• Kotaku East

  Where Japanese Thugs Meet and Date Online

  You are not alone. If you’re into video games, I bet you can easily find a companion who is, too. What if you are in to getting into fights and acting tough? Sure, if you are a Japanese hooligan, you can find others with similar hard nosed interests. And now that’s just gotten a whole…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now

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

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Are These Doom 4 Screenshots?

  These images, supposedly from Doom 4, have popped up. It seems they were inadvertently spilled by the portfolio of artist Thao Le, a senior environmental artist at id Software (and since taken down). Turning up alongside the images, a user on 4chan has, in addition to sharing the pics, also claimed that the game has…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  The Konami Code’s Been Stranger Places Than That

  While Lisa’s shown that Konami’s iconic code has been to some strange places, few are as exotic as the Mushroom Kingdom, via Hyrule. UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT B A START [Dan Hipp]

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  This Wii Controller Looks Like Samus’ Arm Cannon

  I don’t think this counts as a mod, since all the guy’s done is stick a Wii Remote inside a giant replica of Samus Aran’s arm cannon from Metroid, but still…it means you can play Metroid Prime with a giant replica of an arm cannon. If you think/say “but it’ll get tiring”, you’re missing the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  Hey Quake Fans, Here’s What an Actual Railgun Looks Like

  Say the word “railgun” around a PC gamer and they’ll instantly start telling you stories about the Quake series, and how it’s such an awesome weapon in a make-believe future universe. They’re right on the former, but on the latter, not so much, because railguns are real, and the US Navy has one. Here it…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
• Culture

  These Men Design Video Game Guns for a Living

  rmory Studios occupy a fascinating little niche in the video game concept art business: they specialise in the design of firearms. Based in Southern Germany, rmory is “particularly proud of and known for our believable, functioning and appealing weapon designs”. While guns are the team’s top priority, they also handle peripheral items like “gadgets” and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  A Gaming Comedy Series That Actually Looks Funny? Surely Not.

  You wouldn’t believe the number of comedy series and shorts that get crammed in our collective inboxes on a weekly basis. You may believe, however, that the majority of them are pretty awful. Which is why Gamestore is such a surprise. Because it actually looks pretty good. If you’ve ever worked at a video game…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  Syndicate Pirates Get Unexpected Career Advice

  Those unscrupulous sorts pirating the recent PC release of Starbreeze’s Syndicate have found a little surprise buried inside the release. And it’s not some kind of punishment or DRM. It’s…career advice? A message, which at first appears to be cracking instructions, is actually a note from Starbreeze to those digging through the pirated game’s files,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  Indie Game Blocked by Nintendo Over “Questionable Religious Content”

  One of 2011’s more pleasant surprises was The Binding of Isaac, a game Totilo described as “a wonderfully warped Old Testament take on The Legend of Zelda“. It’s been out on Steam for months now, but was also slated to appear on the 3DS eShop as a downloadable purchase. That was until Nintendo took a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  In Loving Memory of Namco’s Ace Driver

  The 1990s were a great time for arcade racing games. Daytona, Cruis’n USA, the original Ridge Racer…but for all the quality on offer there, my friends and I spent more time and money on one game than any other. And that game was Namco’s Ace Driver First released in 1994, Ace Driver doesn’t look terribly…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  It’s the Last Chance Saloon for Joy Division

  This background art is from SNK’s Fatal Fury 3. Drink it in. It’s glorious, no? Then, when you’re done, take a closer look at the full image below (click to embiggen), and read some of the stuff written on the buildings. [via SpecSNK] Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  Death Race, the World’s First Scandalous Video Game

  What is it with cars and killing people that gets the mainstream media so upset? Decades before series like Grand Theft Auto and Carmageddon were earning tut tuts and disapproving looks, an arcade game called Death Race ended up squarely in the sights of TV networks, newspapers and magazines. Taking more than a few cues…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012
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  OMG Right? Girls Are, Like, Totally Changing The Way People Talk

  Hello Kotaku, and welcome to Tuesday’s open thread! I’m so happy to have you here, and hope you’ll wade into the comments to talk about any thing that’s on your mind. Here, gathered from the internet, are a collection of fun Check out this guitarist, Guthrie Govan – Dude’s technique is like aliens taught him…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 28, 2012
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  The New White Xbox 360 Looks Gorgeous

  Disclaimer: I have a very soft spot for bright, white consumer electronics. From the PSX to the white DSi to those limited white original Xbox consoles, I think they look great. Which is why I think this new glossy white Xbox 360 S console looks great as well. It’s available as part of a Kinect…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012
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  What Does an Academy Award Winning Director Have to Do with EA’s Next Game?

  Have you seen EA’s Game Changer site? It’s slowly ticking down to a live event that will be unveiling a new game during the Game Developers Conference next week. Recently there’s been a new addition to the ticking clock: Two speakers have been revealed to be at the event. One of these speakers is Academy…

  By Tina Amini Published February 28, 2012
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  Indie Darling Gravity Bone Gets a Sequel

  Gravity Bone, a free PC story-game made by Atom Zombie Smasher and Flotilla developers Blendo Games, is getting a sequel called Thirty Flights of Loving The game has been funded via a highly successful Kickstarter joint Kickstarter campaign organized by the guys behind Idle Thumbs, the very cool, currently not-operational podcast. Thirty Flights of Loving…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 28, 2012
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  Uncharted-Themed Shoes Can Guide You in Drake’s Steps

  Perhaps Nathan Drake should have written all his notes on his shoes. Surely, they’d be harder for nefarious baddies to steal repeatedly than journals are? Or the maps on the toes could have proved useful as well, guiding him around various jungles and deserts. Alas, for Drake himself the best purpose for these custom Nikes…

  By Kate Cox Published February 28, 2012
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  The Konami Code Shows Up In the Strangest Places

  There are misdemeanors I have committed in this life, I’ll admit it. For example, I recently got a ticket for jaywalking and it cost me $200. For jaywalking. I’m still very angry about this situation and am actively devising a plan to exact revenge on the LAPD, and guess what! Now you’re all accomplices. When…

  Lisa Foiles Published February 28, 2012
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  Baldur’s Gate Website Lurches to Life, Is a New Game Rising?

  It’s been eleven years since PC role-playing gamers claimed the throne of Bhaal, Lord of Murder, bringing BioWare’s epic Baldur’s Gate series to a satisfying close, but has the entire tale been told? New developments at the game’s website suggest there’s still life in the old death god yet. With the recent news that a…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2012