The Game Maker Who Became CEO: What Satoru Iwata Meant To Nintendo

By some measures, Satoru Iwata was the most successful video game creator to have ever lived: a kid who played Pong; a young man who started a development studio with friends; and eventually at 42, the CEO of the most beloved company in his medium’s history. “On my business card, I am a corporate president,”…

Xidax X-8 Custom Gaming PC: The Kotaku Review

When the folks at Xidax asked if I wanted to review one of its gaming rigs, I asked them for “something impressive.” So they sent a system with two Nvidia Titan X graphics cards. Also, two Blu-ray burners. I’d not heard much about Utah-based Xidax prior to the company contacting me late last year regarding…

Avengers Assemble… Some Ikea Furniture

Thor shouldn’t have problems with basic furniture from Ikea. But, instead of using his hammer, he’s sitting there in silence, completely confused. The combined power of Captain America, Black Widow and Thor is put to the test in a short sketch, presented by Conan, with their rallying cry getting a totally new meaning. To contact…

Metal Gear Solid‘s Cast, Redrawn As Cartoon Characters

Artist Matt Synowicz’s Metal Gear Solid drawings are just like concepts from a Saturday-morning cartoon. It makes me sad we didn’t have a MGS-themed one. Sniper Wolf, Psycho Mantis, Vulcan Raven, Revolver Ocelot and Decoy Octopus are above and here’s a few more below. Obviously it’s not the entire cast of the series, but the…

Today, There Was a Rainbow Over Nintendo’s Kyoto Headquarters

The weather was partly cloudy today in Kyoto. But through the clouds, a rainbow was apparently spotted in the sky over Nintendo’s headquarters. [Photo: bakatetu2] This photo, snapped by Twitter user Bakatetu2, was taken from Jujo Station in Kyoto. The lede photo was taken by Twitter user Kaorin1211’s husband. Top photo: kaorin1211 To contact the…

The Tokyo Olympic Stadium Makes for Good Photoshops

The price tag for 2020 Tokyo Olympic stadium is now a whopping $2.1 billion. That’s more than the stadiums for the past three summer Olympic stadiums combined. That’s pretty silly! So is the stadium’s new Photoshop meme. According to the Wall Street Journal, the latest budget estimate is a 50 percent increase from the last…

Poll: The Most Beloved Manga Artists in Japan

A thousand Japanese people were asked who their “most favorite” manga artists were. The results may surprise you. Maybe not! Website Charapedia published the results of the poll. Out of the thousand who participated, 52 percent were men, 48 percent were women, 72.5 percent were in their teens and twenties, and 27.5 percent were in…

KFC Turns Pizza Crust Into…Chicken

If chicken can double for hamburger and hot dog buns, then surely, it will work as pizza crust. What could go wrong? In the Philippines, KFC is rolling out what it’s calling, wait for it, Chizza. Geddit? Heh. So far, this doesn’t appear to be available elsewhere. But before you think that might be for…

Phantasy Star Online 2 Is Getting an Anime

Phantasy Star Online 2 is being turned into a TV anime series. What’s it going to be called? Why, Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation. Clever! The show helps mark Phantasy Star Online’s 15th anniversary. It is slated for a 2016 broadcast in Japan and will feature a completely original story. To contact the author…

The Video Game Community Pays Tribute To Satoru Iwata

Satoru Iwata wasn’t just a successful president of Nintendo, he was one of the most popular public figures in video games. Following his sad passing over the weekend, notable members of the industry (and beyond) have been paying tribute. The first Tweet below shows the flags at Nintendo’s HQ being flown at half-mast. Reggie Fils-Aime,…

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata Dies At 55

Nintendo has just issued a short statement announcing that president Satoru Iwata has passed away at the age of 55. The statementreads: Nintendo Co., Ltd. deeply regrets to announce that President Satoru Iwata passed away on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth. Iwata was forced to skip last year’s E3 due to…

Game Developers Can Be Sexy Too, You Know

For the third year running, a bunch of prominent (male) developers will be stripping off and getting sexy for a calendar, which you can hang on a wall and use as a shrine to shirtless objectification. I hope your eyeballs are ready. The 2016 calendar will feature devs from BioWare, 343, Riot, Double-Fine, Naughty Dog…

Sure, there were loads of “better” outfits on show at this year’s Comic-Con, but this is still my favourite. If anyone knows who it is, let us know!

comic-con sucks.

Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward Log Two: Identity Crisis

I’d love to be able to report this week that I’ve reached the new level cap and experienced some of the high-end content Final Fantasy XIV’s first expansion has to offer, but first I need to figure out which version of my character I want to be. If Heavensward had introduced its three new adventuring…