Why John Carmack Isn’t Eager for Next Gen

You might be thrilled with next gen—er, current gen. But John Carmack, ex-id Software star programmer and Oculus Rift guru, isn’t yet. He thinks we can still do more with last gen. “The 360 and PS3 are far from tapped out in terms of what a developer could do with them,” he said, speaking to…

The Witch and the Hundred Knight lands in the West next March. Per the company’s announcement, Nippon Ichi Software’s quirky monster-devouring hack n’ slash game is hitting European PS3s on March 21, and North American ones four days later, on the 25th. You can read our impressions on the Japanese version here

It’s the Smash Club Match of the Century: Mario VS. Princess Peach

Mario’s Fight Club-esque escapades continue in the very much gritty and very much violent Mario Warfare’s fifth episode, in which he goes up against a desperate and very pissed off Peach, fleeing her kingdom and hiding from Bowser in the Smash Club Who shall emerge victorious? When will the refugees of the Mushroom Kingdom finally…

Want These Limited 3DS XL Handhelds? There’s a Catch.

These two very rare 3DS XL units can you yours! If, that is, you sign up for Flets Hikari internet service in Japan. Inside Games reports that new Flets Hikari customers have the chance to purchase a limited edition “Mario White” or “Mario Silver” 3DS XL. Each is limited to a hundred units and priced…

Track: Stone Letter | Album: Oddfellows | Artist: Tomahawk Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

We’re So Close To A Wooden PS4, People

The controller looks awful, because it’s half-assed. The rest? Somebody hold me. It’s beautiful. Just when I thought I knew the meaning of excitement after seeingan Atari PS4 skinwith some wood-panelling, along comes this. Dbrand’s wood finish vinyl skin for the PS4. Like I said, the controller gets a pass. But the rest? Very tempting.…

Reminder: Battlefield 4 On PC Is Very, Very Pretty

YouTuber Wintergore is both directing and “starring” in this machinima video as a dirtbike rider on the run from every dirtbike rider’s worst nightmare: a fleet of angry little robots. The action’s fun, but really, this is awesome just to kick up to HD and enjoy just how damn pretty Battlefield 4 on PC is.…

MC Escher, You’re Looking Different. And Gorgeous.

Remember echochrome? Cute PlayStation puzzler that had you guiding a little figure around increasingly-complex maps? Monument Valley is like that. Only a lot prettier. Designed as a tablet experience, it’s coming soon to iPad and “other mobile devices”. You can get in on a beta by signing up at the official site below. Monument Valley…

Game Ad Blocked On “Major US Games Site” Because It Was “Political”

Indie developer Cliff Harris, who recently released Democracy 3, wanted to advertise his new game. So he approached an agency that handles ads for a “major US games site”, only to be told the ad was “inappropriate”. Writing on his studio blog, Harris says the agency replied to his request with “I’m sorry, but your…

Metal Gear Solid Characters, Fresh Out Of A Cartoon

Digital artist RoboChandler has done an incredible thing. He’s transformed the serious, well-seasoned Metal Gear Solid characters into innocent, joyful cartoon characters. Here’s The End, one of the most memorable bosses of the Metal Gear series, with his parrot: And the others, on their own. Gotta love that wriggling Psycho Mantis: RoboChandler [DeviantART, via The…

YouTube Channels Crippled By Copyright Claims

Numerous video game-related YouTube personalities have spent the last day digging through piles of copyright claims suddenly filling their inboxes, claims that they say are messing with their ability to produce and profit from videos they post online. YouTuber Brad Colburn, whose TheRadBrad channel has some 1,943,317 subscribers, told Kotaku that he’s been getting copyright…

Double Fine is releasing a puzzle/action game called Hack ‘n’ Slash next year, the studio announced today. It was originally announced as a prototype during one of Double Fine’s big game jam sessions last November, and it’ll be out as a full game in the first half of 2014.

High-Definition Pokémon: check out the awesome CGI work of Tako-ashi—they’ve modeled the final evolutions of all the original starting Pokémon, and even done some cool fake posters for Red and Blue. You can see it all here.