Culture

David vs Goliath

Allen Wei is an artist from Beijing who works for More FX, one of China’s biggest effects studios. You can see more of Wei’s art at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on…

Disastrous DOTA 2 Tournament Ends With Missing Gear, Pissed Off Players

Valve’s $3 million DOTA 2 Shanghai Major was, to put it lightly, a mess. True to form, it didn’t exactly end on a high note. After Team Secret’s come-from-behind (the entire tournament) victory, GosuGamers reports that players of all teams awoke the next day to find cleared out practice rooms. These rooms housed precious gear…

Someone’s Making A First-Person Shooter Out Of Snakes And Ladders

Snakes and Ladders is an ancient Indian board game that you might know better by its Milton-Bradley-ized name, Chutes and Ladders. Somebody is turning it into a first-person shooter, because of course they are. Snakes-N-Ladders: Origins—Episode 1 is the game’s full name, and it’s really… something. The original board game is a playable metaphor for…

Death Comes For Us All, Uncharted 4 Guy

Today on Highlight Reel we have Uncharted 4 Beta arms, a falling mongoose, a perfect R6: Siege ace, awkward Fallout walking and much more! Watch the video above or on our Youtube page, then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via…

DC Super Hero Girls Bring Comic Book Toys To A Brand New Audience

Boys read comic books. Girls play with dolls. Or at least that’s how it used to be in ancient times. Mattel’s new DC Super Hero Girls dolls blur tired old lines both ways, so I recruited my doll-loving wife to help us take a look at the newly-launched line. Growing up in much stupider times…

Artist: Uverworld | Track: Born Slippy | Album: Ø Choir [Via Richard Smart] Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Texas, You Put On A Good Cosplay Show

Photographer Long Thai, aka Mineralblu, was at Anime Matsuri in Houston (celebrating its 10th anniversary) the other day, taking snaps and video of some of the best cosplay on display. You can see more of Mineralblue’s shots at his Facebook page

Hello Sir Have You Heard The Good Word About Cthulu…

Sam Lamont is an artist who has worked for companies like Games Workshop, Creative Assembly (Total War) and Fantasy Flight. You can see more of Sam’s art at his personal site To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the…

Vigo, Scourge Of Cosplaythia, Sorrow Of Moldavia

So welshenzie’s outfit here might not have been the most elaborate at Cardiff’s Film & Comic Con, but it’s certainly one of the most effective.

Hi, Gross Witcher 3 Villain, That Is Some Excellent Cosplay

Klaudia Utnicka is, as far as we know, a regular human being living in modern times. Or, at least she is at the beginning of this nine-minute video. By the end, she’s Brewess, one of the super gross Crones from The Witcher 3. Absolutely incredible work.

The Week In Games: Long Division

This is the most excited folks have been for a Tom Clancy game since EndWar Online. Yeah, I’m waiting for myself to burst out laughing too, but I think I might actually have this. Yeah. Maintaining the straight face after mentioning EndWar Online. Pretty sure I just unlocked an achievement. How about that The Division,…

Sunday Comics: Booze Fighter

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 March 5. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published February 29. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

The Things That Shape Our Taste In Video Games

I don’t really like console games. OK, that isn’t true. What I should say is, I never developed a taste for them. Originally published 3/4/16 Last night I went to a lecture at the NYU Game Center by designer Naomi Clark. Naomi explored how and why we develop our taste in games, drawing on everything…

This Week In The Business: Virtual Shots Fired

QUOTE | “That is up to Apple, and if they ever release a good computer then we will do it.” -Palmer Luckey, on when Oculus will release a Mac version of the Rift VR headset Elsewhere in the business of gaming this week… QUOTE | “In reality I see [virtual reality] as a very expensive…

Podcast: Rachel Bloom’s Journey From YouTube Hit To Golden Globe Winner

Onthis week’s podcast, we’re joined by my old friend Rachel Bloom, who tells us what it’s like to star in a TV show and win a friggin’ Golden Globe. Bloom writes, produces, and stars in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, one of the funniest shows on television. (Seriously.) Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, she talks about how she pulled…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

How is it Friday again? This keeps happening. It’s almost like there’s no way to slow the pitiless advance of time. As is our custom, it’s time to ask what you’ll will be playing over the weekend. (Side note: I’ve been enjoying reading the comments on these posts. It’s cool to know what all our…

After a massive clusterfuck of crash bugs and sabotage accusations, Spintires is back on Steam. The popular driving game got removed from the PC gaming service earlier this week. Thanks to a new update, it’s no longer a pile of flaming wreckage.

Track: On Your Own | Artist: The Verve | Album: Northern Soul Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Sleep All Day, Party All Night

Winona Nelson is an artist who has worked for companies like Fantasy Flight and Wizards of the Coast. You can see more of Winona’s work at her personal site To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button…

Just A Typical Day In Just Cause 3

Today on Highlight Reel we have Grifball dunks, sad Zangief, tactical self-defenestration, and much more! Watch the video above or on our Youtube page, 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 Halo 5 –Double Swat – snizzbone…