Culture

Light-Up StarCraft Cosplay Is On A Whole Other Level

This Nova outfit (technically Heroes of the Storm cosplay, since this is a skin from that game for the StarCraft character), by Kamui, doesn’t just look good as is. It also lights up like a Blizzard-themed Christmas tree, with some of the most impressive cosplay engineering work I’ve ever seen. Here’s a shot of the…

I Drank Pikachu Soda, And It Was Good

Taiwanese soda company Ocean Bomb has a huge range of Pokemon-themed drinks out at the moment. This one, with Pikachu’s face and the word “cider” on it, convinced me it was the one to try. Now, where I’m from in Australia, “cider” is an alcoholic beverage you drink in the summertime. I get that for…

The Week In Games: Going Down To South Park 

A new South Park game awaits just over the horizon, along with WWE 2K18 and another Gran Turismo-lite. But while these games will no doubt dominate most people’s conversations (except for the Nintendo kids who will once again see some of their favorite characters crammed into a hack’n slash blender), I’ve got my eyes on…

Rogue Flying Fish Cancels Super Mario Bros. World Record 

Darbian is one of the premier Super Mario Bros. speedrunners, and this is him getting wrecked by a Cheep Cheep. Currently tied with Kosmic for first place in the game with a shared world record of 4:56:878, Darbian was on his way to make history having already shaved off another .3 seconds during world 8-3.…

Why Loot Boxes Make People So Angry

It’s the 100th episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, and to celebrate, we’re… talking about video games, loot boxes, and much more. First, Kirk and I reminisce a bit about 2+ years of Splitscreen. Then we get into news talk (19:09) about loot boxes, Oculus Go, and Valve’s Orange Box turning 10. Then we talk South Park,…

Sunday Comics: Legendary Punchline 

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 October 14. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published October 9. Read more…

Which Dragon Ball Game Is Your Favorite?

One of the most prolific game series in existence despite being licensed, Dragon Ball has seen its fair share of the good, the bad, and the why did they even bother. Due out early next year, Dragon Ball FighterZ might well end up being one of the series’ best releases to-date. With everyone focused on…

Track: Feels Like Heaven | Artist: Ariel Pink | Album: Dedicated to Bobby Jameson Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

This Week In The Business: Much Ado About Loot Boxes

STAT | 25% – Amount of PC game revenue in 2016 that was generated by the sale of additional content like DLC and loot boxes, according to Digital River. The monetization service company believes the games-as-a-service trend has tripled the overall gaming industry’s value. QUOTE | “We think of it as a similar principle to…

Track: Ruin | Artist: Hide Your Fires | Album: Empty Vessel Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for seriously not being sick anymore, seriously. Also, video games. As ever, I will attempt to play The Witcher 3 then get distracted doing something else. Will this be the Overwatch even where I win something other than junk? (No. No, it will not.) What about you? What are you playing?

Popular Battlegrounds Streamer Apologizes After Falsely Accusing Player Of Hacking

Shroud, one of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ most popular streamers, isn’t somebody who loses very often. A former Counter-Strike pro, he’s rarely outsmarted or outgunned. It’s not uncommon to see would-be rivals try to level the playing field with hacks. Every once in a while, he calls out cheaters on stream. Recently, however, he seems to have…

Track: Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground | Artist: The White Stripes | Album: White Blood Cells Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Nicolas Cage, The Japanese Snack Food [Update]

If you were a Japanese snack food maker and could put anyone on your tasty treats, who would it be? Nicolas Cage, of course! To promote Army of One’s Japanese release, the actor’s face is being plastered on the popular puffed corn snack Umaibou (or “delicious stick”). Update October 13 – 6:00am: Nicolas Cage did…

Rough Day At The Range

Elijah McNeal is an artist who has worked for companies like Gearbox, Epic and 20th Century Fox. You can see more of Elijah’s art at his ArtStation page (and the last time we featured him, in 2014). To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine…

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Today on Highlight Reel we have spartan lasers, Battlegrounds bonding, orcs ending it, 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 more! Catch up on all…

Kerbal Space Program Review Bombed Over Controversial Chinese Gender Translation

For the past few days, Kerbal Space Program has been bombarded by negative reviews on Steam, so much so that the big thumbs-down parade has triggered Valve’s new anti-review bomb countermeasures. The reason? A small phrasing change in the game’s Chinese version. Originally, a space shuttle on the game’s main menu had the phrase “不到mun非好汉”…

What Counter-Strike Mapmakers Think Of The New Dust2

Valve has once again tampered with the holy grail of Counter-Strike maps, Dust2. Long considered a gold standard not just for CSGO, but for multiplayer maps in general, it’s very difficult to tangibly improve without accidentally knocking the overall synergy of the map out of balance. Has Valve succeeded this time? I asked a handful…

People Are Speedrunning The Super Mario Odyssey Store Demos

Super Mario Odyssey comes out in two weeks. Some players are so eager to race through the game that they’ve started recording ‘speedruns’ at demo kiosks in department stores. Demo speedruns are mostly a chance to experiment with the game’s movement mechanics. Mario has some pretty great jumps in Odyssey and the ability to possess…

Tiny Cardboard Arcade Is An Awesome Kids’ Meal Toy

An ill-fated trip through the local Wendy’s drive through yesterday resulted in room temperature fries, the wrong size drink and confirmation of my children’s suspicions that not all chicken nuggets are created equal. But hey, check out this awesome little arcade building set that came in their kid’s meal. Wendy’s is pretty good if you…