Culture

Lay’s ‘Do Us A Flavor’ Potato Chip Finalists Announced, Seem Delicious

After painstakingly combing through more than 14 million submissions in this year’s contest, Lay’s brand has whittled down this year’s consumer designed chip flavors to four — Wavy Mango Salsa, Kettle Cooked Wasbai Ginger, Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese and… Cappuccino? Hrm. Following last year’s Cheesy Garlic Bread upset, I am expecting much better from…

Making Wolfenstein Move

Markus Hammarstedt worked as a senior animator on Wolfenstein: The New Order. So if you were ever wondering “gee, who actually animated those kinda gross bits where you stab a guy in the neck”, Markus is your guy. That’s his showreel for his work on the game. Below, you’ll find another clip, this time showcasing…

If you thought Anime Expo 2014, held the other day in LA, was just for nerd stuff and cosplay, think again. It was, very secretly, also the filming location for an action movie trailer. Cosplay Los Angeles made this neat clip, filming various cosplayers over the weekend doing all kinds of TENSE and HEROIC things…

Smash Bros. In Space? Would Play.

Andrew Domachowski is an artist who has worked at places like Disney and Microsoft. He also has some ideas about Smash Bros. You can see more of Andrew’s work 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…

The Internet Reacts To Smash Bros.‘ Fire Emblem Party

This morning, Nintendo dropped three Smash Bros. bombshells named Lucina, Robin, and Captain Falcon. The Internet was quick to react. For starters, you must check out this new art by Kozaki Yusuke (via TinyCartridge): Of course Twitter was quick to respond to the big reveals with jokes: There’s some concern that Lucina is just a…

Highlight Reel: This Weekend’s Must-See Gaming Moments

Today’s gaming highlights: Some of the best moments from the biggest fighting game tournament of the year, plus incredible world records in both Spelunky and World of Warcraft! EVO 2014 In the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 semifinals, Justin Wong almost got knocked out in a neck-and-neck match against FilipinoChamp, but he pulled off an…

Someone Already Beat Zelda: Link Between Worlds In An Hour And A Half

It’s been eight months since The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds came out for 3DS, and already, speedrunners have pretty much hacked it apart. Here’s a new World Record run, set by speedrunner Anwonu. He beats the game in an hour and 31 minutes—and that’s with a few mistakes that could’ve shaved off…

​New Spelunky World Record Destroys the Two-Minute Barrier

You’d scream, too, if you did something better and faster than anyone else in the world. Like completing the notoriously hard video game Spelunky. So, yeah, let the guy holler. A combination of luck and gear helped German speedrunner Pibonacci post a completion time of 1:55.353 in an Olmec run last night. The previous record…

Female Assassin’s Creed Cosplay Is Not Difficult To Render

Female assassins may be too hard to animate, but they are not too hard to cosplay.

RIP Neversoft, The Studio That Made Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Last week, something very sad took place over at Activision. Neversoft, the studio that created the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, officially ceased to exist. The remaining staff – whose last project had been helping out on Call of Duty: Ghosts – were officially merged with Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward, bringing to an…

Peter Griffin Cosplayer Also A Perfect Peter Griffin Impersonator

The 2014 Allentown Comic Con played host to a very special guest: Family Guy’s Peter Griffin (ie cosplayer Real Life Peter Griffin), in the flesh. This goes well beyond just “cosplay”. Just look at him. He’s even got the chin! But what’s making this so great is that alongside the visuals it’s also one of…

The Week In Games: Nap Time

*soft snoring* Tuesday, July 15 One Piece Unlimited World Red (Vita) Abyss Odyssey (PS3 – PC) Wednesday, July 16 Abyss Odyssey (XBLA) Magic 2015: Duels of the Planeswalkers (PC) Thursday, July 17 Strike Force Foxx (3DS eShop) Coming Soon: Tuesday, July 22: OlliOlli (PC, PS3, PS4), Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty (PS4 – PSN) Thursday, July…

Track: Eye of the Tiger Artist: Survivor Album: Eye of the Tiger Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Sunday Comics: The Angriest Chicken

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 July 12. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published July 7. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and…

This Week In The Business: Free-To-Play Failure

QUOTE | “It will start to tail off because the people who play the games will recognize when they’re about to be nickled and dimed, and stop playing them.” – MMO pioneer Richard Bartle, arguing that free-to-play games have a “half-life” and will soon start to fail Elsewhere in the business of video games this…

​What’s Inside Your Gaming PC?

Gaming PCs are like snowflakes: Sometimes they melt. Also, no two are exactly the same. We already know that our readers generally prefer Nvidia graphics cards to AMD, but I’m curious about more specifics. Also, I just built a new PC, so I’ve got parts on the brain. My rig isn’t as super-powered as the…

Highlight Reel: The Most Stylish Way To Park A Boat

Today in gaming highlights: How to park a boat when you’re done with it, how to scare off a Hearthstone opponent in one turn, and a new world record speedrun! Watch Dogs John Barca shows off what to do with your boat if you don’t feel like walking all the way up the dock: Hearthstone…

Mazes Are Getting Pretty Highbrow

It was only two years ago that the Museum of Modern Art put its seal of approval on Pac-Man by adding the game to its permanent collection. Many saw this as a pivotal moment for video games; one of the most prestigious museums in the world was adding a little yellow blob’s maze-lurking, ghost-eating adventures…

Now That’s How You Cosplay Dark Souls

Anime Expo 2014, one of the biggest cons of the year, went down last weekend. TwistedMangaLive was there with his camera capturing some of the best cosplay on show. For reference, the Dark Souls stuff is around 0:30 into the middle of the three clips below. The Faraam Knight is harvestbuddy, the Elite Knight is…

AJ de Ocampo was at Japan Expo last weekend shooting some vids. Know that there is group Star Fox cosplay ahead.