Culture

Valve Is Changing Steam Sales

Since the dawn of recorded time, big seasonal Steam sales have included daily deals that make the whole process downright ritualistic. Wake up, check Steam sale deals, feel the life being drained from your wallet, etc. Soon, that will no longer be the case. Instead, games will just be at their lowest prices for the…

The Fallout 4 Podcast Extravaganza: Part Two

Fallout 4 is the type of game that grows on you more the more you play it. So we couldn’t help but keep talking about it on this week’s podcast. Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, Kirk and I spend a ton of time talking about weapons, quests, and theories in the latest Fallout. It’s part two…

Track: Moonlight Mile | Artist: The Rolling Stones | Album: Sticky Fingers Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Knights Of A Rusted Future

Blake Rottinger is an artist from Sydney who has worked across games, film and industrial design. You can see more of Blake’s work 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 the “expand”…

The Steam Stream Plays Hard West, Aka Wild West XCOM [Update: Finished]

An XCOM-style strategy game set in an occult Wild West? Hard West is trying to do a lot of things. Is it good, though? Let’s find out. Watch me play it right now. I have high hopes for this one, given that it combines many things I love (XCOM-like tactical gameplay, saloons, pentagrams), but that…

Fallout 4 Player Has Fantastic Bowling Form

Today on Highlight Reel we have bowling, NPCs with eye issues, Star Wars Karma, and much more! Watch the video above, then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. CoD:AW – Sit trip – submitted by BloodRazer17 CoD:BO3…

Ask Dr. NerdLove: My Girlfriend Hates That I Watch Porn

Hello, Internet! Welcome to Ask Dr. NerdLove, the only dating column with a graduate degree from the Unseen University. This week, we’re untangling tricky emotional issues. One reader wants to know whether his porn habit and his girlfriend are mutually incompatible. Another wants to know how to rebuild himself as a caring, honest individual after…

Ark: Survival Evolved Mod Lets You Play As A Dinosaur

When I was young, I always hoped against hope that I would grow up to be a dinosaur. This is probably as close as I’m going to get. FinntasticGames “Play as a dino” mod is exactly what it sounds like: it lets you be a dinosaur in Ark, a game about punching trees and pooping…

Inside Japan’s Newest All-You-Can-Eat KFC

This isn’t the country’s first KFC buffet. Let’s hope it’s not the last, either. According to Gigazine, KFC opened up its second all-you-can-eat restaurant this week in Osaka. The first one is also in Osaka, so if you’re ever in Osaka, you have no excuse not to stuff your face with fried chicken. This is…

Dragon Balls Served Up at Japanese Restaurant

Hungry? How about a nice serving of delicious Dragon Balls. You know, from Dragon Ball. A restaurant in Japan serves up just that. Located in Nagoya, Danke Dinning serves up Dragon Ball-themed hot pots (鍋 or “nabe” in Japanese). [Photo: akaki_tya] [Photo: kenjixxx360] Here is the nabe before the meat and veggies are cooked. [Photo:…

Major Kusanagi, In The Flesh

Omi Gibson isn’t just one of the world’s top Metal Gear cosplayers. Her Ghost in the Shell game is strong, too

Zarya is one of the coolest characters in Overwatch. She is also, like all characters, subject to crossplay. This is Jechts’ attempt at the character, which he pretty much nails, from the hair down to the tattoo on the shoulder. Photos by Alive Alf

CHOCOBO HUNGERS

John Silva is a freelance artist from Portugal, who has done work for companies like WB Games, Fantasy Flight and Microsoft. You can see more of John’s work 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…

Top Counter-Strike Team Pulls Out Of Tournament After Paris Terror Attacks

This weekend’s star-studded IEM San Jose Counter-Strike tournament just lost one of its biggest attractions. Team EnVyUs—considered by most to be one of the top five Counter-Strike teams in the world—just announced that they won’t be competing this weekend in San Jose, California after all. The reason? They’re based out of France, and the recent…

Pissed At Valve, Modder Lets Left 4 Dead Players Shoot At Virtual Steam Servers

Think nobody plays Left 4 Dead 2 anymore? You’d be surprised. According to Steam’s stats page, Left 4 Dead 2 is still one of the 40 most-played games on the service every day. As of writing, the game had nearly 8,000 concurrent players… on a random Wednesday afternoon. So yeah, thanks in part to things…

Track: Livin’ on a Prayer (Metal Cover) | Artists: PelleK, 331Erock & Cole Rolland | Source: PelleK Official Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Cast Fireball x 3

Grzegorz Rutkowski is a Polish freelancer who has worked for companies like CD Projekt Red (The Witcher), Ubisoft and Games Workshop. You can see more of Rutkowski’s work at his personal siteand ArtStation page. To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper),…

Why A ‘Bad’ Steam Game Has Good User Ratings

Dispatcher is not a very good game. And yet, it’s a got a “very positive” review average on Steam. What’s going on? Dispatcher is a game I decided to check out on a whim. The horror pseudo-RPG been out for a few days, and I noticed that its 227 user reviews averaged out to “very…

Coming soon to Steam… Bubsy? You remember Bubsy, right? It’s OK if you don’t. He was a—shall we say—less-than-beloved platforming mascot from gaming’s early days. A company called Retroism got the rights, and they’re trying to make it through Steam Greenlight. Good luck?

Fallout 4 Encounter Escalates Quickly

Today on Highlight Reel we have Fallout 4 fights that escalate quickly, John Cena, Halo 5 shots, and much more! Watch the video above, then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Rise of the Tomb Raider –Lara…