Why Your Brain Kept Telling You to Blow into NES Catridges

We all know that blowing into an NES cartridge is a useless and potentially harmful activity. But why did we still do it, even though it never actually worked? Science has the answer. The folks at It’s Okay To Be Smart have a pretty comprehensive breakdown about the psychology behind everyone’s favorite NES habit. One…

Colorful ​Pokémon Dress Lets You Wear ‘Em All [Update]

Who knew Pokémon could be so fashionable? This dress from Poprageous purports to include “literally EVERY Pokemon character.” From the look of the dress, I’m guessing that means they included all 151 well-known Pokémon, and not the full 700+, but I haven’t counted. Regardless, that is a lot of Pokémon to fit on a single…

Highlight Reel: July 2, 2014

Today’s gaming highlights: An 8-bit speedrun on a system from 1982, running under the world in Titanfall, and more! Speedruns IWillCureYouAll goes for a deep cut with this speedrun of Dizzy on the ZX Spectrum: The Fallout 3 speedrun we showed you two days ago has already been topped: GTA V Grog_Nozzle pulls off an…

Super Time Force is coming to Steam soon. Formerly an Xbox One and Xbox 360 exclusive, the time-screwing action platformer hits Valve’s digital storefront this summer as Super Time Force Ultra. Yeah, that’s STFU for short.

Track: Read The TL. It Retains Information. | Album: That’s Not How You Do That: An Instructional Album For Adults| Artist: Jean Grae Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Assassin’s Creed games revel in meticulous recreations of historical eras. So let’s see actual historians discuss the times two newer AC entries were set in. In this video, YouTube series History Respawned takes a look at Liberation and Freedom Cry as reflections of black life in the 18th Century slavery system.

Still on the fence about Tomodachi Life? Well, Nintendo just said that it’s made a free demo of its new 3DS sim game available on the eShop. Check it out if you’re one of those people who’s still not sure you’re ready to move on from Animal Crossing, and read our review here

I’d Take This Fan Animation Over Transformers 4 Any Day

Using a modded Laser Optimus Prime and a set of Make Toys’s custom Constructicons, YouTube’s Harris Loureiro created a stop-motion action scene that’s far more appealing than anything Michael Bay could put on film. Michael Bay had the Transformers for his movies over-designed to accent their alien nature and give them a more ‘realistic’ feel,…

Surely The Most Awkward Way To Play Tetris

Do you love the game Tetris but wish it was on your torso for friends and total strangers to see? Well one lucky tinkerer has a solution for you! Tinkerer Mark Keger has outfitted his shirt with an Arduino Uno and 128 LEDs to create a very public and somewhat awkward wearable game of Tetris.…

Airtight Games is no more, according to GeekWire. The independent developer behind Quantum Conundrum and Soul Fjord recently released Murdered: Soul Suspect, a noir-themed adventure game published by Square Enix. The GeekWire reporter found the studio’s Redmond, WA headquarters newly vacated, “with a sign outside saying the company is closing its doors.”

An Ode to Link’s Hat

You probably don’t think very much about Link’s headgear when playing through or hoping for a Legend of Zelda title. But, no matter how things change from game to game, that pointy, green cap is a beacon that says ‘all are welcome here.’ A new illustrated essay at The A.V. Club covers the evolution of…

Deals: Tomb Raider Definitive, Sony Pulse Elite, PSN/LIVE Update, 5TB

The Definitive Edition of Tomb Raider, one of the most popular games we’ve ever posted deals on, is down to $35 for your PS4 and Xbox One today. [Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition] We’ve had quite a few deals on the Sony Gold Wireless Headset recently, and mentioned pre-order availability of the white model, but today…

You Don’t Want To Mess With Team Fortress 2‘s Spy

Fan-made Team Fortress 2 videos are getting better and better, reaching the quality level of Valve’s. The Winglet, a TF2 machinima veteran, is back with an angry Spy trying to take revenge on Demoman for his selfishness. A very serious plot (and flawless animation!) that perfectly fits into the Team Fortress universe. Your Eternal Revenge…

How to make soccer more appealing in the U.S.? ESPN’s Keith Olbermann has seven suggestions. The last one? Appeal to kids who love soccer video games. “Baseball doesn’t even have the right video game,” he says. And soccer does. OK? Jump to 5:50 in the video here for more.

Lindsay Lohan Is Suing the Makers of Grand Theft Auto

The actress best known for her controversy-filled personal and professional lives has claimed before that Rockstar Games based a character in Grand Theft Auto V on her, without permission. And now she’s suing them. According to an AP report on Yahoo! Finance, Lohan’s lawsuit claims that GTA V character Lacey Jonas is based on her,…