Culture

Valve Changes Steam Reviews To Stop Bots From Manipulating Pages

Valve has admitted that Steam reviews have a bot-brigading problem, and now it’s finally decided to do something about it. As part of an effort that’s already included anti-review-bomb charts, Valve has taken aim at yet another pernicious element of Steam reviews: vote manipulation. In short, it’s possible to rate reviews as “helpful” or not,…

Track: Carnation (Live) | Artist: Liam Gallagher & Steve Cradock | Album: N/A (The Jam Cover) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Kirby Buns Are The Cutest Snacks Available At Japanese Convenience Stores

Kirby is cute. Buns are cute. It’s only natural that Kirby buns would be very, very cute. Today in Japan, Kirby buns are going on sale at Lawson convenience stores. Stuffed with Maxim Tomato” inspired filling, they’re available for a limited time only. Even when they’re split open, they are adorable. No wonder folks are…

That, My Lord, Is A Big-Ass Dragon

Greg Rutkowski is an illustrator and concept artist from Poland who has worked on games like The Witcher 3 and Magic: The Gathering You can see more of Greg’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…

Nice-A Buns, Mario

Today on Highlight Reel we have bodyguards, bad FIFA luck, accidental Mario snapshots 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 up on all…

The Week In Games: River City Giving 

They are still making these games. The Kunio-kun series has been going on for over two decades now and shows no signs of slowing down. Whatever other strange projects Ark Systems gets itself involved it appears little pixel dudes beating up each other will remain constant. Rival Showdown is the latest game in the series…

Track: Nothing Compares 2U | Artist: Sinéad O’Connor | Album: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Japanese Fast Food Restaurant Sticks Two Steaks Between Buns

Lotteria, themost ridiculous fast food chain in Japan, is releasing a striking steak burger later this month. Dubbed the Sticking-Out Steak Burger, the sandwich is stuffed with 100-gram Angus beef steaks from the USA. The meat is a shoulder roast, so it’s reportedly soft. If one steak isn’t enough, Asahi News reports that there is…

Everyone Shot First

Helder Almeida is an illustrator and concept artist based in France. You can see more of Helder’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…

Cosplayer Straight Up Becomes Labyrinth’s Jennifer Connelly

These aren’t 1986 press shots promoting the release of Labyrinth. These are pictures taken in 2017 of cosplayer and assumed shapeshifterAlyson Tabbitha I’m starting to think she’s wasted on cosplay. Surely there’s some Jason Bourne type shit out there that needs someone with these disguise skills to stop a nuclear bomb going off, or save…

How To Get In Better Shape

We’re just one week away from Thanksgiving, which means it’s time to start thinking about losing all the fat you’re about to gain. On today’s Kotaku Splitscreen, we’re here to help. First up, Kirk and I talk about the news of the week (6:00) on loot boxes, a rumored Mario movie, and harassment at IGN.…

Sunday Comics: 8K TVs In The Back Alley 

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 November 16. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published November 13. Read more…

Track: Summer’s Gone | Artist: The Vernes | Album: The Vernes  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

This Week In The Business: A Disturbance In The Force

QUOTE | “Change will be a constant in Star Wars: Battlefront II” – The title of a blog post by DICE executive producer John Wasilczyk that went up on Monday, explaining that EA was reducing the cost of unlocking heroes in the game in response to feedback from upset fans QUOTE | “If we had…

Track: Walking In My Shoes | Artist: The Fever 333 | Album: Walking In My Shoes (Single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for figuring out if you’re going to one of the Thanksgiving things you were invited to so you should go to the grocery store and buy something nice to cook, or if you’re going to avoid people because you never get to do that and so buy ice cream and call it…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: How Do I Handle My Coworkers’ Relationship Drama?

Hello all, you concupiscent lemmings of joy. Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column that helps you grind your charisma stat way past the level cap. Most weeks, we focus on readers’ own problems, but what if their problems are external? How do you handle a situation where you’re a bystander to…

Fantastic D.Va Cosplay Is A Working Mech Suit

Most D.Va cosplay you seeis someone wearing her jumpsuit. Which is fine, but Gryphon’s Gears was having none of that, deciding to not just build her mech, but have it be able to walk around as well. I’m going to assume he pulled up short of also adding in the ability to self-destruct if it…

The Dogs Of War

Nikita Orlov is an artist working in the video game industry. And these are some puppers ready for battle. You can see more of Nikita’s work at his ArtStation page UPDATE: For all the D&D players in the house, you can actually get a sourcebook for these guys so you can add them to a…

How The Hell Did Mario And That Dog Get Up There?

Today on Highlight Reel we have dog exploits, guardian angels, vaulting techniques 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 up on all the…