Culture

Brutal Super Mario World Hack Has An Even Harder Sequel

Panga’s Super Dram World is a notoriously hard Super Mario World hack. Last week’s sequel, Super Dram World 2, seems no less tricky. Super Dram World is a hacked version of Super Mario World for the SNES that’s much, much harder, garnering it cult appeal among Mario enthusiasts and speedrunners. Super Dram World 2 is…

Earthworm Jim’s Mean-Spirited Satire Doesn’t Hold Up

Earthworm Jim first released on the Sega Genesis today in 1994. The strange side scroller married offbeat humor and experimental level design. The result was a hodgepodge of a game that was frustrating but engaging. Developed by Shiny Entertainment, Earthworm Jim positions itself largely as a work of satire seeking to upend various side scrolling…

Oh No, You Made The Goon Angry

Liam Grice is a character artist at Supermassive, the studio behind games like the Until Dawn series. You can see more of Liam’s art 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…

Track: Glamorous Sky (Cover) | Artist: Vamps | Album: Nana Soundtrack  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Kermit The Frog Goes Super Saiyan

Today on Highlight Reel we have powerful muppets, boat replacements, emergency landings 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! Fortnite – Welp – Katu…

Yes Yes This Castle Seems To Be In Good Order

Stefan Kopinski is an artist who mostly works in the board game business, but who has also helped out on video games like Dead Rising 2 You can see more of Stefan’s work at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the…

Battlegrounds Player Gets Up To Take Pee Break, Chaos Ensues

“Is it OK if I take a short pee break?” PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds player Firefly asks his duos partner as the two hunker down in a house. “Sure,” replies his partner. “I’ve got you.” Then all hell breaks loose. While Firefly is away, his character prone near a window, his partner diligently sweeps the area, taking…

Track: Magic of Love | Artist: Perfume | Album: Level 3 Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Instant Ramen Packaging Looks Like Splatoon 2

Japanese noodle maker Nissin just announced a new Cup Noodle called “Black Seafood” that looks incredibly similar to a recently released game. Hrm. I wonder which one… OH RIGHT SPLATOON 2. The Japanese at the bottom of the label reads “Squid Ink Black Seafood.” According to the official press release, the packaging has a “colorful…

Track: Ghomrassen | Artist: Bonobo | Album: Star Wars Headspace Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Final Fantasy XV Cosplay Gets Back To Nature

Since camping is such an important part of Final Fantasy XV, it’s cool that this team of cosplayers decided the best way to recreate the game was to get out into the wilds or Arizona and shoot on one of only two nights of the year that the Milky Way is visible to the naked…

How Dream Daddy‘s Creators Avoided Turning Homosexuality Into A Joke

Dream Daddy is the latest unlikely hit rocketing up the Steam charts, a dating sim where you romance a neighborhood block of improbably hot dads. I spoke to creators Leighton Gray and Vernon Shaw to find out more about how they struck a balance between humor and sincerity, criticism the game has faced since release,…

Game Of Thrones Recap Podcast: Bran Stark Is The Worst

Jason and I are back with another special Game of Thrones episode of Kotaku Splitscreen. This week we’re talking about the third episode of the seventh season, “The Queen’s Justice.” We spoil the episode in its entirety, obviously, and talk about differences between the show and the books. However, we do not discuss any leaked…

Player Cuts The Stardew Valley Marriage Speedrunning Record In Half

You can pretty much speedrun anything: Google doodles, having your video game children taken away, and even (video game) marriage. While many fans deliberate for a good while over what characters to romance in Stardew Valley, for the past year, some players have sped their courtships up through speedruns. Three days ago Underscore76, the current…

Nice Place You Got Here. Be A Shame If Nathan Drake Ever Found It.

Robin Lhebrard is a freelance artist from France. You can see more of Robin’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 game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional…

Track: Scars | Artist: DJ Shadow feat. Nils Frahm | Album: Ghost in the Shell (Music Inspired By the Motion Picture) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Some Of The Best Cosplay From The 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

Comic Con is, of course, the biggest nerd show on the planet, which means there was a lot of A+ cosplay on show. Too much to capture in one set of videos and photos, but hey, that’s not going to stop us from trying. The first video below is courtesy of Sneaky Zebra, while the…

The Week In Games: There’s No Place Like Tacoma 

The Fullbright Company’s long awaited follow-up to Gone Home arrives this week. In it you explore the mysterious interiors of a space vessel haunted by the extras from Tron. I’m sure it won’t be scary at all. There’s also some other stuff coming out this week though, including The Long Dark and, more importantly, Patapon…

What’s Your Favorite Rick And Morty Moment?

It’s been two years since Rick and Morty season two premiered and tonight the show finally returns for its third season. Are you ready to get riggity riggity wrecked? You might remember that I F-ing love this show. In a post-Peep Show world where both Archer and It’s Always Sunny are winding down, I wasn’t…

Podcast: Persona 5 And Video Game Dialogue

Today’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen is all about high school kids and high school squids. First Kirk and I talk about Splatoon 2 (pardon my grumpiness, which was triggered by an hour’s worth of audio issues) before getting into the news of the week (19:15) including the disaster at Pokémon Go Fest, speedrunner refresh rates,…