Culture

Awesome Games Done Quick Raises Over $2.2 Million For Charity For The Second Year In A Row 

Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) is a week long slumber party where some people beat all kinds of video games super fast while thousands more watch. Now in its ninth year, the marathon wrapped up early today after raising a record breaking $2,263,093 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Beginning last Sunday with Crash Bandicoot 3…

People Are Still Finding New Ways To Break Classic RPGs

What’s it like to speedrun huge role-playing games like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger? What kind of tricks are people still discovering? Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, we talk to a speedrunner to find out. First, Kirk and I talk about news of the week (14:35) on Cyberpunk 2077, Overwatch League, and the elusive Nintendo…

Sunday Comics: The Power Of Friendship 

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 13. Read more of Nerf NOW!!  Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published January 8. Read more…

This Week In The Business: Welcome To Flavor Country

QUOTE | “When you’re spending a lot of money, you have to justify your project by saying it’s going to appeal to a lot of people, which essentially means it cannot be a strong flavor. I think by definition you just have to be more mainstream.” – Alex Hutchinson (lead designer on the Sims 2…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for trying to find a bar in NYC showing Overwatch League. I think I found one but I have to call to confirm. I feel weird phoning a sports bar to ask about video games, but my colleagues’ writing about seeing it live is getting to me. Also, video games. I’m going…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Girlfriend’s Friends All Hate Me

Hello all you florescent death antelopes, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column to win that coveted chicken dinner. This week, we’re tackling the drama that friends can bring to our relationships. What do you do you do when your relationship is amazing, but your girlfriend’s BFF’s hate you? How do…

Track: Let Forever Be | Artist: The Chemical Brothers | Album: Surrender Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Isak | Artist: Baroness | Album: Red Album Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Fart Punch

Fred Rambaud is a freelance concept artist and illustrator based in Canada who has worked for companies like Gearbox (where he’s currently art director), Ubisoft, Games Workshop, Activision and Warner Bros. You can see more of Fred’s work at his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button…

An Overwatch (Cosplay) Love Story

For their one-year wedding anniversary last year, Kalindi and her husband decided to indulge in a little Overwatch cosplay. Kalindi made both outfits: a standard Mercy for herself, and Soldier 76’s Daredevil skin for her husband. You can see more of Kalindi’s cosplay at her Facebook page

Link, Don’t Move

Today on Highlight Reel we have intense virtual reality moments, Escape from Tarkov moments, trash camouflage and 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…

Track: Follow The Leader | Artist: Eric B. & Rakim | Album: Follow the Leader Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

In The Future, Corporations Still Own Everything

Anyone who’s familiar with my daily Fine Art feature will know ArtStation, the gallery site that’s become the default home to professional artist portfolios around the world. Well ArtStation is now publishing books as well, and the first one is Project 77, featuring art by Ubisoft’s Martin Deschambault. Project 77 is an exercise in universe-building,…

You Have To Watch This Nail Biting Resident Evil 7 Speedrun

Awesome Games Done Quick 2018 boasts dozens of speedruns where runners make difficult games look like a cakewalk. CarcinogenSDA’s Resident Evil 7 speedrun turns the game’s toughest challenge into a masterclass in improvisation as he side-steps monsters and changes his route on the fly when things go bad. Resident Evil 7 hardest difficult is Madhouse,…

Track: Suspicious Minds | Artist: Elvis Presley | Album: ELV1S: 30 #1 Hits  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

3D Art vs Cosplay Photography

One of these is a photo of cosplayer Shirogane-sama, as Nier: Automata’s 2B. The other is a 3D model made from scratch by artist Chauliac Romain. Both images look equal parts real and too real for their own reasons. And if you haven’t been able to tell which is which from the watermark on one…

Turret-Covered Helicopter Becomes Video Game Death Machine

Today on Highlight Reel we have Escape from Tarkov moves, deadly choppers, a dramatic Battlefield horse, 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…

My Beautiful, Perfect Children Discovered A Way To Fit Three DVDs In One Xbox

Turning the discs over revealed why they weren’t coming out easily. They were stuck together with ... something. I don’t know.

How To Skip All Of Super Mario Odyssey‘s Darker Side

Super Mario Odyssey has a hell-gauntlet at the end of the game that stymies plenty of casual players, but speedrunners have been skipping it for a while using a simple glitch. You can, too. The most difficult area in Super Mario Odyssey is the Darker Side, a hidden portion of the Moon that players can…

What We Loved About Devilman Crybaby

Devilman Crybaby joined the Netflix roster last week, and it’s one hell of an anime. A reimagining of the 1970s manga, it’s a bloody story of love and loss. Staff writer Heather Alexandra and video producer Chris Person sat down to talk about why they love their precious demon boys. Heather Alexandra: Chris! Both of…