Mass Effect Trilogy Compilation Brings All Three Games to Xbox 360, PC This Fall; PS3 Version Coming Later [Update]

EA has announced all three Mass Effect games will be available for the price of one when EA releases the Mass Effect Trilogy compilation on November 6th, 2012 for Xbox 360 and PC. The collection marks the first time that the original Mass Effect—which was released as an Xbox 360 exclusive—will be playable on the…

LEGO Gandalf Actually Talks, While Moving Through Movie Landscapes, In LEGO Lord of the Rings

The upcoming LEGO Lord of the Rings video game does, indeed, look to be absolutely adorable. But the Lord of the Rings films were more sweeping and epic than they were cute and cuddly. (Certain Hobbit and Shire moments aside, of course.) Can the game re-create that same sense? The developers certainly seem to think…

15 Simple Rules for Making a Successful Free-to-Play Game

Free-to-play is the driving force in today’s mobile and social games — we start playing them because there is no cost to do so. Whether or not we keep playing them may well depend on the 15 rules of free-to-play outlined by Gamesbrief‘s Nicholas Lovell earlier today at the F2P Summit in London. Edge‘s Nathan…

The First Look at Total War: Rome II ’s Gameplay Has Freakin’ Battle Elephants.

By the gods, this first glimpse of the the battles between the ancient empire of Rome and Carthage looks amazing. The video above is purportedly cut from in-game footage and this clip—coupled with the screens we saw during the summer—sure make it seem like Creative Assembly’s next strategy opus is going to be a visual…

Wonder Woman Is About to Stab Batman with Superman’s Baby Rocket. Guess They’re Not Friends Anymore.

This statue pictured above will be coming with the collector’s edition of Injustice: Gods Among Us, the fighting game that pits DC Comics’ most popular super heroes against each other. (Don’t worry; they fight villains, too.) The sculpture shows just how much the relationships must have deteriorated between the members of the Justice League, what…

Gameloft Live Brings Its Fancy 3D Avatars to iOS

What, Game Center wasn’t good enough for us? Gameloft Live brings the Xbox Live-ish experience Android gamers have been futzing about with to iPhone and iPad, complete with 3D avatars, social networking, multiplayer challenges and unlockable rewards. Look at me, I’m so damn skinny, and my virtual representation is far less lazy about shaving his…

Dishonored Characters Get Freaky Recreations on SyFy Reality Show

SyFy show Face Off—no relation to the film with one of Nick Cage’s most hilarious outbursts—is a reality show where makeup artists compete on projects with one another. Like Top Chef but with movie characters. Last night’s episode assigned said makeup artists to delve into the world of Dishonored, creating ogreish characters that I have…

Guns Made from Bones (Yes, BONES)

The materials artist Bruce Mahalski uses are hardly typical—neither is what he creates with them. He works with bones to produce, among other things, replica pistols and assault rifles. The result is beautiful, yet unsettling, and provides a stark reminder of the power that these weapons have. Yet, the artist doesn’t necessarily see it that…

Here’s the Wii U’s Official Lineup for Launch Day and Beyond

The Wii U launches in North America on the 18th of November, 2012. Here are the 23 games that are launching with the system, as well as those coming before March 2013. It’s a rather large launch window Nintendo has defined for the Wii U launch, giving publishers four months to make it onto this…

Japanese Beer Girls Inspired a Resident Evil 6 Monster

For years, Japanese beer companies have had famous pin-up models pose with frosty brews. Publicity posters were tacked up in izakaya (Japanese pub) style restaurants across the country. Those posters still exist (though they are on the wane when compared to a decade ago!) and live on in Resident Evil 6. Note: This post contains…

Japanese Man Arrested for Hamburger Fraud

Hamburger scamsters out there, take note! Thirty-five year-old Akira Watanabe was recently nabbed for trying to pull a fast one—with a hamburger and a hair. The unemployed man apparently returned a burger he had order, saying it had a hair in it and that he felt sick and couldn’t eat. The hair, it seems, was…

Hey, You’ve Got Nausicaä in My Final Fantasy IX

Since the Final Fantasy games have been so incredibly influential, it’s interesting to see where FF‘s designers have looked for their own inspiration. It’s no secret that Final Fantasy has apparently been influenced by Studio Ghibli. The Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga, for example, most likely inspired Final Fantasy‘s Chocobo—those big yellow…

The Foxconn factory that assembles the iPhone 5 is back online. Riots recently broke out apparently over labor tensions.

First Details on New Jiggly Ninja Game include Inevitable Destructible Outfits

When game designer Kenichiro Takaki thought about what he wanted to see in 3D on the Nintendo 3DS, one thing (er, two things?) came to mind. The result was Senran Kagura. Now the curvy ninja game is making its way to the PS Vita as Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus – Young Girls’ Proof This week’s…

Japan Has a Thunderbirds Cafe, and It’s Freakin’ Amazing

Retro British TV lives on in Tokyo. Iconic program Thunderbirds has its own official cafe, which serves up salute and Thunderbirds fandom. The food doesn’t exactly look spectacular, but the inside of the restaurant definitely does. Inside, there are rare items from the show as well as replica Thunderbird vehicles on display. Episodes are on…

What’s Better than Giant Bugs? Giant Live Action Bugs!

B-movie director Minoru Kawasaki, known for masterpieces like Executive Koala, directed a live action commercial to promote Earth Defense Force 3: Portable for the PS Vita. It stars pin-up model Risa Yoshiki, and you can watch it above. 地球防衛軍3 PORTABLE THE COMMERCIAL [SonyJp@YouTube] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the…

The Guns, The Hair, and the Dudes of Resident Evil

Resident Evil is wall-to-wall memorable characters. Fans haven’t only fallen in love with the female protagonists. They also adore the men of Resident Evil And why wouldn’t they? The guys are cool, decked in nice threads with rad hair. And then there’s the swank paramilitary gear, too. Fancy! Last week, Kotaku took a look at…

Norwegian Retailer Has a Fantasy Wii U Launch Lineup

Norwegian retailer CDON has, as it should, a page up ready for people order Wii U games. It’s also got something most other retailers don’t: listings for games many Nintendo fans can only dream of. Among the known and incoming games like Tank!Tank!Tank! and New Super Mario Bros. U, there are listings for games that…

The Spy Hunter Movie is Still Being Made, Gets New Director

According to a report on Vulture, Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer is now at the helm of the Spy Hunter movie, a project which has been on and off more times than a freakin’ light switch He’ll be directing and executive producing. Or, at least, he will be for six months before he disappears and we…

Ferrets as Famous Video Game Characters. It’s Way Better Than You Think.

Russian artist Amales has been featured here on Kotaku before. For her ferrets. But boy, in the time since, she’s been busy Not only is she fleshing out the rest of the cast of the Mass Effect series, but she’s also featuring other animorphic transformations like Diablo III’s Monk and Dead Space’s Isaac. I know,…