Culture

Wave Race 64 Player Spends Nine Years Shaving Less Than Two Seconds Off Record

Speedrunner Illudude has been playing Wave Race 64 since it was released in 1996 on the Nintendo 64. Yesterday, be set a new world record on the game’s Drake Lake level, breaking the 1:11 barrier he first introduced in 2010 and which speedrunners have been trapped ever since. Shaving five hundredths of a second off…

Track: The Girl From Ipanema | Artist: Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz & João Gilberto | Album: Getz/Gilberto Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Movements | Artist: Roots Manuva | Album: Brand New Second Hand Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The Art Of Black Panther

Black Panther was good! It also looked good, so I figured I’d showcase the work of a number of artists involved with the film’s production, giving us a look at how the costumes and environments of Wakanda went from the drawing board to the big screen. Note that this isn’t everyone involved, it’s just a…

Game Of Thrones Cosplay Got The Whole Gang Together (For A Wedding Proposal)

PhotographerJason Laboy recently captured this Game of Thrones cosplay jamboree in New York’s Central Park, and not only did it feature a whole lot of swords, but a ring as well. First, the cosplay! And when I say the shoot involved “everyone” from the show, I’m not kidding: most of the Stark family turned up,…

Why We Loved The Leftovers

What is there left to say about HBO’s fantastic, now-concluded show The Leftovers? Maybe nothing. But that didn’t stop us from trying. Jason Schreier and I are in San Francisco to talk with game developers at the Game Developers Conference, but we still made time to meet up with IGN editors Andrew Goldfarb and Marty…

Track: Mugen Mirai | Artist: Perfume | Album: Chihayafuru Part 3 OST Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Osaka’s Cosplay Hit The Streets

It’s that time of year again when the Nipponbashi Street Festival is held on the streets of Osaka, and as always, some of the best cosplay in Japan was out in the sun enjoying/tolerating the crowds. Last year it was Persona 5 stealing hearts, but this year there’s a range of amazing costumes, from Nier:…

Just Mechin’ Around

Gediminas Einikis is a concept artist and designer based in Chicago. You can see more of Gediminas’ work at his 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 work of video game artists, showcasing the best of…

Look At This Damn Monster Hunter Cosplay

German cosplay superstar Kamui, who we last saw with some of the best StarCraft work we’d ever seen, returns with some of the best Monster Hunter work we’ve ever seen. This Zinogre armour is almost perfect when you see it in stills, but the real winner here is how the whole thing lights up. Here’s…

Fortnite Player Gets Cocky

Today on Highlight Reel we have Jojo references, PUBG pans, Fortnite rocket snipes 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…

The Nightmare War Of Battlefield 1 Multiplayer

Here’s a nightmare I’ve actually had: I’m a soldier in a war, and no one’s told me what to do. Bullets are whizzing overhead and death could arrive at any moment. Everyone around me seems to know what they’re doing, but not me. I shouldn’t be here. I’m just some guy. I sit there, paralyzed,…

The Week In Games: Get Ready For Boats

Prepare to sail the Sea of Thieves and to experience the glory of a remastered Assassin’s Creed Rogue, which, uh, also has boats. There are some interesting classics hitting contemporary consoles this week. Bad Dudes is coming to the Switch and Titan Quest is jumping onto the PS4 and the Xbox One. If you’re not…

Track: Sono Sen wa Suiheisen | Artist: Quruli | Album: Sono Sen wa Suiheisen (Single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Street Fighter II Sure Looks Inspired By This 1975 Charles Bronson Movie

Here’s something I’d never noticed before: two of the most memorable stages from Street Fighter II are likely a tribute to Hard Times, a 1975 Charles Bronson movie about…street fighting. There are multiple fights in the movie, but as Guerilla’s Dennis Zopfi pointed out in the tweet below, two in particular influenced the design of…

Shadow Of Mordor Cosplay Is A Twofer

This is not photoshop, this is Jechtssplitting himself in two for some A++ Shadow of Mordor cosplay. The results are even more impressive when you see the rest of him. Photos by Britany Quin

Some absolutely jaw-dropping Zelda cosplay here from Hannah Éva

Anastasia Is The Duchess Of Cosplay

Taking inspiration from actual royal photo shoots, these Anastasia shots by Alexandra Lee are a sight to behold. The incredible cosplay—check out the detail on that dress—is by JediManda You can see more of Alexandra’s photography at her Patreon page

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: A New Challenger Appears

Geralt is coming to Soulcalibur VI, and that means that anything is possible. What other characters could be coming to the beloved franchises of your dreams? Fighting game crossovers are nothing new. I fondly remember fighting through Soulcalibur II on my original Xbox as the beloved Todd McFarlane creation known as Spawn, and I’ve even…

It’s Finally Time For Telltale To Shake Up Its Formula

Today in Austin, Texas, we put on a live episode of Kotaku Splitscreen to talk about Telltale’s formula and much more. Joining me and Kirk on stage was Kotaku freelancer and The Guardian games editor Keza MacDonald as well as Telltale’s vice president of creative, Leah Hoyer. We talked about storytelling in video games, games…