In two hours, the year 2011 will have run its course. To video games, it was a year of scandal, of disappointment, of surprise and of achievement.
Traveling to all parts of the globe, with staff writers on three continents, serving an audience of more than 3 million unique visitors each month, Kotaku chronicled the past year in video games with nearly two posts per hour—more than 14,000 items published.
These are our ten most-viewed stories of the past year.
We thank you for reading, for writing, for sharing, and we look forward to delivering you the story of 2012 in video gaming, all over the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Modern Warfare 3 Files: Exclusive First Details on the Biggest Game of 2011
In one of Kotaku's biggest stories ever, multiple sources shared the story, game modes, art, and other core details for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the year's biggest video game release, half a year before it was due to come out. More »
Call Of Duty Tip: Don't Toss A Grenade Into The Chimney Of The House You're Raiding
Players of Call of Duty: Black Ops, be careful where you toss your grenades. The consequences can be... well, watch this video, which is popular on YouTube today. More »
This Incredible Multiplayer Paintball Video is a One-Shot Kill
Paintball has never been quite as exciting as it is seen through the eyes of director Saman Keshavarz in this video, which you'll want to watch at least three times. More »
Before You Start… Tips for Playing Skyrim The Best Way
Today marks the long-anticipated release of Bethesda's excellent role-playing adventure The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It's a massive game, a true epic-hundreds of hours of exploration, adventure, magic and mayhem.
But before you can get to all of that, you've got to start the game and make a... More »
Robin Williams Named His Daughter After Princess Zelda
It takes a triforce of courage to name your daughter after a video game character, but Robin Williams pulled it off.
Watch Williams co-star with his daughter Zelda Williams in this ad for the upcoming Legend of Zelda: More »
When Your Favorite Game Is Proposing Marriage, The Answer Is 'Yes'
She said yes. You're dying to know, and Kotaku can confirm that for you now. Even though her marriage proposal came from a smart-aleck robot and contained references to herpes and, well, the big A, last night Tora told Ben yes, she will marry him,
The proposal, delivered by Borderlands'... More »
Only One Man Can Explain the Zelda Timeline
And that man is not series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Nor is it current overseer Eiji Aonuma. It is Doctor Emmett Lathrop Brown.
As a public service announcement, give the video a minute (literally) to warm up and get where it's going. More »
A New And Maybe Better Way To Stop People From Being Jerks Online
The people running the video game League of Legends knew they had a problem. They had the same problem that makes much of the Internet unpleasant. Too many people were being jerks online. More »
The Only way to get a Male Gamer to do the Housework...
ElMangosto's special lady certainly knows the way to get him to pull his weight around the house: Dead Island and boobs.
If it doesn't look entirely familiar to you, this chores list is built like the quest screens from recent zombie paradise death simulator Dead Island.
Well, except for one of... More »
What Happens when You Spawn 50 Dragons in Skyrim?
In the PC version of role-playing game Skyrim, there is a string of code which will allow players to spawn dragons. The creatures, as previously mentioned, aren't exactly flying around in huge packs in the game. More »