Culture

Realistic Paintings Of Japanese Snacks And Drinks

Japanese artist Polka has an interesting specialty: Painting acrylic still-life portraits of snacks. Why paint flowers and fruits when there are Calorie Mate and Lunch Pack sandwiches? The timer shows how many hours Polka works on each painting. There are many more clips on YouTube. Here are some highlights. Kotaku East is your slice of…

Track: The Force Majeure | Artist: Boysetsfire | Album: After the Eulogy Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Look, Witches Don’t Always Want To Use Magic, OK?

Daniel Hoang is a concept artist based in the UK working in the games business. You can see more of Daniel’s stuff at his ArtStation page

Skyrim Cosplayer Joins Christians For His Own Religious Protest

Every year at Dragon Con, there are some Christian protesters hanging around angry that everyone is loving nerd shit instead of Jesus. And almost every year, Heimskr from Skyrim is there to join them in their preaching. Cosplayer Jacob Kevinsson has been dressing as the Skyrim preacher and attending Dragon Con since 2014, and most…

The Week In Games: Once More Unto The Breach 

Some habits are hard to kick. Destiny is second on my list of most-hours-played, wedged firmly between Dota 2 and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Hundreds of hours later I’m still not sure what that says about the game or me. Is Bungie’s post-Halo MMO shooter my second favorite game of all time? No. Do I…

Podcast: What It’s Like To Play Classic Games For The First Time

Whether or not you caught our 12-hour video game marathon on Tuesday, join us to talk about some great classic games on today’s Kotaku Splitscreen First, a reminder: At PAX in Seattle on Friday, September 1, we’ll be holding the first-ever Kotaku Splitscreen Live. It’ll be in the Sasquatch Theater at 8pm, so come join…

Track: Dirty Work | Artist: Steely Dan | Album: Can’t Buy A Thrill  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Sunday Comics: Official Lore

Welcome to Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics that usually occurs on Sunday except when it doesn’t. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published August 31. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published August 28. Read more…

Songbringer‘s Randomized Take On Zelda Works Really Well

Songbringer, with its top-down overworld-wandering, dungeon-spelunking, and item-collecting, takes a lot of cues from classic Legend of Zelda games. I can only tell you so much about it, though, because your adventure will probably be pretty different from mine. When I first started playing the new PC action-adventure, which tells the story of a top-hat-wearing…

This Week In The Business: No Escaping PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

QUOTE | “Winning is the exception, and losing can be fun, and anything in between is an adventure, which sets PUBG apart entirely—and in a meaningful way—from almost any other competitive multiplayer game I’ve encountered.” – Tacoma and Gone Home developer Steve Gaynor loves PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds QUOTE | “What we’ve noticed during this generation is…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for going to the farmer’s market near your house for the first time, because that seems like a very modern long weekend thing to do. Also, video games. I’m determined to finish Dishonored 2 before Death of the Outsider comes out. I started it again last weekend but didn’t get too far…

The Internet Reacts To Sonic Forces’ Persona 5 Costume

Maybe you forgot that Atlus, the creators of Persona, are now owned by Sega, the makers of Sonic. Well, the internet got a terrible reminder of this fact yesterday, and it’s hilarious. Sonic Forces, the next 3D Sonic game, will have a costume that dresses custom original characters as the protagonist of Persona 5. The…

Heavy Rain‘s Taxidermist DLC Is Good David Cage

David Cage, the writer/director for the upcoming Detroit: Become Human, is best in small doses. Given a single idea, the man famous for designing Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls knows how to pack a punch. Take, for example, the Heavy Rain DLC episode The Taxidermist. It’s an evocative, visceral experience, and not coincidentally, it’s…

Speedrunners Organize Two-Day Marathon For Hurricane Harvey Relief

Games Done Quick, the folks behind the popular semi-annual week-long charity speedrunning marathons, are holding an impromptu two-day event to raise money to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Running from from 8PM Eastern today through 8PM Sunday, Harvey Relief Done Quick is a speedrunning marathon raising money for the Houston Food Bank, an organization…

Track: Summer Song | Artist: Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck | Album: Summer Song Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

League Of Legends: The Cosplay Movie

Not only is this some of the best League of Legends cosplay I’ve ever seen, it’s also one of the most professional cosplay videos I’ve ever seen. It’s by a team of Chinese cosplayers, and if you like your cosplay showcases to be completely over-the-top with corny-ass soundtracks, then boy is this the vid for…

The Art Of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

If there’s one constant across Naughty Dog’s games, it’s that the art that goes into them always ends up contributing to some of the best Fine Art posts we feature that year. Their latest effort is no exception. 15 months after the release of Uncharted 4, many of the same artists who made that such…

Show Us Your Best XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen Propaganda Posters

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is a very good arts and crafts game that also includes the occasional tactical battle against aliens. Show me your best posters! I’ll get the ball rolling with some of mine. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I’m gonna stick with some of my early game masterpieces. This is…

Track: Across the Universe | Artist: Utada Hikaru | Album: N/A  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Space Girls

Amanda Schank is a freelance artist based in NYC. You can see more of Amanda’s work at her DeviantArt and ArtStation pages To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of…