Though Ubisoft just announced Grow Home, a new climbing game from Ubisoft Reflections, you can play it in less than two weeks. Grow Home arrives on February 4 for the PC. The previously internal-only experiment took inspiration from Wall-E and Guardians of the Galaxy

Transistor developer Amir Rao just published an interesting breakdown of all the work that went into the game’s unique “functions” system. I found the inspiration that Supergiant pulled from Magic: The Gathering particularly neat. And the fact that they deliberately eschewed “power-leveling.” Read it at Gamasutra.

Smash Bros. Hackers Are Making Amiibo That Don’t Exist

It was only a matter of time before hackers started tinkering with the insides that make up an Amiibo’s data. Right now it looks like Smash Bros. hackers like Mema Haxx are even figuring out how to get Amiibos that aren’t actually announced/real yet into the game—like Duck Hunt, for example: Okay, but that’s just…

Everything That Goes Into A McDonalds French Fry

It’s probably not surprising to hear this, but McDonald’s french fries contain way more than just oil, potatoes and salt. In fact, McDonald’s fries have a whopping 19 ingredients in the USA, all of which are broken down in this image: You may be thinking to yourself, wait a minute! Why are some ingredients listed…

​How the First Video Game Cartridges Came Into Existence

They’re pretty much a distant memory now—except for tinier descendants like 3DS and Vita games—but it used to be that cartridges were the only way to get video games playing onto a TV. The exact origins of the cartridge have been tough to trace, but a new Fast Company article run down the beginnings of…

Intense Smash Bros. Fight Between Mario and Sonic Shouldn’t Be Possible

An endless number of words have probably been dedicated to arguments about two of the biggest gaming mascots of 90’s, Mario and Sonic. Normally this feud is old enough to be boring, but with the help of tools, the battle between Mario and Sonic can once again feel epic. This DBZ-like fight is brought to…

Some Big Changes We’d Like to See in The Next Marvel Universe

The Marvel Universe is going to be changing in a big way this year, though it’s not quite clear yet just how significant those shifts will be. Still, now’s a perfect time to fantasize about what might happen after the publisher’s next crossover. Like maybe Miles Morales as the main Spider-Man? During a press conference…

Hope you’re ready for more tears. Episode Two of Telltale’s Game of Thrones series will be out the first week of February for all platforms, the developer announced today. PS3/PS4/PC/Mac on Tuesday, February 3; Xbox 360/Xbox One on Wednesday, February 4; iOS/Android on Thursday, Ferbuary 5. Episode One was great, so check it out if…

The Dead Rising Movie Looks As Cheesy As Hell And That’s Okay

Current standards for zombie movies based on zombie games are pretty low, but at least Dead Rising isn’t taking itself seriously. The first trailer for Dead Rising: Watchtower is out, and we’re in for 90 minutes of slightly-above-low-budget zombie action. That’s just the way I like it. Heck, the movie’s probably gonna be worth it…

Final Fantasy X|X-2, Vita Memory Cards, and More Deals

The HD Remaster of Final Fantasy X and X-2 was one of our most popular games of 2013, which was impressive since it didn’t actually ship until 2014. If you missed out, it’s down to a new low of $14 today. [Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster, $14] Vita Memory Cards are by far our most…

Few play Assassin’s Creed for historical accuracy, but the games are set during important moments from our past. History Respawned asks experts to provide insight on the contextual backdrops of various games. This time, it’s Assassin’s Creed Unity and the French Revolution.

Filipino Village Bans Dota After Multiple Murders

A small village in the Philippines will no longer allow residents to play Defense of the Ancients following a series of violent incidents that culminated in two deadly stabbings. As reported by the Filipino news site Inquirer.net, the village of Salawag chose to enact this Dota ban after government officials met with computer cafe owners…

Resident Evil Creator Thanks Players For Beating Ridiculous Game Mode

When most players finish Resident Evil, they’ll be rewarded with an ending and the credits roll. But when the most dedicated and hardcore players finish Resident Evil under a set of ridiculously challenging conditions, the developers reward them with a thank you note. With an updated version of the original Resident Evil out this week,…

Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis System Could’ve Been Way More Complex

Shadow of Mordor surprised everyone with its unique features like the oft-praised “nemesis system.” The game’s novelty and ambition meant that it couldn’t accomplish everything it set out to, though. Developer Monolith opened up this week about some things that were left on the cutting room floor. Writing in a development postmortem forGamasutra, Monolith design…

Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku‘s reader-run community: A Beginner’s Guide to Goose house • Giant Monster Diaries: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Demo Impressions • Three Outlaw Samurai [Film Review] • Why The End of Club Nintendo Means A Unified ID System • Pokémon One a Day Series Two: Hoothoot, Noctowl TAY Classic—TAY Open Forum—Beginner’s…

Katamari Damacy‘s Chaotic Lore Summed Up In Under One Minute

Zeurel and Octopimp’s short animation—which is just as good as the original cutscenes—about the first Katamari game’s silly plot is enough proof to be sure: it’s impossible not to love Katamari Damacy Sadly it doesn’t explain how it’s possible to rip through the fabric of the universe by serving a tennis ball too hard in…

Insane WoW Player Reaches Max Level With 100 Characters

If you’ve played Warlords of Draenor, you might already have a maxed out level 100 character, or even two. Or you might have a few alts gaining levels slowly. But definitely not 100. Well, one player called Watola didn’t stop with one, and actually leveled up 100 characters on two accounts in almost 1200 days.…