Japanese Theme Park Offers Fake Instagram Friends

This summer, if you are thinking about which theme park in Japan to visit, Hirakata Park in Osaka might be a good choice- especially if you’re going alone and have no friends. According to My Game News Flash, Hirakata Park has a new service that’s for “SNS glory.” Called “shunkan furenzu” (瞬間フレンズ) or “momentary friends,” these…

A Night Out. Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. By Chris M. Hatcher. 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! 

Solo Was A Good-Lookin’ Movie

I really liked Solo! What I liked most—and don’t let this appearing in a concept art feature shock you—was how good it looked, how Star Wars everything was, from Corellia to the Kessel Run. One of the people to thank for that is Finnian MacManus, an artist we’ve featured before here on Fine Art. But…

Check Out This Monster Hunter Cosplay

Kamui ain’t done with the show-stopping Monster Honter cosplay. Her Zinogre armour from March was incredible, especially the way it lit up, but she’s already back with an equally-impressive take on a Nergigante set. Here are some shots to give you an idea of the detail: You can see more of Kamui’s cosplay work (and…

Cosplayer Becomes Final Fantasy XIII’s Lightning

Lady Zero and her partner Narcisse are, as we’ve established, two of the best Square Enix cosplayers on the planet. A fact we’re reminded of tonight with Lady’s absolutely perfect take on FFXIII’s Lightning. Lady Zero did pretty much everything here (though the wig was styled by Narcisse), crafting it all over a five-month period.…

Lord Of The Rings Fans Are Remaking The Battle For Middle Earth In Unreal Engine 4

I was onlyjust lamenting the fate of EA’s Lord of the Rings strategy games, and here we go: some fans are remaking Battle for Middle Earth in Unreal Engine 4, in essence creating an almost all-new game. This new project is called The Battle for Middle-Earth: Reforged, and while it shares the same name as…

Junkrat Toy Is A Tiny Terror

The Overwatch Nendoroid figures are supposed to be cute, so I don’t know what the hell is going on with this Junkrat. Maybe it’s the best they can do with the character. But I can’t look at those eyes and tongue and not think this is the cartoon lovechild of Slimer from Ghostbusters and Guy…

Log Flume Of Death Brings Joy To My Heart

The Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise still has an active, creative community, and nothing screams “I love the thrill of ‘coaster action” more than an 80 foot drop into standing water. Back in 2017, YouTube user Funzinnu did the delicate work of creating a fanciful log flume ride with one awesome drop in it. As you can…

Star Fox‘s Development Was Weird

Star Fox was made by a bunch of teens, and Shigeru Miyamoto used to smoke cigarettes. I don’t know anything about the development of the game Star Fox, so the most recent episode ofPeople Make Games was a real eye-opening when it comes to how the game came together. In the video, Chris Bratt walks…

Watching The Final Boss Of Dark Souls Die In One Hit Is Very Satisfying

It’s a hard game, with a hard final boss, and watching video of people defeating it is so, so sweet. I’m gonna talk about Dark Souls lore here. I’m gonna talk about the final boss battle. If you don’t want to know more than you already know, then stop reading. I’m serious. Throughout Dark Souls,…

‘Shop Contest: Video Game Independence Day

Independence Day is this week for Americans, and that means barbecues, American flags plastered on everything, and lots of people (who are also plastered) lighting fireworks and shooting them into the sky, into the ground, and at each other. Let’s put that in video games. Your task this week is this: how would your favorite…

We Talk PS4’s Lack Of Cross-Play

In 2013, Sony handily won the war of words against Microsoft’s customer-unfriendly policies, but in 2018, we’re seeing a role reversal. On this week’s Kotaku Splitscreen, let’s discuss. First, Kirk and I talk weddings, Westworld, and Switch gaming before digging into the news of the week on lawsuits and PS4’s lack of cross-play. Then we…

Sunday Comics: Monster Pup

Hello! It’s time for Kotaku’s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published June 25. Read more of Awkward Zombie Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi. Published June 28. Read more of Corpse Run Double XP by…

I Love This Quaint British Retail Park Built In Cities: Skylines

Making spectacular or larger-than-life places in Cities: Skylines is fun, but there’s something special about creating everyday locations with the game’s worldbuilding toolkit. YouTuber Greenbeak has created the ultimate quotidian location with Skylines: a small British village with a shopping district. While I’m not from Britain, I do spend most of my time wandering through…

PUBG‘s New Map Has A Game-Ruining Exploit

The newest map in the PC version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is awesome in a lot of ways. However, there is a location in the southwest portion of the islands where you can hide under the map and ambush unsuspecting players. There is a single spot right outside a building in the village of Na Kham…

Fortnite Rocket Launches, Cracks The Sky

The rocket that has been counting down in Fortnite finally launched at 1:30 EDT today, and what happened afterward was a little weirder than anyone was expecting. When I logged into the game, I could hear a klaxon blaring every few seconds, and before long the ground started to shake with only what I can…

‘Shop Contest: Summer Sports, Winners!

It’s time to go outdoors and get sweaty in pursuit of fun, but we don’t want to leave our favorite video game characters out of the action. I asked you to make summer sports happen, and you delivered. Look, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know anything about organized outdoor sports. The last time…