Culture

What Keeps You From Starting Games You Already Own?

I want to play Assassin’s Creed Origins, I really do. The other day, Kotaku’s own Luke Plunkett told me that it takes inspiration from The Witcher 3, which is pretty much all you have to say to make me buy something and tear off the wrapping with my teeth. But then the other shoe dropped.…

Your Uncle Who Worked At Nintendo Still Had To Pay For His Games

Even if someone’s uncle really did work at Nintendo, guess what: he probably didn’t get that kid down the street a copy of Mario for free. Chris Bieniek from Video Game Ephemera has got hold of some 1991 “Employee Purchase Order” paperwork from Nintendo of America, which shows how workers were able to buy their…

New Wind Waker HD Trick Breathes Life Back Into ‘Dead’ Speedrunning Category

Last year, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker speedrunners found a way to get to the end of the game early, but reaching Ganon for the final fight involved a risky trick that was entirely dependent on luck to complete. A new trick discovered this weekend removes the random chance and makes the game…

The Week In Games: Dragon Balls And Monster Hunters 

The release calandar is ramping up with two of 2018’s most anticipated games dropping this week: Dragon Ball FighterZ and Monster Hunter World. I honestly can’t even begin to explain why a ridiculous anime adapted from a manga that originated decades ago about alien ape-men beating the crap out of one another and other progressively…

Track: I Was Born To Love You | Artist: Queen | Album: Mr. Bad Guy Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Molecule | Artist: Weedpecker | Album: III Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

A Quick Look Behind The Scenes On That Blizzard Anime Short

That Blizzard anime from last week was one of the coolest video game clips I have ever seen, but it turns out it wasn’t the work of the company’s in-house cinematics team. Instead, it was made by two British studios, with help from some of the best video game artists in the business. The Line…

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…