We’re One Step Away From Mechs Charging Cannons On Horseback

It’s not every day we get to feature the work of an artist who, amidst pieces drawn up for video games and trading card companies, has also dabbled in the style of 19th century battlefield paintings. But we are today. So today is a good day. You’re looking at the works of Karl Kopinski, a…

I’m Drinking Soda. This Game Is About Drinking Soda. And Nothing Else.

This is Soda Drinker Pro. For those days that games about guns and murder are too much. You drink soda. In a gripping first-person perspective, from which you can really feel the can in your hand and really taste the fizz as you quench that thirst. The challenge comes not from the foes you will…

Second Wave, the next DLC for our 2012 game of the year XCOM, will be out very soon

Borderlands 2 Designs So Good You’ll Shoot Things To Get Them

Indonesian artist Machine56, who you might have seen here once or twice before, has more game-related design goodness to share, this time with a range of Borderlands pieces. Due to be released soon on Gearbox’s store, there are designs for shirts and hoodies, as well as some tantalising ideas for masks, something the artist has…

A Serious Game About The Syrian Conflict Has Been Barred From The App Store

Apple’s notoriously haphazard approvals policy for App Store games continues unabated. Only a few months after a historical game about the Second World War was blocked for daring to use flags, a serious game about the current conflict in Syria has been barred for much the same reason. Pocket Tactics discovered last night that Auroch…

What’s Left Of Your PlayStation 2 Collection?

With the news that Sony has officially ceased production of the PlayStation 2, the biggest and perhaps most important chapter in the history of home video gaming comes to a close. It made me a little teary last night, so much so I sat down with my silver PS2 and played some old games. Looking…

Oh Pixar, You Had Me At ‘Blue Umbrella With A Face’

I’m a sucker for Pixar short films, and from the looks of it, I’ll also be a sucker for The Blue Umbrella, the new one coming from the Toy Story-makers. This tease, posted at The Wall Street Journal, pretty much confirms it: Yep, I’m going to love this. The final video will play in front…

See How A Woman Transformed Herself Into Commander Shepard

Continuing their series of Project Cosplay videos, Firefall developers Red 5 present this short film documenting the process by which “professional” cosplayer Crystal Graziano (note: sponsored by Red 5) transformed herself from regular human into Commander Shepard. It’s a really interesting video; you normally only see cosplay at the very end of the process, but…

This Excellent Far Cry 3 Mod Will Make Your Second Pass A Whole New Thing

I’ve played a lot of Far Cry 3. A looooot. And so I’m always looking for ways to freshen up the game for another go-round. I got about halfway through on a second playthrough, but it still didn’t seem quite different enough for me. Fortunately, PC modders have wasted no time coming up with clever…

NPCs Usually Suck. Here Is A Way To Make Your Skyrim NPCs Better On PC.

If you’re thinking ‘mod,’ you’d be right! Via Skyrim Nexus comes this mod that fleshes out NPCs (non-player characters) in Skyrim considerably, so you won’t have as many situations where a character is repeating the same damn line over and over again. We’re talking like, over 50 voice actors with almost 100 new characters that…

Here We Go: Valve-Backed PC Hardware Will Be Shown Off This Week [Update: it’s Code-Named Piston]

Let the Steam Box speculation begin. Valve is investing in computer hardware, and they’re showing it off this week. A company called Xi3Corporation is developing the hardware (whose chassis you can see above), which they say is designed to play Steam games on big-screen TVs. They say they’ve received an investment from Valve, and that…

A Hat In Time, That Wind Waker Meets Banjo Kazooie Game, Still Looks Amazing

A while ago we showed you an early build of upcoming indie game, A Hat In Time. The game looked delightful then, even though there wasn’t too-too much to see, gameplay wise. All we knew were the influences—Wind Waker visuals with Banjo Kazooie gameplay. Now, a month later, the developer, Jonas Kærlev, has more to…

You’re Not The Only One Comparing Nvidia’s New Handheld To The N-Gage

I don’t know about you, but my first thought upon seeing Nvidia’s new Shield handheld gaming console was as follows: Plenty of other folks took the joke one step further, drawing quick comparisons to the failed Nokia N-Gage, the little portable video game system that couldn’t. [View the story "Nvidia Shield = Nokia n-Gage" on…

Forget Power, Says The Guy Behind Ninja Gaiden 3—Wii U Is Next-Gen Because It’s Innovative

The debate over the Wii U’s “next-generation” status rages on. The latest combatant is Yosuke Hayashi, head of Team Ninja—the Tecmo studio responsible for the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series, among others. While the console is technically “next-generation”—it did come after the Wii—Hayashi was still compelled to share his thoughts about it in…

Kill Stealing, Disconnecting And Other Rage Moments From Black Ops II, In Retro Form

Maybe the retro graphics on this will help with not having your blood pressure rise while watching typical frustrating moments from playing Call of Duty’s multiplayer. This amusing YouTube video comes from user rabbodirect65, who knows the pain of a Call of Duty player well, it seems. I hate it when I can’t seem to…

My Wargaming Wish List for 2013

It’s 2013, and despite the winter chill, hope blossoms that this year will bring in a fresh and innovative crop of wargames. Like the flowers of the spring, those hopes will probably fade before the stale wind of yet another faux-historical clickfest, Hearts of Iron clone or dumbed-down mobile game. But the pleasure of gaming…

Project Shield’s First Killer App Could Be This Tegra 4 Version of Hawken

When Adhesive Games’ creative director and co-founder Khang Le took the stage during last night’s Nvidia press conference to play the free-to-play mech combat game Hawken on Nvidia’s Project Shield handheld, I was confused. This was not the PC game. What the hell was that? Turns out Nvidia ran out of time to mention that…

American McGee Defends His Kickstarter Game, Says It’s ‘100% Finished’

Last week, I wrote about Akaneiro, a game designed by American McGee (Alice) and announced back in 2011. McGee and his team went to Kickstarter to ask for $200,000 “to finish what [they’ve] started.” McGee took issue with my coverage, writing Kotaku a note to say that the game is actually finished. “The game is…

Because You Subconsciously Demanded It, the Spiritual Successor to Shaq Fu

In a post-apocalyptic future a mutation has created a race of sentient zombies that have enslaved mankind. The planet’s only hope lies in a warrior of legend known as the Justice Bringer—basketball legend and Kazaam star Shaquille O’Neal. Coming tomorrow to iOS and Android, ShaqDown is a 2D side-scrolling action game and the second video…

How Many Offensive Things Can You Count In This Doom Mod?

Child murder, priest murder, Barney the dinosaur murder, Mario murder, Buddha murder… really, just murder murder; nothing is sacred. This Doom mod’s genre seems to be, as Double Fine’s JP LeBreton puts it, “Be Offended.” No stone left unturned—this might have a little to do with how this mod mashes just about every Doom mod…