Culture

Women Sported Some Killer Overwatch Cosplay At Baltimore’s Otakon

Last weekend, I hopped a train to Baltimore to report at Otakon, an anime convention with upwards of 20,000 attendees, many of whom were decked out in mind-meltingly good cosplay. One thing I noticed was that, on the whole, Otakon’s women were absolutely killing it cosplaying Overwatch heroes. One of Overwatch’s main draws is its…

Samus Pharan

Come on, Nintendo. Let Blizzard use this. Just for one skin. Amber Harris is a freelance artist who has worked in video games and tabletop games. You can see more of Amber’s stuff at her personal site To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine…

Venusaur gets a lot of flak for being a gross, warty toad who’s kind of trash after the third Pokémon gym. He’s also my favorite Pokémon (fight me). At Otakon last Saturday, Chelsea (@lordcreepypeepee) cosplayed the cutest damn Venusaur I’ve ever seen. Now, look me in the eye and tell me Venusaur isn’t the very…

Snacktaku Eats Swedish Fish Oreos

The look of terror in my eyes is half the idea of Oreo cookies filled with Swedish Fish “flavor creme,” half the outrageous pressure put on me to eat them from the moment they became a real thing. I have done your bidding. Please release my family. The good ones, at least. I’ve spent the…

Track: Melody(The Bilinda Butchers Remix) | Artist: Tiny Fireflies | Album: The Space Between (Japanese Ver) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Warhammer 40K Cosplay Is Ready To Die For The Emperor

Decked out in armour and weapons made by Wulfgar Weapons & Props, this group of fans hit Gencon last week with some of the best 40K cosplay I have ever seen. The armour. The weapons. The fur. It’s all perfect The crew won “best in show” at Gencon’s cosplay competition. There were seven of them,…

The Week In Games: STYLE. SAVVY.

Sure, some little game called Deus Ex or whatever is looming on the horizon, but all the cool kids are getting hype for Style Savvy: Fashion Forward. Us Style Savvy enthusiasts weren’t even sure Nintendo was gonna localize this one, but they did, and it’s finally, finally, almost here! You can be a hairdresser, model,…

Sunday Comics: Patch Notes

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 August 12. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published August 8. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

This Week In The Business: Requiem For A Premium

QUOTE | “Premium is dead. That’s a fact, so let’s deal with it.” – Valiant Hearts director and Digixart head Yoan Fanise, explaining the company’s mindset after Lost in Harmony launched as a premium iOS app and failed to perform Elsewhere in the business of gaming this week… QUOTE | “It’s tough to be disciplined…

Why Didn’t They Just Call It Cyberpink

Wadim Kashin is an artist based in Moscow who has worked in both games and movies. You can see more Wadim’s work at his ArtStation page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists,…

Reigns Combines Ruling A Kingdom With Tinder

Swipe right. Long live the king! Swipe left. The king is dead. I just got done spending an hour with Reigns, a fun little Steam/iOS/Android game where you swipe right and left to make decisions that will ultimately save or ruin your entire kingdom. Oh, and your life. The game can be quite treacherous (I’ve…

Toy Time Builds Lego Nexo Knights‘ Volcano Lair

Lego Nexo Knights, the most kid-friendly battle between techno knights and dark magic possible, returns to Cartoon Network this weekend for a second season. Seems like as good a reason as any to assemble the 1,186 piece Jestro’s Volcano Lair set. In a world where Lego can’t seem to keep kids interested in Bionicle anymore…

Track: One Way Road | Artist: Oasis | Album: Who Feels Love? Single Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

It’s Summer And Time To Cosplay In Japan

Every August, the twice-yearly Comic Market gets underway in Tokyo. Besides fan-created comics, it draws numerous cosplayers who brave the heat to show off their outfits. Tokyo gets incredibly hot in August, so big respect to the cosplayers in the heavier outfits. Comic Market cosplay is always a good gauge to see what’s popular in…

Track: If There’s Time | Artist: Odesza | Album: My Friends Never Die Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

One Of The Best Pro DOTA 2 Matches In Years

DOTA 2‘s $20 million International tournament is in full swing, and so far, it’s delivered. If you’re looking for the must-see match of the tournament, try the back-and-forth-and-back-and-forth-and-back-again showdown between EG and EHOME. Here are some highlights: You can watch the full game on Twitch The North America vs China clash was characterized by momentum…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: I’m Worried My Girlfriend Will Kill Herself If We Break Up

Hello, all you glowing Internet Sex Beasts. Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the dating column that knows it’s dangerous to go alone. This week, it’s time to talk about relationships that are in trouble. Sometimes the hardest part about dating someone is knowing when it’s over and how to extricate yourself cleanly. Let’s get down…

The Heroes Of The Storm

Luke Mancini is an artist at Blizzard, where he’s worked on stuff like the StarCraft series and Heroes of the Storm You can see more of Luke’s art at his DeviantArt page To see the images in their native resolution, click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration of…

Podcast: Day One Patches Aren’t A Bad Thing

Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, we dig into the No Man’s Sky launch drama and talk about why day-one patches happen. Also: some talk about Overwatch and the future of Kotaku as we prepare for new buyers. It’s interesting how the digital landscape has changed over the past few years, isn’t it? The ease of the…

Track: Olsen Olsen (Live) | Artist: Sigur Ros | Album: Heima DVD Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.