Luke Plunkett

A Platforming Classic Goes Free on iOS

LostWinds isn’t a new game. It’s been around for years, first on the Wii, then on iOS devices. I’m mentioning it again and now, though, because for a limited time it’s suddenly free. This isn’t just one of the best platformers on iOS, it’s quietly one of the best platformers this hardware generation, combining a…

XCOM: Enemy Unknown: The Kotaku Review

XCOM: Enemy Unknown should have been a disaster. It’s a turn-based strategy title, a style of game its publisher said only last year was “just not contemporary“. It’s also a remake of a cult classic 1990’s PC game, beloved by an audience so fickle that a modern version should be the most offensive entertainment product…

When Gordon Met Chell, a Post-Apocalyptic Love Story (I Hope)

This is a poster for a short film that’s due out later this week. I’d hope it’s not a romantic comedy, but then, with a name like that you can never be too sure. I almost wish it was. At least a Gordon Freeman rom com would be mercifully quiet Just made this poster for…

I Hope Master Chief Doesn’t Blow up This Halo Ringworld

Kotaku reader Catsy has spent the last three years (on and off) working on this behemoth of a tribute to the Halo universe, rendered entirely in LEGO. It’s a Halo Ringworld, and was shown off over the weekend at BrickCon 2012, where it won “Best Large Planetary Structure in the Space”. Congrats, Catsy! The outer…

Modern Warfare Map Removed After Complaints From Muslim Gamers

Over the weekend, those playing Modern Warfare 2 began to notice that one of the series’ most popular multiplayer maps, Favela, had disappeared. Why? Publishers Activision and developers Infinity Ward took the map off rotation after receiving complaints from Muslim gamers, who had discovered offensive imagery contained within a room of the stage. It’ll return…

Robotic Admiral Ackbar Cosplay Isn’t a Trap, it’s a Masterpiece

This isn’t just an Admiral Ackbar suit. That would be too easy. This Admiral Ackbar cosplay outfit is part-man, part-Mon Calamari and part-robot Artist, sculptor and costume builder Tom Cuthbert is the genius behind (most of) this costume, which features an animatronic suite (installed by Daniel Valdez) in the head to power the Alliance Admiral’s…

Advance Wars Meets the…2012 Presidential Election

If you had to ask me the one thing that would get me interested in the hyper-partisan wasteland that is American politics, I’d have to say Advance Wars Lucky (or unlucky?) for me, then, there’s an Advance Wars clone that’s based on the 2012 Presidential election. No, really. You can play it below. It’s shocking…

Pretty Sure This Will Up Your GTA Wanted Level

I hear the cops, even those in Liberty City, frown on never-ending loops of vehicular homicide in stolen taxi cabs. GTAIV [neogohann]

Watch a Mass Effect Fan Film Starring Commander Shepard Himself

Red Sand, an ambitious Mass Effect prequel film shot by fans (but starring the official voice of Commander Shepard, Mark Meer), was finally released today. You can check it out above. We’re still not at the point where most of these fan vids can look like professional TV shows, let alone movies, but I think…

Neversoft Artist Seeking Help With Mother’s Apparent Murder

Sad news this evening from Hercules, California, where the mother of Neversoft concept artist Simon Ko has apparently been murdered. ABC reports that Susie Ko was found dead in her home late on Friday evening, while the family’s sky blue 2011 Subaru Outback (with Idaho license plates) is also missing. While police have “no motive…

Well, at Least This Guy is Leaving Dumb Internet Comments on Purpose

The world is full of morons, the internet even more so, but it’s nice to know that amidst all the idiots and trolls leaving stupid and offensive comments on websites, there are professionals who take the craft seriously. Like Ken M here, whose dumb comments aren’t trying to upset or inflame anybody. They’re just the…

Kids Make Battlefield 3 Video Using Actual Aircraft (and Golf Carts)

People recreating Battlefield 3 in real life is nothing new, but this effort is certainly a cut above the rest, because it’s got vehicle sections and aerial footage. That was actually shot in, and from, an aircraft. That’s dedication for you. Battlefield 3: Real life Armored Kill [ElectRoulette]

Kevin Butler Actor Sued For “Creating Confusion” and “Causing Damage” to Sony

Aside from mention that the case is being fought over “trademark infringement”, there really isn’t much information in the court filings detailing the legal battle between Sony and Jerry Lambert, the actor who for years has played the fictional PlayStation executive Kevin Butler. A Sony statement issued today, however, casts a little more light on…

League of Legends Playoffs Called Off, Moved to “Secure Location” [Update]

The World Playoffs for League of Legends, which had been livestreaming just fine, have been called off after serious network problems plagued the latter stages of the competition. After games were paused and disconnected all afternoon, developers Riot Games decided to play the remaining matches in the tournament at a “secured location” later this week.…

Sony is Suing Kevin Butler [Update]

Following a bizarre turn of events and a highly unlikely TV commercial, actor Jerry Lambert—for years the “face” of the PlayStation brand—is being sued, along with Bridgestone, by none other than Sony itself. Despite having made something of a name for himself playing the fictional PlayStation executive Kevin Butler, last month Lambert appeared in an…

11-Foot Metroid Cosplay is a Towering Work of Art

Kotaku reader Dan Cattell recently built himself some Metroid cosplay. Well, some more Metroid cosplay. We’ve featured him previously with his Samus piece, but I figured this 11-foot Ridley deserved its own time in the spotlight. If you want to see how it was made, Dan and his friend Krystal (who helped build it) made…

A Gun-Shaped Controller For the Wealthy and Insane

There are controllers, there are controllers, and then there’s a very special place in the world—alongside inflatable rafts—for peripherals like the Delta Six. Shooting (SORRY) straight for the mildly crazy Call of Duty fan, it’s essentially replicating the actions of a standard video game controller, only in the most convoluted and theatrical way possible. A…

Oh so quietly, the Homestuck project has become the third-biggest game in Kickstarter history, raising $2.4 million

Here, Let Kinect Show You What Isaac Newton’s Face Looks Like

Perhaps because old-timey paintings can be naught but artistic lies, it’s tough knowing exactly what a notable person from history actually looks like. Oh, unless you’ve got a record of their actual face. And a piece of modern technology that lets you scan and reproduce it. A collaboration between Microsoft, the Royal Society of London…

A Rube Goldberg Machine That’s Powered By Parkour

The entirety of this video is impressive, but things start to get really crazy around 1:50 in. If you’re wondering where these guys got the time/money to build something you’d normally only see in a platforming video game, Red Bull stumped up the cash. Human-Powered Freerunning Machine – with Jason Paul [YouTube]