Infinite Lives in Candy Crush Saga Isn’t Cheating, It’s Time Travel

Since King.com released the mobile version of popular Facebook puzzler Candy Crush Saga, I’ve been praising the developer’s flawless implementation on iOS and Android. While fiddling about with my iPhone’s time settings over the weekend I discovered that’s not entirely the case—the mobile versions will let players cheat. It’s not quite cheating in a traditional…

The Hierarchy of Video Game Haters

I’ve been writing for Kotaku, off and on, since 2007. I’ve been reading it longer than that. One of the accounts I follow on Twitter (follow me!) begs me to not read the comments on blogs. Of course, I don’t listen, and that is why my head is crammed with weird shards of anecdotal evidence…

The Only Thing Missing From My Mobile Arsenal is This Robotic Battle Tank

The phone-controlled robotic pet battle escalates significantly today with the launch of Desk Pets’ Battle Tank, the tiny tread-borne desktop terror, ready to roam about your work surface narrowly avoiding obstacles until it’s needed in battle. The Battle Tank might not have the sleek futuristic style of Desk Pets’ TankBot, but it makes up for…

You’re Probably Not As Prepared For The Impending Zombie Apocalypse As These Kids

WHEN THE ZOMBIES COME (the title is actually in caps) is a short documentary that’s being shown at this year’s Sundance. And, well, on the internet right now. It’s about the staff of a rural hardware store—all massive Walking Dead fans—who bored and with with a large amount of dangerous things at their disposal set…

Litterbug Frightens Net Cafe Attendant With Fake Gun

Guns are a rarity in China. The only places you’d find guns are in military bases, State-run buildings with People’s Liberation Army guards, the military police, or the occasional “country club” with a shooting range. The gun situation in China is almost exactly like it was explained in last year’s Sleeping Dogs; hard to come…

The Goal of This 3DS Game: Catch Your Cheating Boyfriend

Men, don’t trust ’em! The Uwaki Kareshi (THE 浮気彼氏) or “The Cheating Boyfriend” is built around the idea of confronting your wayward love. During the investigation mode, you search your boyfriend’s room for suspicious items like, oh I dunno, women’s perfume or a hostess’s business card. Then, you confront the guy and try to catch…

This Is a Marathon. A Cosplay Marathon.

The next Tokyo Marathon takes place in late February. Last fall it was named one of the six World Marathon Majors, joining the likes of New York, Boston, London, and more. But, the Tokyo Marathon is just filled with your typical marathon runners. There are also a noticeable group of cosplay runners dressed up as…

I’d Rather Play Fire Emblem Than Play This Clone

I’m a huge fan of Nintendo’s strategy RPG series Fire Emblem. In fact, I’m just a fan of well done SRPGs (strategy role-playing games). Unfortunately not many get translated to English; just look at the Super Robot Wars series. The lack of new SRPGs and the fact that I had to wait a month for…

This Might Be North Korea’s Newest Prison Camp

Late last week, Google Earth updated satellite imagery that blogger and internet sleuth Curtis Melvin (via WSFJ) thinks could show the country’s latest gulag. As the Wall Street Journal points out, there are six gulags in North Korea, not including this possible one. They are located in mountainous regions. Some are larger than major cities…

How to Make Ash and Pikachu Totally Freaky

This is Pikachu, and his trainer, Ash (or “Satoshi” as he’s called in Japan). This is how they’ve looked in the Pokémon anime. Nothing really strange here at all. Ash and Pikachu, hanging out. Got it. But if you, like Twitter user @KoTa_OTL want to mix things up and get crazy, here ya go: This…

Grown Man Refuses To Eat Until Parents Allow Him to Play Video Games

Tantrums involving video games are nothing new, particularly when they involve children losing their gaming privileges. However, when the tantrum is thrown by a young adult, it becomes something that’s, well… sad. That’s exactly what happened to the Yang family in Chongqing last week as reported by the Chongqing Times. Yang Yang (pseudonym) was at…

For Over $450, You Too Can Live in Japanese Nerd Heaven. (Well, In a Box.)

Tokyo’s Akihabara is Japanese nerd heaven. If you are a geek in Tokyo, then you’ll want to spend some time in Akihabara. Maybe you’ll want to live there. Then maybe you can live here? You get one room, a bunk bed, a space under your bunk bed, a TV, an air conditioner and a shower…

Forget Final Fantasy for a Minute, These Vegetable Fairies Are Magical

Yoshitaka Amano has an impressive resume that’s a lot more than just Final Fantasy. Before joining Square Enix, he designed characters for a slew of classic anime, such as Gatchaman. And since stepping down as lead character creator after Final Fantasy VI, Amano has teamed up with a variety of folks, including Neil Gaiman. But…

Super-Slim PS3 Is Coming in Blue and in Red

Later this month in Japan, the 250GB super slim PS3 will be available in Azurite Blue and Garnet Red. Each is priced at ¥24,980 (US$279). If you haven’t seen it, check out how the super-slim PS3 looks compared to other modern consoles. 「プレイステーション ３」（CECH-4000Bシリーズ） [PlayStation]

Finding Porn While Searching for Pokémon X? Maybe You’re Doing It Wrong.

The new Pokémon games are titled Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Have you ever searched either of those games on Google? If you are stumbling upon pornography, it might not be Pokémon, it could be you. Kotaku has been getting tips that point out entering “Pokemon X Videos” on Google turns up X-rated porn. Forums,…

Damn It, Owlboy, Why Aren’t You Out Yet

It’s been a long time coming. A long, long time, and still no release date in sight. But indie adventure/platformer Owlboy looks worth the wait. This video, released over the weekend, showcases both the music of composer Jonathan Geer and the game’s charming art style, which for want of something more descriptive reminds me of…

Pokémon Comes To Life In The Most Electrifying Way

Canadian street artist (and animator, and character designer) Aiden Glynn likes to take everyday objects on the street and bring a little life to them, turning them into characters from video games and cartoons. So a power box becomes Diglett, and an old barrel out the front of a restaurant becomes a prop from Donkey…

The US branch of Atari is filing for bankruptcy, says the LA Times. It’s not really Atari, but still, sad times.

Giant 20-Inch Gordon Freeman Statue Keeps Headcrabs Off Your Bookshelf

Gaming Heads, a company that’s been making Valve-related merchandise for a few years now, will later this year be brining out this impressive (and huge) Gordon Freeman statue. Standing 20″ tall and available in Q3, the regular edition will sell for $320, while a collector’s edition (that comes with an extra weapons, the SMG) will…

Real Man Becomes Walking Horror Inside Skyrim’s Daedric Armour

Sometimes, if the outfit deserves it, I skip the usual “best of the last week” roundup stuff and just concentrate on a single costume. I’m doing that this week, because this Skyrim piece definitely deserves it. The last time I honoured a Skyrim outfit like this was in November 2012, but that gallery was helped…