Culture

What Are You Playing This March?

March! March, you apes! You wanna live forever? Yes, it’s March, which means it’s basically spring. Daylight savings is about to give us longer days, the weather is getting warmer, and there are a lot of really good new (and old) video games to play. For my part, I’m mostly playing Metroid Prime, and for…

Instead Of Skipping A Credits Sequence, Let’s Study One

Felix Mack works at Nightjar, a studio that specialises in motion graphics. You know the animation/footage that plays behind an artist when they’re on stage? Or the menus on a DVD? Or the credits sequence for a video game? Yeah, they do that Felix in particular did the end sequence for Sunset Overdrive, which was…

They Are The Misfits, Their Cosplay’s Better

Jem cosplay! And not just any Jem cosplay, Misfits cosplay! Take a bow, all involved. Credits: Pizzazz costume worn & made by by Mostflogged Clash costume made & worn by Love-Joker Roxy costume made & worn by 06TATTO Jetta costume made & worn by JK cosplay @ FB Stormer costume worn by takisiski Photography by…

How To Dress Like A Pokémon (Without Using Pyjamas)

Faust & Company specialise in masks, especially ones made out of neoprene, one of cosplay’s best friends. This one is called “Dragon Skull”, but that’s just for copyright reasons: it’s really just a nice and adult way for you to dress like a Pokémon. It’s a little more “realistic” than Cubone’s version, but then, Cubone…

Ask Dr. Nerdlove:  My Ex Got Me Into Kink And I Can’t Go Back

Hello, Internet! Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating advice column that’s listed in Tobin’s Spirit Guide, just after Evo Shandor. This week, a reader is mourning the loss of his special lady. How’s he supposed to find someone who can measure up after the way she introduced him to whole new worlds? Meanwhile…

A History Of Maxis: Thanks For SimCity

The Maxis that you knew, the studio that released SimCity and invented The Sims, is no more. The SimCity brand might live on, and the Maxis brand might live on elsewhere, but they’ll survive only as brands, things EA will invoke to sell things. This is a very sad thing, but let’s try and remember…

What’s Your Monster Hunter Weapon Of Choice?

Okay, it happened. I’m hooked on Monster Hunter. I’ve held off diving into the series for years now, but the latest game, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on 3DS, has got me. We just added it to our list of The Best Games for 3DS, and it earned its spot. This game is great. I’ve been…

Track: The Grid | Album: Mockroot | Artist: Tigran Hamasyan Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

It’s An Arma 3 Dino-Party

Today on Highlight Reel we have a bunch of talking raptors in Arma 3 (or deinonychus if we’re being technical), poetic justice in GTA V, the best use for the Kinect I’ve seen so far and more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to…

A New World Record For Beating Super Mario 64 With No Stars

Did you know it’s possible to beat Super Mario 64 without ever getting a single star? Ah, the wonders of speedrunning. As spotted by Digg, here’s run by akira06072525 where they manage to beat Super Mario 64 in 6 minutes 54 seconds with zero stars. This feat is accomplished via glitching, yes, which allows akira…

Track: Survival Tactics | Album: 1999 | Artist: Joey Bada$$ & Capital STEEZ Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Track: Consumite Furore | Album: Phantasmagoria Soundtrack | Artist: Mark Seibert Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Snake, You’re Looking Awfully Naked

Adam Foreman is an artist working in the video game business. He most recently worked on Gun Monkeys and Beyond Gravity. You can see more of Adam’s work at his personal site To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on…

Terrific Femshep Cosplay

Freya Willia is Commander Shepard in this getup. It’s not just a fantastic suit of armour, with some great detail all around, but some awesome weapons as well, including two firearms designed by Volpin Props If you want to learn about how much work went into something like this, Freya has a great progress log…

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…