Culture

The Story of Sega’s First Console, Which Was Not The Master System

On July 15, 1983, the Famicom was released in Japan. The console, later rebranded in the West as the Nintendo Entertainment System, would go on to change video games forever. Did you know, though, that the Famicom wasn’t the only gaming system released on that day? It was joined on shelves by the SG-1000, the…

Dead Cells is Castlevania meets permadeath. You explore an interconnected castle that sprawls and shifts like those stairs in Harry Potter, except evil. Death, however, replaces backtracking, and each death will unlock more of the world. Combat is Souls-inspired. It’s on Steam Greenlight right now.

Long War 2 Completely Changes XCOM 2

Long War was one of the first XCOM reboot’s most popular and beloved mods, so much so that XCOM 2 ended up liberally cribbing notes from its playbook. Now there’s a Long War for XCOM 2, and it’s a doozy. The goal of the mod is to make players feel like they’re waging a real…

Ice Cold Battlefield Medic Doesn’t Even Care

Today on Highlight Reel we have enthusiastic FIFA celebrations, Roadhog hooks, Widowmaker shutdowns 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! Rainbow 6 Siege –…

As ‘Games Done Quick’ Gets Bigger, So Do Its Controversies [Updated]

Six years ago, Awesome Games Done Quick started as a small outfit of speedrunners who played games to raise money for cancer prevention. Since then, AGDQ has ballooned into a big event: this year alone, viewers donated $2.2 million dollars for a good cause. The added visibility has brought new challenges, as runners and organizers…

Podcast: Let’s Talk Nintendo Switch

It’s time for the Kotaku Splitscreen episode you’ve been waiting for: Our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch. This week, Kirk and I blaze through some belated 2017 predictions (Final Fantasy XVI! Scorpio! Half-Life VR!) and then react to everything we’ve learned about the Switch, which I got a chance to play last Friday. You can…

Batter Up

William Bao is an artist based in LA who works for Ironklad, a studio that has helped out on stuff like The Division, League of Legends and…Taylor Swift videos You can see more of Bao’s art at hisArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left…

Track: Ohayou Culture | Artist: Go! Go! Vanillas | Album: Ohayou Culture Single  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Final Fantasy XV Cosplay Sprinkles A Lil’ Meme

This is Miguel as Ignis, who knows exactly how to season a kill. Jinis Noctis, photo by Reskiy And here, for accompaniment, the original.

Ready For Battle

Arthur Gurin is a freelance concept artist from Ukraine who is working in the video game business. You can see more of Arthur’s work at his personal site and ArtStation page 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…

Track: Filed Under X | Artist: Bugs | Album: Audio Alchemy Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Most Interesting Answers From Gabe Newell’s AMA

Today was one of those occasions that comes once, maybe twice (but definitely not thrice) in a lifetime. Gabe Newell arose from his Scrooge McDuck-esque lake of knives and cash to conduct an AMA. Spoiler: he likes Portal 2 more than Half-Life, and despite appearances to the contrary, Valve still makes games. Newell didn’t stick…

Battlefield Pilot Gives Enemy Soldier A Biplane Haircut

Today on Highlight Reel we have unusual urination, Titanfall streaks, boat tethers, stolen kills, amped walls, 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! Just…

What A Broke-Ass Batman Would Look Like

This is some Batman cosplay with a difference. Rather than try to copy the Dark Knight’s appearance from any number of comics, movies or games, frigginboomtoys has decided to try something more original, and imagine “Poor Batman”. It’s from a universe where, instead of being born rich, Bruce Wayne is actually dirt poor, and has…

Track: There She Goes | Artist: The La’s | Album: The La’s Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Ontario | Artist: Bonobo | Album: Migration Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Another Look At That Cancelled Darth Maul Game

Lucasarts were once working on a Darth Maul game. It was cancelled, of course, like most things the post-millennium Lucasarts ever touched, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look over its concept art and wonder what could have been. Note that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen art from the project—we posted about some…

Track: (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano | Artist: Sampha | Album: Process Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Destiny’s Exos Look Very Nice

I do not play Destiny anymore, but when I did, I was an Exo Titan, and he was a very pretty robot man. Though not as pretty as these examples, by 3D artist Mike Jensen, who actually worked on Destiny Below you’ll find a lot of sculpts of Exos, and a few of other characters/units…

Cersei Lannister Gives Zero Fucks

One of the highlights of Season 6 of Game of Thrones was the black dress that Cersei Lannister wore when [SPOILERS]. Here it is in cosplay form. Cosplay is by Chelsea Rebecca, photos by Greg Hollander.