Culture

Counter-Strike’s signature map, Dust2, is getting an official rework from Valve. The “updated, refined” version will be playable in beta form “soon.” For now, enjoy one whole screenshot

Shadow Of War‘s PC Download Is Nearly 100 GB

Hoping to play noted orc dating/shaming simulator Shadow of War on PC when it launches early tomorrow? You’ll probably want to start pre-loading it asap. By default, the Steam download of Shadow of War weighs in at a whopping 97.7 GB, making it one of the largest game downloads on the platform in recent memory.…

Someone Beat Spider-Man 2 Without Any Web Swings

2004’s Spider-Man 2 is fondly remembered for being a pretty good movie tie-in game with some amazing web swinging. New York is a blast to zip through, but one speedrunner decided to see how fast they could complete the game without using its most exciting feature. Slyfincleton decided to speedrun their way through Spider-Man 2…

What We Liked (And Didn’t Like) About Blade Runner 2049

Last Friday, Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to the iconic cyberpunk film, hit theaters. Staff writers Gita Jackson and Heather Alexandra checked it out this weekend, and, as you might imagine, there’s a lot to digest in this nearly three hour film. Spoilers! Gita Jackson: Hello Heather! You and I watched Blade Runner 2049 over…

The Week In Games: Where Every Orc Knows Your Name

Who’s ready to make some friends? I grew to like Shadow of Mordor despite my best efforts. It turns out slicing and dicing orcs, no matter how brutal and repetitive, is a hell of a lot of fun. Still, Shadow of War and The Evil Within 2 leaves this week feeling pretty bleak. I guess…

Track: Buffalo Soldier | Artist: Bob Marley & The Wailers | Album: Confrontation Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Glitch Upends Grand Theft Auto V World Record Attempt

The Big Score is the sixth and final heist mission in GTA V. If they player selects the “subtle” approach, they’ll need to drive their car onto a tractor trailer at a certain point or the mission ends in failure. Unfortunately, there’s a rare glitch that can make doing so impossible. DarkViperAU plays a lot…

What The Future Of The Nintendo Switch Might Look Like

By just about any metric, the Nintendo Switch is off to a good start. But what might be down the line for Nintendo’s new flagship console? We talked it through on this week’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen Jason and I start off talking about a few games we’ve been playing including Cuphead, Danganronpa V3, Golf…

Sunday Comics: All Sold Out 

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 October 7. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published October 2. Read more…

Speedrunner Beats Every Cuphead Boss Using DDR Pads

Why fight demonic animations with a mouse and keyboard or game controller when you can just dance all those troubles away instead? Alright, so speedrunner PeekingBoo doesn’t exactly defeat Goopy Le Grande or Captain Brineybeard by dancing per se, but he does do it by stomping—patiently, methodically—until each is dead. You see PeekingBoo isn’t your…

Track: Memories of Green | Artist: Vangelis | Album: See You Later Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

This Week In The Business: Shooting Nazis In 2017

QUOTE | “In Wolfenstein’s case, it’s pure coincidence that Nazis are marching in the streets of America this year. And it’s disturbing that the game can be considered a controversial political statement at all.” – Bethesda’s VP of PR and marketing Pete Hines says the company wasn’t trying to make a political game with Wolfenstein…

What We Love(d) About AOL Instant Messenger

On December 15th, AOL Instant Messenger will be officially dead. Gita Jackson asked Paul Tamayo and Tim Rogers from Kotaku’s video team to share their memories of the messaging service of their youth. (If you can’t read the post below, a text transcript can be found here.)

What Are You Playing This Weekend? 

The weekend is for figuring out what to do with the two pounds of squash you have in the freezer. Also, video games. I am more determined than ever to finish The Witcher 3. Come back next week for when I haven’t finished it. What about you? What are you playing?

Big Divinity: Original Sin 2 Patch Improves Final Act, Nerfs Chickens

It’s quite an achievement that Divinity: Original Sin 2 launched mostly functional despite how massive it is. That said, the experience had a few patches of pimples. Some quests were unclear or busted, it was too hard to talk your way through act 4, and most glaringly, chickens were way overpowered. Today, a big update…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Coworker Won’t Stop Negging Me

Hello all you happy shiny pervert people of the Internets, and welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column left standing in the Shatterdome. This week we’re talking about the unexpected twists and turns life throws your way. What do you do when you meet someone who may be perfect for you… but…

Cuphead, As Told By Steam Reviews

Ever wondered how many different ways people can find to say, “this video game is hard”? Then oh boy, Cuphead’s Steam reviews are gonna be a treat for you. In our review, Heather wrote that she mostly enjoyed Cuphead despite (and also because of) the difficulty. Sure, bosses had a few cheap attacks, but she…

Battlefront II Trooper Is A Real Airhead

Today on Highlight Reel we have dad streamers, Destiny 2 accomplishments, Fortnite bush tactics 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…

Hugs And Shoulder Taps Speak As Loud As Words in Divinity: Original Sin 2‘s Conversations

Physical contact has always been fairly limited in video games. In many games, your character can hit others with their hands, feet, or arm that’s also a sword, if you have one of those. In some, your character can flirt or have sex with other characters. In a handful, you can hold hands. I can…

YouTubers Challenge Speedrunner To A Race Through Mario 64, Almost Win

Thanks to recent ROM hacks, players can enjoy Super Mario 64 online together. The multiplayer hack recently allowed a handful of YouTubers to race against a speedrunner. Super Mario 64 Online is a ROM hack by Kaze Emanuar, Melonspeedruns and Marshivolt. It allows up to 24 players to explore the game together. A group of…