Some Gamers Bash Comment About Game Length, Prompting a Clarification

Outspoken game director Hideki Kamiya’s Tweet about prioritizing fun over game length have stirred enough of a response to provoke a follow-up from his long-time producer. A day after Kamiya said this… His Platinum Games colleague and producer on the upcoming Wii U game The Wonderful 101, Atsushi Inaba, Tweeted this: So it looks like…

Consider This Training For One Of The Best Fantasy Board Games Ever

If Talisman Prologue is any indication of how the full version of the classic fantasy board game will pan out, then fans are in for a real treat when Talisman Digital Edition launches this summer. Until then, they can re-learn the ropes in this single-player boot camp. The board game Talisman ate up a great…

Moneysaver One-Shot: A Bargain Gaming Mouse

Double the max counts, half the price. A gaming mouse will up your game and your enjoyment of your favorite titles, but it’s also an easy thing to put off buying. At $30, this SteelSeries Sensei is squarely in the impulse purchase category. Yes, it says Call of Duty on it, but as far as…

These Are The Three Songs Featured In Those New GTA V Trailers

Rockstar released three new character trailers for their latest game in the Grand Theft Auto series. Up top is “Radio Ga Ga” by Queen to go with Michael’s debut. Then there’s Franklin, sporting the tune of “Hood Gone Love It” by Jay Rock: And finally Trevor polishes the soundtrack off with Waylon Jennings’ “Are You…

Here Are the Latest Trailers for Grand Theft Auto V

Rockstar promised new trailers for Grand Theft Auto V today, and here they are. Meet Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, the game’s three protagonists. Michael (above) is a wealthy man battling his cheating wife and a midlife crisis, evidently finding his adventure by getting over his head in criminal capers. Sounds like his character will draw…

Here’s what’s going on Talk Among Yourselves, our reader-written blog: contributor DocSeuss talks up the bizarre but engaging new indie game Memory of a Broken Dimension. And fellow TAYperson TheUnfathomableTruth has a handy guide for anyone wanting to get their voice heard on the community blog. And you can always go join the voices talking…

In Soul Sacrifice, Death Can Be A Good Thing

Soul Sacrifice wants you to embrace the power of mortality. Because nothing says ‘I want to beat this goddamn boss’ like sucking the soul energy out of your girlfriend’s body so you can use it to trigger a massive magical attack. Yeah, it’s that kind of game. Out today, the new game from Mega Man…

GameStick Reminds Us That It’s Still a Thing, Like the Ouya

Everybody’stalking about the Ouya these days. Ouya exclusives, Ouya unboxings, Ouya reviews — what about theGameStick? It’s a standalone Android console too, you know. Sure, it might not be as powerful as the Ouya or have the strange, mildly-confused following of the Ouya, but it’s got spunk? Sure, we’ll go with spunk. Just look at…

I Am Stereoblind, But the 3DS Lets Me See the World as Others See It

I cried the first time I held a Nintendo 3DS. The experience was a revelation that I’ll not soon forget, and even if everyone stopped making games for it tomorrow, my blue 3DS XL is not going anywhere. That little machine is a window into a part of human experience that most people take for…

The Oculus Rift Is Even More Amazing When You Can See Your Hands Move

Independent developer Kelly Weaver is just one of those guys who just can’t leave well enough alone. He’s combined the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset with Razer’s Hydra motion controllers to bring us one step closer to recreating The Lawnmower Man (the movie, not the book). Weaver’s robot alter-ego mimics the movement of his hands…

Did These Pokémon Anime Singers Steal Their Crazy Fashion? [Update]

Japanese pop group Momoiro Clover Z is known for its unusual outfits. Sometimes the members dress like pirates. Other times, they dress like superheroes. Their latest album features the group’s most outrageous outfits yet. And they look like rip-offs. Momoiro Clover Z, who sang the Pokémon Best Wishes! anime ending theme, just released a new…

There Are Eight Ways To Play First-Person Shooters. Apparently.

Those who play shooters on a desktop already know that there is a considerable variety for how one can position him or herself. Let’s say that there are supposedly eight basic ways, m’kay? This image originally debuted a while back in Japan, but is once again making the internet rounds. It shows eight (count ’em,…

At this weekend’s NicoNico event, the Prime Minister of Japan wasn’t the only one decked out in a fancy outfit. There were also tons of cosplayers. Here’s a short round-up. Photos are courtesy of Asagawo Blog, and in case you missed it, here’s more on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s geek visit. ネタ系レイヤー＆カッコイイレイヤー その2, その1…

Earthbound‘s Creator Responds to Request for a New Game: “Impossible”

For years, players have been begging Earthbound (aka Mother in Japan) creator Shigesato Itoi for a new game. He’s listening and has a definite answer: Not gonna happen. Recently on Twitter, a fan tweeted this to 64 year-old icon: “Mr. Itoi, please tell us a way to get you to make Mother 4.” Itoi’s response?…

Woman Gets Upset After Starbucks Writes “Vagina” Instead of “Virginia”

Whoops. A Hong Kong Starbucks made one customer unhappy after totally screwing up a first name. Imagine that! A Starbucks spelling fail? Impossible. On the Hong Kong Starbucks’ Facebook page (via HongWrong), a customer posted an image of the fail, writing: This is my sister’s cuppa [SIC] from your HKU branch. Fancy your staff not…

Documentary 100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience is now available on DVD. (Full disclosure: I’m in it!) The 68-minute DVD is region-free and has subtitles in English, Japanese, French, and Spanish. More on Arcade Heroes.

Thailand’s Fake Iron Man 3 Trailer Sure Is Something Else

Iron Man 3 is a big budget Hollywood production. What do you do when you want to recreate the movie’s trailer and don’t want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars? Something like this, I guess. IRON MAN 3 Trailer – Thai sweded by FEDFE [YouTube Thanks, Yodtao!] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian…

Princess Mononoke Stage Production Surprises People Online in Japan

Last summer, the above teaser image was posted online. It announced that classic anime Princess Mononoke was coming to the London stage. Pictures of said collaboration have surfaced online in Japan, where some seem totally shocked by the final production. Studio Ghibli allowed London’s Whole Hog Theater to bring its anime to the stage. Thus,…

The Great Pokémon Skateboard Mystery

Did you know the first two Pokémon sequels were supposed to let you ride a skateboard? It was advertised. Briefly. Then….just quietly removed and never spoken of again. Turns out it’s still in the game’s code, though, so in addition to combing through old Japanese mags for mention of the item, Aria over at Glitterberri…

It’s Called Hipster Mario. You’ve Probably Never Heard Of It.

Artist Sam Milham, attempting his own swing at the whole “video game characters as hipsters” thing, knocks it out of the park with a range of Mario characters so well realised you’ll probably never want to play another Nintendo game in your life. Some are nice and messy, but man, that Bowser is just perfect.…