Next year’s Madden won’t be called Madden 14. It’ll be called Madden 25 in honour of the series’ 25th anniversary.

Call of Duty isn’t a big deal in the world of e-sports. Microsoft, Activision and $1 million are hoping to change that

What People Used to Say About The Atari 2600

Do you think people get emotional about today’s gaming consoles? Have you noticed that the people running PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo sometimes say weird things? Or make some bold claims? Well, this is what people used to say about the Atari: “At the heart of the programmable video games is a microprocessor, a logic-function control…

In 2030, Games Won’t Fight Over Oil. They’ll Fight Over Bread.

Don’t say that America’s spy agencies never did anything for you. They have thoughtfully provided a ready-made template for designers searching for themes for their next action or strategy game. I’m speaking of Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds, published by the National Intelligence Council, a part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence,…

An Abstract Puzzler in the Most Artistic Sense of the Word

Dutch painters in the early 1800s sure knew how to combine lines and colors. They called the movement “De Stijl”, which is Dutch for “easily replicated in Photoshop” (or possibly “The Style”), and artist Piet Mondrian was one of its prime movers. His Composition series defined the style, inspiring artists of all types to this…

Twitter’s New Video Service is Full Of Gaming Madness

Twitter’s new video service—Vine, which lets you create six second looping videos—launched recently and has exploded in popularity. Some gamers seized on it as a chance to express their love of the hobby. Here are just a few of the best posts we found on Vine so far. Just a heads-up: This page may take…

They’re Giving Away the Coolest Giant Skylander in New York Next Week

Of all the new figures Toys for Bob introduced in Skylanders Giants, there is one I desire above all others. She’s a ninja. She’s a djinn. She’s Ninjini, and Activision is giving her away free at the Times Square Toys’R’Us on Tuesday, the jerks. Celebrating Toy Fair 2013 and the overwhelming success of the Skylanders…

Here’s a God of War: Ascension live-action trailer. Yeah.

Video Game Island Renamed After Developers Arrested, Charged With Espionage

In September 2012, a pair of developers from Bohemia Interactive—the team behind the ArmA series and the upcoming DayZ standalone game—were arrested on a Greek island and accused of espionage The island, Lemnos, was the same one being recreated for the studio’s in-development military combat simulator ArmA 3. As a result of the case against…

Report: The Next PlayStation Will Record Gameplay And Let You Share It Online

In the wake of news that Sony will announce the next PlayStation on February 20, rumors and reports are starting to circulate as journalists report everything they’ve learned about the PlayStation 4, code-named Orbis. Here’s an interesting report from Edge, who say they’ve learned the PS4 will be out later this year for the U.S.…

Skyrim DLC is coming to PS3: Dragonborn on February 12, Hearthfire on February 19, and Dawnguard on February 26.

Don’t Forget the Domo

I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind the reading public that Domo: The Journey is now available on iTunes. It’s an old-school 2D platformer in which Domo must rescue his kidnapped girlfriend. Domo can double jump. I knew he could.

Should a Lapsed World of Warcraft Gamer Return to Azeroth?

A reader named Ryan writes: “I’ve got a question that I hoped could be posed to the readers of Kotaku. I’m curious if World of Warcraft is a series to even bother getting back involved with, after I’d spent some time on it (this is prior to the Lich King and Cataclysm releases/updates/mandatory you-must-buy releases).…

Cyberpunk 2077 Will Run On A Shiny New Engine, Just In Time For The Next Generation

Less than a day after Sony teases a reveal of the PS4, CD Projekt Red—makers of the popular Witcher series—have unveiled the engine that will be powering their next-generation games. The timing of the announcement is probably a coincidence, but maybe not! Called RedEngine 3, the tech will be powering the company’s upcoming Cyberpunk 2077.…

Ni no Kuni: The Kotaku Review

It would be easy, while reviewing Ni no Kuni, to sit at my desk and fling adjectives on the page like a fantasy novelist. I’d call the game whimsical, charming, beautiful, fascinating, smart, pleasant, challenging, slow-paced, grand, surreal, and aggressively colorful. And yes, those are all fitting words for the new RPG, which came out…

This Week’s iPad Charts: Little Inferno Sets the Charts (and Everything Else) on Fire

The game that single-handedly justified the $350 I spent on Nintendo’s Wii U console back in November came to iPad this week, spreading joy and laughter to Apple tablet gamers everywhere. And flames — can’t forget the flames. Little Inferno is a magical experience. One moment you’re gleefully dropping items into your Little Inferno Entertainment…

Iron Fett? Boba Man? Yeah, Boba Man.

So special effects wizard Stan Winston has a school named after him, aimed at instructing whole new generations in the art of practical movie magic. This image was posted on their Facebook page yesterday. As loathe as I am to entertain the prospect of fanfiction, a sexy drunk playboy bounty hunter is something that could…

Indie strategy title Frozen Synapse is heading to PS Vita and PS3 via the PSN store in 2013, as Frozen Synapse: Tactics

Japanese Superheroes Getting Really, Really Effeminate

Whether it’s the Power Rangers, Ultraman, or Kamen Rider, male Japanese superheroes have one thing in common: they are tough and masculine. These poses aren’t. Blogger BakAnki snapped pictures of the superhero figurines doing poses that are, as he explained, “girly” or “photomodel-ish”. “In all seriousness,” explained BakAnki on Figure.Fm, “it’s actually harder to do…

You Got Your Castlevania in my Katawa Shoujo!

Last January saw the release of Katawa Shoujo, a fan-made visual novel based around the idea of dating girls with physical disabilities. When I first heard the concept of the game and then heard it was being made by a group who met on 4chan, I was sure it would be a horribly insensitive, offensive…