Culture

This Week In The Business: Give In To Your Hate

QUOTE | “We’ve seen this in the franchise before – the reveal trailer for Black Ops II, which took the franchise into the future for the first time had the most dislikes of any reveal trailer we had ever made at that time, and that of course went on to become our most successful game…

The Debate Over A Stardew Valley Mod That Lets You Marry A Child

A mod that lets you marry a child in popular farming game Stardew Valley started as a joke, according to its creator, but it’s now spurring a familiar debate about what it means to depict morally reprehensible behaviors virtually. The mod was created last month and has already been scrubbed from the popular mod hub…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Friday: A perfect time for us to talk about how Mei is bae. (Because she is.) Hi! Normally Kirk Hamilton does the weekend ‘Tell Us’ posts, but since he’s on sabbatical for May, you’re all stuck with me this month. Don’t worry, I too play video games. I just happen to also have strong opinions…

Do Future Fighter Jets Really Need Camo?

Mark Li is a freelance artist from China. Loving the silhouette on this fighter design. You can see more of Mark’s work at his ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button in the top-left…

What We Liked and Loved About Captain America: Civil War

It’s an Avengers movie! It’s a Spider-Man movie! It’s a Black Panther movie! Captain America: Civil War manages to be all of those things and more, thanks to a feat of truly impressive cinematic plate-spinning. This movie wasn’t just good. It’s the best Marvel superhero film so far. This week sees the release of the…

Ark: Survival Evolved Players Stage Heist To Rescue Captured Dinosaur

The mission is impossible, you say? Nothing is impossible with dinosaurs. After Pognog and co’s precious Doedicurus Dunky was captured by a rival tribe, they decided that bloody vengeance—while appealing—was not the wisest course of action. Plus, Ark: Survival Evolved has grappling hooks. Any game with grappling hooks is begging for an elaborate heist scenario.…

 Pro Player Shows The Power Of Guile

Today on Highlight Reel we have devastating self owns, pro Guile moves, Overwatch plays, 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 Halo 5 –Hydra is…

Track: Banshee (Ghost Fame) | Artist: letlive | Album: The Blackest Beautiful Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Steam Games Are Now Even More Susceptible To Review Bombing

Valve recently updated Steam’s review system to focus more on the here and now. The review section gives more weight to recently published reviews, and there’s a new “recent” percentage score. On paper, it seems like a good idea, but it also brings with it new problems. Case in point: The Culling. It’s a Hunger-Games-esque…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Racist Parents Hate My Girlfriend

Hello, you glowing pheromone buzzards of the Interwebs! Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column that teaches you how to max out your social links while still having time to do battle in the Midnight Channel. This week, it’s all about handling tricky life issues. From your parents disapproving of your girlfriend…

More Realistic Starfighter Propulsion Designs, Please

Z PZ is an artist based in Shenzen, China. And this is one of the coolest starfighter designs I’ve seen in ages, somehow both “Battlestar Galactica” and “80s anime” at the same time. You can see more of Z PZ’s work at his ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or,…

Podcast: What It’s Like To Be A Games Reporter

Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, we’re talking about what it’s like to report on the world of video games. Join us to hear some of the stories behind some of Kotaku’s biggest scoops. Kirk’s out on sabbatical this month, so today Kotaku’s Patrick “Scoops” Klepek joins me (Jason “Press Sneak Fuck” Schreier) to get into the…

Cosplay Photos: There’s More Than Meets The Eye

That’s SKOWALZwith a pretty good Lara Croft, sitting nice and authentic in the jungle and…oh. Photographer Rob Logan shows that it doesn’t matter where the location for a shoot is, so long as it’s framed and cropped properly.

Modders Are Adding New Locations To Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a game about two opposing yet complimentary forces: routine and discovery. What happens, though, when you run out of things to discover? Why, you build more, of course. Tego’s Stardew Expansion and Yama’s Desert Expansion both serve roughly the same purpose: to make Stardew Valley a bigger, more vibrant place. In time,…

To Assassin’s Creed…And Beyond!

Assassin’s Creed Art Director Raphael Lacoste, who we’ve featured many times here on Fine Art, has a new book called Worlds, featuring not just personal work and his contributions to Hollywood movies but a lot of the best stuff he’s done on the AC series over the years. Lacoste isn’t an art director, he’s AC’s…

Track: Burn the Witch | Artist: Radiohead | Album: Burn the Witch (single) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Bloodrayne Cosplay Is Coming For Your Claret

Old games never die. They just fade away…until someone comes back and cosplays as their half-vampire star. That someone in this case isIlona Shvets, from Ukraine, who gives zero fucks that Bloodrayne never made it out of the 00s, paying homage with this killer cosplay shoot (via Cosplay Blog). Photos by Eva

Track: Setsuyakuka | Artist: Tricot | Album: Kabuku Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Valve Makes Steam Reviews More Useful

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Steam reviews exert powerful sway over people’s purchasing decisions. For a while, though, they weren’t actually all that indicative of people’s feelings toward certain games. We live in a time of constant updates. Whether a game’s in Early Access, receiving regular post-launch updates, or the creator of Stardew Valley is…

The Last Leviathan is one of the more ambitious Steam Greenlight games I’ve seen. It’s about building a physics-based ship and sailing the open seas of ancient Middenhir. You’ll encounter everything from rival ships to mythical monsters to physics puzzles to secrets. It’ll be out later this year.