Culture

Samurai Vader And Ronin Boba Fett Realize Star Wars’ Japanese Influence Beautifully

Would the original Star Wars trilogy have been better if George Lucas had steered closer to its samurai movie inspiration? It certainly would have looked cooler, as demonstrated by Bandai’s Tamashii Nations Meisho Movie Realization Boba Fett and Darth Vader figures. We’ve been drooling over the sculpture work of Japan’s Takayuki Takeya for ages. He’s…

Rainbow 6 Grenade Toss Does Not Go As Planned

Today on Highlight Reel we have parachutes, 1 player comebacks, rocket vespas, game physics gone wrong, 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. Battlefield 4…

Players Uncover New Secrets Buried In Undertale‘s First Big Patch [Updated]

Undertale just got its first big update, and at first glance it doesn’t seem like much. Players, however, have begun picking it apart like hungry vultures, and they’ve already found some interesting stuff. This post originally ran on 1/20/16. It’s been updated with more secrets. For a while now, Undertale creator Toby Fox has been…

For Years, A Few Steam Games Seem To Have Been Hiding A Larger Secret

Throw your detective hat into a pile of rotting fish after that whole Steam winter sale sorta-kinda-not-really alternate reality game? Well, snatch it out. Intrepid sleuths have uncovered evidence of something much larger: a series of symbols and puzzle pieces that span multiple seemingly unrelated games. People are only just now beginning to piece together…

The Art Of Homeworld: Deserts Of Kharak

I liked a lot of things about Homeworld: Deserts Of Kharak, but the thing I liked most was just how awesome the game’s unit design (and overall aesthetic) was. It shouldn’t be that big a surprise that everything looked so amazing—original Homeworld artists Rob Cunningham and Aaron Kambeitz both work at Deserts of Kharak developers…

Not Your Everyday Metal Gear Cosplay

Omi Gibson, the Queen of Metal Gear cosplay, has over the years taken on some of the most iconic characters in Kojima’s series. This, though, is a little more niche. 2010’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker featured a “model viewer”, where players could take an isolated look at the characters featured in the game. Skilled…

Diablo III’s Barbarian Has One Hell Of An Axe

Cosplay by Akishuna. Photos by Narcissus

The Week In Games: Avengers Assembled

Looks like my week is going to be spent with LEGO Avengers in one hand, Final Fantasy Explorers in the other. Luckily I’ve gotten good enough at Blade & Soul to play with my feet. After weeks of whining about there not being any good games coming out, suddenly I’m backpedaling—slow it down, you guys.…

Sunday Comics: Shudder And Howl

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 January23. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published January 18. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike…

This Week in the Business: Cooks, Magicians And Other Video Game Things

QUOTE | “I’m thrilled to welcome undoubtedly the most recognizable and accomplished figure in the culinary world to Glu’s family of celebrity partners.” Niccolo de Masi, CEO of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood publisher Glu Mobile, announcing his latest obnoxious celebrity signing, Gordon Ramsay Elsewhere in the business of gaming this week… QUOTE | “This year a…

Crashlands Is Diablo Plus Survival Plus Humor

Crashlands is a new Steam action role-playing game that has me hooked. That’s a problem, because I can play it pretty much anywhere. Crashlands is an action-RPG (think Diablo, except cartoonier) with elements of crafting/base-building (think Don’t Starve, except less ruthless) and humor (think jokes). I think it’s best summed up by its main character’s…

It Has Come To This

This image comes from a game called Balls Kicking Simulator 2016. I would say we’ve hit peak Steam Greenlight, but I’m not sure that’s possible anymore. Here’s a trailer to prove that, yes, this is a real game that exists: The game’s developers claim it’s a joke—likely at the expense of Steam’s hurl-$100-into-a-garbage-bin game submission…

Today on the Kotaku Splitscreen podcast we’re talking Destiny malaise among other things, like Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and the indie gem Oxenfree. You canfind us on iTunes or listen directly right here

New Game About Dead Rock Stars Is Unexpectedly Timely

Wailing Heights has the strangest premise of any game I’ve seen on Steam Greenlight in quite some time, and that’s saying something. It’s about dead/undead rock stars, which is… weirdly timely, given recent events. OK so, let me try to explain it: Wailing Heights is a game about the deceased manager of a deceased band,…

One-Punch Man Cosplayers, You Might Need This

Maybe not! It depends, really. But since this Korean cosplayer has a head full of hair, she needed a bald cap to pull off her One-Punch Man outfit. [Photo: Naver] [Photo: Naver] Over on Naver, via tipster Sang, she walks us through the steps, which should be more than familiar for anyone who’s ever used…

GTA V Player Finds Parking

Today on Highlight Reel we have bubbles galore, GTA V parking, shield trouble, underwater physics, 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. Rocket League –…

Counter-Strike Team Quits After Allegedly Being Asked To Throw Matches

Valve recently made itself abundantly clear in matters of Counter-Strike match fixing: if you’re involved in a thrown match, you’re banned from Valve-sponsored events for life. One team claims they were asked by their owner to do it anyway. So they quit. The team—now known as “Orgless”—was briefly under the financial wing of CSGO.one, a…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: I’m Good At Tinder, But Bad At ‘Real’ Dating

Hello, Internet! Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the fastest dating advice column alive. This week, we’re talking about getting out of our own way. Whether it’s the self-limiting beliefs that say what we do isn’t good enough or a lack of boundaries that winds up making us miserable, sometimes we’re our own worst enemies. So,…

Making The Peace

Rasmus Poulson is an artist who has previously worked at IO Interactive and Square Enix. He’s currently an art director at Ubisoft. You can see more of Rasmus’ work 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…

Bloodborne Cosplay Is Coming To Kick Your Ass

For all its critical acclaim, Bloodborne doesn’t seem to be a big hit on the cosplay scene. So nice job, Walrider, with this killer Gehrman the First Hunter outfit.