NSFW: The PS3’s New Wonderbook May Have Adult Uses After All

Sony’s Wonderbook copped laughs at E3 because it’s for kids, and grown-up gamers on the internet simply can’t abide that. But just when you thought the fancy book-and-wand set was only of use for wee ones, here’s a video from GameSpot’s Danny O’Dwyer showing its more… adult uses. In case the saxophone kicking in immediately…

Microsoft Sending Xbox Live Veterans a Custom, Free Xbox 360 [Update]

A few hours ago, Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb tweeted the following: Sounded largely unexciting, but then we got an email from a reader around the same time with these images, of a console his friend just got in the mail, emblazoned with Xbox Live 10th birthday graphics. In addition to a special box and…

You’ve Never Seen Star Fox Like This Before

Artist and reader Adam Vian certainly has a different art style. It’s more what you’d expect from the opening credits of a French movie from the 70’s than a major Nintendo video game series. Which is exactly why this looks so lovely. Star Fox Team [Adam Vian]

The Wii U’s Game Discs Have a Soft, Rounded Edge

Most have been so excited to get their discs open they haven’t been noticing, but Engadget have spotted something weird on the Wii U’s proprietary disc format: the discs’ edges are rounded. Because these are special Nintendo discs, and not DVDs or Blu-Rays, I guess the company needed to do something to differentiate their product,…

Listen to Trent Reznor’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II Theme Song (it’s Pretty Great)

That’s a headline I never thought I’d be writing, but it’s a funny old world we’re living in. Musician Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, has as we know lent his talents to the soundtrack for Black Ops II, with a theme song you can now listen to courtesy of the video above. It’s……

Guy Builds Bilbo Baggins’ House Out Of Balloons

Sometimes that’s really all you have to say: Guy builds Bilbo Baggins’ house out of balloons. And there you have it. The guy in question here is BallonGuyEnt, who makes Bag End out of balloons. At least when Gandalf hits his head in here, it won’t hurt as much. How’s everyone doing? Have a good…

Valve Was Once Making a “Space Pirate” Game

Whispers of the project have been doing the rounds for a while now, but last week Valve boss Gabe Newell gave the first confirmation that, yes, his studio had at one point been making a space game with the initials “SoB”. Where theories on what that meant ranged from “Stars of Barathrum” to the more…

Halo 4‘s Remote Detonator Has Already Reached Its Logical Conclusion

It stands to reason that most people who picked up the remote detonator in Halo 4 thought to use it in this way; but it was TheM0M0show who first documented the technique and put it on YouTube. Next time you see a mongoose cruising towards you, watch out. It may explode in your face.

Steven Sinofsky, the President of Windows and driving force behind Windows 8, has left Microsoft.

I’m Glad I Know The Lyrics To This Killer Persona 4 Song

Oh, how I love sunny days in Inaba. I know that Yukiko will be out on the street, or maybe Rise, waiting to hang out. My scooter awaits, and if I want, I can go to the beach. And best of all, every time it’s sunny, this song by Persona maestro Shoji Meguro, will be…

Darth Vader to Return From the Dead For New Star Wars Movies?

Chalk this up as either crazy or just wishful thinking, but Britain’s Daily Express is reporting that, according to a “film mole”, the new Star Wars movies will see the return of Darth Vader. You know, the guy who—SPOILERS—dies at the end of Return of the Jedi. So much so we see his body burning…

Natural Selection 2: The Kotaku Review

Natural Selection 2 is the first ever game I’ve enjoyed watching more than I’ve enjoyed playing. If that sounds like an insult, it’s certainly not intended as one. Rather, read it as perhaps one of the highest compliments I could give. Natural Selection 2 is good stuff—but playing it is only half its purpose. First,…

Reality Show Ensures Zynga’s Hiring Process Just as Spectacular as Its Firing Process

Last month Zynga laid off more than 100 game developers in a firing extravaganza set against the backdrop of Apple’s big iPad event. Thanks to CBS reality show “The Job”, the company’s hiring of a new associate game designer will be every bit as spectacular and public as that mass termination. According to a Games.com…

The Fascinating True Story Of Monopoly

It’s one of the most-played board games in the entire world, a game so well-known that its rules have become household shorthand and slang. And yet, the full story of Monopoly is a good deal deeper, more interesting, and more tragic than you may have thought. Harper’s has taken a fascinating, lengthy look back at…

Return To New Vegas: Kleptomaniacal Ethics On The Wasteland

When I play Bethesda’s open-world role-playing games, I steal. A lot. I know I’m not alone in this—in fact, I’d wager that almost every single human who has played Fallout 3 or Morrowind or Skyrim has stolen something or other. After playing so many hours of Skyrim over the past year, I’ve noticed something odd…

One Of The Best Indie RPGs Ever Made Is Getting A Sequel

If you haven’t played Tales of Game’s Studios Presents Chef Boyardee’s Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa, you really should. It’s funny, awesome, and 100% free. (Download here.) If you have played Barkley, you will undoubtedly be psyched to know that the creators are developing a sequel, called…

Devil May Cry DLC Will Let You Play Dante’s Twin Brother

Some might say it’s a little strange to announce downloadable content before your game is out. Some might call it rude, obnoxious, greedy, money-hungry, whatever. Not Capcom! They want you to know all about the first piece of Devil May Cry DLC, called “Vergil’s Downfall,” which will cost $8.99/720 Microsoft Points—unless you pre-order the game,…

The Craziest Feats Of Halo 4 Multiplayer Get Mythbusted

Do you ever wonder about really specific theoretical feats in Halo 4‘s multiplayer? Like, say, whether or not you can deflect an oddball with a gravity hammer, or trick an auto-sentry with a hologram? Wonder no longer: The folks at Defendthehouse have got you covered with the first episode of Halo 4 Mythbusters This must’ve…

Thomas Was Alone—one of this year’s most clever, best-executed games—is on Steam now. You really should get it.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II: The Snacktaku Review

I don’t know if it’s the “rating pending” box or something specific to the Xbox 360 version of the game, but I’ve been chewing for hours and all I’ve got to show for it is disc shards slicing painfully into my gums. Thanks a lot, Activision. Snacktaku is Kotaku’s take on the wild and wonderful…