• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now. Right Now.

  Kotaku East runs from 4am to 8am Eastern. For more info about Kotaku East click here

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2012
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  There’s a Feature-Length Documentary About Mass Effect 3’s Ending

  You’d think, if told there’s an 84-minute documentary on the ending of Mass Effect 3, that it’d be the result of some crazed fans, crackpots spending most of that time exclaiming breathlessly into a cheap microphone. You would also be wrong, because this thing is great It’s basically a very in-depth examination of the various…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
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  The Great League of Legends Cosplay Extravagaza

  The 2012 ChinaJoy Cosplay extravaganza was especially extravagant in this case, as an entire stage is decked out with League of Legends cosplayers. It’s not just the quantity that’s impressive, it’s the quality of said quantity. Also of note? The prolonged pose-holding. These cosplayers are serious A few weeks back I made a concerted effort…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
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  If Only They’d Actually Released an All-White NES

  I’ve got a basic rule when it comes to consumer electronics: the white the better. The white PS3, the original Xbox in its rare white, the DSi in glossy white, the new white 360, they all look great That’s just my tastes, though. Artist and advertising man Andrew Miller has a different reason for emphasising…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
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  This Might be the Greatest Zombie Game Ever Made

  I don’t like most zombie games because, well, they’re not really zombie games. They’re action games using the texture of a walking corpse as your opponent. From Resident Evil to Left 4 Dead, they don’t really capture the essence of a good zombie yarn like Dawn of the Dead or The Walking Dead manage. So…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
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  Pokémon Onesies are Dangerously Close to Furry Pyjamas

  This range of onesies – you know, those awesome little suits babies get to wear – are fashioned in the style of Pokémon. And they’re available for grownups. An Etsy seller called All for Onesies makes these to order, meaning you can pick your favourite Pokémon, pay up and soon you’ll be spending your time…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
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  The Low Hanging Fruit: Why Gamers Shouldn’t Become Billboards

  Perhaps my friend Dan Golding, over at Crikey, put it best: “The sophistication of Assassin’s Creed III’s “do free advertising for us and we’ll give you more advertising” online campaign is amazing.” He’s right, it’s truly amazing. In fact… it’s sublime. In case you missed it – yesterday Ubisoft gave gamers all an important task.…

  Mark Serrels Published May 9, 2012
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  A Documentary About People Drawing Pictures of Their Favourite Nerd Heroes

  “Fan art is often the viewer’s reaction to the show projected onto the character”. Not a bad summary, that. This short PBS video examines the world of fan art, and just why people feel the need to spend their time and energy drawing amazing images of characters who someone else aready created and drew. Refreshingly,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
• Culture

  The Concept Art Behind The Avengers

  Pardon this brief interruption to our regular video game concept art schedule, but I figured a movie that’s on track to be one of the biggest of all time – and one starring a whole bunch of awesome superheroes – was worth the detour. This art is the work of Nathan Schroeder, for whom The…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  Do Classic Sega Arcade Games Make you Want to Buy Burgers?

  I’m not American, and I don’t live in America, so my familiarity with Sonic (apparently a drive-in burger chain) is limited. I am however very familiar with classic arcade racer OutRun, which Sonic is tapping into with this retro-infused commercial. Sonic Drive-Thru Guys / Out Run Commercial [PatrickScottPatterson]

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 8, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  Japanese Box Art vs Western Box Art

  As a box art fetishist, this might be the best website I’ve ever seen. It’s called Box vs Box, and its purpose is to compare the box art of Japanese video games and their Western counterparts. Sometimes it’s a straight Japan vs US matchup, other times it’s a three-way royal rumble, with PAL games joining…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 8, 2012
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  Splinter Cell: Underpants Double Agent

  Hello again, Kotaku. Happy Tuesday. It’s been a lovely one in San Francisco, and I hope it’s been nice near you, too. Here now, some things from around the internet for you to peruse and discuss. RIP, Maurice Sendak – I hope you’ve found your way to where the wild things truly are. Let the…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published May 8, 2012
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  RIP Maurice Sendak, Creator of Where the Wild Things Are

  This has been a brutal year for many people’s fondest childhood affections. First Star Wars visionary Ralph McQuarrie dies, then French comics legend Moebius passes away, and now we have the sad news that Maurice Sendak, the creator of children’s stories such as Where the Wild Things Are, has died at age 83. Sendak will…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 8, 2012
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  In Case You’ve Ever Wanted to Own One of Mass Effect 3‘s Punchy Heavy Pistols

  When I play Mass Effect, I’m really more of an Assault Rifle or Shotgun-guy, but I do love those heavy pistols. The sound they make, that punchy “pop” that causes so much damage. Here we’ve got Bill Doran of Punished Props, back to show us another cool video game creation. He’s made the M-6 Carnifex…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published May 8, 2012
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  Rumor: Snow-Bound Dead Space 3 Will Feature Co-Op, Humongous Enemies

  According to IGN, Dead Space 3 will feature optional co-op play. It’ll be drop-in, drop-out. Their source also describes the game’s setting as a “desolate snow planet,” which confirms the rumor we reported last year It sounds as though the second co-op character might be a figment of protagonist Isaac Clarke’s imagination, as IGN describes…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published May 8, 2012
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  The Beautiful Rage of Friends Who Play Board Games Against Each Other

  Canadian filmmaker Jay Cheel once worked for video game developer Silicon Knights, but in his 10-minute documentary The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming Amongst Friends, he focuses instead on tabletop gaming, casting his camera on his own friends while they play The Settlers of Catan. It’s a beautiful, funny, and poignant look at how competition…

  By Kate Cox Published May 8, 2012
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  Sounds Like Kingdom Hearts May Return to Home Consoles

  Speaking with Game Informer Magazine, Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura said that while he’s always interested in making Kingdom Hearts games on new systems like the Vita, “It’s about time that Kingdom Hearts should go back to being on a console.” The popular (and certainly unique) Disney-Meets-JRPGs franchise has been handheld-only since 2004—it sure would…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published May 8, 2012
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  Is It Possible To Play Games Without Being a Total Shut-In?

  For this week’s Burning Questions, Jason and Kirk look at how gaming impacts their everyday life. Why is it so hard to maintain a social life and play games? Is there something about some games that is simply incompatible with being social? What games do we like to share with people, and what games do…

  Kirk Hamilton & Jason Schreier Published May 8, 2012
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  The Simpsons Are Really Psyched For Diablo III

  You know the introduction theme for The Simpsons? You know how each episode begins with the weird-looking family plopping down on the couch in a new and unique way? Well, Matt Groening, please look no further than the above direction for another new and unique plopping idea. For now this awesome potential couch gag exists…

  By Tina Amini Published May 8, 2012
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  The Explosive Cuteness of a Real Life Pikachu-Kitten

  Kittens are cute. They yowl and meow, they wander around and fall off of things and are tiny and fun to pet. Sometimes though, they are yellow, and weird, and they talk. When they talk, they say things like “Pik-a-chu!” And then maybe they blast you with explosive energy. Maybe! Not necessarily. This video from…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published May 8, 2012