The Year in Arrows Starts Right Now!

On Feb. 12, 2012, Kotaku introduced “The Kotaku Network,” which brings you the best that TV has to offer: regularly scheduled programming. We hatched segments like Off-Kilter, Melodic, Sportaku, and Panel Discussion, and dedicated blocks of time on the site to their topics. But soon into this idea, a problem emerged: How do we let…

Fox News Expert Links Connecticut Shooting To Violent Video Games

We have yet to hear all the details on today’s horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which claimed the lives of 27 people this morning. News is still trickling in as we learn about what happened, how it happened, and why it happened. But Fox News is already bringing in experts to link the massacre to…

Today’s horror in Connecticut is on all our minds. If it’s something you want to talk about with each other, do so here.

The Press Row podcast, aka the most important podcast in sports video gaming, just released episode 7. Hear it here.

The Best Controls Of 2012

Video games are more than lasers and explosions, rules and design, music and graphics. They require input, and so they require controls. But human interface can be a dicy thing—so tough to get right, so easy to screw up. The games of 2012 have given us some fantastic new control schemes, interesting and satisfying ways…

Layoffs Reported At Machinima [Update]

The YouTube network Machinima seems to have laid off at least some of their staff. Details are still pouring in, and we’ll update this post as we hear more, but we’ve seen reports on Twitter about layoffs at the large video network. Update: This afternoon, a Machinima rep sent over the following statement: Today Machinima…

ChefVille ‘Ginger and Ginger’ Quests: Everything You Need to Know

Having trouble keeping enough Ginger on hand to cook ChefVille‘s new Christmas dishes? Ginger (the character) is here to help out with the launch of Ginger Crates. Similar to Pumpkin Hay Bales, these Ginger Crates can be tended only a few times before they disappear and need to be rebuilt. They’ve been released alongside two…

Here’s a 2013 Game You Should Be Excited About: Storyteller

Storyteller is an upcoming puzzle game about making stories. With a computer mouse, grab some characters, some objects, some captions and drop them into a few panels and see what tale they tell. Rearrange them to change the story. It’s that simple. Watch the game’s new trailer above. It’s that cool. Daniel Benmergui has been…

Baldur’s Gate 3 Was Almost Made Four Years Ago

Here’s a heartbreaker: Obsidian Entertainment was *this* close to starting work on Baldur’s Gate 3. They spent over a year negotiating the deal. And then the whole thing fell apart. Speaking to me as part of an extensive interview—which will be part of a larger feature on Obsidian that will be up on Kotaku Monday—Obsidian…

Go read the year’s cutest conversation about Super Mario between a five year old and her dad.

Match-Three Puzzles and Word Games Collide in One Phenomenal iOS Title

There’s a new match-three puzzle or word game on iTunes every week. App stores across all mobile platforms are flooded by games from these two genres, and it doesn’t feel like there’s much any developer could do to innovate in either. But what if we combine the two? Developer About Fun does just that with…

The Last of Us‘ latest character reveal introduces Tess, Joel’s criminal partner in the game’s grim future.

Game of Thrones In Minecraft Is Still Pretty As Hell

The folks behind Westeroscraft are hard at work on their ridiculous project to re-create the whole world of Game of Thrones in Minecraft Their latest work: a total overhaul of King’s Landing, the capital city that you can see in the shots above. (Wondering how they got the pictures to look so good? Check out…

Don’t Worry, Devil May Cry Fans: Dante Still Enjoys Pizza And Being Shirtless.

Remember Devil May Cry 3? Remember the intro, when a semi-nude Dante punched the living crap out of a bunch of demons while holding a slice of pizza in his mouth? Apparently Ninja Theory did, and they decided to have a pizza party of their own. The above GIF, captured from the intro of the…

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is Live and Pretty Disappointing

Sneaking past me onto iTunes this morning, DeNA’s Asian import Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is now available for free download. Just don’t expect much in the ways of bells or whistles. In fact, there’s no sound at all. Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is one of those collectible card games I love so much, only instead…

Did a major gaming chain robo-call you yesterday, too? “This is an important message from GameStop!” Spoiler: It wasn’t.

Here’s (Most Of) Team Kotaku Reunited In New York City

Well, most of Team Kotaku, anyway! From left to right, front to back: Stephen Totilo, Chris Person, Yours Truly, Mike Fahey, Jason Schreier, Kirk Hamilton, Evan Narcisse, and Owen Good. The team is usually scattered across the US, but Fahey, Owen and Kirk flew over from their respective cities to celebrate the holidays at homebase.…

Asheron’s Call 2 lives again! … If you’re an Asheron’s Call subscriber, that is. If so, you can now play for free

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: The Kotaku Review

“I’ve found it is the small things, every act of normal folk that keeps the darkness at bay,” Gandalf the Grey says somewhere near the middle of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. “Simple acts, of kindness and love.” The Hobbit is not a small movie, but it is filled with small people doing small things.…

First Dirty Bomb Gameplay Trailer Shows a Loud, Messy Urban Battlefield

Following up on last month’s trailer, here’s a look at some pre-alpha multiplayer gameplay from Dirty Bomb. The trailer takes us to a smoldering, half-destroyed version of London, presumably one of the levels of Brink developer Splash Damage’s new free-to-play title. We get to see mostly scenes of infantry action, though a few moments of…