Culture

Rust Chooses Players’ Race For Them, Things Get Messy

Many games let you choose your character’s race, but not Rust. The chaotic survival game is doing its best impression of the gene pool—randomizing who’s white, black, and everything else—and players have reacted in unexpected ways. Prior to this, everyone in the game was white and looked more or less the same. The changes to…

How To Make Cities: Skylines Look Like Borderlands

Love Borderlands‘ cartoony vistas and pastel-colored expanses? Well, now you can make your game of Cities: Skylines look just like it—minus roughly a million gallons of blood, of course. The Bordercities 2 mod gives the absurdly popular (and infinitely moddable) Steam city builder the Borderlands series’ trademark cel-shaded look by doing these things: -Adds ‘edge…

We’re Really Digging Pillars of Eternity 

A few of us have been playing Pillars of Eternity, the lovely new crowdfunded PC role-playing game that sets out to re-create the vibe of old Infinity Engine games like Baldur’s Gate Safe to say we love it so far. I’ve got many more hours to play before I feel comfortable writing a full, thorough…

DayZ Player Sings (And Plays Guitar) For His Life

What could’ve been just another blood-soaked tale of DayZ douchebaggery turned into something, well, kinda beautiful. In this DayZ video from Michael Gramlin, a player is taken hostage with all the traditional fixings—bag over his head, tied up, surrounded, and marinated in a baste of his own sweat and urine—with zero hope of escape. But…

Where The Past And Future Meet

Finnian Macmanus is a concept artist and illustrator who’s recently worked on some upcoming video games due on both Xbox One and PC. You can see more of Finnian’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),…

Nothing’s Gonna Break This GTA Driver’s Stride

On today’s Highlight Reel we have stylish aerial maneuvers in GTA, deadly assassinations, powerful jumps 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. Battlefield 4 – great shot recker…- V0lton…

Valve Rejects DOTA 2 Character, Player Makes It Anyway

I’m not sure Valve was serious about their rejected redesigns for DOTA 2 hero Faceless Void, but that hasn’t stopped a fan from painstakingly modeling one for use in the game. Of course they went with Faceful Void. Of course they did. Easily the goofiest-looking of Valve’s somewhat, shall we say, out of character remakes…

Cosplay Overruns the Streets of Osaka

Over the weekend, Osaka’s geek district of Nipponbashi was closed to cars, with the main drag turned into a giant gathering of cosplayers, photographers, and fans. March 21 was the 11th annual Nipponbashi Street Festa, and some of the photos don’t give a very good idea of just how crowded the day gets. For example,…

Damn, Ori And The Blind Forest Is So Beautiful

Ori and the Blind Forest is a pretty good video game! But we’re not here today to talk about the game. We’re here today to look at the gorgeous art that went into making it. We’re showcasing the work of several artists here, so I’ll link to each one’s site when we get to their…

The Littlest Dovahkiin

AreYouJustKiddingMe’swife made this outfit for their daughter. It’s enough to melt the heart of even the coldest Draugr. (via Fashionably Geek)

The Week In Games: Bloodborne Souls

Forget that last big exclusive PlayStation 4 game—they were only kidding. This week’s big exclusive PlayStation 4 game is the real deal. It’s Bloodborne week, and Tuesday is officially a national holiday (no it’s not) for folks who enjoy games that actively attempt to break their spirit. If that doesn’t sound up your alley, maybe…

Sunday Comics: Stop Beating Things To Death

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 March 21. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published March 16. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

This Week In The Business: Afraid Of Making Games

QUOTE | “I’m scared as a game developer to think about making a game.” – Mike Capps, former president of Epic Games, talking about how hard it is to make a hit game these days and why he’s not starting a new game studio Elsewhere in the business of video games this past week ……

Three Fourths Home now has an extended edition. The new version of the heartbreaking narrative game adds an epilogue that’s nearly as long as the original story. There are also new stories from main character Kelly’s brother, Ben. It’s an astounding game. Highly recommended.

When DOTA 2 Meets Classic Art

You get this fusion of DOTA 2 hero Meepo and the Mona Goddamn Lisa, courtesy of Haryon. Freakin’ unbelievable, but in a good way. You can see the full, even more massive thing below. The Steam Community Showcase is a regular look at the cream of the Steam community’s boundless crop. Art, videos, guides—whatever. Each…

Guy Uses Team Fortress 2 To Come Out To His Friends

Coming out to friends about any sort of sexuality or queer identity is terrifying. What if they don’t understand? What if they don’t like you anymore? One Team Fortress 2 player decided to tell his friends in a language they all understood: the game itself. Corbin W, aka Rocketjumpingotter, took a two pronged approach to…

The World’s Worst GTA U-Turn

On today’s Highlight Reel we have traffic violations in GTA V, deadly rocks in H1Z1, grappling hook action in Hardline 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. Watch Dogs –…

Track: Micro Cuts | Album: Origin of Symmetry | Artist: Muse Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The Greatest Video Game Hamburger I’ve Ever Seen

These days, video games look better than ever. And if you need further proof of that, look at this highly detailed digital hamburger. This burger was spotted in the PC version of Battlefield Hardline by Redditorzlitter (via NeoGAF), and it might be the best thing about Battlefield Hardline. A burger this realistic is the best…

Rejected DOTA 2 Character Redesigns Are… Interesting

DOTA 2 hero Faceless Void is getting a visual overhaul. Today, Valve took the wraps off the final design. They also revealed a few other candidates that didn’t quite make the cut. Prepare to be amused. First off, Faceless Void’s actual new look: Looks good. Still faceless, vibrantly purple, and face-strainingly upset about both of…