Culture

Oh No, I Think I Might Be Getting Good At Smash Bros.

Lately I’ve been playing more Smash Bros. than I have in my entire life. That sounds like a lot, but it’s really not. I missed out on all the Nintendo consoles after the SNES, so I never owned a version of the game before Smash Ultimate, which came out for the Switch last year. I…

Track: Yashii Seikatsu | Artist: Ayano Kaneko | Album: Muretachi Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Nan Lian Garden. Hong Kong. By Martin Tan. 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! 

Location, Location, Location

Joanna Kizinska is a freelance concept artist and illustrator working in the games business. You can see more of Joanna’s stuff at her ArtStation page

Thousands Watch As GTA V Streamer Puts On Elaborate In-Game Concert

On Twitch, Grand Theft Auto V role-playing is a full-on phenomenon. Every day, streamers pretend to be criminals, cops, doctors, and other types of criminals. Together on a heavily modified custom server, they craft a 24/7 streamer cinematic universe of unfiltered, gleeful trash. With so many people now aboard the GTA V RP bandwagon, standing…

Overwhelm Is A Tough Game That Still Feels Like It’s Rooting For Me

I am not a glutton for punishment in games. I don’t usually enjoy dying over and over again until some mercurial mix of skill, experience, and luck finally combines to see me through to the next level. But I revel in the moments just before failure occurs, when I’m fighting for my life and the…

How Kirby Games Are Made

Shinya Kumazaki seems to have a fun job. He is the chief creator at HAL Laboratory and gets to dream up major Kirby games. I interviewed him over e-mail recently, trying to satisfy my growing fascination with a series that, at the clip of about two releases a year, somehow manages to be rich in…

Track: Dreams Tonite | Artist: Alvvays | Album: Antisocialites Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Seize The Day. Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brasil. By Aline Cherubim. 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: Trust | Artist: Moon Tooth | Album: Crux Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Road To Guandong is a new road trip game in the style of Jalopy. Set in ‘90s China, it tells the story of recent art school graduate Sunny, who suddenly has to take over the family restaurant after her parents’ death. In the game, Sunny and her aunt will road trip through Guangdong, China, make…

Dawn Patrol

Alexis Morand is an artist who has worked for companies like Google, Sony and Toyota. You can see more of Alexis’ work at his ArtStation page

Baseball’s Excellent Video Game Isn’t Enough To Get Me Past The Sport’s Problems

I always keep a copy of MLB The Show on my hard drive, even though I rarely play it. It connects me to baseball, a sport I have increasingly complicated feelings about. The Show is one of the few places in video games full of Puerto Ricans like me, because baseball is a sport where…

Starting Today, You Can Finally Change Your PSN Name

As first reported last fall, Sony is letting folks change their PSN names through their PS4 or web browser. The rollout out will happen later today. Below is a simple walk-through to explain the process. So, the first change is free, but additional changes will cost $10 each time (or $5 for PlayStation Plus members).…

Track: You’re No Rock N Roll Fun | Artist: Sleater Kinney | Album: All Hands on the Bad One Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Lemonade. Tokyo, Japan. By Benoit Perreault | Official Site 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! 

Wet Noon

Lucas Staniec is a concept artist at CD Projekt Red, the developers of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 He’s also worked on games like Total War: Warhammer II, Dying Light II and Fantasy Flight’s board games. You can see more of Lucas’ stuff at his ArtStation page.

I Can’t Stop Myself From Telling People To Play Phoenix Wright

When I talk to people about the Phoenix Wright series, I often find myself adopting the idiosyncrasies of a crazed motivational speaker. “What are you waiting for?” I implore people, insistent that it’s for their own good. When will you take control of your life? I slink into the brazenly annoying behavior of someone who…

Track: Summer Gate | Artist: Chiaki Sato | Album: SickSickSickSick E.P. Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Cosplayers Made Dave Bautista’s Last Ever Wrestling Outfit

When it came time to plan his last ever WWE outfit before announcing his retirement at this year’s Wrestlemania, Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista knew exactly where to turn: some expert cosplayers and a very big pair of Lebrons. While working on Guardians of the Galaxy a few years back, Bautista heard about…