Vikings are the next pirates. The Nordic follow-up to medieval melee simulator War of the Roses, Fatshark’s War of the Vikings is now available for early access on Steam.

You Want Old-School Final Fantasy? Get This Game.

This is Bravely Default, a role-playing game for 3DS that will be out for North America in the first quarter of 2014. It’s Final Fantasy with a different name. Check out a new trailer above.

Kirby is Getting a New Game Next Year on 3DS

Kirby returns to the 3DS with a side-scrolling platformer in 2014, said Nintendo at the end of today’s Nintendo Direct. You can see the cuddly devourer in this teaser for the as-yet unnamed game.

Oh Wow, The Next Zelda Will Be Totally Different

No linear dungeon progression in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds—instead of getting items as you go through the world, you’ll be able to buy items in one big shop and traverse between dungeons in an order of your choice, according to Nintendo. Video above. Bizarre, right? And fascinating. I can’t wait to…

Wear Link’s Snazzy Shirt in Animal Crossing Right Now

Screw municipal management. Nothing matters in Animal Crossing as much as what you’re wearing. So it’s exciting that there’s a new top Legend of Zelda-themed top coming to New Leaf today. Starting today, you can grab the top by scanning the QR Code you see right here.

The demo for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Dual Destinies on 3DS will be available for download from the eShop after today’s Nintendo Direct. The game launches Oct. 24.

Super Mario 3D World is a Smorgasboard of Fun New Power-Ups

Cat Mario is Nintendo’s ploy to dominate the internet. Think about it. The internet loves Mario. It also loves cats, especially when they’re doing funny things. So, the feline power-up that Nintendo’s iconic plumber gets in Super Mario 3D World should be prime raw material for GIF creation. And if that doesn’t work, all the…

The first Pikmin 3 paid DLC mission pack will be available today for $1.99. A game update will also show the top global scores for each level in the game. Hooray for high scores!

The Wii U Gamepad Gets a Horizontal Stand with Wii Party U

A horizontal stand for the Wii U gamepad will be included with Wii Party U when the game launches at the end of the month. The stand will make it easier to play one of the title’s mini-games. In this morning’s Nintendo Direct, a group dance game was shown in which the Wii U gamepad…

Sonic Is Back In The Next Super Smash Bros.

Not exactly a surprise, but nice to know nonetheless: Sega’s blue hedgehog will return in the next Smash Bros. game, which comes out next year for 3DS and Wii U. Video above. For more on the next entry in Nintendo’s mascot fighting series, check out my in-depth interview with designer Masahiro Sakurai

Hey, look at these snazzy new Wii remotes! The Mario and Luigi-themed controllers showed up during the Super Mario 3D World segment of today’s Nintendo Direct. These Wii Remote Plus peripherals come out on November 1st. Wonder if one of them lets a player jump higher than the other?

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Delayed Until February

The next Donkey Kong Country game has been pushed back to February of 2014, Nintendo just announced. It was previously slated for this December.

Maybe you want some different box art for Destiny Art that doesn’t make the back of one character’s head look like Master Chief’s visor. It’s a good thing that reader Lexxie shared this, then.

Nintendo Direct starts at 10am Eastern: you can watch it right here, or stay tuned to Kotaku for all the news as it happens. UPDATE: A new Kirby game, clones of Mario running amok in Super Mario 3D World and the return of Sega’s super-fast hedgehog to the Smash Bros. fighting franchise… and that’s only…

A Warm Welcome To The Playable Ladies Of Grand Theft Auto Online

Three out of my four playable GTA V characters might be male, but not one of them was greeted upon arrival in Los Santos with a rose and clumsy sexual advances. Now I’m not judging. Our liaison to the world of Grand Theft Auto Online is none other than Franklin’s pal Lamar Davis, and he…

Rain: The Kotaku Review

Rain is one of those games that comes so close to getting everything right that it seems unfair not to praise it just for the proximity. Rain is basically a stealth game, with some elements that might remind you of puzzles and platformers. Generally, you’ll spend your time devising the best way to avoid the…

Digital artist Phuwadon Thongnoum uses a terrific, dynamic style in his Street Fighter fan art gallery. Reminds me of the Samurai Jack animated series. Here’s Dhalsim, Blanka and Adon. There’s more over at his Behancé profile. Dayshot is an image-based feature that runs every morning, showcasing some of the prettiest, funniest game-related screenshots and art…

Nintendo Says Wii Production Will “End Soon” [Update]

The Wii was a juggernaut during Nintendo’s last console generation. Since going on sale in late 2006, it sold 100 million. Now, it seems those days are over. For good. On Nintendo.co.jp, the Wii page reads, “Manufacturing is scheduled to end soon” (“kinjitsu seisan shuuryou yotei” or 近日生産終了予定). In Japan, Nintendo has been known to…

How to Know if Something is Moé

The past decade or so has seen a major change in anime (and in turn manga and Japanese games as well). At the center of this change is one word: “moé.” If you are into anime at all, you have likely heard the term (and if you’re on the internet, probably as a pejorative). But…

GTA Online Is Now Live on Xbox Live and PSN [UPDATE: Server woes]

The multiplayer portion of GTA V, dubbed Grand Theft Auto Online, is now live on Xbox Live and, according to Sony, the PlayStation Network. The update is 59MB and GTA Online comes via a title update in the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. After you install that update, you will unlock GTA Online in the…