New Twist In ‘Steam Box’ Saga: Piston Makers Say They Were ‘Asked To Build A Product Specifically By Valve’

Hardware maker Xi3 has addressed today’s confusion, telling Kotaku tonight that despite Valve’s statements this morning, the Steam makers actually asked Xi3 to design the Piston PC. In a strange statement this morning, Valve distanced themselves from Piston, a living-room-friendly PC that some have taken to calling an unofficial ‘Steam Box’ because it is designed…

I’m Commander Shepard And These Are My Favorite Gags From Mass Effect 3: Citadel

Citadel, the final downloadable add-on for Mass Effect 3, is a hell of a good time. It’s so full of jokes, references, call-backs and gags that it’s difficult to keep up. Plenty of people have been taking to YouTube and elsewhere to share their favorite moments from Citadel, and I thought I’d take the opportunity…

2 Mello, the rapper who made that cool Chrono Trigger/Jay-Z mash-up, has now released a full, free album of them.

The New Tomb Raider Saved This Teenager’s Life

The first time Draven Miltenberger played Tomb Raider was in 1999. He was three years old. His home life might have been tumultuous thanks to how often he moved, but that was his constant: Tomb Raider “My family couldn’t pry it out of my hands,” he wrote in a blog post that described his love…

A New Web Series That Brings DayZ Into The Real World

DayZ is the kind of game that creeps into the real world with you regardless, so it’s fitting that the filmmakers at DDay Hollywood have decided to make a web series called “Apocalypse DayZ,” which reimagines the game in the real world. These are the same folks responsible for that funny video about turning up…

SimCity‘s Menu Music: A Lovely Composition That I Never, Ever Want To Hear Again

It’s hard not to feel a little bit sorry for SimCity‘s menu music. The jaunty theme plays every time I start (or attempt to start) the game. It accompanies the loading window that precedes the game’s proper main menu. It’s meant to be a lighthearted entrée to the game. And it would’ve been, if the…

Look, It’s A Mod That Makes Skyrim More Like Far Cry 3

How would this joke go? It’s like Far Cry 3 but with magic? It’s like Skyrim but with Skyrim? It’s like Skyrim with guns, but without guns? Lord, I don’t even know. Regardless, check out this “Tropical Skyrim” mod by Soolie—which, like the name suggests, rehauls the climate in Skyrim into a tropical paradise. Actually,…

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm: The Kotaku Review

Near the beginning of StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, as the noble pirate Jim Raynor and the psychic-soldier-turned-evil-Zerg-queen-turned-confused-human Sarah Kerrigan are escaping from a squad of invading marines, Kerrigan picks up a gun. “Been a long time,” she says. “Like riding a bike,” Raynor says. Kerrigan walks over. Kisses Raynor smack on the lips.…

Big Boi and B.O.B. have released this music video for the new Army of Two. It’s… well, they didn’t half-ass it.

A Maxis insider tells Rock, Paper Shotgun that a single-player SimCity is not as impossible as we’ve been told.

My Favorite Way to Play Darkstalkers Resurrection is the Least Practical Way

This week Capcom unleashes Darkstalkers Resurrection on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, bringing fans of the monster-fueled fighting game series both Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Darkstalkers 3, updated with online multiplayer, YouTube replay sharing, and a bevy of options to enhance your viewing pleasure. Let me show you my favorite. It looks a…

Sound Shapes is getting mini-album DLC. And a crazy rocket-cycle-thing? Sweet! Here’s a trailer.

If Video Games Are Going to Grow Up, Then the Bullying Needs to Stop

Disclaimer: I was a key creative in what is often considered one of the more “dudebro” franchises out there, Gears of War. I’d also like to remind everyone out there that I went out of my way in working with our team, the writers, and Epic’s artists to make sure that female characters are represented…

For Men Who Play as Women, Tiger Woods Will Present a Difficult Choice

For several years now, golf fans have been able to create a female professional and play the men’s PGA Tour with her. The creation of an LPGA Tour mode in this year’s game is another step forward. It’s the tour’s first appearance ever in a console video game, and the first time gamers may play…

God of War Ascension: The Kotaku Review

For the first four and a half hours of the new God of War, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the game was made by malfunctioning robots. They were given the God of War formula and with swiveling clamp-hands, they made what is technically a God of War game. Kratos is angry! Chain-blades must be…

If Monty Python Made a GTA V Trailer, It Would Look Exactly Like This

You know how Rockstar Games rolls, right? There’s no clue as to when we’re going to get another glimpse at Grand Theft Auto V. So, thirsty fans have gone ahead and made their own. The clip is made up of still images that have been released for the game, with little bits of limited animation…

This is Obviously a Heavily-Modded PC Version Skyrim Statue

Now available for preorder from the fine folks at Gaming Heads, this $299.99 statue of Skyrim‘s champion would not be possible without the PC modding community. You just don’t get this sort of visual fidelity with today’s game consoles. Now I’m not saying a great statue couldn’t have been based on the unmodded PC or…

New Sleeping Dogs DLC Lets You Be a Ticket-Writing, Ass-Kicking Cop Again

The hero of United Front’s hit open-world title spent most of the game undercover, acting more as a gangster and stirring up trouble to win the trust of the Hong Kong underworld. Now, Wei Shen finally gets to be an out-in-the-open law enforcement official in the new Year of the Snake DLC for Sleeping Dogs…

Blade Runner director Ridley Scott will be overseeing 12 new sci-fi shorts for YouTube mega-channel Machinima.

A game that explores how even the simplest things are difficult, if not impossible, when you have dysphoria.