Culture

Chun-Li Cosplayer Is 70 Years Old 

Imagine yourself at 70. Then imagine yourself doing deadlifts to keep in shape so you can keep cosplaying. At 70. Shirley Chua is a treasure. The Singaporean, a former beauty pageant contestant, has found a contemporary way to get back to her modelling days by cosplaying, and talks all about it in this interview with…

Why The Last of Us‘s Game Director Left Naughty Dog

The Last of Us and Uncharted director Bruce Straley joins today’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen to talk about burning out, how he feels about not directing The Last of Us 2, and why he left Naughty Dog after 17 years. First, Kirk and I talk about news of the week (5:46) on Quantic Dream’s toxicity,…

Sunday Comics: A Cardboard Piano

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 January 20. Read more of Nerf NOW!!  Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published January 15. Read more…

Super Metroid Hack Continues To Get New Speedrunning World Records 

Super Metroid: Project Base is a hack for the original game that adds some new missile packs to collect, reroutes the map a bit, and most importantly: plays even faster thanks to tighter controls. StuntCoyote knows Project Base like the back of his hand. Probably better, in fact. He’s been speedrunning the hacked ROM since…

This Week In The Business: Nintendo Enjoys The Fruits Of Its Labo

STAT | 4.2% – The one-day jump in Nintendo’s share price after the announcement of Nintendo Labo, a line of cardboard construction kits that work with the Switch. STAT | 750,000 – Number of 3DS systems sold in the US in December. The aging handheld apparently has some life left in it yet, as December…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for really wanting to watch the Gwent Open but also needing to play a lot of video games and also really needing to do some chores. Decisions, decisions! There’s an open beta for The Darwin Project this weekend, a battle royale game I really enjoyed in the couple of closed betas I’ve…

The Best Mods For Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. It’s massive, complex, and beautiful, but its many layers are riddled with kinks and bugs. Fortunately, the game’s modding community has dedicated itself to smoothing things out. Original Sin 2 has been out since last September, which has given modders time to…

Track: Otaku King Zero | Artist: Richie Branson | Album: From The Underground To The Stars Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Time For A Drink

Rémy Paul is a freelance concept artist based in France. You can see more of Paul’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 of video game artists, showcasing the…

Battlegrounds Kill So Good, Even PlayerUnknown Shared It

Sometimes, when you die in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, you’ve just gotta laugh. If you’re really lucky, PlayerUnknown himself might decide to laugh about it with you. PUBG player lolbeetlejuice posted an incredible clip in which they lobbed a grenade in the general direction of an enemy, only for that grenade to launch the enemy, shotgun aloft,…

Frieza’s Old Mistakes Come Back To Haunt Him

Today on Highlight Reel we have Dragon Ball FighterZ clips, pistol stabbings, Fist of the North Star deaths 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…

On the left, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. On the right, cosplayer Helen Stifler

Snacktaku Eats Hot And Spicy Cinnamon Oreos On A Very Cold Day

In 2017, Snacktaku pledged it would no longer be a slave to Nabisco’s relentless barrage of novelty Oreo flavors. Now it’s 2018, and it’s so cold we’ll put anything with the word “hot” on the package in our mouth. Arriving just in time for Snacktaku’s hometown of Hotlanta to change its name to Holy F***ing…

Track: Traveling | Artist: Utada Hikaru | Album: Deep River Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Some Sell Their Souls | Artist: Beastwars | Album: The Death Of All Things Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Mad Max

Lucas Mendonça is a freelance artist and illustrator from Brazil. You can see more of Lucas’ 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 both…

The Internet Reacts To Nintendo Labo 

Nintendo Labo is basically high-tech cardboard, so naturally the internet is still trying to process the Japanese developer’s “new interactive experience.” While some people hoped for news of new Switch functionality, or perhaps Smash Bros., nobody guessed it would end up being DIY arts and crafts. Leave it to Nintendo to continually subvert expectations and…

They Are Billions, As Told By Steam Reviews

On its face, Steam sensation They Are Billions appears to be about three of gaming’s most-hallowed S’s: survival, steampunk, and (s)zombies. That, however, is all just window dressing. Truth is, They Are Billions is a game about failure, which is where all the best stories come from. Steam users have been sharing some doozies. In…

Romance Games For Women Began With A Management Sim

Otome games like Mystic Messenger and Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side are made specifically for women. The genre began with with Koei’s 1994 game Angelique. Nowadays, otome games are mostly visual novels with lots of reading, but the genre started with a dialogue-light management sim. When I sat down with Tim Rogers to play it for…

Track: A Boy Named Sue (Live) | Artist: Johnny Cash | Album: At San Quentin Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.