Sealed The 3DS’s Coffin

Remember the Nintendo 3DS? Enjoy that while you can, because after the Nintendo Switch Lite comes out, the 3DS will be erased from all of our collective memories. Okay, not really, but the Switch Lite does look nifty. On this week’s Kotaku Splitscreen, we talk about playing Switch games while lying in a hammock and…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: Is My Ex Leading Me On?

Hello you beautiful and terrifying love piranhas, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the dating advice column for people who got a recommendation from Dr. Mario. This week, we’re gonna squash some relationship viruses. How do you clear up a misunderstanding that’s led to a conflict in your friendship? How can you tell whether your…

I Can’t Deal With People Getting Ahead Of Me In MMOs

Earlier today, my Kotaku coworker Heather Alexandra posted what I am sure was an amazing and insightful look at the end of Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion. An ending that I’m still a level and a half and a whole bunch of quests away from experiencing. I am so damn jealous. It’s not just Heather.…

Track: Maps | Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Album: Fever To Tell  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

Imabari Castle. Imabari, Ehime, Japan. By JC. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

Track: Half Manne Half Cocaine | Artist: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib | Album: Bandana Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

Beep Beep

Ivan Rastrigin is a concept artist at Wargaming, the developers of World of Tanks/Warships/Warplanes You can see more of Ivan’s stuff at his ArtStation page

Here’s some Initial D cosplay, where it’s not the driver in costume, but the car (in this case, a Razor crazy cart).

These Games Deserve Spots In The Switch Online NES Library

By the end of the month, there will be 46 games in Nintendo Switch Online’s NES library. There will be 52 if you count the ones only released for the service’s Famicom library in Japan. While most of the best-known games of that era have already been brought over, that number is still just a…

The ‘Gamer Girl Bath Water’ Saga Keeps Getting Stranger

Apparently, a lot of weird things can happen when you decide to sell “gamer girl bath water” on the internet. On July 1, Belle Delphine, a UK-based internet personality known for viral stunts and Patreon-supported NSFW content, announced on her Instagram that she would be selling her bath water to fans via her online store…

Legendary Mario Player Is Building Some Of The Hardest Mario Maker 2 Levels You’ll Ever See

It’s a good thing you have to beat a level before uploading it in Super Mario Maker 2, or else who knows what kind of twisted horrors longtime player PangeaPanga would be coming up with? Panga is a member of the Kaizo community, a group of bafflingly skilled Mario players who make and speedrun through…

I Wish I Could Play More Wacky Builds In Dota Underlords, But I Like Winning

A couple weeks ago, I came across a Dota Underlords video that changed everything for me. In it, a player managed to buff one unit, the self-cloning Arc Warden, such that he was able to spawn nearly limitless copies of himself. The board was a sea of crackling wizards with fishbowls on their heads. I…

Ubisoft Will Ban Players Who Crashed Rainbow Six Siege Matches By Spamming Chat Symbols

Ubisoft just fixed an exploit that was allowing Rainbow Six Siege players to force their opponents to lag by filling up the game’s chat window with random symbols. Players who abused it to get an advantage in the competitive shooter will be temporarily banned. Exploits in Rainbow Six Siege are like Whac-A-Mole. When one gets…

Some Hilarious Zelda Talk I Overheard At The Rock Climbing Gym

When your job involves talking about video games all day, you get pretty attuned to hearing people mention them when you’re outside of work. While eavesdropping can be a way to learn what games people are playing and thinking about, it can also provide neat insight into how those games fit into their lives. I’ve…

The Nintendo Switch Lite Is Getting A Lovely Pokémon Sword and Shield Edition

If you’re able to hold off a few weeks on buying the new Nintendo Switch Lite when it releases September 20, you’ll have the chance to get a pretty slick version of Nintendo’s latest Switch: the Pokémon Sword and Shield-themed Zacian and Zamazenta edition. As you can see, it’s an elegant light gray with cyan…

The Nintendo Switch Lite Will Be Released On September 20

The Nintendo Switch Lite is a smaller handheld-only portable that will be released this fall. It is being described as a Nintendo Switch for those who just want to play on the go. The Lite will come in three colors: yellow, gray, and turquoise. Priced at $199.99, the Switch Lite is cheaper than the standard-issue…

Track: Movin’ On Without You (Live) | Artist: Utada Hikaru | Album: First Love  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment. 

Morning Walk. Kyoto, Japan. By Brian Ashcraft | Twitter JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!