This Week’s iPhone Charts: The Temple Run Effect

It’s the second week of our re-revamped iPhone game charts, and also the week after the release of Imangi’s Temple Run 2, a free sequel that has folks so excited they’re lining up to pay for Temple Run Brave Normally when you release a new free thing that’s better than any old paid thing, those…

New Borderlands 2 DLCs Add a Myriad of Skins, Heads

Here’s a look at the new costumization options available in Borderlands 2. Each set is available for 80 Microsoft Points or $0.99 / £0.75 / 0,99€ for the Xbox 360 and PS3/PC, respectively (separate from the Season Pass). You can find a shot of the “Madness” set below. A Flood of New Borderlands 2 Heads…

Prince Harry “Thrashed” Fellow Troops at FIFA While in Afghanistan

Prince Harry isn’t first in line for the U.K. throne. But he could be one of royalty’s biggest gamers. In an interview from The Daily Mail (via MCV), Prince Harry talked about his experience serving in Afghanistan. He also discussed his preference for gaming, playing sports, or flying helicopters. “You can ask the guys: I…

For Years I Hated Ghost in the Shell, Then I Grew Up

Last week, fans rejoiced at the announcement of a new Ghost in the Shell anime set to come out sometime in 2013. So far, information on the new anime is scarce, with little more than rudimentary staff information and a single piece of character art to tide us over. Still, I cheered as loud as…

Put Your Own Face on Chocolate and Terrify Loved Ones

Soon, it will be Valentine’s Day. What better way to say “I love you” than by scaring the crap out of your darling? Do-it-yourself style restaurant FabCafe in Shibuya is holding a special event that will allow you to scan your face and print out a mold. Then, a silicon version of the mold will…

The First Arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is True to its Roots (For Better or Worse)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most recognizable and longest running manga in Japan—there are currently over one hundred volumes in print. So it’s no surprise that there is a new JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime airing this season in Japan. Starting back at the beginning of the story, this anime is set to cover…

This Man Is a Farting Noise Genius

In Japanese, making farting noises with one’s hands is called “te onara” (手おなら). And as universally funny as farting noises are (c’mon, they are funny), rocking out to “Canon Rock” with farting noises isn’t just humorous, it’s friggin’ awesome. Nico Nico Douga user Abeshi originally uploaded this clip. Talent like this is rare. We must…

The new version of Iron Chef has been canned due to poor ratings, reports Nikkan Gendai. Oh, also because it sucks

This Game is Like a Mix Between Tag and Mario Kart

Run for Money Toshochu: Escape the Greatest Hunters in History on the 3DS, while virtually unheard of in the West, it is one of the most popular 3DS game of last year in Japan. Much like the TV show it is based on, Run for Money Toshochu: Escape the Greatest Hunters in History is set…

The Physics of… Face Slapping

Nico Nico Douga user MuniMuni modeled Buddhist goddess Thousand-armed Kannon in a physics engine to see what would happen if the deity slapped someone in the face. Initially, MuniMuni created the goddess with all one thousand arms, but that turned each cluster of limbs into giant blobs. Instead, MuniMuni decided that 42 arms seemed a…

A Father Took Seven Years to Draw This Maze. It Might Be Impossible to Clear.

When not racking up scores on Konami music game Jubeat, Kya7y is on Twitter. And something she recently shared there, for lack of a better word, is amazing. Thirty years ago, she tweeted, her dad spent seven years and several months drawing this maze on a sheet of A1 paper that measures approximately 35 by…

Hello Gaijin-san Face, Open Wide!

This week, Japanese restaurant chain Gusto started running a new series of commercials. It features the above woman, a “handsome foreign man” as the chain’s website says, and two comedians. So, what’s the problem? The two Japanese comedians in the commercial, Ungirls, can be funny—at times. For this spot, they are “disguised”. This is a…

Watch StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm‘s Opening Right Here

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is the upcoming expansion for StarCraft II. And as this opening cinematic shows, it starts with a bang. Heart of the Swarm will be out this March. The next expansion, Legacy of the Void, will be out at a later date. In case you missed it, check out Kotaku‘s…

Uh, Link, You Might Want To Pick On Someone Your Own Size

Artist Tom Kyster wanted to paint a picture of Skyward Sword’s Silent Realm Guardians for a recent Zelda art show. Sadly, he missed the deadline. Happily, he finished the piece anyway and sent it over, because it’s pretty damn good. You can see more of Tom’s art at his personal site and blog

Mr. Devil May Cry “Fan”, This Is Not How Democracy Works

The Obama administration has a lot of important things to do. Weighed against acts of governing the world’s sole superpower, the Devil May Cry series is not important, no matter what some crazy fans might argue. Don’t tell that to the creators of this petition on the White House’s official site, though, who plead with…

EA Was Out To “Trick” Gamers, Says Alice Creator American McGee

The marketing for Alice: Madness Returns was dark. The game itself, though, was mostly just strange, with a dash of quaint. Why the disconnect? Well, according to the series’ creator American McGee, it’s all EA’s fault. In a Reddit AMA thread yesterday, McGee says that while Shy The Sun (a creative company brought in to…

Lady Wants To Role-Play Star Trek, Posts Crazy Craigslist Ad

Wanting to engage in the most literal type of role-playing there is, a woman has posted an ad on Craigslist seeking “2 or 3 women for Star Trek roleplaying”. The fact it has to end with the line “Nothing weird is going to happen” hints that, yeah, maybe some weird stuff is going to happen.…

Nerd Artist Gives The Xbox A Long-Overdue Makeover

Artist Cory Schmitz has, just for fun, taken the idea of redesigning the Xbox “brand” and run with it. I like where he’s ended up. Maintaining the green and prominent “X”, just about everything else we associate with the platform’s marketing is gone, replaced with something far cleaner and more distinct. Just, literally, an X…

How Many Arms Does It Take To Screw In A Sci-Fi Lightbulb?

Jeong Shin is a concept artist who, having previously worked at toy company Mattel, is now employed at Ubisoft Montreal, where some of the projects he’s worked on include Far Cry 3 and Watch Dogs If you like what you see here, you can check out more of Jeong’s stuff on his personal site To…

You Won’t Get A New Daytona, But This Is Probably The Next Best Thing

For a lot of people, myself included, the arcade racer was at the peak of its powers in the 1990s. Games like Daytona, SCUD Race and a guilty pleasure of mine, Namco’s Ace Driver, hit a sweet spot of visual prowess, accessibility and the opportunity for public showmanship. So it’s nice to see someone else…