Culture

The Internet Reacts To The Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch looks pretty cool, actually, but that doesn’t mean the Internet won’t make fun of it. Nintendo finally released the trailer for their new console this morning,and judging by the reaction online, every single person on planet Earth is more than ready to get their hands on it. People do have a few…

Track: Sark | Artist: Occam’s Laser | Album: The Grid Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Long Live The Mouse And Keyboard, A Great Way To Control Video Games

For years, I only played PC games with a mouse and keyboard. For years after that, I played almost entirely with a controller. Now I’m back with the mouse and keyboard, and it’s been an illuminating homecoming. My relationship with the ol’ point-n-click-n-clack, arguably the best way to control PC games, has been complicated. I…

A Brief Explanation Of Cosplay

We love showcasing great cosplay, and so we’re proud to announce the debut of a new series of video shorts called Behind the Mask, starting today with a quick explainer about what cosplay is (just in case you weren’t sure or needed to explain it to someone!). Upcoming episodes of Behind the Mask will focus…

Titanfall’s Mechs Still Look Great

Tu Bui is an artist at Respawn, where he’s worked on both Titanfall games. We’ve featured some of his work beforein larger galleries for the series, but today’s a good day to run some of his stuff on its own. You can see more of Bui’s work at his ArtStation page To see the images…

Super Mario Hot Wheels, Ranked

Last month Nintendo and Mattel teamed up to create the first ever Super Mario character cars. Each is a wheeled work of art, but with eight different vehicles at $.97 a pop, snagging the whole set might be tough. Don’t worry. We’re here to help. We’ve created the definitive ranking of Super Mario Hot Wheels…

The Queen Of Destiny Cosplay

Russian cosplayer Songbird pretty much is Mara Sov, Queen of Destiny’s Awoken. That Ghost is a nice touch.

Faced With Criminal Charges, Valve Denies Facilitating Illegal Counter-Strike Gambling

A few months ago, Valve finally got around to cracking down on Counter-Strike skin gambling, a sketchy secondary market potentially worth billions of dollars. The saga, however, is far from over. Valve is now facing potential criminal charges from the Washington State Gambling Commission. A couple weeks ago, the Washington State Gambling Commission said that…

Rough Landing

Markus Luotero is a concept artist and illustrator from Finland. You can see more of Markus’ 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 Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Pokedex Demo Leak

Well, the Meowth is out of the bag now. Thanks to datamining of the recent Sun and Moon demo, we now know what a good portion of the Alolan Pokedex will look like, including many monsters which haven’t even been announced yet. (Spoilers ahead.) You know what that means, right? Pokémon fans are inundating the…

Empire Strikes Back Costume Melts Hearts Before It Reaches The First Marker

Custom motorcycle artist Clint Case made this Halloween costume for his son. It’s wonderful. Potentially grisly, depending on how many Wampas are left in the wild in the mainland United States, but wonderful nonetheless. Clint, if you can scrounge together the materials for an adult version, that’d be great, thanks. Via Laughing Squid

Why, It’s The Lusty Argonian Maid Herself

Be still, the hearts of Elder Scrolls fans. This is Jenna Lynn Meowrias Elder Scrolls literary starlet The Lusty Argonian Maid. She had some help with the helmet/mask from Del Nero Designs.

Battlefield 1 Sniper Perfectly Fakes Out Enemy

Today on Highlight Reel we have Battlefield 1 moments, Halo spins, Overwatch point defenses, UFC knockouts 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! FIFA…

The Battle Of Hoth As A Work Of Art

Aaron McBride is a senior art director at Industrial Light & Magic, where he’s got to work on movies like Jurassic World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Minority Report and The Avengers He’s also toiling away in his spare time on Tóraidhe, a graphic novel smashing together all kinds of themes and visual styles, and which…

Track: Shaping The Southern Sky | Artist: Kylesa | Album: Exhausting Fire Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Captain America Says: Get Off Your Ass And Vote

Because there are fewer things more American than a man dressed as Captain America urging a disillusioned populace to go place a vote for the candidate they hate the least. This is Sikhtoons’ Vishavjit Singh—who we’ve featured before on the site—using both his political drive and cosplay skills to remind/convince folks attending the New York…

First Look At The Cancelled Metallica Video Game In Action

Reminder: over a decade ago there was a proper Metallica video game in development. It never got very far—all we ever saw was a short trailer and some excellent concept art—but recently some footage of the game in action has been uncovered. PtoPOnline managed to get hold of a very early build of the game…

Look At This Fantastic StarCraft Cosplay

Welcome to the point where video games meet reality. Red Rock Cosplay have set the bar pretty high here, because holy shit this Jim Raynor getup is some of the most incredible cosplay I have ever seen. What you can’t see here without a full-length documentary covering every small detail is how much, well, detail…

The Week In Games: Civilization And Its Battlefields

In the immortal words of Pat Benatar, “love is a battlefield, whoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhooooaaaa!” It’s something I’ll definitely be keeping in mind as I charge through the graveyards of nationalism on my gorgeous, Frostbite-rendered horse later this week. Come for the social commentary on a nearly century old slaughter that amounts to “war is hell” and stay…

Sunday Comics: Skin In The Game

Welcome to Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published October 12. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published October 10. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…