Samurai Vader And Ronin Boba Fett Realize Star Wars’ Japanese Influence Beautifully

Would the original Star Wars trilogy have been better if George Lucas had steered closer to its samurai movie inspiration? It certainly would have looked cooler, as demonstrated by Bandai’s Tamashii Nations Meisho Movie Realization Boba Fett and Darth Vader figures. We’ve been drooling over the sculpture work of Japan’s Takayuki Takeya for ages. He’s…

First Look at the Talking Pikachu Detective Game in Action

Hinted at back in 2013, Pikachu will play a talking detective in the upcoming 3DS game Great Detective Pikachu: The Birth of a New Duo. Today, we finally get to see the game’s debut teaser. The Japanese title is Meitantei Pikachu: Shin Konbi Tanjyou (“konbi” can also mean “combination” as well as “pair” or “team”).…

Havana from Assassin’s Creed IV, Recreated in Minecraft

Who needs a vacation to the Carribeans when you can just boot up this lovely Assassin’s Creed Havana map in Minecraft? The majority of people, probably. But hey, it’s still a pretty cool build. It’s cool enough to have its very own trailer, even: It’s understandable, considering the map has been under construction since 2013.…

Say Goodbye to Sony Computer Entertainment and Hello to Sony Interactive Entertainment

Today, Sony announced that it is bringing together Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment in a new entity. It’s called Sony Interactive Entertainment. The new consolidated entity will be headquartered in San Mateo, California and will be in charge of research, development and sales for the PlayStation as well as hardware, software, network services…

The Anime Trailer Hoax That Fooled People in Japan

Earlier today, a purported teaser for the fourth Evangelion movie appeared on YouTube. Loads of famous Japanese websites (hereand here, for example) quickly ran the trailer, and some people got very excited. Too bad it was all a hoax. “At last, the conclusion to the Evangelion series.” This says there will be an announcement on…

The Secret Garden. Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan. By Sean Apodaca. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

McDonald’s Chocolate French Fries Don’t Taste Disgusting

To be honest, I didn’t think they would. Even if the sight of golden fries covered in white and dark chocolate doesn’t look or sound all that appetizing, these were not too bad. Recently in Japan, McDonald’s released what it’s calling “McFry Potato Chocolate Sauce.” They’re a medium order of fries but with two kinds…

If you understand this reference, you should probably play LEGO Marvel’s Avengers. I’m currently battling the urge to collect all the bits while playing through the game for review, but in terms of pure Marvel cinematic universe fan service it’s a magical place.

Rainbow 6 Grenade Toss Does Not Go As Planned

Today on Highlight Reel we have parachutes, 1 player comebacks, rocket vespas, game physics gone wrong, and much more! Watch the video above or on our Youtube page, then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Battlefield 4…

Players Uncover New Secrets Buried In Undertale‘s First Big Patch [Updated]

Undertale just got its first big update, and at first glance it doesn’t seem like much. Players, however, have begun picking it apart like hungry vultures, and they’ve already found some interesting stuff. This post originally ran on 1/20/16. It’s been updated with more secrets. For a while now, Undertale creator Toby Fox has been…

That Time Ubisoft Made a Spanking Party Game For The Wii

We Dare was more famous for its commercial than its gameplay, largely because the backlash to the trailer was so strong that Ubisoft basically cancelled it. Mini-game collections existed before Nintendo launched the Wii in 2006, but the explosive popularity of Wii Sports, combined with the new possibilities of motion controls, meant every publisher under…

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam: The Kotaku Review

When you think of sensational action sequences and explosive setpieces, your mind may jump to big-budget productions like Uncharted or Tomb Raider. Allow me to present a dark horse contender: the unassuming Mario & Luigi series, with its goofy animations and sight gags, which has carved out its own healthy niche in the realm of…

For Years, A Few Steam Games Seem To Have Been Hiding A Larger Secret

Throw your detective hat into a pile of rotting fish after that whole Steam winter sale sorta-kinda-not-really alternate reality game? Well, snatch it out. Intrepid sleuths have uncovered evidence of something much larger: a series of symbols and puzzle pieces that span multiple seemingly unrelated games. People are only just now beginning to piece together…

Guitar Hero Player Finds Perfect Way To Get Around YouTube’s Bullshit

GuitarHeroFailure says he uploaded “Bark at the Moon” to YouTube, but the song was taken down—presumably due to YouTube’s automated copyright system. As you may already know, YouTube is particularly aggro about music. It’s cool, though. GuitarHeroFailure re-uploaded the video with a different audio track, and honestly? I think this is wayyyy better. Make sure…

TotalBiscuit Quits Social Media With Emotional Goodbye

John “TotalBiscuit” Bain is not the first to struggle with social media as he’s become more popular, nor is he the first to announce he’s quitting a service like Twitter. But uniquely, the YouTube star is living with terminal cancer, and his statement on why he’s leaving is gut-wrenching and understandable. Bain first discussed his…

Five Nights at Freddy’s RPG Pulled Off Steam Due To Bad Reviews

Last week, FNAF World launched on Steam early, surprising everyone. A day later, Scott Cawthon, its developer, apologized for rushing the game and pushing it out on Steam without important features. And today, the game has been taken off of Steam entirely. Writing on the Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 news page, Scott Cawthon said…