The staff of Kotaku nominated nine games for 2012 Game of the Year. One game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, blew the competition away. » 1/07/13 12:00pm 1/07/13 12:00pm

April 16, 2015
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Operation: Extraterrestrial Terrorism Response
Codename: Lost Spark
Mission Parameters: Failure will result in the immediate loss of resources and support from Japan. This would deal a devastating blow to the XCOM project.
Project Goal: Save the Earth, and all who call it home. » 1/04/13 8:00pm 1/04/13 8:00pm

Earlier today, our own Luke Plunkett nominated Crusader Kings II for Kotaku 2012 game of the year, writing that it's "the only game on this list that's about sex and politics." » 1/04/13 11:00am 1/04/13 11:00am

It's easy. Because it's the only game on this list that's about sex and politics. » 1/04/13 9:00am 1/04/13 9:00am

The first time I played Journey, I thought, "Okay." » 1/03/13 2:00pm 1/03/13 2:00pm

Papo & Yo did something that too few games manage to do: it let me step into the life of another, actual-living-breathing person. And once I did that, I played through an experience that showed me how that person got through a painful relationship and was left with a lesson that I too could pick and use if I needed it. » 1/03/13 11:00am 1/03/13 11:00am

On the surface, Spelunky is a roguelike platformer where you become like Indiana Jones, going farther and farther inside ancient caves holding untold riches and perhaps even lost civilizations. You have some rope, some bombs, a whip and whatever else you find along the way. It's a difficult game, and you will die a… » 1/03/13 9:00am 1/03/13 9:00am

The Walking Dead is lovely in the most horrifying ways. » 1/02/13 2:00pm 1/02/13 2:00pm

To describe why Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward was my favorite game of 2012 is to describe why I fell in love with games in the first place. » 1/02/13 12:00pm 1/02/13 12:00pm

Far Cry 3 should not be my nomination for 2012 game of the year. I'm not a huge fan of first-person shooters. While I appreciate the technical accomplishment of the first two games in the series I've not felt compelled to complete either. I felt absolutely no excitement leading up to the third installment's late… » 1/02/13 10:30am 1/02/13 10:30am

After several weeks of debate, discussion, and deliberation, Kotaku's 2011 Game of the Year Award came down to a simple vote, and the majority voted for science. » 1/02/12 12:00pm 1/02/12 12:00pm

The hardest thing at the end of the year is to parse yourself from the hype you're experiencing and think back to the games you played during the summer, the spring, and yes, 2011's early months. » 12/30/11 12:00pm 12/30/11 12:00pm

What Valve did this year seemed impossible: they improved on the perfection that was the first Portal. That feat was accomplished, surprisingly, by making everything about players' return to Aperture Science less perfect. We got a scuffed-up, messier experience that resonated more deeply than any other game this… » 12/29/11 10:00am 12/29/11 10:00am