This Might Be the Most Expensive Pre-Order Ever

Codemasters’ racing game Grid 2 has a fairly expensive special edition that you can pre-order. How much is it? £125,000, or $189,016. What do you get for that kind of money, you ask? Well, Grid 2, for one. Also, a PlayStation 3. And a car. Yep! Grid 2: Mono Edition, freshly announced by Codemasters, is…

Japanese Media Seems to Want Otaku to be More “Otaku-ish”

For the longest time in Japan, to be an otaku was to be an outcast. To be labeled an “otaku” was to be branded with the staple of being an awkward, obsessive social outcast, and/or potential sexual predator/criminal. While the times have changed, it appears that Japanese mass media’s preconception of the “otaku stereotype” has…

This July, the manga version of Neon Genesis Evangelion is ending its long run. The final entry in Yoshiyuki Sadamoto‘s manga version will appear in an upcoming issue of Young Ace. The manga began in December 1994. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East…

Scavenging Is Tense and Dangerous in Sir, You Are Being Hunted

Looking for supplies is all fun and games until the robots spot you. From then on, it’s all about running for your life. The above gameplay video for Big Robot’s tweedpunk survival game Sir, You Are Being Hunted shows what that looks like. (Spoilers: really exciting.)

Behold, Japan’s Geekiest Taxi Cabs

In Japan, taxis are typically black. Sometimes, they’re white or even yellow, but generally, people think of them as being dark-colored and dull looking. These taxis, however, are anything but. You are looking at “itataku” (痛タク). “Ita” (痛) literally refers to “pain”, but it’s now slang for things covered with geeky stickers, whether that’s cars,…

How Empathy Takes the Fear Out of Horror

After playing Saya no Uta – The Song of Saya this past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about horror games. And when it comes to me personally, I have to accept that all my life I have been a complete wuss when it comes to the horror genre. While watching a horror movie or…

Terraria’s 1.2 PC Update Is Coming In July, Has A Rocket Launcher

Re-Logic has uploaded a preview for the long-awaited 1.2 update for the PC version of their side-scrolling sandbox, Terraria. They also revealed that they’re “aiming for a July release.” The Terraria Wiki has a list of what this new update, which was first hinted at in January, might bring. [via PC Gamer]

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, who is sidelined with an illness, sent out word to One Piece readers, apologizing for making people wait for the next issue. In the statement, he seemed in good spirits and really wanted folks to read the “new development” in the upcoming One Piece. Good to know! To contact the…

The PS4 Had Better Hit Europe In 2013…

…Otherwise this full-page ad in Britain’s Metro newspaper is going to look very silly indeed. While a 2013 release for the United States is a certainty, there have been fears that, like was the case with the PS3, Europe would get Sony’s latest console a few months late. Hopefully this means that isn’t the case.…

Korean Mother Reshaped Her Daughter’s Face with a Spoon (Apparently!)

Instead of shelling out for plastic surgery, one mother in South Korea decided she could make her daughter beautiful through things like massaging her child’s face. With a spoon. This week on popular Korean show Martian Virus, the mother discussed how she thought, even as a baby, that her daughter was ugly, worrying that the…

The Rap Anthem For Call Of Duty Dog Is Finally Here

Nerd rapper Adam Warrock has worked around the clock to bring you “MOCAPPED DAWGZ (NEXT GEN ISH)”, a track partly about the Xbox One’s reveal, but mostly about sticking white balls on man’s best friend “MOCAPPED DAWGZ (NEXT GEN ISH)” [free tunes] [Adam Warrock]

A Giant Nemesis Head Will Not Be Your Home’s Romantic Centrepiece

I’ve got a lot of toys and statues on my “good bookshelf”, but I’m also a man with small kids, and who has normal people around to his house to visit. So no, I won’t be buying this giant, hideous Resident Evil bust. Even though deep down I kind of want to. Recreating RE3’s Nemesis…

Some Of The Best Video Game Concept Art On The Planet. Enjoy.

There are very few artists working in video games who I’d label truly “top shelf” without a moment’s hesitation. There’s Craig Mullins. Sparth. Jaime Jones. Daniel Dociu. Oh, and today’s subject, Jesse van Dijk. Formerly of Guerilla Games, the studio behind the Killzone series, van Dijk is now working on Bungie’s Destiny, and is behind…

Game Of Thrones Characters Are Bad 90s Stereotypes

French artist Mike Wrobel has recast the stars of Game of Thrones as stars of sterotypical 90s fashion, with wonderful results. Joffrey’s Zapper might be a few years late, but everyone else is perfect, from Jon Snow’s flannel shirt to Jaime’s “Bad Boys villain” outfit. Game of Thrones 90s era [Mike Wrobel, via Brandon Boyer]

Next-Gen Call Of Duty, Last-Last-Gen Engine

The next Call of Duty game, Ghosts, will be the first to appear on an entirely new generation of hardware. Despite this, it’s still built on an engine that’s over ten years old, though the game’s developers would like you to think otherwise. Sure, the engine has been heavily modified since then – Modern Warfare…

Don’t Expect Those Xbox One Exclusives To Come To PC

Not that you should have, given Microsoft’s puzzling disdain towards the market, but just in case you were thinking those promised Xbox One exclusives were coming to PC, you can stop. Shacknews asked Microsoft if any of those 15 titles would come to the PC, and the response they got from Matt Booty, general manager…

Happy Wedding Anniversary, Here’s An Epic Gears Of War Family Portrait

For my first wedding anniversary, I went out to dinner. Fancy joint. I thought I’d done a good job. Nope. Turns out I did a terrible job. For Xioo’s first anniversary, he had artist Edward Chua take an existing Gears of War mural he’d done and alter it so that the piece featured he, his…

This Song Argues That “Gif” Is Pronounced “Jif”

Is it Gif? Or is it Jif? Someone should write a song! Oh look, someone did. That someone is musician Jonathan Mann, who recorded this song “Don’t Say GIF” after GIF-inventor Steve Wilhit set the internet ablaze by announcing that his invention is meant to be pronounced “Jif,” like the peanut butter. Is it gif?…

You Can’t Lose In This RPG, Though You’ll Likely Travel Someplace New

Unrest is a most unusual game. There are no fail states, for one. The story continues if you fail. It’s also an RPG that takes place in ancient India—which, I don’t know about you, but that’s not a place I’ve ever visited in a game. The Kickstarter video promises a lot of unconventional ideas, actually.…

Gran Turismo Boss Enters Car Race, Quietly Uses Video Game To Help

Not many game developers are able to practice what they preach, mostly because a lot of the stuff they preach involves stuff that doesn’t actually exist. Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi, however, takes his motor racing seriously. Very seriously. So seriously that, schedule permitting, he sometimes races expensive sports cars. Over the weekend the…