Hackers Are Targeting High-Profile Employees, Says Microsoft

Microsoft has revealed that a “handful” of accounts held by current and former high-profile Microsoft employees have been hacking targets. In a statement issued to The Verge, Microsoft stated that a “group of hackers are using several stringed social engineering techniques to compromise the accounts.” While Xbox Live doesn’t ask for social security numbers for…

The Evolution Of Crazy Japanese Professional Wrestling Video Games

Wrestling video games are quite varied. It’s not just about annual licensed stuff! And, you can always count on the Japanese developers to come up with the craziest ones. So we have selected a few Japanese titles—some of which only came out in Japan—to see how far wrestling games (and muscles) evolved in the past…

You Control the Katamari Creator’s New Game With a 16-Button Joystick. Wait, What?

That monster of a controller above is what you’ll presumably be using to play Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy creator Keita Takahashi’s brand new party game, Tenya Wanya Teens. The game is, according to Venus Patrol, “about trying desperately to not say or do the wrong thing at the wrong time, that universal struggle…

Marvel at How Japanese Anime Has Changed and Evolved

While Japanese anime first appeared as early as 1917, it began to flourish in the 1960s with the spread of television throughout Japan. And over the years, its styles have changed. This isn’t new, and it’s something Kotaku has touched on previously (here). However, below you can see images from 2ch that catalogue anime styles…

1999’s goofy team shooter, Worms Armageddon, previously only available as a pre-order bonus, is now actually on Steam

Rumor: Final Fantasy X HD Comes With Final Fantasy X-2 HD on the PS3

According to what looks like a Jump Magazine leak (below), the HD remaster of Final Fantasy X is coming to the PlayStation with a Final Fantasy X-2 remaster on the same disc. Both the Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD versions are also supposedly packed with the “international version” content. Originally, that consisted of bonus…

How Japanese Schoolgirl Uniforms Are Getting Pervert-Proof

For some in Japan, schoolgirls are an object of fetish. That can manifest itself in their appearance in mainstream media, whether that’s cartoons or video games, or in far more unsettling and immediate ways, such as creeps trying to take photos up female students’ skirts. To combat these sorts of unsavory actions and to protect…

Final Fantasy V on Smartphones? Nineteen Bucks in Japan.

As first revealed last December, Square Enix is bringing Final Fantasy V and “other games” to iOS. A leaked Japanese magazine scan shows how much Japanese gamers can expect to pay for this: Final Fantasy V, which is listed for iOS and Android, is priced at ¥1,800 or close to US$19. That’s a lot! But,…

This Skyrim Cosplay Will Make You Shout “Fus Ro Dah”!

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was one of the best games of 2011. 2011? It’s 2013! No matter, Skyrim lives on, thanks in part to its fancy outfits. The game continues to get downloadable content. Last month, the PS3 and PC versions of Dragonborn were released. It had been released on Xbox 360 last December…

A Game of Thrones Prequel On HBO? Maybe.

There are some things we can rule out with when musing over what George R.R. Martin might develop for HBO now that he has a two year contract with them. Certainly not something comedic, he’s not that type of guy. A Game of Thrones prequel of sorts though? Maybe, according to this interview with IGN…

Apparently, Virtual Reality In Team Fortress 2 Can Be Very Intense

Ready for the future? Those with an Oculus Rift developer kit will be able to tinker with virtual reality in Team Fortress 2: to access the VR mode, all you have to do is add “-vr” to your command line options in Steam. From there on out, things sound a little intense according to the…

A New Music Track From The Planescape Torment Successor

Mark Morgan’s soundtrack was among the more distinctive aspects of the classic PC role-playing game Planescape: Torment. An odd, dirge-like collection of tones that was as much about atmosphere as it was about melody, it captured the game’s dark vibe perfectly. The Kickstarter campaign for the game’s “spiritual successor,” Torment: Tides of Numenera, has been…

EA, winners of last year’s Consumerist “Worst Company In America” contest, make another appearance this year

The official Game of Thrones app, “A World of Ice and Fire,” is now available on Android for free. (It’s also on iOS.)

A Slenderman Easter Egg That Is Cute Yet Unsettling

Slenderman: scary, yes? Possibly the last thing I’d expect while playing something other than a Slenderman game. Oh, but he’s out there, waiting, in Runner2 according to this video by Epsilonic Kind of the last place I’d expect him (it?) to appear, to be honest—then again, I’m not too far into the game myself. Slender…

Strings Attached: What We’re Not Allowed to Talk About When Reviewing Games

When professional reviewers prepare to review books, movies, or video games, there’s a basic understanding that the reviewer won’t spoil everything. The reviewer will hold back some details, for the pleasure of their readers or audience. But something you might not know is that game reviewers—ourselves included—don’t always pick what we hold back. We often…

Google’s New GIF Search Filter Will Help You Find All the _______ You’ll Ever Need

You spend a lot of time looking at GIFs. Sports. Cats. NES games. NSFW stuff. Sometimes you have to dig and dig looking for what you want. But, according to The Week, now Google has added new search filters that will make finding those silent, bite-sized animations even easier. The details are in this Google+…

BattleBlock Theater, the new game from the makers of Castle Crashers, comes to XBLA April 3. Here’s a cheeky trailer.

Look How Far This One Promising Indie Game Has Come

Back in 2009, The Swapper looked promising but rough. The core concept was there and you could see how the instant cloning mechanic would make for a fun twist on the typical platformer experience. Four years later, Facepalm Games is showing off a great new trailer and letting folks know that their sci-fi sidescroller will…

Hey, What’s He Doing In the Madden Cover Contest? Here’s Your Answer.

For football enthusiasts picking a Madden cover boy from a a field of 64 candidates, graced by some of the game’s greatest players of all time, one name stands out from all the rest. Ron Rivera. Ron Rivera? you’re wondering. Wait, the backup Chicago linebacker? Boy, whoever picked this bracket, he wasn’t a Bears fan.…