Culture

Man Makes A Real Version Of Sekiro‘s Umbrella Shield

In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there is a metal umbrella that can protect against attacks. Inventor Colin Furze decided to make a real-world version and then shoot firecrackers and fire at himself. The original in-game Loaded Umbrella is quite a stylized concept, so it’s neat to see that a real-world version does work as an…

Telephone Lines. New Dehli, India. By bjoern | Flickr 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! 

The Art Of Far Cry: New Dawn

For a post-apocalyptic game, set after the world is turned to fire and ash, Far Cry: New Dawn sure is pretty. So let’s look tonight at some of the art that went into the game’s conception and production. This isn’t everything from everyone who worked on the game, but it’s a selection that’ll give you…

When Fashion Photography Meets Cosplay

Rizaldy Celi is a fashion photographer who is just getting into cosplay, and I love the way he’s bringing his eye for the former into his work on the latter. You can see more of Rizaldy’s stuff at his Instagramand personal site

We’re Very Skeptical Of Google Stadia

It’s been a week since the Google Stadia announcement at GDC, and its big promises still don’t add up. Who is Stadia for? Could it ever work from a technical standpoint? Why should game developers or streamers be excited about it when it’s not clear how the heck they could ever expect to make any…

Devil May Cry 5‘s Director Tells Us How They Made Combat Feel So Damn Good

Devil May Cry 5 is a fever dance of slashes, air-steps, and ball-crushingly powerful grapples—a bloody monster mash caught somewhere between street brawl and mosh pit. It’s also, according to director Hideaki Itsuno, a “good-feeling” game. When I met him at Capcom’s offices in San Francisco last Wednesday, I wanted to know exactly what that…

The Division 2‘s Wild Puzzles Stump Players, But One Of Them Turns Out To Be Bugged

For over a week, Zachary Jaglowski has been trying to figure out what the deal is with a mysterious basement in The Division 2. The 24-year-old graphic designer from New Jersey has explored the small downstairs space with a friend, and they’re convinced something is up with it. They’ve had their characters shoot out all…

The Messy Princess Management Game I’m Still Playing Anyway

From the moment I saw NIS America’s The Princess Guide I was intrigued. The screenshots barely made any sense, but they looked gorgeous. Crisp, bold black lines, vibrant colors, and tons of incomprehensible but delicately arranged icons. After a few hours of actually playing the game, I barely understand it any better, but I feel…

Track: Morning Starship | Artist: Morrissey | Album: California Son Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Pachinko Moon. Tokyo, Japan. By Davide Sasso | Instagram  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! 

Sony’s Kaz Hirai Is Finally Retiring 

In April 2018, Kaz Hirai stepped down as Sony CEO, taking on the role of Director and Chairman. Today, it was announced that Hirai will retire from those roles in June. Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony’s former CFO, took over the company after Hirai had brought it back from the brink. Previously, Hirai headed up Sony Computer…

Excellent space train death adventure Sunless Skies is getting a big update. It’s called Wayfarer, and it’s the first of “several.” This one aims to provide “more to see and do during voyages.” On the menu so far: multiple narrative additions and a rework of Albion. The update pulls up to the station on April…

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, As Told By Steam Reviews

“Wait, they only die twice?” said all the literal title interpreters in the Steam community upon seeing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s name. They’ve since been shocked—shocked, I say—to find themselves dying many more times than twice. Like Kotaku’s own Natalie Degraffinried, Steam reviewers mostly love Sekiro, the latest deliciously murderful brainchild of Dark Souls director…

A YouTuber Finds Wholesome, Heartbreaking Stories Behind Silly VRChat Avatars

In one of Syrmor Sherazee’s best videos, he asks a long-legged bird about what it was like to be homeless. The scene is the Onett stage from Super Smash Bros. Melee—one of the many video game realms repurposed in the sprawling, mutant multiverse of VRChat. Interspersed are clips of the bird holding court with an…

It’s Jarring To Play Earth Defense Force With A Hero I Made

Sandlot’s Earth Defense Force series is about generic soldiers fighting hordes of poorly animated insects. Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is about a player-customized character fighting hordes of poorly animated insects. Giving my EDF trooper a recognizable face changes things. Since I’m a longtime fan of the series, in-depth character creation was the last thing…

Urban Fauna. Porsgrunn, Norway. By Marcus Patai | Instagram 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! 

The Wolf Princess

Ignatius Tan is an artist working at League of Legends developers Riot Games, and this is one of the nicest pieces of Princess Mononoke art I have ever seen. You can see more of Tan’s stuff at his ArtStation page

Othercide is a horror-themed take on XCOM-like turn-based strategy. It focuses on “the sacrifices you must make to prevent reality from shattering”—so, you know, light, easygoing fare that’s only as serious as few heart attacks. There’ll be a system that lets you interrupt enemy attacks, which sounds interesting. It’s out later this year.  

What Europe’s New Copyright Law Means For Twitch And YouTube

If you live in the European Union, or if you’re an avid fan of European politics (and who isn’t?), you’ve probably heard about Article 13 in the past handful of months. And if you heard about Article 13 from someone on the internet, that person probably didn’t have kind things to say about it. Article…

Mega SG Is An Amazing HDMI Sega Genesis For The Hardcore Retro Nerd

The Sega Genesis has had by far the longest shelf life of any of the 16-bit systems. You could buy Sega’s final “Genesis 3″ model in stores until the early 2000s, and just a few years later, the AtGames released licensed plug-and-play machines, some with Genesis cartridge slots. For the last 30 years, you’d likely…