I’ve Seen Grand Theft Auto V. This One’s Radically Different.

The things that stick out to me about Grand Theft Auto V are not the major things I was supposed to focus on when I saw the game in action at Rockstar HQ this week. But I’ll tell you those smaller things first, anyway. There’s a nine-hole golf course in this game. You can play…

Oh, Good: A PlayStation Vita Game About When Guys Need to Pee

The rise of smartphones and mobile gaming means that there’s also been a rise of bathroom gaming. (Don’t act like you don’t do it.) But there hasn’t been an uptick in games about bathrooms. If you’ve been waiting for one, Men’s Room Mayhem offers you some relief. MRM looks like it’s going to be fairly…

Another Quirky RPG Is Coming To The 3DS eShop

Remember The Denpa Men, that cute 3DS RPG that was sort of a cross between Dragon Quest and Pikmin? It must have done well in the U.S., because the sequel is coming here too. The Denpa Men 2 will be out on the 3DS eShop on May 30, thanks to the folks at localization company…

Here’s what’s going on Talk Among Yourselves, our reader-written blog: A pair of reader reviews covers recent downloadable titles. Contributor AzureGuy offers his thoughts on trippy first-person brawler Zeno Clash II and Tjoeb123 takes Black Rock Shooter out for a spin. And PsychoSmiley looks at games that had great ideas but failed to garner enough…

That iOS Game From The Makers Of XCOM Is Out Today (And Free)

I love free things, especially when they are free strategy games from Firaxis, the development studio that brought us XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Civilization V, among many other great games. Firaxis’s next game, the spooky, free-to-play strategy title Haunted Hollow, is out today for iOS. Our very own Mike Fahey downloaded it this morning, and…

It’s a old-school-centric line-up for the Nintendo Download this week as Pac-Man, Mega Man and Balloon Fight all show up on the Wii U Virtual Console. Here’s the full-list

I Think I’m In Love With This Dreamy StarCraft II Dating Sim

Someone just made a faux dating sim—in line with a game like Katawa Shoujo—using Korea’s top StarCraft II players. Thank god the StarCraft esports scene is full of great personalities and players, because a funny dating sim like this would actually work. The two guys featured here—SK_MC and Marinekingprime—have been competing since the launch of…

Unemployed Gamers: ‘I’m Not A Thief’

Last week, we asked readers to submit their stories of gaming while unemployed or underemployed. We received over 100 submissions. Today we’d like to share some of them. When you don’t have much money, gaming is more than just a hobby: it’s a necessary distraction. Games can help you get through the day. We heard…

A 30-Year-Old Fighting Fantasy Comes To Life In My Hands

I was a little over 13 when I read the first book in UK game designer Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! series of Fighting Fantasy books. Enhancing the page-turning elements of the Choose Your Own Adventure books with pen-and-paper role-playing game mechanics, the series instilled in me a voracious appetite for interactive fiction. Twenty-seven years later the…

Why the Xbox 360 Won’t Get the Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection

Remember when Metal Gear Solid 4 was launched? And how it was such a big deal that the game wasn’t coming to the Xbox 360? Remember that? On his online radio show, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima talked about why there wasn’t an Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection. “I’m sorry…

These Korean Reaction Shots Are Friggin’ Incredible

There’s acting, overacting, and this. Whatever the hell this is, it’s amazing. Here are reaction shots from a South Korean TV drama called Maybe Love (사랑했나봐). The show follows the exploits of a woman whose life is destroyed after her best friend steals her husband. Here’s the show’s official English description via the program’s Korean…

There Are Fewer Console Gamers In Japan, But It’s Not The End of Gaming

People in Japan have argued that the console gaming market is dying. Whether that argument is valid or not, they now have another piece of ammunition to point to as proof. The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association – or CESA as it will henceforth be referred to as since abbreviations are much easier on the tongue…

This Avengers Black Widow Figure Has Fabulous Hair

So, it’s time to take a look at the newest addition to my Hot Toys Movie Masterpieces collection, Black Widow. So, first off, because the question will inevitably be asked in the comments section: Yes, I ordered and paid for this figure myself. Yes, the clothes are removable. No, the figure is not anatomically correct.…

Bloomberg (via Eurogamer) reports that an “unprecedented” number of Sony execs, including Kaz Hirai, won’t get annual bonuses. This comes as Sony’s electronics arm failed to turn a profit for the second straight year. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice…

Why Many in China Hate Iron Man 3‘s Chinese Version

There are two versions of Iron Man 3: One is the international version, and the other is the Chinese version, with added scenes. This version was made especially for the People’s Republic. But that certainly doesn’t mean everybody there likes it. This article might contain spoilers. Keep in mind that I’m not saying that China…

Japan’s Planned “Cyberspace Defense Force” Is Not As Cool As It Sounds

According to Hiroshi Ito, the top man at the Lac Cyber Security Research Institute in Japan, the JSDF’s scheduled “Cyberspace Defense Force” (tentative name) will consist of 100 people and the expected increase in Japan’s IT defense network is… Unfortunately, not that much. Sadly, the world of Ghost in the Shell is still largely science…

Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame signed on to play the lead in the Tokyo Vice film version. Tokyo Vice is Jake Adelstein’s memoirs from his crime reporter days and is definitely worth picking up. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your…

This Woman Makes the Same Face. At Nearly the Same Time. Every Day.

Yoko Shono is up bright and early daily for morning show Mezamashi TV, which is kind of like Today for Japan. And what seems like everyday at the nearly the exact same time, she makes what seems to be the exact same face. You must see it to believe it. Note: If you are prone…

StoryBundle, the DRM-free eBook bundle service from former Gizmodo maven Jason Chen, is offering its first ever video game themed book bundle. Curated by Gamasutra‘s Simon Carless, the bundle includes works by Prince Of Persia‘s Jordan Mechner, “Father of Games” Ralph Baer, Kill Screen Magazine and many more. Have a look at StoryBundle‘s official site.…

Gaming In 1982: Moustaches, Tiny Shorts & Colecovision

These two photos, belonging to Richard Braunstein, are perfect. Just perfect. Perfect because they capture what it was like playing games in the days before giant couches and giant TV sets. Perfect because these are two grown men playing video games in 1982, smashing stereotypes. And perfect because this is a photo of a Colecovision…