Culture

The Total War Steam Community Was ‘Awful’ Until The Devs Brought In A Moderator

According to developer Creative Assembly’s Grace Carroll, the Total War series’ Steam community was, until very recently, a mess. Largely left to their own devices, forums became “toxic” and “an awful place to be.” Instead of letting the trash fire burn, though, the developer decided to dedicate resources to putting it out. Speaking at the…

Big Shark Punched By Bigger Squid

Today on Highlight Reel we have huge squids, Fortnite moments, Road Rash fails, Breath of The Wild tricks, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for…

Pillars of Eternity II is getting an expansion. The Beast Of Winter takes place in an area occupied by worshipers of the god of cold and decay who believe that your character heralds the end of all things. Fun! It’ll launch on August 2 alongside a 2.0 patch full of tweaks, fixes, and challenge modes.

I’m Hooked On A Game About Cleaning Up Murder Scenes

Playing a preview build of Body of Evidence, I found myself working against the clock to clean up crime scenes and hide dead bodies. As I meticulously scrubbed blood out of hardwood floors and tabletops, I felt exhilarated to play a role in a situation I hope I never take part in. In Body of…

Track: Teenage Blues | Artist: Sunny Car Wash | Album: Teenage Blues Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Best Cosplay From Anime Expo, The Hottest Show Of 2018

Anime Expo is one of the biggest nerd shows of the year, but this year it was also the hottest. Literally. Held between July 5-8 in LA, temperatures soared during the con to reach well over 100 degrees, which wreaked havoc with cosplayers and attendees alike. For anyone just visiting the show, those are gross…

A Two-Faced Opponent

Elias Ravanetti is an artist and illustrator from Italy. You can see more of Elias’ work—he’s got a particular affinity for creature design—at his ArtStation page Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you’re in the business and have…

Valve has overhauled Steam’s “upcoming” tab. It was an unfiltered list of games (and asset flips), but now it’s decided upon by wishlists and other data. Valve said that “less than half” of 1% of users clicked the old upcoming tab, while only 4% click “top sellers.” Steam users don’t really use Steam, I guess?

The Star Ocean Mobile Game Is Easy To Hate And Still Play Anyway

There’s finally a new Star Ocean game after 2016’s barebones Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness. Unfortunately, Star Ocean: Anamnesis, the latest entry, free-to-play, only on smartphones, and a gacha game to boot. The first of those would be forgivable if not for the second, but as a slot machine for collecting characters from Star Oceans…

Track: Everything Counts | Artist: Everything Counts | Album: Construction Time Again Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Zangief Cosplay Visits A Japanese Public Bath 

Bodybuilder Taichi Shimizu already does an excellent Zangief cosplay. So put him in a public bathhouse, and the cosplay looks like the downtime during Street Fighter II These photos were taken by photographer Maruo Kono for a Red Bull shoot. You can see more of Kono’s work on his official site and more of these…

Boss Fight

Pedro Krüger Garcia is a concept artist and illustrator from Brazil. You can see more of Pedro’s work at his ArtStation page Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you’re in the business and have some concept, environment, promotional…

Please Don’t Ever Nerf These Custom Overwatch Nikes

When reader Cong Cao wanted to get his girlfriend Mavis a birthday present this year, he skipped the whole “buy her a corny gift” angle and went straight to the heart. Because she’s a big Overwatch fan, and of D.Va in particular, he decided to get her something related to the game and character. But…

Somebody’s Making A Game About Making Battle Royales

Think there are too many similar battle royale games? Or perhaps you’re a member of PUBG’s community, ready to revolt over the state of the former king of the genre. If you think you can do a better job, Battle Royale Tycoon will give you a chance. The developers of the upcoming PC game say…

The Long Dark‘s New Cooking System Is Too Real

Last month, snowy survival game The Long Dark got a new cooking system. Like in real life, it requires timing things just right. I couldn’t pull it off in my last game, as well as in most of my own home cooking. The Long Dark added manual cooking in its June update. While you used…

Rules For Eating And Drinking In Japan

Visting Japan? Or perhaps you already live in the country. Here are some handy rules to follow for eating and drinking protocol. Generally, Japanese society is rather lenient towards the manners of foreigners. As long as you try to follow along with how things are usually done and don’t leave a mess after yourself, you’ll…

Some excellent My Hero Academia cosplay from nickrod99

Always Two, There Are

Rong Chen is an artist from China. You can see more of Chen’s work at his ArtStation page Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you’re in the business and have some concept, environment, promotional or character art you’d…

Wreckfest Santa Transforms Into Glitchy Nightmare

Today on Highlight Reel we have Father Christmas body horror, Rainbow Six Siege moments, Battlefield V spider soldiers, and much more. Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for…

Track: Bring It On Home to Me | Artist: Sam Cooke | Album: The Best of Sam Cooke Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.