Sometimes A Game About Opening Boxes Is More Fun Than A Game About Shooting, Driving or Jumping

There is a box, and you must open it. The iPad game The Room is as simple as that and is more fun than Christmas morning. All you’re doing in Fireproof Studios’ The Room is opening boxes, but you’re doing it in the most complex way. These boxes have hidden knobs, secret levers, secret messages…

One Guy Hit Borderlands 2‘s Level Cap in a Record-Setting 43 Hours

Matt Siegfried wanted to be first. So, the championship gamer—who’s already notched #1 rankings in various titles—got Borderlands 2 as soon as he could at a midnight launch and started playing right away. Less than two days later, Siegfried (who plays under the name “Blitz”) set a time record for hitting the level cap of…

What Am I Missing?

I have a bona fide PC gaming machine again. First time in years. I also have a Steam account and had some time this weekend to download a batch of games. The results are in the shot above. I’ve not been a PC gamer for a long time and missed a lot of classics. I’ve…

God of Blades is An Entirely Different Sort of Blade Runner

A nameless king swings a vast array of bladed weapons to the left while running through Roger Dead Yes album covers in God of Blades, coming to iTunes on September 27 from White Whale Games I grew up listening to the band Yes, so a game that combines pulp fantasy and 70s synth-prog style holds…

A Lovely Zelda Painting Comes To Life In Time-Lapse Video

Watch British artist Shanna May draw this cute Zelda painting in just four minutes. Ocarina not necessary. You can buy the painting here. You can also buy prints, in case for some reason you don’t want to spend £850 (~$1,377) on a canvas painting. Legend Of Zelda – Mega Painting [YouTube via GoNintendo]

The Japanese Version of Demons’ Score is a Much Better Deal

Last week iNiS’ rhythm-shooter Demons’ Score hit the North American app store, disappointing many fans by padding the $6.99 game with nearly $40 of additional content. Meanwhile, in Japan, the entire game costs just $20. NeoGAF poster StarCreator popped into the Japanese app store this weekend, where they discovered that the native version of Square…

Borderlands 2 Has A Ridiculous Number Of Hidden Secrets. Here Are All The Ones We Know About. [Update: More Stuff!]

Borderlands 2 is a game that will keep you happily busy for some time. But if you want to experience all the game has to offer, you’ll have to hunt after all the easter eggs and hidden secrets. And there are a lot. Here are just a few we’ve found. Let us know if you’ve…

Dragon Ball Exhaustion, Fancy Outfits, and More Excitement from Tokyo Game Show’s Last Day

Well, this year’s Tokyo Game Show has drawn to a close. It was a busy show, but it was great to cover it with most of Kotaku East (save for the lovely Eric Jou, who was in Macau, eating heart attacks). Bummer that more of Kotaku couldn’t have been here, either, but whaddayagonnado. This year,…

Chinese Cosplayer Attacked for Dressing as, Um, a Chinese Character

Over the last two weeks China an Japan have been at a war of words over who owns the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. This dispute has created turmoil within China, as Chinese protesters run amok attacking anything that is even remotely related to Japan. Last friday, it appears the protests may have taken a wrong turn as…

I’m Sold on the Wii U GamePad’s Multiplayer

While at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, I got my first hands on with the Wii U. Other Kotaku editors have used the Wii U plenty, but since I didn’t go to E3, this was my first. Prior to picking it up for the first time, I really didn’t have high expectations for it—nor did…

Macau: The Gaming Capital Of The World But With Less Games and More Games

Macau or as the Chinese spell it, Macao, is the gaming capital of the world. Its annual gaming revenue stream is set to be five times that of Las Vegas by the end of this year and it’s expected to continue to grow. However while Macau is the gaming capital or Asia, all it really…

Nintendo has confirmed to Eurogamer that the Wii U will be region locked. Surprised?

Luffy Appeared in Dragon Ball Before One Piece Launched? Not Sure…

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda is a huge fan of Akira Toriyama, best known for creating Dragon Ball and designing Dragon Quest‘s characters. Oda really digs Toriyama’s work, but was the One Piece character Luffy inspired by Dragon Ball? A Chinese net user uploaded a panel from what’s supposedly an old Dragon Ball manga. In…

The Factory That Makes The iPhone 5 Is Under Attack by Its Own Workers [Update]

Foxconn, the company best known for suicidal workers, terrible working conditions, and building anything and everything Apple, had to shut down one its assembly plants today because of a supposed riot that took place late Sunday night. According to a quote from Foxconn via Chinese web portal Sina.com, the plant was closed Monday to allow…

The Most Amazing Counter-Strike Kills I’ve Ever Seen

Over the weekend, the Asia E-Sports Cup was held at the Tokyo Game Show. Local Japanese team myRevenge (formerly UNiTED) faced off against the largely Singaporean team Asking Questions. Noppo has been playing competitive Counter-Strike for a while now and is one of the best players in Japan—and the world. The above clip is from…

Ex-Rare Developers Dazzle with a Beautiful and Relaxing Japanese Game

iPad game Tengami is centered around the traditional Japanese pop-out arts and crafts. Designed by Nyamyam (an indie studio started by former Rare devs), Tengami utilizes the idea of paper popping up and down when turning a page. In that way, the game could be considered a book (or like a book) as the story…

Mark Of The Ninja Is Coming To Steam, Won’t Subject You To Games For Windows Live

Good news for PC-owning stealth-fans—Klei Entertainment’s Mark of the Ninja is coming to Steam in a couple of weeks. The game, which Patricia liked and Jason and I can’t shut up about will be on Steam on October 16 for $14.99. In an email to Kotaku, lead designer Nels Anderson had some assurances to make:…

Burger King Is Launching Squid Ink Ketchup and a Black Hamburger

McDonald’s China isn’t the only place with black buns. In Japan, Burger King will soon offer the Premium Kuro (Black) Burger on September 28. This burger marks the fifth anniversary of BK’s return to Japan and the concept behind the hamburger is “irrationality”—because hamburgers with black buns ARE CRAZY. To achieve that dark hue, the…

Dragon Ball Looks Exhausting on Kinect

Dragon Ball Z is coming to Kinect as Dragon Ball Z for Kinect. They really should’ve called it Dragon Ball Z: Total Body Workout. Not sure who the gentleman playing is (or for which press outlet he writes for). If he lets me know, I’d be more than happy to add it right here! Kotaku…

The Next Big Japanese Thing? Cat Tails Powered by Your Brain.

In Japan, catgirls have been popular for a long, long time. They’ve inspired endless video game, anime, and manga characters as well hairstyles and even a set of cat ears (“neko mimi” in Japanese) called “Necomini” that can read your brain waves. The folks behind that product, a Japanese company called Neurowear, are at it…