Culture

The Week In Games: Come On Baby Light My Pyre

The creators of Bastion and Transistor are coming out with their latest and it shows how times have changed. We likened it last fall to a “mystical sports RPG.” Unlike Supergiant Games’ previous focus on story and exploration, Pyre shifts the focus to arena style-showdowns. Which I’m looking forward to, personally. An esport you play…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Sonic Crossover

Did you hear? Sonic the Hedgehog got picked up by comic book publisher IDW. That means it’s only a matter of time until the furry blue runner’s first really weird crossover. The new partnership was revealed last week after Sega announced Sonic comics would no longer be coming via Archie. Naturally, everyone’s wandering what this…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: The Last Of Hot Dogs, Winners!

One of the greatest video game openings of all time made somehow even better. Last week’s contest was to take the dancing hot dog and dump him into your favorite gaming locales. The enthusiasm seemed to be somewhat lacking and for a hot second I thought maybe I’d introduced one of the worst prompts in…

Sunday Comics: A Super Lasting Longer Than Four Hours

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 July 22. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published July 17. Read more…

Track: Raisins | Artist: Ryo Kawasak | Album: Juice Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

This Week In The Business: Miyamot…Oh No

QUOTE | “A while later, I was in the bathroom – and this is embarrassing – I was trying to pull down [Donkey Kong 64 designer] George Andreas’ trousers for a joke.” “I was on my knees and I looked up to see Miyamoto staring down at me. That was the last time I spoke…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

The weekend is for caving to the pressure and buying an air conditioner even though the thought of installing one is terrifying. Also, video games. I have a bunch of games I have to check out this weekend that you’ll hear about next week. I’m also finally going to make some time to check out…

Blizzard’s Official Doomfist Cosplay Is Incredible

Blizzard is at the San Diego Comic Con, and as part of their presence they’ve got some official cosplay of the newest Overwatch character, Doomfist. It is, even by Overwatch standards, absolutely fantastic. The company hired Henchmen Studios to create the costume, which took a team of 14 people six weeks to construct. It involved…

Behind The Scenes On A Game Pitch

Tendril is a studio that was hired three years ago by Ubisoft Toronto to help sell a game idea to Ubisoft’s HQ in Paris. That game is Starlink, and their pitch involved all kinds of work, from “preliminary vision” through to concept development, ship design, environments and even a trailer. You can see both the…

Record Breaking Portal Speedrun Is Even Better With Classical Music

A sub-eleven minute run of the original Portal is a big deal for the game’s speedrunning community, but the accomplishment is even better when viewed listening to Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. BiiWiX set the game’s new 10:58 world record for inbounds this week with a dramatic escape from the Aperture Science that ultimately…

Witcher 3 NPC Doesn’t Respect Boundaries

Today on highlight Reel we have personal space issues, stun grenades, Destiny 2 slacking, 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! Mafia 3 –…

Podcast: The Destiny 2 Beta Makes Us Want Destiny 2

It may not surprise you to hear that Kirk and I have THOUGHTS on the Destiny 2 beta, which is leaving us cautiously optimistic for the full game. Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, let’s discuss. First we talk a bit about the robots running our lives before talking about some of the other games we’ve been…

Track: Do You Remember The First Time? (Pulp 1994) | Artist: Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Album: N/A (Live at Maida Vale) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Track: Sober-delic | Artist: Melvins | Album: A Walk With Love & Death Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

An Old-Timey Guide To Giant Fighting Mechs

Dunhuang Chen is a concept artist and illustrator from China. You can see more of Chen’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…

Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

Nobody, I guess. We’re all just very impressed by Jay’s cosplay of the character, as he appears in Telltale’s Fables adventure series. And hey, good timing, because The Wolf Among Us is getting a new series Photos by Susan Calnan.

You Are Never Too Old For Cosplay 

Fifty year-old Brazilian cosplayer Solange tells website UOL that she wishes more people her age had the courage to give cosplay a try. Solange got into cosplay three years ago. She was already attending events with her 19-year-old cosplaying daughter. After a friend challenged her to give it a whirl, Solange made her cosplay debut…

Get The Squad Together

Ivan Laliashvili is a concept artist from Russia who currently works for Netease. You can see more of Ivan’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 Art is a celebration of the work of video game…

New Link To The Past Mod Lets Two Zelda Players Share Items Online

A new modification to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past brings a difficult multiplayer challenge to the game. With help from an emulator and some special code, two players can coordinate their progress through the game and change each other’s inventory. Andi McClure is an independent game maker who leveraged knowledge of…

Track: Caught By The Fuzz (Live) | Artist: Gaz Coombes (Supergrass) | Album: I Should Coco Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.