Culture

Darkest Dungeon Adds Option To Turn Off Controversial Features

Darkest Dungeon might be the out-of-nowhere Steam sensation of the year. For the game, that’s been a double-edged sword. The punishingly difficult, psychosis-inducing dungeon crawler launched as an Early Access game, but it was already in better shape than a lot of “complete” releases. People flocked to it—significantly more than anybody, least of all the…

Zombi Glitch Summons Unusually Athletic Zombie

Today on Highlight Reel we have a Fallout character trapped painfully betwixt life and death, CQC in Metal Gear, terrifying mime zombies, and much 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.…

Blues And Bullets Is A Surprisingly Great Noir Game

Blues and Bullets is a noir adventure series (kinda like Telltale’s stuff) that quietly crept onto Steam a few weeks ago. Turns out, it’s pretty great! Here are a few reasons why. (Warning: slight Blues and Bullets spoilers ahead.) There are not enough noir games First things first: noir is a rarity in games (we’ve…

Sir Fluffington, This Displeases Me

Markus Lenz is an artist based in Germany who has worked for companies like SIXMOREVODKA and Deep Silver (Sacred 3). You can see more of Markus’ stuff at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper),…

Physical Boxes For Your Digital Steam Games

Steam games are digital. They exist entirely on your PC or servers. But they don’t always have to. Steam Game Covers is a site dedicated to the creation and hosting of templates people can use to make their own physical cases for Steam games. Just back up your game on a disc, print out a…

Track: You’re So Cool | Album: True Romance Soundtrack | Artist: Hans Zimmer Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Track: Stand Still | Album: Down to Earth | Artist: Flight Facilities Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems

Igor Burlakov is a concept artist and illustrator who works across video games, books, music and board games. You can see more of Igor’s work at his personal site and 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 Manliest Chun-Li Of All

Ladybeard—who is onto a very good thing in Japan as a cosplayer, pin-up model, wrestler, and metal singer—was at Comiket this year, absolutely killing it as…Chun-Li. Brian posted a single shot of himin his roundup, but I thought he deserved his own showcase, since he not only posted a bunch of studio photographs in the…

Get Tae Hell Ya Horned Bawbag

CONCEPT 4 is a studio based on Shanghai that’s home to around 40 artists. They’ve worked with companies like Sega, inXile and Gameloft. You can see more of CONCEPT 4’s work at their company site and ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can…

Probably Don’t Rent An Apartment Full Of Counter-Strike Dudes

Just a hunch. YouTuber GoldVision—best known for his Grand Theft Pacifist series—started his own (fake) ad agency. In this video, he attempts to sell you an (also fake) apartment in Counter-Strike. Note: if you have any recurring pest problems—say, roaches, rats, or terrorists—the landlord probably won’t be able to help. On a semi-related note, the…

Final Fantasy VII Cosplay, Take A Bow (Or A Gun)

It’s been a solid August for FFVII cosplay, as not long after that incredible Cloud+Aeris shootwe’ve now got one hell of a Vincent Valentine. The cosplayer is Yuri Narss, aka Narcisspuppet, someone we’ve featured before for his terrific Final Fantasy work. As with his last feature, you might look at these pics and scream PHOTOSHOP,…

Batmobile Ride Was More Than This NPC Bargained For

Today on Highlight Reel we have exploding trucks, air dodges, flying batmobile rides and the conclusion to last week’s marriage cliffhanger! 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. NHL 15 – I…

Japan’s Best Cosplay of Summer 2015

It’s August. And that means one thing for geeks: Comic Market. And you know what that means? Cosplay. Lots of it. At this year’s Comiket, which wrapped up yesterday, the cosplayers were out in full force. There was a nice range of outfits on display this year in Tokyo. Let’s have a look at some,…

Thor’s Hammer, Remade For A Four Year-Old

Crux1836 asked his kid what he wanted for his fourth birthday. When he said “a Thor hammer…a REAL Thor hammer!”, dad had to get to work. What began as a rusted old piece of hollow square-stock: Went through this: To become this: So great. You can see more pics here

Here. Cool Robots.

Hope you’re in the mood for some. Mechs, too. They’re the work of Shinku Kim, an artist based in Seoul. You can see more of Kim’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…

Track: Gone (feat. Cam’ron & Consequence) | Artist: Kanye West | Album: Late Registration Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Track: If I Should Fall From Grace With God | Artist: The Pogues | Album: If I Should Fall From Grace With God Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Rocket League Saves Just Keep Getting Better

Rocket League is a runaway success, and the PS Plus month only increased that popularity. But look beyond its sales numbers, and admire its fan community. The Rocket League community is so fun (and so positive), because they maintain an infectious excitement — the type of glee that one would get from attending a soccer…

This Week In The Business: The Hacker, The Designer and The Huckster

QUOTE | “You need the hacker, the designer and the huckster to start your game company. Somebody’s got to be the huckster.” – Tim Train, CEO of Big Huge Games, talking about what it takes to make a successful game company QUOTE | “I joined THQ, and THQ goes broke. I join Kojima, and Kojima…