Culture

Inside The Murky Process Of Getting Games On Steam

These days, it seems like Valve will let just about anything on Steam. Programs like Greenlight and Early Access make it easier than ever to get a game on the preposterously popular PC storefront. Some of these games are very bad. How does this happen? What is the process actually like? Redlight, Greenlight Most developers…

Gundam Cosplay That’s (Sorry) Out Of This World

This is Japanese cosplayer PUNIVAL in the suit and Malaysia’s Mikuen as Sayla Mass (and Feldt Grace). We’ve seen PUNIVAL’s work before, but I thought this shoot was so good (as well as Mikuen’s cosplay!) that I thought, we could always do with more perfect Gundam cosplay.

Behind The Scenes On A Fancy Video Game Trailer

Unit Image made “Yesterday”, the big hype trailer for The Division. With the game now out, they’ve released a great series of videos and images showing how the clip was made. It’s not often we get a good look behind the scenes like this, so seeing all this art and footage is a real treat.…

One of the best creators of modern point-and-click adventures just released a new game. Wadjet Eye’s Shardlight is about a sick woman taking on government oddjobs to find a cure that will save her life. It’s a more grounded tale than you’ll find in a lot of post-apocalyptic games. You can get it on Steam…

Killzone’s New Art Book Is A Real Treat

Regardless of its reputation as an OK shooter (though I quite liked KZ3), the Killzone series has always looked fantastic, and a new artbook out that celebrates this is a very good read. I got a copy of Killzone Visual Design yesterday, and while it ticks all the boxes of what makes a good video…

It Took Players Five Months To Find Out A 2D Game Can Be Played In 3D

Prison Architect is a top-down prison management game that’s got some visual flair, but it’s definitely 2D. Tiny two-dimensional prisoners wander two-dimensional corridors, dreaming of two-dimensional freedom. Turns out, it doesn’t have to be that way. Recently, a handful of Prison Architect players posted videos about a secret button in the game’s extras menu. There’s…

Track: Joyride | Artist: Hugo Chegwin, Fred Chegwin Berry & Line Animation | Album: N/A Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Stardew Valley Has Some Great Mods

Increasingly, I find mods to be representative of gaming communities’ ids, of their most fervent, unhinged desires. That in mind, the things Stardew Valley’s community wants most in this world are better fishing, Undertale throwbacks, Final Fantasy characters, and—yep—busty anime women. Despite only being out for a bit over a week, Steam farming sensation Stardew…

Dragonborn, You Done Good. Have An Ale. 

Kitnip, who is very good at crafting her own sets of armour, made this excellent Skyrim outfit last year. Beyond the overall quality of the design and build, there’s some great detail going on, with nicks and cuts all over the place and some subtle wear-and-tear on both the fabrics and armour. You can see…

Steam’s Latest Hit Is Basically A Hunger Games Video Game

My hands shook. My heart pulsated like someone was ramming it through with a jackhammer. A weird light crept into the edges of my vision. I’d just gotten my first kill in The Culling, and I might have been freaking out a bit. The Culling is the latest out-of-nowhere Steam chart-topper, and it’s got quite…

Track: Wrath and Cowardice (Undertale: ASGORE – Metal Cover) Artist: RichaadEB | Album: Determination Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

David vs Goliath

Allen Wei is an artist from Beijing who works for More FX, one of China’s biggest effects studios. You can see more of Wei’s art 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…

Disastrous DOTA 2 Tournament Ends With Missing Gear, Pissed Off Players

Valve’s $3 million DOTA 2 Shanghai Major was, to put it lightly, a mess. True to form, it didn’t exactly end on a high note. After Team Secret’s come-from-behind (the entire tournament) victory, GosuGamers reports that players of all teams awoke the next day to find cleared out practice rooms. These rooms housed precious gear…

Someone’s Making A First-Person Shooter Out Of Snakes And Ladders

Snakes and Ladders is an ancient Indian board game that you might know better by its Milton-Bradley-ized name, Chutes and Ladders. Somebody is turning it into a first-person shooter, because of course they are. Snakes-N-Ladders: Origins—Episode 1 is the game’s full name, and it’s really… something. The original board game is a playable metaphor for…

Death Comes For Us All, Uncharted 4 Guy

Today on Highlight Reel we have Uncharted 4 Beta arms, a falling mongoose, a perfect R6: Siege ace, awkward Fallout walking and much more! Watch the video above or on our Youtube page, then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via…

DC Super Hero Girls Bring Comic Book Toys To A Brand New Audience

Boys read comic books. Girls play with dolls. Or at least that’s how it used to be in ancient times. Mattel’s new DC Super Hero Girls dolls blur tired old lines both ways, so I recruited my doll-loving wife to help us take a look at the newly-launched line. Growing up in much stupider times…

Artist: Uverworld | Track: Born Slippy | Album: Ø Choir [Via Richard Smart] Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Texas, You Put On A Good Cosplay Show

Photographer Long Thai, aka Mineralblu, was at Anime Matsuri in Houston (celebrating its 10th anniversary) the other day, taking snaps and video of some of the best cosplay on display. You can see more of Mineralblue’s shots at his Facebook page

Hello Sir Have You Heard The Good Word About Cthulu…

Sam Lamont is an artist who has worked for companies like Games Workshop, Creative Assembly (Total War) and Fantasy Flight. You can see more of Sam’s art at his personal site 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…

Vigo, Scourge Of Cosplaythia, Sorrow Of Moldavia

So welshenzie’s outfit here might not have been the most elaborate at Cardiff’s Film & Comic Con, but it’s certainly one of the most effective.