The Magic Behind 1994’s Super Mario Mac & Cheese Commercial

With the Sega Genesis edging out Super Nintendo sales in the heated 16-bit console wars of the mid ‘90s, Nintendo decided it was time to unveil their groundbreaking secret project. Of course I’m speaking about Rare’s pseudo-3D Donkey Kong Country. But the same year that brought the barrel-tossing ape back into the spotlight also featured…

The Warped Expectations Surrounding Video Game Classics

It’s easy to pass over a great game. Not everybody has the time, money, or means to play every critically acclaimed title, and as the years go by, games considered to be “the best” can fall by the wayside. By the time I was old enough to afford my own consoles, I was stuck in…

Splatoon 2‘s Octo Expansion Gets Surprisingly Dark

Hidden under Splatoon 2‘s fresh gear and multiplayer madness is an outrageous backstory. Nintendo has done a fantastic job of releasing free content for the games’ online offerings, but their newest DLC is all about the single player struggle and adding some ridiculous plot twists to the colorful franchise. The original Splatoon used its hidden…

An Ode To Unused Items

Howdy Kotaku! Ben and Peter have returned to run Kotaku for the 4th of July. It’s a day of fireworks and rest. It’s also a day to bust out food and drinks we’ve been saving for special occasions, unlike in gaming where we always find ourselves hoarding special items that we end up never using.…

K-Pop Star Unfairly Accused Of Photoshop

Singer and actress Narsha was recently accused of Photoshopping several Instagram photos, because how the telephone pole looked in the background. Below are the photos in question. The telephone on the left is bent, and the implication is that the photo has been edited to change her appearance. Some photo processing tools, such as ones…

One Piece Easter Egg Character Finally Makes Official Appearance 

One Piece has no shortage of characters or Easter eggs. One character, Mr. Minamoto, was first revealed in the late 1990s, but never officially appeared in the manga’s storyline. Until now. Way back in 1998, a One Piece reader asked why a tavern door repaired after mountain bandits broke it down. Eiichiro Oda replied, “That’s…

Nintendo Attending The Tokyo Game Show, But Only For Business Appointments

Every fall, a common question people ask is why Nintendo doesn’t attend the Tokyo Game Show. This year, it apparently will. Sorta. Please don’t get excited. Japanese business research site BCN Retail reports that Nintendo plans to be at this year’s TGS. The show’s official site has confirmed this. The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association puts…

Tsukiji Market. Tokyo, Japan. By Chris Hatcher | Instagram JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Fallout cosplay by cosplay_scp048, photo by booker_stx

Bumbling Canadian Robbery Video Is Even Better With Metal Gear Solid Sounds

That botched Canadian convenience store robbery was funny enough on its own, but set to Metal Gear music and sound effects—thank you, Omar Villegas—it’s a work of art.

Cool Robots

Kejun Wang is a concept artist at Respawn, developers of the Titanfall series. You can see more of Wang’s art at his personal site and ArtStation page. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you’re in the business and…

Madden’s 99-Rated Players Got Some Sweet Cleats

There will be seven players rated 99 overall in this year’s Madden. Good for them, but especially for the three that were sent these fancy cleats by Nike to commemorate the occasion. Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski and Luke Kuechly were all given these gold & white cleats, each emblazoned with a silhouette of the player…

Guillermo del Toro Gets His Own Action Figure

Oscar-winning filmmaker and best friend of Hideo Kojima Guillermo del Toro has had a lot of action figures made for characters in his movies, but he’s now getting one of his very own. Via Toy Ark, NECA is releasing this figure as a San Diego Comic Con special, standing at around 8″ tall and featuring…

System Shock Gets Its First Fan-Made Campaign Mod, 24 Years Later

A remake of the 1994 game System Shock by Night Dive Studios is due out sometime in the next few years, but fans who don’t want to wait can revisit the space horror game now in System Shock: ReWired, the first ever total campaign mod for the classic game. Fan made over the course of…

This Silent Hill-Inspired Game Sent Me To Hell

Concluse is an atmospheric horror indie that was released on June 29. It’s free. It’s also a game that managed to both creep me out and stress me out. Michael has been searching for his missing wife Carolyn for the past three years. When he gets an anonymous tip that she was seen alive and…

How To Fix Your Switch Pro Controller’s D-Pad

Over the last year, the Nintendo Switch has built up an impressive collection of 2D side-scrollers and classic arcade games. Unfortunately, those games rely heavily the D-Pad, and the D-Pad on the Switch Pro Controller can be frustratingly unreliable. Last weekend I fixed mine, and you can, too. I’ve been obsessively playing Hollow Knight over…

Call Overwatch‘s Hamster Hammond, You Cowards

Hammond is one of the better hamster names in history, miles ahead of Squeaks, Furball, or whatever else children name their pets. Despite this, the Overwatch team insists on officially calling the game’s newest hero “Wrecking Ball,” a name that sounds more befitting of a GI Joe action figure or a good (fight me) but…