Kotaku

Is "All This Violence" Really What Video Games Are Made Of? [Video]

Kate Cox — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:00:00 EDT

Last week, in the chaos around the total meltdown of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer 38 Studios, one line stood out. Commenters on this site as well as on every other site that covered the story all zoomed in immediately on one specific statement from Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee. Twitter absolutely lit up with the quote, and a world's worth of "WTF" responses. More »

You'll Swear This Half-Life Headcrab Was The Real Deal [Half-life]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:00:00 EDT

You may have seen this years ago, but since there's a good chance you haven't, here. See it now. More »

Harry Potter, Batman Will Kick Your Ass All Over This Concept Art [Fine Art]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:00:00 EDT

British artist Ross Dearsley has over the years done everything from comic art for Marvel to concept work for the video game business. More »

The New Starship Troopers Anime Gets a Trailer for You To Watch [Video]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:30:00 EDT

This summer, Starship Troopers is getting a new Japanese anime. Shinji Aramaki of Appleseed fame is directing. More »

How Does the Persona Porno Opening Match Up with the Game's? [Video]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT

There's a Persona porno parody called Perofella. Kotaku already ran some safe-for-work pics of the skin flick, so you vaguely know that it doesn't really look like the game. But what about the opening? Now that does. More »

The Bum in the Unlocked Bathroom: How Bad User Interfaces are Ruining Bathrooms, Buses, Video Games and Other Wonderful Things [Video]

Tim Rogers — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:30:00 EDT

I can summarize my experience designing user interfaces like this: if you were to place a refrigerator and a toilet side by side in a room with no windows and a door which locked from the inside, 9.3 out of 10 people entering that room would defecate in the freezer and urinate on the floor. More »

Pokémon vs Zombies Would Sell Millions. No. Billions. [Pokemon]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

If you had to sit down and think of a game idea guaranteed to make billions, don't waste your time thinking of something new. That's madness! Too risky! More »

The Geekiest Game on the Planet Is CPU Top Trumps [Games]

Jamie Condliffe — Mon, 28 May 2012 13:30:00 EDT

Before our blanket ban of Kickstarter, we pointed out this superb computer-themed card game called CPU Wars. Unlike many of the doomed projects on that website, it's now a real product that you can buy. And, boy, do you need to buy it. More »

So... No New Final Fantasy XIV Trailer at E3... Yeah. [Blip]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT

Final Fantasy XIV, remember that? Remember how Square Enix was supposed to make it all better? Well, according to Square Enix, the game's latest trailer will "skip" E3. [Square Enix] More »

Monday Watch This Play This [Watch This Play This]

Mon, 28 May 2012 12:30:01 EDT

Watch This: One Brave Battlefield 3 Soldier Takes On An Entire Army To Kill A Pesky Sniper

Play This: Finally, a Decent Real-Time Strategy Game on the iPad

Finally, a Decent Real-Time Strategy Game on the iPad [Video]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:30:00 EDT

RTS games have been tried on the iPad before, but have usually resulted in stilted affairs, or simple attempts at cloning a PC control system. Autumn Dynasty, on the other hand, gets things right. More »

One Brave Battlefield 3 Soldier Takes On An Entire Army To Kill A Pesky Sniper [Video]

Tina Amini — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT

Snipers, man, amirite? They're fiends. They find one good corner where even a scope glare won't give them away, and they pick you off one by one. More »

Snacktaku Presents: Memorial Day Cookout Tips [Snacktaku]

Mike Fahey — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT

Every year in late May, American's across the country gather in their backyards for good food, good friends, and large amounts of beer. It's Memorial Day, one of the greatest free eating opportunities of the year. More »

A Chinese Idol in a Movie About Chinese Gaming Adolescence [China]

Eric Jou — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:30:00 EDT

Zhao Yihuan, best known as the Chinese Dairy Queen girl, has been making the rounds lately to promote her latest movie Qing Chunqi 3 (青春期3 which roughly translated is "Puberty 3"). While the primary focus of her latest media push has been on her movie, Zhao is also using her movie to promote the new Chinese MMO game Taoyuan (桃园 or "Peach Garden"). More »

Miyazaki's films reimagined as dog-eared Penguin book covers [Concept Art]

Lauren Davis — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:00:00 EDT

Hayao Miyazaki's films are marked by rich landscapes and innovative character designs, but these illustrations reduce those films to their most basic components, imagining them as minimalist Penguin book covers. More »

Online Game Lays Down the Law with 30-Year Bans [PC]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:30:00 EDT

For many online games, the selling of in-game items, in-game gold, and personal information is a problem. It sounds like it's a problem in free-to-play online title Cocoloa because the game is now trying to combat that with bans that last three decades. More »

What's Hideo Kojima Doing on the New Z.O.E.? Not Enough. [Z.o.e.]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

Late last week, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed a new Zone of the Enders project. Fans of the sci-fi series have been waiting for Kojima to start work on a new Z.O.E. Thing is, he won't be doing much much work on it. More »

She Tried To Make Good Video Games For Girls, Whatever That Meant [Video]

Patricia Hernandez — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:30:00 EDT

Companies fail all the time, but this, this was different. For Brenda Laurel, it was personal. More »

Digital Image Lady Returns to the Tokyo Game Show (Yet, Again) [Tokyo Game Show]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:15:00 EDT

For the third year running, Osaka-based artist Ippei Gyoubu once again created the digital lady for the Tokyo Game Show. This year's theme is how smiling faces are connected with video games. More »

Look Like an Assassin With This Ridiculous 3DS Carry Case [3ds]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:00:00 EDT

If you're going to go to the trouble of getting a carry case for your Nintendo 3DS, you may as well go all out and get this hitman-esque case from Japanese accessory-makers Antec. More »

This Summer, Drink Up Salty Watermelon Pepsi in Japan [Snacktaku]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:30:00 EDT

It's quickly becoming an annual summer tradition: Pepsi Japan releases truly interesting flavors to help the country cool down. More »

This Car's Trunk Is Open for Illegal Chinese Business [Crime]

Eric Jou — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:00:00 EDT

Street vendors in China are a common sight—even those peddling their wares from the back of their car. These vendors sell everything from small animals to counterfeit handbags any thing that can fit in an automobile trunk. More »

Chinese Anti-gaming Expert Turns Out To Be (Surprise!) a Hypocrite [Politics]

Eric Jou — Mon, 28 May 2012 07:30:00 EDT

A famous Chinese anti-gaming expert has his foot in his mouth after appearing at a "game tasting" event in Shenzhen last week. More »

Old Gamer Beaten by His Wife and Begs Judge for a Divorce [China]

Eric Jou — Mon, 28 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT

Last week, a 50-something Chinese man got on his knees in Baishan City in Jilin Province, China. He begged a judge to grant him a divorce from his wife, even though the two recently retook their vows. More »

A List of Places To Visit in Japan [Blip]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:50:00 EDT

Via blogger Danny Choo, here's a list of places you should visit in Japan. [DannyChoo] More »

White Dude Spits on Chinese Man and Rides Away on Bicycle [Video]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:30:00 EDT

Recently, relations between Chinese and non-Chinese have become, to put it mildly, tense. Footage of foreigners apparently doing illicit and unpleasant things has only strained the relationship. This latest one won't help. More »

This Formula One Champ is a Big Japanese Role-Playing Game Geek [Culture Smash]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 06:00:00 EDT

A favorite otaku (geek) hobby in Japan is taking photos of toys. The pictures can make oh-so-cute miniature figurines look lifelike. But this trend isn't only a Japanese thing. It's also a Formula One racer thing—at least for one man. More »

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R Will Kick Your Teeth In [Video]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:15:00 EDT

Check out the latest trailer for Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R. The game is getting location texts in Tokyo early next month. More »

These Things Japanese People Don't Want To Do Alone [Japan]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:00:00 EDT

Some things are fun in a group. Some things are fun alone. And something things are just unpleasant without the company of others. More »

Mark Zuckerberg's Unintentional Cameo in a Chinese Cop Documentary [China]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:01:00 EDT

Facebook honcho and newly married dude Mark Zuckerberg might be dealing with Facebook stock headaches, but he can take solace in one thing: If his social media business goes south, he can always get unpaid work as an extra in Chinese documentaries. Unpaid? Oh, right, never mind! More »

Kotaku East Starts Now [Arrow]

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:00:00 EDT

Kotaku East runs from 4am to 8am Eastern. For more info about Kotaku East click here. More »

Yeah, This is Basically The Road: The Game (With Zombies) [Video]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:00:00 EDT

Just in case you hadn't yet picked up on the heavy - and welcome - inspiration The Road has had on upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title Deadlight, check out this new trailer. More »

Get Started Learning Japanese With This Little Video Game [Video]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 02:00:00 EDT

Given the nature of this job, and the fact I make an almost annual pilgrimage to Japan, I've been meaning for a while now to get off my butt and learn more of the local language than simply what I need to order a beer. More »

Excuse me, I'm Going to go Lie Down on This Beautiful Video Game Grass [Video]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:00:00 EDT

Time to check in again with the Outerra project, an engine that's currently being developed that threatens to make video games more awesome. How dare it. More »

The Essence of DayZ, Captured in a 3-Minute Video [Video]

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

So much of what makes zombie survival mod DayZ so enjoyable to play is in the intangibles. You can't sum it up in bullet-points, or just say "it's fun", you need to experience a night in the dark with no food or water, on the run from both the living and the dead, to really get a handle on things. More »

Nothing Says Cosplay Like Cheerleaders, Dragon Age, Catwoman and...Jak and Daxter? [Fancy Pants]

Luke Plunkett — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:00:00 EDT

Jak & Daxter cosplay. I don't know why there's a lady in Jak & Daxter cosplay this week, but I don't care. I applaud her for it. More »

The BBC Might Have Confused Halo With the United Nations [Video]

Luke Plunkett — Sun, 27 May 2012 22:00:00 EDT

~~If this video is real - and given its shoddy quality, that's no guarantee -~~ It would appear the BBC have some issues using Google Image Search. More »

These Little Halo Toys Are Disturbingly Desirable [Toys]

Luke Plunkett — Sun, 27 May 2012 21:00:00 EDT

First shown off at this year's Toy Fair, there'll soon be a line of action figures based not just on Halo, but on the Halo gear your little Xbox 360 avatars can wear. More »

Blade Runner Superfan Recreates Dystopian Magazines from Scratch [Design]

Sam Biddle — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:00:00 EDT

You might think you love Blade Runner—and if you don't, you should!—but do you love it enough to track down and digitally recreate a prop that most people have never even noticed? This amazing viewer did. More »

Memorial DLC [The Week In Games]

Owen Good — Sun, 27 May 2012 19:00:00 EDT

Slow action in North America as the United States takes a break for cookouts on Monday. Mass Effect, Prototype and Arkham City all have notable content drops. Resistance: Burning Skies arrives on PS Vita. More »