The Rise of China’s Board Game Cafes

China is a big place but with its huge population (1.4 billion) mostly gathered in urban environments, space is becoming more of a commodity. Grown from this need for space, “board game cafes” began to spring out in major cities much like internet cafes did. In early 2010 a new trend broke out in China,…

My Model Building Skills Are Not This Awesome

Gunhed, the 1989 film that’s since become a cult hit, is getting a new Gunhed plastic model kit from Kotobukiya. At the Kotobukiya shop in Akihabara, there’s a big display on the kit, showing off various versions of the kit completed by several highly talented model makers. The resulting pieces are wonderful. If only I…

Hatsune Miku on the PS3 Lets Players Pick Up Where They Left Off

Hatsune Miku -Project Diva- f has been one the biggest PS Vita titles as of yet. Selling over 159,000 copies in its first week, the PS Vita rhythm game featuring the famous virtual idol will be getting a PS3 version, Hatsune Miku -Project Diva- F. Notice the big F! According to the developers, in an…

From the looks of it, Scott Holden had an epic Halloween with his ATST costume. Above, you can see it in motion.

In Earth Defense Force, This Guy Calls in Air Strikes

The Earth Defense Force has its array of various enemies-giant ants, spiders, UFOs, robots, etc. In terms of player characters, while the arsenal has been quite plentiful, the only choices have been the standard infantry unit and the flying Pale Wing. Earth Defense Force 4 is mixing things up a little more with the addition…

The PS3 Gets Certified in China, Which *Might* Mean No More Console Ban

Video game consoles are available throughout China. Officially, they are banned. But that might be changing. According to this China Compulsory Certificate document (via Sina Weibo and TechinAsia), Sony was issued a compulsory safety mark necessary to sell products in China. The document originally surfaced on Chinese social networking sites, but it can also be…

Today Is “Sushi Day” in Japan

While certainly not a national holiday, November 1 is “Sushi Day” (“Sushi no hi” or すしの日) in Japan. Good news if you love sushi. Sushi Day was started in 1961 by the country’s sushi guild as a way to promote the food. November was selected because it’s after the rice harvest and seafood is especially…

Sony Thinks It Will Sell Slightly Fewer PS Vitas and PSPs

Don’t fret! Sony is doing better and slowly turning things around. However, the Tokyo-based electronics giant is a little less bullish on its gaming handhelds. From Reuters: “Sony cut its forecast for full-year sales of its hand-held PSP and Vita game consoles to 10 million from a previous forecast of 12 million.” Sony posts small…

The Top Ten Ways to Smash a Pumpkin (in Glorious Slow-Motion)

Now that Halloween’s done, you could probably do with a little release. Let the whole thing just go So here’s a video showing ten ways to destroy a pumpkin, using everyday household items like lightsabers and light explosives, brought to you by Thrash Lab Note: nearly all of these are marked “don’t try this at…

Minecraft Cathedral is a Digital Place of Worship

GNRFrancis’ Minecraft cathedral, built by hand (well, mouse) from over two million blocks and featuring a fully-detailed interior, took him over a year to build. If you want to zoom around the place yourself, it’s available for download here Minecraft Epic Cathedral (2,082,348 Blocks used) [YouTube, via PC Gamer]

The Cutest Stormtrooper Halloween Has Ever Seen

So, two years ago, little Katie Goldman was bullied at school because she was a girl who had a Star Wars drink bottle. It was a sad tale then, one which resulted in an outpouring of support for Katie, but nothing then could match the gift she got for this Halloween. The 501st Legion, a…

In France, the PS Vita Is Being Promoted with Four Breasts

The PS Vita has front touch and rear touch, giving the portable a new type of gaming sensation. Here, a French PS Vita promotional ad’s interpretation of that dual touch sensation seems somewhat different フランスのVita広告がけっこうエロいwww [@Goldengreg via ゲーハー黙示録]

‘Til StarCraft do They Part…

Kim Rom, from periperal company SteelSeries, is actually going to use this on top of the cake at his wedding. Bravo. romk.im is nerd [Tumblr]

We Have a Winner For “Craziest DLC of the Year”

And the award goes, surprisingly, to a Paradox strategy game for the PC, with the announcement yesterday of Crusader Kings II’s “Sunset Invasion” DLC. Here’s the official brief: In the latest DLC for the critically-acclaimed strategy/RPG Crusader Kings II, Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studios pose the question – what would have happened if the…

The Wikipad is Delayed

WikiPad, the Android tablet/game controller combo, was originally scheduled to be released today. Due to last-minute “refinements”, it’s been delayed, with a new release date to be announced eventually, I’m sure. GameStop customers that preordered the tablet and were completely freaking surprised today will have it made up to them with some sort of extra…

The Scariest Game I Have Ever Played

It’s not a Resident Evil game, not Amnesia, not Slender. It’s 1992 adventure game Alone in the Dark. The original Alone in the Dark This intro might not scare you, since nothing really happens, but that was exactly why the game was so terrifying. It was so minimal. Just the crunch of your footsteps, the…

Three Very Fancy New 3DS XL Designs

In December, through its local iQue branding, Nintendo will release these three special 3DS XL units for the Chinese market that not only boast fancy designs, but include Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land as pre-installed games. iQue 3DS XL [Nintendo]

The Sandy Aftermath, As Covered by Kotaku And Our Sister Sites

It’s no secret that Kotaku and our sister sites at Gawker Media got walloped this week after our datacenter was flooded by Hurricane Sandy and our sites were knocked offline. We’ve taken to Tumblr, setting up alternative versions of our sites, where we’ve worked to give readers as much of a proper Kotaku, Deadspin, Gawker,…

This Awesome Video Will Test Your Gaming Alphabet

This is Alphagames, an amazing video put together by Evan Seitz. As it goes from A to Z, with a fairly recognisable game for each letter along the way, his animations and selections go from awesome to hilarious to, well, both. I could watch just the Uncharted one all day, on a loop, and still…

The “Bulk” of George Lucas’ $4 Billion Will go to Charity

According to a report on THR, the “majority” of the $4 billion George Lucas is receiving for the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney (he owns 100% of the company) will be going to charity. “George Lucas has expressed his intention, in the event the deal closes, to donate the majority of the proceeds to his…