I Knew From the Start That I Would Love Rock Runners

Have you ever played a game that just feels right—a game where the controls and challenge immediately click, making playing it an almost instinctual thing? Rock Runners is that kind of game. The person that first emailed me about this level-based runner from Recoil Games said they thought I’d really enjoy this one, and I…

This New Game from the Lead Designer of Limbo Pops with Color

Ingenious puzzles and a chilling black-and-white aesthetic helped make 2011’s Limbo a critically acclaimed hit. Now, the guy who crafted much of that indie success’ gameplay has something new coming out, a stripped-down platformer called 140 that’s exploding with rainbow hues. The stark minimalism of Limbo is in evidence here but Jeppe Carlsen’s new game…

Five Things You Should Know About Remember Me

The futuristic, memory-remixing action game Remember Me captured our attention when it debuted last summer, and I’ve been curious to play it ever since. A game about a kickass lady memory-thief who lives in a dystopian future-version of Paris? Sounds good to me. Tuesday at a Capcom press event in San Francisco, I had a…

World of Tanks Company Buys Gas Powered Games

Wargaming—the developer of mega-popular free-to-play online game World of Tanks—just announced that they’ll be acquiring Gas Powered Games, the company responsible for Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander. Major layoffs at Gas Powered and the cancellation of their Wildman Kickstarter project made the company’s future look uncertain. For Wargaming, this is another move that seemingly preps…

For Those Unmoved by 3DS Mario Sequels, Nintendo Has New Downloadable Alternatives

Nintendo has been so busy announcing sequels to every Mario sub-franchise that you can think of—new sidescrollers, new 3D platformers, new Golf, and Mario & Luigi—that you’d think they don’t have anything else. Well, other than Zeldas. Not quite. As they’ve quietly been doing, Nintendo is continuing to create and add to new franchises through…

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Gets A Relaxing New Trailer

Ain’t no dubstep here! The new trailer for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which will be out on 3DS June 9, is calm and relaxing, just like the popular game series.

Watch This Morning’s Entire Nintendo Direct Right Here

This morning’s Nintendo Direct presentation was packed with announcements and trailers for new games on the 3DS and Wii U. You can watch all 37 minutes right here.

Donkey Kong Country Returns Is… Returning and Heading to the 3DS

Nintendo is bringing Donkey Kong Country Returns to the 3DS. The remake is currently in development and will take advantage of the 3DS’ glasses-free 3D feature. It is slated for a summer release in Japan and North America. Known as Donkey Kong Returns in Japan, the game, the game was originally out on the Nintendo…

Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be out for 3DS on June 9, Nintendo said today.

New Super Mario Brothers U DLC Puts Luigi in the Spotlight

The House of Mario is celebrating Luigi’s 30th anniversary by releasing several titles focusing on Mario’s twin brother. The New Super Luigi U DLC will rework existing levels in New Super Mario Brothers Wii U to deliver new experiences where players will control only Luigi. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that work on the DLC…

New Mario Golf Coming to 3DS This Summer From Camelot [Video added]

A new Mario Golf game is coming from longtime series developer Camelot. The game, called Mario Golf World Tour will be out this summer for the 3DS. It looks true to the series, featuring a medley of Nintendo characters (Donkey Kong, Bowser, etc.) in big, Mario-themed courses.

New Mario & Luigi RPG Will Take Place In Luigi’s Dreams

Nintendo just announced a new installment in the Mario & Luigi role-playing game series, and it looks absolutely insane. The new game is set in Luigi’s dreams, and it lets you rub Luigi’s face on the bottom screen as you adventure with both plumbers on the top screen. This is the fourth entry in the…

Awww, how sweet! Wet Productions has set Virtual Girlfriend and Virtual Boyfriend for iOS free for Valentine’s Day.

New Nintendo Direct coming your way at 9am Eastern. Watch it live here, or check Kotaku for news as it happens.

An Actual Urban Planner Takes On The Original SimCity

In this guest editorial, John Reinhardt, a member of IBM’s City Forward team, compares the actual job of urban planning with that found in the Super Nintendo version of SimCity There’s an urban legend that my mentor once told me: “There are two piles when you apply to a top urban planning school. If you…

Star Driver: The Movie Sucks You In and Leaves You Wanting More

Star Driver: Takuto of The Radiance is a 25-episode anime series that aired from 2010 to 2011. The show aired early evenings on Sunday, which allowed for a bigger budget and overall higher quality animation, but the show suffered from the fact that while it was geared more towards a young adult audience, it aired…

A Japanese tech journalist tweeted that his Sony email for the Feb. 20 event said “PS4 Meeting.”

This Week’s Pokémon Was Unexpectedly Sexy

Tonight, like every Thursday night in Japan, the Pokémon anime was broadcast across the country. This week, however, there was apparently some (accidental?) sexy time captured in this GIF and uploaded to 2ch for internet infamy. Gotta screw ’em all! 今週のポケモンエロすぎｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗ [2ch] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest…

Kirby‘s Creator Isn’t Thrilled with Video Game Storytelling

“As a long time gamer, I often find the stories told by games to be bothersome.” Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai writes in his Weekly Famitsu column. Indeed, many games seem to take their time laying out the beginning of their stories, showing long (and sometimes unskippable) cutscenes, or limiting what actions the protagonist can take…

An Elderly Woman Thrashing Dragon Quest X on Japanese TV

It’s not everyday you see senior citizens talking role-playing games. It’s not everyday you see them thrashing one of them on Japanese television. In primetime. Famed Japanese actress Keiko Awaji, with credits in movies like Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog, is a huge Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy fan. Did I say “huge”? I meant HUGE.…