Culture

Steam VR Stealth Game Looks Like A More Violent Portal

It’s always interesting to see old genres learn new tricks. Stealth—with all its methodical maneuvering and frantic flights—might seem like an odd fit for Valve and HTC’s only slightly mobile virtual reality face squid, but that’s just forced the folks behind Budget Cuts to get creative. So, a few things set this one apart. Let’s…

Steam’s Latest Hit Has You Manage A Starving Kickboxer

Punch Club first got everyone’s attention with an extremely transparent Twitch-based marketing scheme. Ever since its release, however, it’s been one of the top games on Steam. Is it actually any good? With some reservations, I’m gonna say yes. Punch Club is a boxing (or fighting, really; there are also kicks involved) management tycoon game…

Expert Mario 64 Player Demonstrates His Most Advanced Techniques 

Ever wondered how some of the best players pull off their ridiculous tricks? Super Mario 64 player pannenkoek2012, known for beating the game in as few button presses as possible, made a video explaining his process. It’s amazing. pannenkoek2012 walks through a bunch of his techniques in this video, though the one he initially focuses…

One Punch Woman

Simple crossplay, excellent execution. Cosplay by Anna Lynn, photo by Kitten Cabada

The Concept Art Of XCOM 2

XCOM 2 isn’t out yet, but the game’s hardcover art book is, and the publishers were kind enough to pass some images along to Fine Art for a little showcase of the Firaxis artist’s work. There’s a nice mix here of character art, environment stuff and even some animation tests, which we don’t get to…

Goal Celebrated Prematurely

Today on Highlight Reel we have vehicle splatters, oblivious witchers, near misses, early goal celebrations, accidental ladder kills, and much more! Watch the video above, 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. Witcher 3 – “Witcher Senses??”…

Some Of The Best Star Wars Cosplay From The Past Five Years

Over the last five years, Beat Down Boogie has been all over the country filming cosplayers at sci-fi shows and nerd conventions. And wherever there were cosplayers, there were Star Wars cosplayers. This video catalogues the best of them. I love the mix! Yes, there is film-quality cosplay on show, but there are also a…

Players Duped By Steam’s Winter Sale ‘ARG’ Send Valve An Actual Red Herring

Steam’s big winter sale included an alternate reality game that… really wasn’t. After following a rather unsatisfying breadcrumb trail, players unlocked a Steam badge titled “Red Herring.” Very funny, Valve. Now, though, joke’s on them. A member of the subreddit dedicated to untangling Valve’s web of steamy secrets confirmed that a) they sent Valve some…

To The Moon, the 2011 story game that made everyone cry, is finally getting a sequel. Titled Finding Paradise, it’s about traversing the memories of another dying patient to fulfill their last wish. This time, it’s the boy (now grown-up) from spin-off A Bird Story. The game will be out late 2016 or early 2017.…

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

When A Final Fantasy Artist (And Neil Gaiman) Did Sci-Fi David Bowie

I know Mike already wrote a piece on the sad passing of David Bowie, but for tonight’s Fine Art I wanted to talk about/show something as well, one of the cooler times the great man’s work intersected with both video games and comics. In 2004, an unlikely pairing saw comics superstar Neil Gaiman and renowned…

Octonauts Cosplay!

It’s the best, because Octonauts is the best. Cosplay by pineappleundies

One of the World’s Best Speedrunners Can’t Speedrun Anymore

Narcissa Wright used to be the fastest Zelda: Ocarina of Time player. Her best run was nearly perfect, the stuff of, well, legends. Cut to now: Wright has developed hand problems and can’t speedrun. She’s also decided to undergo hormone replacement therapy. Her life is fraught with change, and some of her viewers aren’t taking…

The Ugliest Thing Snacktaku Has Ever Eaten

Earlier this week I encountered a food creation so hideous that I set up my camera in the noisy press room at the 2016 Smite World Championship and recorded a Snacktaku video so I could get it over with. Originally published 1/9/16 The main source of sustenance at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, which…

Monday Comics: That’s A Lot Of Blood

Welcome to Kotaku’s Monday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics one day later than usual. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Guest comic published January 8, with gorgeous work by Pseudonym from Cassiopeia Quinn. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie…

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

One Punch Man vs Marvel vs DC

Lee Woo-chul is a freelance concept artist from South Korea. You can see more of Lee’s work at his personal site and 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 corner. Fine Art is…

Watch The Final Day Of The Weeklong Awesome Games Done Quick Charity Marathon

Just when you thought the holidays were ending, along comes an entire week of super-speedy runs through your favorite games for an excellent cause. It’s time for Awesome Games Done Quick. Let’s watch together! Along with its summer variant, the Awesome Games Done Quick marathon has quickly become one of my favorite gaming events of…

This Week In The Business: Shinra Falls Again

QUOTE | “[Shinra Technologies] has found no prospective investors at this point, and therefore has to discontinue its business.” – Square Enix, explaining why it shuttered the cloud-gaming subsidiary founded by former Square Enix president Yoichi Wada Elsewhere in the business of gaming this week… QUOTE | “2015 was a monumental year for Xbox –…

Undertale, As Told By Steam Reviews

Undertale came out of nowhere and turned RPGs upside-down with its deft mix of emotions, dogs, emotions, and more dogs. It’s become one of the biggest games on Steam. Undertale currently has nearly 30,000 Steam reviews, a whopping 97 percent of which are positive. As I discussed in my own review, this is a game…