PC Game Helped NASCAR Driver Dominate Its Famous Road Course

NASCAR, commonly derided as turning left for 400 miles, does feature a couple of road courses in its top circuit. Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski has had unusual success at one of them, Watkins Glen International, and he attributes it all to playing a PC video game as a teenager. Keselowski won the Nationwide…

How The Xbox One Controller Has Changed

For more than two years, 105 people at Microsoft have been trying to improve the video game controller. The results go on sale this fall in the form of the Xbox One’s gamepad. The new controller sports changes big and small—but, thankfully, it won’t emit smells. Yes, they actually tried that. At a glance, the…

A Huge Roster Delivers ’30 Years of Wrestlemania’ to WWE 2K14

WWE 2K14 will deliver more than 45 all-time great bouts and a roster loaded with Wrestlemania’s greatest superstars in a showcase mode that pays tribute to three decades of wrestling’s premier spectacle. “30 Years of Wrestlemania,” is the title of the mode, and the big takeaway for gamers is what it mean to the game’s…

This Comic-Con Panel Starts a Crisis of Infinite Mash-Ups

It’s great when a clever comic-con cosplay combines the best stuff from random, unrelated universes. Like, say, a Papa Smurf Nightcrawler. “Bamf, my little Smurflings!” But it might be super-annoying if all you saw were mash-up costumes like that. This College Humor video teleports you into just one such scenario, filled with crossed-over personas that…

Here’s what’s going on Talk Among Yourselves, our reader-written blog: Zarnyx went to the NintendoWorld launch for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team in New York and wrote all about it.. AstroKid248 writes another I Know Mortal Kombat post in her series about skills learned from video games. This one’s about whether video games can teach…

The PixelJunk Folks’ Visualizer Makes The PS3 More Fun At Parties

For six years I’ve been streaming music to my PlayStation 3 using the same old trio of launch visualizers, which is a sadness. This week Q-Games makes me happy again, with a new PS3 app simply called Visualizer. Having sights to go with my sounds has been important to me I installed my first CD…

Pokémon World Championships Result In Unexpected Winner

That was quite the victory: Italian Masters Division player Arash Ommati beat Japanese champion Ryosuke Kosuge in the finals of the Pokémon World Championships this weekend. This video, uploaded by YouTuber DaringNite, shows the entirety of Ommati’s impressive, mistake-free win. Ommati is the first player from Europe to win this tournament, and it’s particularly impressive…

Enjoying your fireworks?

This has to be a good omen for my Nets, right?

Quick Q&A: Things I Didn’t Know About Bank Robbery

The ever-quotable David Goldfarb used to write poetry and now makes shooter games. For a long time, those shooters had the world Battlefield in the title. These days, he’s the game director for this week’s co-op bank-robbery shooter Payday 2. He’s got four answers for us…and one question for you. 1. There are a lot…

So that’s why Grand Theft Auto V has three main characters! Rockstar takes advantage of the Figueroa Hotel’s unique triple ad space to make sure no one in downtown L.A. can escape from Franklin, Trevor and Michael. It sure is nice to see games back on the Figueroa. GTA V will be out in barely…

Kaze Tachinu Called a “Right Wing Japanese Movie” in South Korea

Never mind that Studio Ghibli’s newest anime Kaze Tachinu was dubbed “too liberal” by some in Japan and its creator Hayao Miyazaki was called a “traitor.” In South Korea, the movie is also being criticized, but for the opposite reasons. Hayao Miyazaki really can’t win, can he? Online in Japan, the movie was blasted and…

How One Chinese Publisher Is Going Global

The Chinese game market is a crazy and chaotic one. With consoles banned and rampant piracy, it’s hard to imagine breaking into the China market. Yet, the market is growing at such a rate that it’s impossible to ignore. Enter Chinese gaming publisher Yodo1. The publisher is helping Western studios tap the “gold mine” that…

The Most Terrifying Fast Food Employee in Japan

In Japan, fast food chain Lotteria had a special store manager last Friday for one terrifying day only: Sadako from The Ring At the Lotteria in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro neighborhood, Sadako worked the register by popping out, frightening customers, and serving up a special shake created in her likeness. What better way to send a chill…

The Super-Expensive Special Edition For Grid 2 Hasn’t Sold Yet

We’ve reported about the $190,000 worth Mono Edition for Grid 2, where the added bonus was not just some fancy cosmetic DLC, but a high-performance car. And although the game came out in May, guess what, no one bought this super-special edition yet. Videogamer points out this in the light of the newly announced special…

Chinese Gamers Say Plants Versus Zombies 2 Is Ripping Them Off

Since it was released in China almost two weeks ago, PopCap’s latest Zombie versus vegetation tower defense game, Plants versus Zombies 2: It’s About Time has been well received. Despite that, many of PopCap’s Chinese fans are upset, claiming they feel “gouged” by the games in-app purchasing. PopCap’s original PvZ was a big hit in…

New Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Screenshots Show A Shiny World

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD, the inevitable remaster of one of the most popular Final Fantasy games and its direct sequel, is shaping up nicely! Square-Enix just released a large number of new screenshots, teasing smooth menus, trophies, summoning and a beautifully colorful Spira. Check them all below. Some of the locations look absolutely stunning. To…

Thailand’s Anime Censorship Sure Is Strict

“Censorship level: Thailand” is no joke! Check out just how tough the country’s censorship is. For years now, anime viewers in Thailand have been dealing with ironclad regulations for broadcast dubs—something that fans outside the country have also noticed. But it’s not just anime. On Thai television broadcasts, stations censor alcohol consumption, weapons pointed at…

When Cosplay Is Too Damn Hot

This weekend, Comic Market (aka “Comiket”) rolled through Tokyo. How scorching was it? Time to bust out the thermal cameras! Japan’s largest networks featured Comiket on their news variety shows, focusing on the boiling temperatures. The country is being hit with a heat wave that has topped 40°C (104ºF). The high temps are serious; sadly,…

These Dota 2 Players Just Won $1.4 Million

The International 2013 Dota 2 Championship has a winner: Swedish eSports team Alliance. The team claimed a top prize of $1.4 million, defeating Ukrainian powerhouse Natus Vincere in a climactic five-game match during the Grand Finals. The International is the largest Dota 2 event of its kind; this year’s total prize money hit $2.8 million.…

Hey Look, There Are More Mega Evolved Pokemon. Including, Yes, Fairies

Oh yes, there’s more. Last week we saw the reveal of mega evolved Pokemon, like Mega Mewtwo and Mega Blaziken. Today, Nintendo released footage of a few more Mega Evolutions: Mega Ampharos, Mega Absol, Mega Mawile….plus, there’s footage of Mega Kangaskhan from this weekend’s Pokemon World Championships. If nothing else, many Mega Pokemon have some…