New Games Should Totally Steal From Shadow Of Mordor

Originality in video games is overrated. I see no better proof of that today than Shadow of Mordor. The game shamelessly borrows its combat from the Batman: Arkham series, to give one example. But it also introduced the “nemesis system,” which is one of the most provocative and original ideas I’ve seen in a long…

Alien: Isolation, Without All The Horrifying Parts

Alien: Isolation is a damn gorgeous game—but sometimes, that beauty is difficult to appreciate while you’re playing, what with a bloodthirsty Alien on your trail and all that. ultrabrilliant takes us on a reflective two minute tour of the USCSS Nostromo from Alien: Isolation, and the results are stunning. Worth a watch, especially if you’re…

There’s A Secret Boss In The New Borderlands

He’s big, mean, and green. Also pretty well-hidden. If you don’t want the boss to be spoiled for you, click away now. The lumbering beast—who goes by the name Iwajira—apparently has a very upset tummy, which makes him vomit syrupy green all over players. The noxious stream has the side effect of being, um, fatal,…

Why There Are No Respawns In The Next Rainbow Six

It’s always fun to see how trends wax and wane in video games. Almost every shooter that’s come out in the past decade, for instance, has had to acknowledge the meteoric rise of Call of Duty and the fast-paced, twitchy sort of competitive gameplay it’s popularized. Now, that influence seems to be slowly fading. Rainbow…

We Streamed The Duck Dynasty Game, Because Why Not

Why is there a Duck Dynasty game on Steam right now? Good question. Let’s find out together. Update: Stream over, and the game was surprisingly not bad. I’ve always been fascinated by games that just suddenly appear with little or no fanfare. I’ve seen nothing but screenshots of this Activision-published title. In a moment I’m…

Far Cry 4’s New Trailer Makes Some Interesting Musical Choices

How is this new Far Cry 4 trailer different from all other Far Cry 4 trailers? No, it’s not the guns. Or the elephants. Or Pagan Min in all his Pagan Min-ly glory. Something stands out about the fact that it’s set to a cover of “I Will Survive.” Seems like a bold move in…

​The Coolest Cosplay from Geek Girl Con

You’re looking pretty awesome there, Deathlord. This past weekend saw the third fourth annual Geek Girl Con setting up shop in Seattle. It’s a smaller show than, say, PAX Prime but cosplayers showed up ready to strut in their finest costumes and make-up. You’ll see a bunch of shots from Geek Girl Con taken by…

Humble Inside Your Browser, DualShock 4 Charger, and More Deals

And now for something completely different, here’s the first ever Humble Mozilla Bundle. You still pay what you want for a variety of games, but this time, they run directly inside your browser. Seriously, you can demo them right there on the Humble page! It doesn’t hurt that it’s an incredibly strong lineup as well,…

We’re just over a month away from the new Dragon Age, and EA’s got a new trailer to celebrate. After the mediocre DA2, it’ll be interesting to see whether this game can stand up to BioWare’s other greats. And between this and Persona Q, November should be a good month for RPG fans.

How To Get Infinite Ammo And Invincibility In The Evil Within On PC

Creeptacular survival horror game The Evil Within comes out today. If you’re playing the game on PC and having trouble fighting its unsightly monsters in addition to your own personal nausea, publisher Bethesda Softworks has highlighted some handy cheats to set you on your (evil) way. The two main ones that stand out to me…

It Took Two Years To Make Final Fantasy VII‘s Midgar In Minecraft

Minecraft modder Killerx20 has finally released his giant re-creation of Final Fantasy VII‘s Midgar, which he’s been building (with help) sinceearly 2012 You can download the map, which includes everything from FFVII’s Sector 7 to the SOLDIER office in Crisis Core, right here. It’s huge. 1290×1290 blocks, Killerx20 says. “As a lot are probably wondering,”…

Cool Dad Builds The Best Version of Wonder Woman’s Invisible Jet

Although LEGO will release the invisible ship in 2015, as part of the “Gorilla Grodd Goes Bananas” set, this custom one made by John Wray and his kids is truly invisible and deifnitely better. I’m not sure about those 3,200 pieces, but even the instructions are invisible so it’s hard to tell. This weekend, my…

It’s Time To Say Goodbye To World of Warcraft‘s Dark Portal

As patch 6.0.2. arrives and clears the field for Warlods of Draenor the current gateway between Azeroth and Outland will be closed. One of the best things in World of Warcraft is when big events like this happen and the entire population of a server gathers to celebrate. So here are a bunch of great…

Track: Tuesday | Artist: iLoveMakonnen, Drake | Album: Single Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

The Fatal Frame Movie is an Atmospheric Masterpiece

Japanese horror game series Fatal Frame is one of my personal favorites. So despite disliking horror movies in general, I went to see the new Fatal Frame live-action theatrical film. And while never scream-inducingly scary, its amazing atmosphere makes it one of the creepiest movies I have ever seen. [Note: this review contains minor spoilers…