Culture

The Week In Games: Scary Tactical Operations 

It’s the beginning of the Spooky Month, and that means we’ve got a Goosebumps game and Luigi’s Mansion for the 3DS. Also Disgaea and Black Ops 4 for those of us who prefer less spooky games. We’re right in the middle of the autumnal avalanche of video games, and we’re experiencing a mix of remasters…

Track: Electric Messiah | Artist: High On Fire | Album: Electric Messiah Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Magic’s Planeswalkers Are Upset About Something

Here’s artist Jai Kamat with a collection of comic book-style impressions of Magic’s Planeswalkers. You might remember Jai from last year, when we ran a series of his Overwatch portraits You can see more of Jai’s work at his site

Track: Just Can’t Get Enough | Artist: Depeche Mode | Album: The Best of Depeche Mode Vol. 1 Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Into The Breach Speedrunner Completes Game At Blistering Speed

Into The Breach is fiddly, tactical game where I have often taken three or four minutes to consider a single turn, so watching someone beat the game in less than twelve minutes is pretty impressive. A runner by the name of Darn is responsible for this run, and they currently hold the world record for…

‘Shop Contest: Wonders Of The Greek World

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is out in the world, and that means people are exploring ancient Greece to find all of the weird and wonderful things that Ubisoft packs into a game. We’re going to add some even stranger stuff. We already know that there are interesting easter eggs in the Ancient Greece of Odyssey, but…

Spider-Man 2 Should Let You Play As A Journalist

When Insomniac releases a sequel to this year’s smash hit Spider-Man for PS4, don’t you think Mary Jane should get some journalism gameplay? This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, we discuss. I’m back from my honeymoon and there’s lots to discuss, starting with our first impressions of the new open-world game Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Then, Kirk…

Sunday Comics: Crown Transformation

Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published October 1. Read more of Awkward Zombie Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published October 1. Read more of Corpse Run Double XP by…

‘Shop Contest: Pet Distribution, Winners!

Fortnite has pets now, so I asked our intrepid ‘shop-savvy readers to put pets in all of the games. I wasn’t disappointed. Pets make the world a special place, and the developers working away on Fortnite clearly know that. The real question, though, is why everyone else does not know that. Thankfully, you all have…

This Week In The Business: So You Want To Be A Developer?

QUOTE | “Even when I see students enrolling in predatory schools that count ‘indie’ as alumni career placement to bilk students into bloated programs they don’t need for jobs they won’t get, I never discourage. Frankly, it’s time I looked at myself in the mirror and asked if I’m really acting ethically. Am I an…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for reorganizing my kitchen because I spent too long looking at stuff on the Container Store website and now I feel like I could be a better person if my flour was in a see-through storage container instead of a torn bag. The weekend is also for getting overwhelmed by that task…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Girlfriend Wants To Open Up Our Relationship

Hello all you frightening skin machines, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the dating advice column that helps heroes navigate the complicated webs of love. This week, it’s all about sex — the sex we want to have, the sex we think we shouldn’t have and the things we do anyway. Can a monogamous man…

New Glitch Upends SpongeBob Game’s Speedrunning Community 

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a forgettable 3D platformer from the early 2000s that’s nevertheless gained a small cult following in recent years thanks to a dedicated speedrunning community. Now, a glitch discovered just a few days ago that allows players to infinitely farm one of the game’s collectibles threatens all that. The…

Track: The 59th Street Bridge Song | Artist: Simon & Garfunkel | Album: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Organ Donor | Artist: DJ Shadow | Album: Endtroducing Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Welcome To New Venice

Lukasz Nowicki is a Polish concept artist at Platige, a studio that has worked on games like Total War: Warhammer, Frostpunk, Dishonored and Halo 5 The art you’re seeing here, though, is all from Retro Synthesis, a cyberpunk adventure game currently up on Kickstarter You can see more of Lukasz’s work at his ArtStation page

By The Power Of Grayskull, He Has The Power

Here’s hellspawned_cosplay with a very good take on He-Man, defender of Eternia, rider of green cats, alter-ego of a royal doofus. These shots were taken by gimmiecookie at the Baltimore City Comic-Con. You can see more at hellspawned_cosplay and gimmiecookie’s Instagram pages.

Our Quest For The Best Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Difficulty Setting [Updated]

I’m enjoying Assassin’s Creed Odyssey so far, but I’ve been struggling to find a difficulty setting that I like. More specifically, I’m struggling to find a setting that I like equally for every activity. My boss Stephen Totilo is about as far into the game as I am, so I figured I’d check in to…

Music Is The Secret Weapon Of Mario Speedrunners

Is there anything so satisfying to watch as a well-played Mario speedrun? What makes an expert run of Super Mario Bros. so eminently watchable, and how do the players master their moves so perfectly? It turns out that the answer to both questions could be “music.” “Most of the movement is timed with the rhythm…

Track: Emily (Live in Helsinki) | Artist: Bill Evans Trio | Album: Letter to Evan Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.