The Dumbest Video Game Marketing Moves

This week’s terribly generic announcementof Paragon got us thinking—what were the worst marketing moves in video game history? That’s the main topic for this week’s episode of Kotaku Splitscreen, where Kirk and I regale you with all sorts of video game talk. Our special guest this week is Matthew Burns, a writer and game developer…

The Life and Creativity of A Great Bethesda Artist

I couldn’t stop smiling one day in late 2005 as I was led through the darkened basement of Bethesda Softworks toward the little corner unit that was to be my cube. My geek barometer was pinging off the charts. I could scarcely believe that I was there. The place looked like a laser-tag facility; the…

Street Fighter Character’s Motivational Speeches Are Hype As Hell 

R. Mika really knows how to get people pumped, let me tell you. Earlier this year, we wrote about R. Mika’s special V-Skill ability, which allows her to become so powerful, she can almost one-hit-kill her enemies—provided, of course, that she can finish the entirety of her speech beforehand. It looked really rad! That’s not…

Black Ops III: Last-Gen vs Current-Gen

You’d think from hanging around the internet that by 2015 most people would be playing Black Ops III on a PC, Xbox One or PS4. But remember, there are still a lotta folks out there with last-gen hardware. Now is the time to be reminded of their predicament. When the latest consoles were still brand…

The Gamer Who Didn’t Leave His House For Over a Year

“I went to GameStop a couple of months ago and even that wasn’t a far trip at all,” says Troy. He pauses for a few seconds, as if lost in thought. “I wanted some Wii U games,” he laughs. “That was interesting.” This post originally appeared on Kotaku UK Troy, a video game streamer from…

That Was One Close Mortal Kombat X Match

Two pro players, Xarakamaka and st9rm, played one of the best Mortal Kombat X matches I’ve recently seen last night, during the ESL Pro League Season 2 semifinals. It was full of perfect combos, block strings and last second comebacks. They’re both character specialists at their finest, playing the same character from day one. So…

The Japanese Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Has Lots of New Footage

This is not simply the old trailer with Japanese subs on it. This is much more. You can watch the one minute and fifty-three second trailer below. Lots of hot stuff in this trailer! Like… …and… Thanks RaviCNN and JohnTV! To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft

The Best Xbox One To Play Fallout 4 On

A very post-apocalyptic Xbox One, straight from Vault 111, brought to you by RobCo/Vault-Tec/Fallout fan Thorhack. Shame it’s not nuclear-powered. This custom Xbox One was built by Thorhack, who spent two weeks working on it. It’s made using actual rusty metal (one of the few contexts where this is a good thing) and comes with…

Alice Otherlands Is a Rocky Experiment in Filmmaking

American McGee’s Alice is easily one of my favorite twisted re-imaginings of classic literature, so when I saw there was a Kickstarter for Alice short films, I pitched in without a second thought. However, even with my nostalgia turned up high, the final products are a mixed bag to say the least. The first short,…

First Look at the Ghost in the Shell Theatrical Play 

While the Hollywood Ghost in the Shell movie with Scarlett Johansson lurches forward, a new GiTS stage play recently opened in Tokyo. It’s called Ghost in the Shell Arise: Ghost is Alive. It’s totally official, and the poster looks totally terrific: [via Dengeki Online] The play has gotten a decent publicity push. [Photo:cafemoca516] Here’s where…

The Up-All-Night Stream Plays Yomawari [Stream Complete]

Aww. Look at that cute little girl with her little flashli—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!? Update: The stream is now complete. You can watch it in its entirety at the links below. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Yomawari was released in Japan for the PlayStation Vita…

The Terra Formars Movie Sure Looks Goofy 

Here’s a first peek at the live-action version of the popular manga Terra Formars. It seems silly. The movie has an assorted cast of talented Japanese actors, such Takayuki Yamada, Rinko Kikuchi, Kane Kosugi, and Rila Fukushima. Takashi Miike, who’s made a lot of great movies as well as a bunch of crap, is directing.…

Cross the Street. Osaka, Japan. By Jase Nguyen. 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!

This Oughta Be A Good Fight

Robin Florie is a freelance artist from The Netherlands. You can see more of Robin’s work at his personal site To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button in the top-left corner. Fine Art is a celebration…