XCOM Could Have Let The Aliens Win

Did you like that XCOM art we posted yesterday? Well, one of the artists behind it was Piero Macgowan, and tonight we’re going to taking a closer look at his work. Mexican-born Macgowan works at Civilization and (duh) XCOM studio Firaxis as a Senior Concept Artist, which means in addition to the alien-fighting pics you’ll…

Finally, a Hobbit Gets Set on Fire

Following on from the terrific “pissed off Cave Troll” video, Brotherhood Workshop have released a second LEGO / Lord of the Rings clip which is just as good. This time Halloween descends on the Shire, and while the Hobbits are right into the spirit of things, Aragorn could do with lightening up a little. LEGO…

If Sega Made a Smash Bros. Game, I Would Die a Happy Man

A criticism levelled at Sony’s upcoming PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (aside from the name) is the fact that the brand is lacking in the star power of Nintendo’s Smash Bros. series. Which it is, no question. Nobody can match Nintendo for the number of famous mascots it has under its wing. But if one company…

Hey Internet, Let’s Help Zach Braff Find Out What Minecraft Is

Comedian and actor Zach Braff, perhaps in a moment of confusion, took to Twitter like it was Google yesterday to ask the ethereal masses what Minecraft was. His responses were about what you’d expect.

You Literally Need a Beer to Play This Game

There are plenty of games that are better after a few drinks, but I can’t think of any other that literally require you to have one in your hand while playing in order for the thing to work. Corona Beach Volleyball does. The advergame from the beer label will only launch if it detects a…

Doom 3 Disappears From Steam in Shady Move

You used to be able to get Doom 3 for cheap on Steam, on account of the game being pretty damn old. But ever since the release of its updated sibling, Doom 3 BFG edition, the original is nowhere to be found. You can’t buy it. Well, you can, technically, but only as part of…

Hope you weren’t thinking of getting a Wii U from GameStop this year; their waiting list is over 250,000 strong

Mass Effect Movie Goes Back to the Drawing Board

The Mass Effect movie has been in pre-production limbo for years now, and looks set to stay that way for a while yet, with Variety reporting that the script handed in by Thor writer Mark Protosevich has been binned, with TV writer Morgan Davis Foehl taking over. Foehl’s an interesting choice; he doesn’t have a…

Internet Got You Down? Relax.

The wonderful, and mysterious gif master noirlac is to thank for this relaxing end to Wednesday, the 24th of October, 2012. noirlac [Tumblr]

This Dog’s Halloween Costume Gets Funnier The More Excited He Gets

Oh, you adorable puppy, you. (I call all dogs puppies, shush.) Spotted in Tompkins Square Park, NYC at the Halloween Dog Parade, this cutie wagged his tail (or nose?) with increasing ferventness. He looks a little violated, though, when he turns around and notices these random people, including nycpackrat, staring at his butt. It’s cause…

ESRB Opens No-Cost Ratings Service for Digitally Distributed Games

Downloadable games sold through the three console makers’ online services will be rated by what the Entertainment Software Ratings Board is calling a “streamlined, no-cost service,” in a statement released today by the ESRB. The new “Digital Rating Service” gives developers and publishers access to a “brief but detailed online questionnaire” to define a product’s…

If You Like Running Down A Street And Shoving People, You’ll Probably Like This Game

This is Shove Pro, a new game that is hitting iPad and iPhone this November. It… well, I think I’ll just let this silly trailer speak for itself.

This Weird, Bad Xbox Dating Game Is Brilliant To Play With Friends

I would never have enjoyed playing Don’t Die Dateless, Dummy! if I had played it alone. And yet on Saturday, I stopped by the Revision3 offices in San Francisco to help keep them going on their 24-hour Extra Life charity drive. We played the game. And I enjoyed myself quite a bit. The weirdly-written dating…

Join the Jalopnik-Kotaku Club in Forza Horizon and Get These Six Cars For Free, Sort Of [Updated]

Forza Horizon, which released yesterday, introduces a “car club” concept to the game, and it isn’t just a leaderboard of your friends. You may share your best rides with anyone else who joins up, and they may take those cars out on the open road of Forza Horizon‘s Colorado. Update Car clubs are capped at…

Team Fortress 2 is Celebrating Halloween (Again)

Like clockwork, the coming of Halloween also signals the coming of some special Team Fortress 2 stuff, heralded today by the release of a new comic and teases for a showdown between the mercs and Merasmus. Doommates [TF2]

Midweek Moneysaver: Out on the Horizon

This Wednesday edition of Kotaku’s The Moneysaver catches all the offers, promotions and bargains that can’t wait until the weekend. The Midweek Moneysaver is brought to you by Dealzon. Software • Yesterday’s release Forza Horizon (360) for $59.99 comes with a $15 Gift Card at NewEgg. Elsewhere no bonus. [Dealzon] • Yesterday’s release Medal of…

Watch the First 22 Minutes of Assassin’s Creed III

A video has leaked showing the opening 22 minutes of Assassin’s Creed III. Spoilers ahead, so watch at your own risk.

Someone Put Portal‘s Wheatley In Halo And Now I Can’t Stop Laughing

Cortana bickering with Wheatley: think about it. The two are strong personalities in their own rights, but put together they make for some hilarious banter. I would never have imagined Wheatley’s deadpan humor to work so well under the seriousness of Halo‘s plotline, but apparently Toadking07 did and I’m all the happier for it. Wheatley…

Quantum Conundrum Creators Bravely Venture Into Mobile Gaming with PIXLD

Quantum Conundrum‘s Kim Swift (because I am tired of typing Portal creator) and her team at Airtight Games have undergone a startling epiphany—mobile phones can play games. They’ve launched Airtight Mobile to take advantage of this discovery, with the first of these “mobile phone games” dropping next week. It’s called PIXLD. From the official announcement…

New PlayStation 3 Hack May Be One That Sony Can’t Stop

The PlayStation 3 has been around since 2006, and since roughly 2006 hackers have been trying to have their way with it. The system has proven a relatively tough nut to crack, though not an impossible one. The last major rooting incident was back in 2011 Sony released a major firmware update for the PS3…