I Am Vengeance, I Am the Night… I Am Panel Discussion!

Are we still pretending that comics and video games don’t have anything to do with each other? Not anymore, we’re not. Welcome to Panel Discussion, where the focus will be on comic books and sequential art, whether they connect directly to video games or not. Confused? Read this

Overlooked School Says Their Fight Song Can Be Patched Into NCAA 13

Baylor University wants answers from a music licensing group it trusted to manage its fight song, which did not end up in a video game whose cover celebrates the school and its first Heisman Trophy winner. The good news for Baylor Bears fans who bought NCAA Football 13 is that “Old Fite” could be patched…

Fieldrunners 2 Takes the iOS Field on July 19

After a couple of false starts, Subatomic Studios is ready to fire the starting gun on Fieldrunners 2, releasing the eagerly-anticipated tower defense sequel for $2.99 on iPhone this Thursday. (Edit: Removed iPad reference, that one comes later.)

Now You Can Use Your iPad To Control Your Xbox 360, If You Really Want To

I know what you’re thinking. “Boy, I wish I could use my iPad to control my Xbox 360.” What’s that? You’re not thinking that at all? You just want to play video games? You don’t care about ridiculous control schemes or hardware gimmicks? Well okay then. At least this one’s free: Microsoft released a new…

Optimistic Store Accidentally Advertises 3DS XL with Nonexistent Second Circle Pad

Last Friday, GoNintendo posted the photo you see above (full version below), indicating that UK-based retail entertainment chain HMV was advertising a curious version of the Nintendo 3DS XL with a feature that doesn’t exist: the much clamored-for second circle pad. But Nintendo has already said that the 3DS XL would need to be much…

Star Wars: The Old Republic Executive Producer Leaves BioWare, Other Layoffs Reported

Star Wars: The Old Republic executive producer Rich Vogel has left developer BioWare amid a wave of layoffs, Gamasutra reports today. Rumors have also been swirling on Twitter and message boards that other staff at BioWare Austin, the studio behind The Old Republic, have been laid off as well. This could be part of a…

They Fell In Love Playing Halo 3, And Just Met In Real Life

It’s easy to be cynical about the world of online multi-player gaming. We’ve all had our bad experiences with campers, griefers, and a hundred other kinds of jerk. We know about the foul-mouthed kiddies and the racist, sexist crap spewed by adults old enough to know better. None of the negativity is new. But sometimes……

That Awkward Moment When You Need To Tell Your Fans To Be Excited About Your Current Game, Not The Sequel You Just Admitted Existed

We’ve got ourselves a notice posted today on the official site for Battlefield, home of Battlefield 3, a game that still has three major downloadable content packs coming out between now and the end of March 2013. The message was posted in light of today’s official confirmation about, uh, Battlefield 4 Battlefield fans – The…

Behold the Glorious Epicenter of Costly Comic-Con Collectibles

From Marvel to DC, Mass Effect to Halo, Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings; the Sideshow booth was the crossroads of fan service at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Though I spent less than an hour touring Sideshow Collectibles’ Comic-Con presence last Wednesday night, every time I stepped onto the show floor for…

The History of PC Gaming in 151 Seconds

Video remix specialists The Reverse Enginears have done the hard work of squeezing the evolution of PC gaming into a 151-second clip. Now you get to watch it. The video debuted at the website Polygon, which has the full list of games in the clip The evolution of PC games [YouTube, via Polygon]

Sideshow Gallery

Ouya’s Top People Will Answer Your Questions Live on Kotaku Later This Week

We’ve interviewed Julie Uhrman, the driving force behind the Kickstarter-funded $99 hackable Android console Ouya. On Thursday, it will be your turn. Uhrman will be taking Kotaku reader questions live—and answering them live—from 1:30-2:00 PM (ET). And then, on Friday, from 1:30-2:00PM (ET), Yves Béhar, the celebrated head of design firm fuseproject and the man…

Pac-Man As a Horror Movie

So, according to this fan film, Pac-Man is actually a creeper who goes around attacking defenseless ghosts. Can you say you’re surprised? How could you ever really trust something that goes around eating everything, shouting out psychotic mumbles of “waka waka waka”? This may not be the only Pac-Man fan film out there, but it’s…

This Delightful Xbox Live Windows Phone Game Toys With Your Emotions

Elation, sadness, calm, rage and confusion; these are the tools Mush uses to propel its puffball protagonist through colorful platform puzzle-worlds. Strange that all I feel while playing this award-winning Windows Phone 7 game is joy. It’s been quite some time since I’ve checked into the Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 game scene, and…

I’m Finally Going to Play Mass Effect 3‘s New Multiplayer. Because I Want to Be a Space Ninja.

Some mysterious psychological force has been holding me back from playing Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer. Given how much I tend to enjoy Mass Effect experiences—especially when colleagues tell me they love the game’s multiplayer, too—that can be the only explanation. But that inexplicable barrier keeping me from jumping online and fighting Reapers met its match…

Moscow Sees Rain For The First Time In This Gameplay Demo of Metro: Last Light

Take a look at the E3 gameplay demonstration that I checked out last month. Moscow is changing, and so is Artyom.

Kinect + Dubstep = A Cool New Musical Instrument?

Yes, Kinect is played out. Yes, Dubstep is is the cliched soundtrack for everything we’re supposed to think is cool. But when you combine the two, you get something like this, a Kinect-powered full-body instrument called the V Motion Project. It may remind PlayStation 3 gamers of the Move-powered Pixeljunk 4AM. Why not? Body controlled…

Talk Amongst Yourselves

Today, you’re going to think about video games. Some you’ve left behind and others you’re going to get. Welcome, then, to Talk Amongst Yourselves, the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Head over to the TAY forum at this link and do what you’ve always…

Monkey Island Creator Explains Why Ignoring Fan Expectations Can Make a Better Game

Ron Gilbert is a legend in the world of adventure games. He created Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island, touchstones of the great, long-gone era of the LucasArts SCUMM-engine adventure. In a new interview with the Gameological Society, Gilbert spoke candidly about the challenges of making a game funny, the difficulty of creating ensemble casts, and…

Dust: An Elysian Tail Makes Me Proud of My Right Forearm

Earlier this year a visit to Epic Games in North Carolina inspired me to forever etch a combat-ready green rabbit on my person. The art I used as reference for the vibrant tattoo was created by independent animator turned game developer Don Dodrill, the man behind the unbelievable 2009 XNA Dream Build Play competition winner…