Thank God, A 3DS XL Case For Adults

If you, like me, recently dropped a couple hundred bucks on a 3DS XL, you probably have thought about picking up a case to keep it safe. The challenge is finding a case that is even remotely acceptable. For some reason, the majority of non-Nintendo-made 3DS accessories are poorly-made hunks of junk, a problem is…

This Rendition Of The Pokémon Battle Theme Will Put You In A Fightin’ Mood

It’s been years since I’ve heard this specific version of the trainer battle music in Pokémon—I had Red, back then—but hearing it now on violin and piano evokes old memories. This performance by krissalad is great and makes me wonder what other Pokémon songs would sound live. Pokémon Red & Blue – Trainer Battle Theme…

The Most Notable Vampires In Video Games

Surprisingly, blood suckers aren’t as common in video games as you might expect. They might appear as a generic type of enemy, and of course there are a few of them in the Castlevania series. We collected some of these vampires, paying attention to leave out those who like to carry people on their backs.…

I Spent Saturday Morning Solving Puzzles In The Belly Of A Naval Battleship

If you’ve played a Zero Escape game like 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors or its sequel, Virtue’s Last Reward, you’re no stranger to the idea of a “room escape” game. You’re placed in a room, probably with a team. The room is locked, and the only way out is to solve the puzzles…

This Game is Witty, Charming, Gorgeous and Nigh-Unplayable

“Oh good, this is one of those games,” I thought to myself happily as I started up Marcus Eckert’s Wide Sky on my iPod Touch. The gorgeous, somewhat melancholy music and stark, four-color imagery suggested that this would be one of those charming little independent mobile games that slips into the iTunes App Store quietly…

Rumor: The Studio Behind Epic Mickey Is In Trouble [UPDATE]

Rumors are flying that Junction Point, the game studio behind Epic Mickey and its sequel, the recently-released Epic Mickey 2, is facing some issues. Although Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts says the studio will be shut down, we have not been able to confirm that. However, multiple sources have confirmed to Kotaku that Junction Point’s…

Some guy from Kotaku just reviewed DmC for the New York Times. The review is mostly about the game’s villains.

Come At Me, Bro: Why Taunts Are Just So Damn Great

A player’s mettle isn’t tested solely by his or her ability to press buttons in the right way, at the right time. When playing against another person, skill is only part of the performance—nevermind when playing with an audience present. Pressure is a real thing, and smart opponents will try to psyche you out however…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Is The Same Weirdly Wonderful Game, Minus A Few Rough Edges

Like many of the finer things in life, Deadly Premonition is an acquired taste. It’s a very cool game, but in a very specific way. The oddball open-world mystery/horror game, which came out for the Xbox 360 in early 2010, will likely never find an audience like those enjoyed by, say, a Halo or a…

Deadline reports that plans to re-release more Star Wars films in 3D have been scrapped. Phew.

Your Favorite Zelda Game Could Have Looked Like THIS

Flipping through the Hyrule Historia book (which you can finally get in English) makes you realize that Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series isn’t just a bunch of games. It’s a mythology, one filled with personas that change their shapes, personalities and abilities in each new telling. Anyone who’s been a die-hard Zelda fan has had…

Snacktaku Special Report: Five Snacks I Must Eat in 2013

The majority of snacks I’ve reviewed over the past couple of years for Snacktaku have been happy accidents. I wasn’t planning on putting them in my mouth and writing about them—it just happened. This year I am changing things up. This year I have an eating agenda—there are five foods that shall not escape my…

Crytek has snapped up several members of the now-defunct Vigil Games for a new Austin-based Crytek studio.

Your Future Video Games May Be Built Like This

The Atomontage Engine got a brief shout-out from Minecraft creator Markus Persson back in 2011, but 2011 was a long time ago. So it’s nice to see an update on the project in 2013, and things are looking very interesting. Unlike most engines, Atomontage is based not on polygons but voxels. So, think Minecraft, only…

Did you know we have our own official YouTube page? Chris makes tons of neat things over there.

Wii U Virtual Console Games Won’t Work With Older Save Files

You won’t be able to transfer save games from your Wii’s Virtual Console to your Wii U’s Virtual Console, Nintendo has confirmed to Kotaku Last week, Nintendo detailed how the Wii U’s Virtual Console will work when it officially launches this spring. It will be an entirely separate entity from the Wii’s Virtual Console—which you…

Surgeon-Simulator 2013 Is The Most Realistic Heart Surgery Game I’ve Played All Day

If you’re like me, you’ve played enough Trauma Center to know that open heart surgery is super duper easy. I mean, I’m practically a doctor over here! Which is why I’m loving the ultra realistic Global Game Jam game Surgeon-Simulator 2013 by Bossa Studios. In the video above, I’ll walk you through the basics of…

This is Not Pinball. This is PinWar.

Pinball translates quite well to the iPad, but it’s generally a single-player experience, pass-and-play at best. Prank Entertainment’s PinWar, coming to iOS on February 7, presents a novel way to get a pair of pinball wizards playing at once, at least until the iPad is thrown across the room. I’d start practicing your grip now.

Here is a fascinating article on Kill Screen about in-game photography—like that of Dead End Thrills. Worth a read!

Let’s Guess What These New Mass Effect 3 Screenshots Tease

Today, both Casey Hudson and Michael Gamble—producers on the Mass Effect Team—tweeted pictures. Mass Effect pictures, of course—presumably, of DLC. But beyond that? Your guess is as good as mine as to what these pictures depict. Above is a city, obviously. The Citadel, maybe? Probably not, but who knows? And below, a Krogan that you…