Harmonix’s Newest Rock Band Ditches Plastic Instruments Without Ditching Fun

In attics and closets around the world, plastic drum sets are gathering dust. Battery acid leaks into the casings of countless replica Stratocasters long since pulled from under the coffee table and placed in the closet under the stairs. A lot of people don’t really play Rock Band anymore. The game hasn’t gotten any less…

‘Worst Company in America’ EA Says Big Tobacco Must Be Relieved It Wasn’t Nominated

Game publisher Electronic Arts, which won The Consumerist’s reader-voted ‘Worst Company in America’ contest today, did not take its victory sitting down. In a statement to Kotaku, EA Senior Director of Corporate Communications John Reseburg said: We’re sure that British Petroleum, AIG, Philip Morris, and Halliburton are all relieved they weren’t nominated this year. We’re…

This Is Possibly The Worst Easter Egg In A Game. Ever.

Easter eggs are fun, usually somewhat hidden references to games you might recognize. They’re a friendly nudge in their direction. A wink even. But not all easter eggs are created equal. In fact, this easter egg in Skyrim might just be the worst one yet. Pac-Man is certainly a good choice, but I’m not sure…

Game of Thrones Made Out of Minecraft Is A Jaw-Dropping Thing

You’ve already seen pictures of the tremendous Minecraft take on the world of Game of Thrones. Now there’s full-on video coverage. Project lead Jacob Granberry sent over this new flythrough of the project, which is truly stunning both in scope and beauty. I kind of want to live there. Game of Thrones in Minecraft (Tour…

Liam Neeson and Megan Fox are Just Two of the Celebrities You Can Play as in Guild Wars 2

I thought I’d gone pretty deep into the Guild Wars 2 character creation tools during my time playing the beta. That was until Sven AKA Lumin showed me the stars hiding behind the customization sliders. I never even thought to attempt to create the likes of Clint Eastwood or Scarlett Johansson in Guild Wars 2,…

English Country Tune Gets You Addicted to Messing With Perspective and Gravity

The bare-bones presentation in English Country Tune constantly teases you with questions: What’s up with that name? What’s with the retro-glitchy sounds? Why are these balls called larva? And, most importantly how the hell do I clear this level? ECT challenges you to move objects on the playfield from one point to another. It’s that…

Wednesday Watch This, Play This

Watch! The absolute worst easter egg found in Skyrim. Watch! Minecraft produces yet another recreation: Game of Thrones. Play! Evan enjoys English Country Tune. Watch! Megan Fox is just as pretty as a Guild Wars 2-made character.

Watch This, Play This Begins Now

Stuff to play, stuff to see, here comes Watch This, Play This. Confused? Read this

Epic Mickey On 3DS Looks Straight Outta 1992

This is Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion. It’s an upcoming game for the Nintendo 3DS. That’s Nintendo 3DS. Not Super Nintendo. Or Nintendo Entertainment System. Though I can see how you might be confused. Here’s how Disney describes the game: In “Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion,” Reality is What You Paint of…

Go Blow Up The New York Times‘ Website. It’s Fun!

The New York Times wants you to destroy its recommended articles, its magazine cover art and even its ads. And it’s using a an homage to classic arcade game Asteroids to let you do it. The interactive game accompanies a huge feature on “stupid games,” which focuses on the time-sucking nature of games like Angry…

The Kinect Star Wars Credits Are 22 Minutes Long

We don’t know how many Bothans died to bring us Kinect Star Wars, but we know that a hell of a lot of people worked on the game. For a couple of years, at least. We’ve got at least a half dozen studios listed in the credits, and lots and lots of other names. If…

Talk Amongst Yourselves

Welcome, wanderers, to Kotaku’s official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves. This is the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Want to talk about new games, old games, game where you solve mysteries? Knock yourselves out! This TAYpic by Mr. Marsu gets straight-up creepy,…

Who Better Than Star Trek‘s Q to Star in Quantum Conundrum?

If anyone is qualified to create an Interdimensional Shift Glove it’s the man that flexed his interdimensional muscles s dozen times over the course of three different television series. John “Q” de Lancie steps into the disembodied voice of Professor Fitz Quadwrangle in Airtight Games’ Quantum Conundrum Now here’s a man that’s perfectly happy being…

Let’s Stop Pretending iPad Gaming Isn’t For Gamers

It’s impossible to read a Kotaku comment thread about iPhone or iPad games without wading through a bevy of grumpy dissenters—disgruntled gamers who say things like “iPad games aren’t real games!” and “lol iPhone.” This isn’t exactly surprising. A few weeks ago, I wrote an op-ed about how Apple’s ubiquitous devices won’t win over the…

The Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure Cycle is Complete

All good and terrifically frustrating things must come to an end, and for countless parents, children, and collectors the release of the final three Skylanders figures marks the end of an era, to be followed later this year by the beginning of another. Prepare to plug those last three holes in your Skylanders roster as…

The Beautiful Side of a Fighting Game Tournament

Passionate. Sweaty. Loud. Excited. There’s a lot of words you can use to describe a fighting game tournament, but can you use the word beautiful? Sometimes. Especially when Richard Li and his camera are involved. Li, who has a habit of making very pretty videos about fighting game tournaments, was at the recent NorCal Regionals.…

The Shadowrun Video Game You’ve Always Wanted

For more than two decades pen-and-paper role-players have been losing themselves in the dirty streets and glimmering megacorps of Shadowrun, yet only four largely forgettable video games have explored the setting’s unique mix of cyberpunk and urban fantasy. Series creator Jordan Weisman would like to fix this oversight. Weisman and his team at Harebrained Schemes…

Pokémon Conquest Brings Hit Japanese Game To America… For the DS

America is getting a Pokémon strategy game this June. It’s called Pokémon Conquest, a name-change from Pokémon + Nobunaga’s Ambition, which is what it’s been called in Japan. It’s not made by Nintendo. It’s made by Tecmo Koei. Our guy in Japan has played it and declared it… “a decent foray into the strategy RPG…

Sky Gallery

There’s A New Siren In Borderlands 2, And She Kicks Fierce Robot Ass

What do you do with a sequel to a game that has a huge roster of weapons, quirky characters, and awesome 4-player co-op? You add more weapons, of course. And more quirky characters. And you might as well keep the 4-player co-op. That’s the tactic that Gearbox Software seems to be using in the follow-up…