Culture

Track: Crazy, Classic, Life | Album: Dirty Computer | Artist: Janelle Monáe Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

What We Liked And Didn’t Like About Avengers: Infinity War

Marvel actually did it. The reigning king of planet blockbuster crammed 30-plus superheroes into a single sardine tin of a movie. Did it work, though? Was it any good? Compete staff writer Maddy Myers, Kotaku social media editor Seung Park, and I sat down to discuss the lengthy punchfest’s ample highs and lows. Nathan Grayson:…

Super Mario Odyssey, Six Months Later

Super Mario Odyssey came out last October and continues to delight players. Datamined secrets, awesome glitches, and a fancy balloon hunting mode have kept players exploring the game’s vibrant world long after other games have come and gone. There’s been plenty of ups and downs to Super Mario Odyssey including broken scoreboards, awesome speedruns, and…

Speedrunner Beats Super Metroid With Horrifying Vaseline-Covered Controller

Sometimes, it just isn’t enough to speedrun a game. Sometimes, you need to get your hands dirty. One speedrunner took those words to heart this weekend, completing a Super Metroid speedrun with their hands and controller covered in vaseline. V0lrat is a speedrunner who plays multiple games like A Link to the Past, Claymates, and…

Why God of War Took Five Years To Make

On today’s special bonus episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, God of War director Cory Barlog joins the show to talk about JRPGs, text size, and what the future looks like for Kratos and fam. Warning: This chat is extremely spoilery!!! You can listen to the whole thing with our fancy embedded player, get an MP3 right…

The Week In Games: Time To Get Funky

As we inch ever closer to the summer months, there are bound to be a week or two that don’t offer much in the way of new games. This is one of them. At least we can get our hands on some new old Donkey Kong. The Wii U may not have been the last…

Track: Theme De Camille | Artist: Georges Delerue | Album: Le Mepris Soundtrack Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: The Dawn | Artist: DJ Krush feat. Shawn J. Period | Album: Kakusei Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

A Reminder That Destiny 2’s Art Is Incredible

Patrick Bloom is a senior concept artist at Bungie, where he’s most recently worked on Destiny 2 You can see more of Patrick’s 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…

Big Bird Cosplay Is An Enormous 7’8″ Tall

If you’re going to cosplay as Big Bird, you gotta go big George Hughes has just finishedthis gigantic piece of Sesame Street cosplay, crafting a Big Bird costume from scratch that stands 7’8″ when he’s wearing it. There are around 3000 feathers covering the suit, which George had to glue on individually. It’s so close…

What’s The Last Game You Abandoned?

I love the rhythmic gameplay of Crypt of the Necrodancer. I was glued to my Switch once it released last February. With laser focus, I danced through its clever design and roguelike dungeons. Then I quit right after getting destroyed by the game’s titular boss. I had spent days and hours learning enemies’ attacks, failing…

Sunday Comics: I Shouldn’t Have Done That

Well, hey there! 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 April 23. Read more of Awkward Zombie Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published April 26. Read more of Corpse Run. Dedicated…

This Week In The Business: Mostly PR Nightmares

QUOTE | “Inappropriate conduct or practices have no place at Quantic Dream. We have taken and always will take such grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at QuanticDream. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for binge-watching a PBS Masterpiece Theater show about a WWI department store, because you’re just that cool. It’s also for playing video games. I’m still playing Frostpunk, because I can’t resist restarting when things go pear-shaped (or, well, being forced to restart when my populace overthrows me). I’m also still working my…

Steam Spy Is Back, But Not As Accurate As Before

Steam Spy, the PC gaming sales-tracking mainstay loved by some developers and loathed by others, was recently presumed dead by its creator, Sergey Galyonkin, after an update to Steam’s privacy defaults. It is now coming back, but it’ll be different. The old Steam Spy estimated a PC game’s sales by sweeping publicly viewable Steam profiles…

Assassin’s Creed Origins, Six Months Later

Half a year ago, Ubisoft released Assassin’s Creed Origins. It was in some ways the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed game ever made, and in other ways noticeably less ambitious than its predecessors. In the months since then, Origins has become considerably more interesting. Join me now as we climb into the Animus and travel back…

The Internet Reacts To Hogwarts Mystery’s Microtransactions

Hogwarts Mystery, a new mobile game based on the popular fantasy books, can be fun, but a lot of its content is gated behind some gnarly microtransactions. Harry Potter fans are not pleased. When I checked out Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery yesterday, I was having a blast living out my dreams of being a wizard……

Track: The Lovers Suicide | Artist: The Bilinda Butchers | Album: The Lovers Suicide (single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Nice View

René Aigner is a concept artist and illustrator who has worked in video games and books. You can see more of Aigner’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 work…

Wolfenstein II, Six Months Later

It’s been six months since Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus launched for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. This sequel to 2014’s Wolfenstein: The New Order appeared during a tense time in US politics, promoted and released while racism and white nationalism were at the forefront of Americans’ minds. Here’s how things have gone six months…