Culture

Grumpy Old Artist Says Cosplay Brings “Nothing Of Value” To Cons

While cosplay is exploding in popularity, not everyone is cool with seeing hordes of people dressed up at conventions. Comic artist Pat Broderick is one such person. In a note left on his Facebook page, Broderick – who has worked on Batman and Micronauts – says: If you’re a Cosplay personality, please don’t send me…

Dragon Age Cutscenes Can Be Really Dangerous

In today’s Highlight Reel we have a Dragon Age archer that doesn’t know when to quit, well-timed landings in Battlefield 4 and some soothing destruction from GTA V. 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…

Japan In 2202 Looks Exactly Like You’d Expect

Johnson Ting is an artist in the video game business who has worked with companies like Activision, Infinity Ward, Black Tusk and Square Enix . Johnson also has two personal project called Neo Japan 2022 and Defcon 0 that push just about every 90s anime button I have to push. You can see more of…

The Week In Games: Destiny Rising

What a lovely time of year. I’ve got my backlog stack, some warm and comfy sweats, some Christmas cookies and I’m all ready to… play more Destiny, dammit. Actually I think I might be finally done with Destiny. There’s too many other games for me to play for me to get all wrapped up trying…

Sunday Comics: Great Idea, Professor

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 November 5. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published December 1. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

This Week In The Business: Warping Reality

QUOTE | “It will be hard to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s virtual around you.” – Noah Falstein, Google’s Chief Game Designer, talking about the future of virtual reality and augmented reality for games Elsewhere in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “‘Christ, we’ve only got 10…

Track: Bang Bang | Artist: Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj | Album: Sweet Talker Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

I Wish the Portal Gun Was in Destiny

In today’s Highlight Reel we have seemingly endless explosion chains in GTA V, safety advice for Far Cry 4, and a special (fake) cameo in Destiny by everyone’s favorite portable quantum tunneling device. Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and…

​Ask Dr. Nerdlove: Is My Relationship Doomed?

Hello, Internet! Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column run by the Herald of Andraste, Inquisitor of Romance. This week’s question is the Inception of dating questions. At its surface, it’s a question of setting boundaries: how do you get your partner to stop behavior that’s hurting you? But the question has…

She…Watches Over Us All (I’m So Sorry)

Jana Schirmer is a freelance artist from Germany. With a very classical style, her art is simply stunning. Like the perfect mix of classic fantasy art and Antiques Roadshow. (Note that the Overwatch pieces are fan art). You can see more of Jana’s work at her ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all…

The Art Of An MMO That Was Cancelled After NINE YEARS Of Development

Erling Sævarsson is a freelance artist with over 15 years experience across games, advertising and film. He most recently spent six years working at CCP, on the ill-fated World of Darkness MMO, a game we will never get to play, but whose art we can at least appreciate. You can see more of Erling’s work…

100 Year-Old Nintendo Souvenir Is An International Treasure

Erik Voskuil, who runs the excellent Before Mario, has a very special piece of Nintendo history in his personal collection. And no, it’s not badass Lego. It’s this promotional calendar, given out to advertise Nintendo’s card business. In 1915. And while the age itself is impressive, it’s the little touches reminding us of this bygone…

GTA V Has A Drinking Problem

In today’s Highlight Reel we have some great shots in Battlefield, the randomness of Far Cry 4, and a new way to drink courtesy of Michael in Grand Theft Auto V Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe the…

A Month-Long Race To See Who Can Finish 21 Final Fantasy Games First

One month. Two speedrunners. 21 Final Fantasy games. It’s an insane, sleep-depriving mission that will likely drive both participants insane: for the entire month of December, two gamers are going head to head in a live race to beat the entire single-player Final Fantasy catalog, plus some extras, like X-2 and Lightning Returns. (Here’s the…

How A Company Can “Brand” A Video Game, From Concept Art To Its Name

BASIC is a design agency that does something pretty unique, at least in the world of video games: instead of just doing concept art, or making logos, or promotional art, they kinda do a combination of all of it, helping give a game – which might otherwise be a pitch and some mechanics – a…

​What Are You Playing This December?

It’s December, which means that there are five thousand new video games to choose from. What to do in the face of so many video games? Start playing, I guess. For my part, I’m playing… well, everything. Too many things. Lots of open world games; I’m making my way through Far Cry 4, which I…

Jack Sparrow Cosplay Bends Genders, Blows Minds

Alyson Tabbitha is one hell of a cosplayer. And yes, Alyson is a girl’s name. I know, Jack Sparrow is hardly the manliest man in pop culture, but still. This is one of the most convincing acts of crossplayI’ve ever seen. She’s been working on this outfit for around five years now, “touching up this…

There’s Already Amazing Star Wars: Episode VII Fan Art

Well, that didn’t take long. The 88-second teaserfor the next Star Wars movie only went live on Friday (and didn’t really show much!), but already we’ve got a number of very nice pieces of fan art not only celebrating what we saw, but guessing at what might come next. While it might have been the…

Hitchhiking Can Be A Headache In GTA V

In today’s Highlight Reel we have some unusual deaths, a few new takes on hitchhiking, and as much perpetual falling as you can handle. 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. Can’t…

I Miss Television Sets With Character

I can describe the television sets I gamed on as a child in intimate detail — the texture of the dials, the dusty ventilation holes, the faded wood paneling. The past three televisions I’ve had in my living room? A series of increasingly larger black rectangles. There was a time, not too long ago, when…