Culture

Nintendo’s Official Rules On What Color Mario Must Be

Press the Buttons (via Fast Co.) recently got their hands on something very special: a copy of Nintendo’s Style Guide, a 1993 document that sought to formalise all kinds of weird Nintendo-related mascot matters, like what exact colour Mario’s and Samus’ outfits have to be. It’s as obsessive as it is fascinating. Mario’s famous overalls,…

Hi! Surprise Headshot!

On today’s Highlight Reel we have breakdancing in Sniper Elite III, tourists in The Last of Us, airmail, polite soldiers and more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the original videos via the links below. Halo: TMCC –…

Mr. Awesome: Champion Gamer, Playgirl Model

Picture a world-beating gamer. Take your time. Done? Whatever you pictured, you probably did not picture Mr. Awesome. Mr. Awesome, aka Roy Shildt, may be familiar to some of you from his cameo in the 2007 documentary King of Kong, in which he plays a minor, background role. Which was a shame. If you’re sitting…

Why People Get So Worked Up About ‘Canon’

Last week the news emerged that director Neill Blomkamp’s recently confirmed Alien movie will wipe away the series’ less celebrated sequels and will pick up the story of Ellen Ripley from James Cameron’s Aliens. “I want this film to feel like it is literally the genetic sibling of Aliens,” Blomkamp said. This post originally appeared…

Track: Incense for the Damned | Artist: Electric Wizard | Album: Time To Die Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The Sentinels Are Cosplay Vigilantes

They are the ‘boots on the ground’. An accessible, friendly team of specialists trained to assess and deploy anti-harassment tactics at conventions throughout Australia. They are the Cosplay Sentinels: they want to make the con experience better and safer for all cosplayers, photographers, attendees. Everyone. Their goal? To empower every single attendee of every convention…

League Of Legends’ Character Art Is Awesome

Jason Chan once worked at Massive Black (and also once drew Kotaku mascots). He’s now at Riot Games, the guys who make League of Legends. I’m not the world’s biggest League of Legends fan, but hot damn, every time I see the character art for the game I get tempted. It’s a testament to not…

Dragon Age Cosplay Is Very, Very Fancy

Ophidia’s take on Dragon Age’s Morrigan here may as well be a promo shot for a HBO series. It goes to show that as awesome as an outfit can be, sometimes it’s the location that turns a good cosplay shoot into a great one. Photos by aKami777

The Week In Games: Down With Triple A

With big budget retail games resting for the next week, the next seven days shall be dominated by the indie, the budget and the downloadable. I am not complaining. Having played a ton of the $39.99 Screamride this weekend, I’m looking forward to other players getting their hands on the game and creating their own…

Sunday Comics: The Epitome Of Sin

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 February 26. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published February 23 Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

Taco Bell Has Created Deep-Fried, Cream-Filled Cap’n Crunch Balls

Drunk with power following the success of itsamazingly not horrible breakfast menu, Taco Bell has created giant Crunch Berries filled with warm milky cream. They want you to put them in your mouth. Thefantastical Foodbeast(via my pal Owen) was invited to Taco Bell’s mysterious test kitchen to give these colorful creations a try, snapping some…

This Week In The Business: Great Job, Sega

QUOTE | “We go to Sega and the board turned it down, which I thought was the stupidest decision ever made in the history of business.” – Former Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske, talking about the deal he had with Sony to share in the development of a new console Elsewhere in the business…

Survival Games Can Get Pretty Damn Lonely

That’s why Kotajiro wrote a guide on how to make your own girlfriend in out-of-nowhere survival hit Stranded Deep. Just a couple quick modifications, and it works perfectly for the splinter-ridden dude of your dreams too. For the dirty minded among you, no, your all-too-literal stick figure guy or gal pal isn’t for sticking your…

Steam Early Access might be a drag sometimes, but it isn’t always. Here’s Eurogamer with a list of ten Early Access games that are delivering on what they promised. Which ones have you played?

The Worst Taxi Driver in Grand Theft Auto 

On today’s Highlight Reel we have spaceflight in DayZ, nail-biting Mario Kart races, confused cops, bad cabbies and more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the original videos via the links below. Mario Kart 64 – An Extremely…

Race Leads To New World Record For Collecting 120 Super Mario 64 Stars

There’s a new world record for getting all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 quickly—and it’s kind of amazing that it happened at all. Yesterday, a speedrunner known as Nero raced against other speedrunner, Puncayshun. The goal was to see who could get to 120 stars first—that is, to try to beat each other. And…

The Queen Of Skulls Will See You Now

Sandra Duchiewicz is an artist currently working at Creative Assembly, the developers of the Total War series. Her work is featured in the book I wroteabout yesterday, but you can also see more of her stuff on her DeviantArtpage and personalsites To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough,…

The Best Stupid Jokes About That Stupid Dress

Today the internet lost its collective mind, and so everyone finds themselves arguing about what color a dress is. Really. This is the dress, in case you (somehow) haven’t seen it— as Gawker explains, it originally started floating aroundon Tumblr, got picked up by Buzzfeed, and now it’s taking the rest of the internet by…

Super Euro Truck Galaxy 2

No, Euro Truck Simulator 2 will never be a candy-coated, wonderment-oozing Nintendo platformer, but what a cool effect in this piece from jm_. New cover art, anyone? The Steam Community Showcase is a regular look at the cream of the Steam community’s boundless crop. Art, videos, guides—whatever. Each installment highlights a specific piece or person.…

All Of Besiege Beaten With A Single, Perfect Machine

It’s hard not to marvel at the boundless (sometimes disturbing) creativity with which people approach Steam construction mega-hit Besiege. This, though, is different. Cold, mechanical precision. Infinite versatility. Doom. OK, maybe Niet Ivo‘s Doom Copter doesn’t look quite as intimidating as its suggests, but make no mistake: it will fuck your shit up. Well, if…