I’m Addicted to the iTunes Game Store

The moment my iPad or iPad Touch’s screen illuminates my finger hones in on the blue icon with the pencil, ruler and paintbrush formed into a stylized ‘A’, no matter what my previous plans for the device might have been. I know the shop lurking behind the icon is only updated at certain times, but…

Those Two New Legendary Pokémon Have Names, You Know

Spied at the end of the announcement trailer yesterday, two new Pokémon in the upcoming Pokémon X and Y have been confirmed as the game’s Legendary Pokémon and named. The Pokémon company has included a handy pronunciation guide. The one at left above is Xerneas. Say its name like this: “ZURR-nee-us.” The one at right?…

Tera Goes Free-to-Play, Says It Won’t Be “Some Watered-Down Trial Version”

Guess it was only a matter of time, huh, Tera? En Masse Entertainment’s online fantasy game joins Star Wars: The Old Republic and DC Universe Online on the roster of big-deal MMO titles that are ditching subscriptions. Starting in February, subscriptions will no longer be required to play Tera New players who join after the…

Xbox Support Staff Say They Were Fired After Posting About Their Jobs On Kotaku

If you do customer support for Microsoft, don’t post about it on this website. You’ll probably lose your job. Over the past week, I’ve been in touch with two former Xbox support staff. Both people, who asked that we not use their names, say they were fired for writing comments about their jobs on Kotaku.…

I Didn’t Know I Wanted a Trampoline Game on My iPad Until I Saw This

“Finally a beautiful, fun, frustratingly rewarding trampoline game for the iOS!” began the email from developer Joel Blanco Berg, at which point I stopped and thought about how the use of finally suggests someone was desperately waiting for a trampoline game to come out. Then I watched the trailer for Bouncy!, and realized that maybe…

The Biggest, And Most Badass Video Game Toy Of All Time Is Finished

If it feels like we’ve been writing about ThreeA’s Metal Gear Rex figure for years, that’s because we have been Over three years later and the thing is finally shipping to customers who paid around $500 for the pleasure. It’s also shown up on toy site Rad Toy Review, whose pictures make it look like…

There Will Be Baseball on the Xbox 360; Major League Baseball 2K13 Returns

2K Sports surprised everyone with its announcement this morning that MLB 2K13 will release this year on Xbox 360. Pitcher David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays is the cover star. The game will be on shelves March 5. 2K Sports’ MLB 2K series, long a money-loser and critical underperformer, was widely expected to be…

Sony honcho Kaz Hirai tells The Verge (via CVG) that the console business is “not going away any time soon”.

Japan’s Most Wanted Criminal Trolls Cops with a Cat

In what must be one of Japan’s most unusual investigations ever, the alleged culprit behind a series of online threats continues to slip past Japanese police. This time, there’s a cat involved. Yes, a cat. Last summer, a Japanese animator was taken into police custody after remote-controlled threats of a killing spree were sent from…

What is Three Dog’s voice actor teasing? Fallout 4, perhaps? One could dream…

Pokémon X/Y Is Already Teaching Children English in South Korea

The newest Pocket Monster games, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y aren’t even 24 hours old, but they’re already making learning English in Korea fun—and heart-meltingly cute. According to Kotaku reader Justin, who teaches English in Seoul, South Korea, his kindergarten students are bananas for Pocket Monsters. Writes Justin: “I hyped them up with the announcement.…

Holy Sorcery Story is a Japanese role-playing game about making a legendary curry. Yes, curry. That’s awesome.

Welcome to Vending Machine Hell, Where You’ll Be Threatened with Brutality

Castration. Cutting off fingers. Photos of your genitals shown publicly forever. These aren’t just idle threats. They’re vending machine threats. It’s like a ring of Hell Dante missed, but with fizzy drinks and canned coffee. There’s a cluster of fifteen vending machines in Tokyo’s Akihabara, the city’s gaming and geek district. The unmanned machines are…

To Train This Charizard Action Figure, You Don’t Need Badges. You Need Money.

While you might come up short with badges to train Charizard, you probably have enough cashola to do that. Slated for an April release, the fully poseable action figure is priced at ¥3,990 (US$46)—though, I’ve seen it priced at around $30 online in Japan. The Charizard figure is part of Bandai’s D-Arts line of action…

Well, Excuse Me, Princess Zelda Cosplay

Zelda is more than a damsel in distress. She’s more the namesake of The Legend of Zelda games. For fans, the magic-wielding princess is one of the most iconic Nintendo characters. Hence, all this cosplay! Above is a sample of some—not all—of the best Zelda cosplay from the bowels of internet. The above gallery focuses…

Mario’s Piranha Plant Becomes Something A Little More Recreational

“This item is intended for use with legal tobacco products only.” Hah. Of course it is. This glass piranha plant pipe sells for $85, and is made by Etsy seller Hedcraft, a purveyor of “High Quality Custom Glass Smokeware”. Glass Pipe – Monster Plant- MADE TO ORDER- Hedcraft Glassworks [etsy, via topless robot]

Windows 8 Was A “Giant Sadness”, Says Valve Boss Gabe Newell

He’s rarely had kind words to say about Microsoft’s latest operating system, but in the same interview with The Verge in which he spoke at length about his company’s plans for a “Steam Box” PC, Valve boss Gabe Newell also talks about Windows 8. Mainly, how it’s a “giant sadness”. And how he finds the…

The Hidden Inspiration (OK, Not Really) Behind The New Pokémon Starters

You may not think animated series Bob’s Burgers and the just-announced Pokémon X/Y have much in common, but they do. And once it’s seen, it cannot be unseen. Guys, I noticed something about the new starters [Nick DeWitt]

The Great Wii U Robbers Might Actually Get Away With It

Last month, thieves made off with 7000 Wii U consoles in a brazen robbery near Seattle’s SeaTac airport. They stole some trucks, drove right up to a warehouse, got out, used forklifts to remove the consoles, then just drove off. If the cops were hoping they’d catch the thieves red-handed, they’d be pretty disappointed by…

Robot Angels, Dragons, Starships & Bikes

This is the work of Taiwanese artist Evan Lee. Having worked on local MMO Gladius Regalis Online and mobile game Galaxy Saga, he’s also released several art books, and also finds the time to teach. You can check out more of Evan’s work on his personal site and CGHub page To see the larger pics…