• 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 15, 2012
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  What Valentines Day Meant to the Average Kotaku Reader

  Sure, some of you probably went for flowers or evenings out or something romantic. But for many, February 14 probably went a lot like this. As it damn well should have. [Bioware Hurrplz]

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2012
• Culture

  The Sweet Art of the New Twisted Metal Game

  So, the new Twisted Metal game was quietly released yesterday. In honour of the affair, and the fact the game has also been picked up for a movie adaptation, here’s some concept art from the latest entry in the long-running serires. This art is all the work of Eat Sleep Play’s Donald Yatomi. If you’re…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  The Terror, and the Wonder, of a Street Fighter x Mario x Mortal Kombat Mashup

  GI Joe. M. Bison. Cammy. The Mushroom Kingdom. Mortal Kombat. I’m 31, and what is this. (It’s a trailer for Sacrifice of the Mushroom Kings by Jonathan Monaghan, which runs eight minutes in total and is viewable now at curator’s office in Washington DC).

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2012
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  You Can’t Tell Shepard to Shut Up (But You Can Tell Him to Punch a Reporter)

  Microsoft has released a handy primer for Mass Effect 3 which shows how Kinect users will be able to vocally interact with the game. Things look pretty simply, but I guess the simpler they are, the easier and more reliable they’ll be to use. Just remember this only applies to actual commands, not actual intentions.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2012
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  Armed Cops Called over Call of Duty Game

  When the S.W.A.T. arrived at a North Texas home in Lewisville, there were told a shooter was in the house. There was, but it wasn’t the shooter the police expected. It was a kid playing Call of Duty: Black Ops. On Monday a little after 5pm, a teenage boy was playing Call of Duty: Black…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 15, 2012
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  Some Asshole Stole a Team Fortress 2 Figure From Toy Fair

  So you know how there were images of Team Fortress 2 action figures from last weekend’s Toy Fair in New York? There weren’t any pics of the Demoman. Even though he was there. Why? Because he’d been stolen. And not even the whole figure. Just a very important part of it. Toy company NECA, who…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  It’s Time for a Magical Sound Shower

  Ah, Magical Sound Shower. Could there be a better soundtrack for driving around a two-dimensional landscape in an expensive car with a sexy lady beside you? No. No, there could not. The original piece from the original Outrun was composed by Hiroshi Miyauchi, but I very quietly prefer the campier version from Outrun 2, which…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 15, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING FROM NINTENDO?

  It’ll bring…well, the complete opposite. Which is a pity. Wall-mounted control pad dispensers in dimly-lit sci-fi corridors would be great! Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends. You’ll find Total Recall stories every Mon-Fri between 11pm and Midnight ET.

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  Hey, is That Indiana Jones Rescuing Princess Leia?

  It sure looks like it. This is Challenger, a Famicom game released in 1985 by Hudson. Look at the cover art and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was some shitty Lucasfilm clone, lifting its two biggest properties and dropping them in an unlicensed video game rip-off. That would be a little harsh. Sure, at…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2012
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  Purity Bear Says “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

  Happy Valentine’s Day, Kotaku readers! I hope you are spending today with the one you love. [Insert dumb joke about how gamers don’t have girlfriends here.] Or whatever, Valentine’s is a sham, man! It’s designed to help sell greeting cards! Or maybe it’s not, maybe it’s a celebration of love and beauty! Eh, who knows.…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 14, 2012
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  DOTA 2’s Idea of Valentine’s Day is New Character Art

  It’s no box of chocolates or a rose – or a diamond ring – but it’ll do. These are Valve’s official character art sheets for the heroes Lone Druid, Lycan, and Shadow Demon. If you’d like to see some other example of DOTA 2 character art, check out this Fine Art feature from last year,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2012
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  Valve Trolls Valentine’s Day With $100 Team Fortress 2 DLC

  Team Fortress 2 developers Valve have put together “the most accurate simulation of an actual Valentine’s Day gift ever made available to the public”, and today made it available as an in-game item to owners of the multiplayer shooter. That simulation comes in the form of a $100 diamond engagement ring, which Valve admits is…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2012
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  What People Think Gamers Do

  The stereotypes against gamers never seem to go away, so we’ve decided to throw our proverbial meme-hat into this ring of “What People Think I Do.” You’ve seen and heard it all; now you can see it in this delightful image form!

  By Tina Amini Published February 14, 2012
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  Forget Ryan Gosling in Drive. Check out Mario in Kart

  Man, that is one badassed jacket. That jacket is so badassed that even though this image is goofy and funny and ridiculous, I’m still impressed with Mario’s total sexiness. Wait until Princess Peach gets in an elevator with him. Oh man, it’s gonna be awesome. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours. [Dan…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 14, 2012
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  Sony’s Old Position on Touch Screen Gaming Is Incompatible With The PlayStation Vita

  It doesn’t feel like 2005 was all that long ago… until you remember that the first iPhone didn’t launch until 2007. In the many years since a former Sony executive could make an offhand remark about the Nintendo DS, touch screens have taken over, and the tech is getting sharper every year. The future, it…

  By Kate Cox Published February 14, 2012
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  They Made a Video Game About Slavery, And It’s Actually Good

  “I’m running tonight.” Video games take us places; this is known. They allow us to try on identities other than our own, and to see what it’s like to live life as another person. They can also teach us things. Math and science teachers have spent a good amount of time figuring out how to…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 14, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  Lumines On The Vita Is Cool, Except for the… Tapping Parts

  Lumines was one of the best games on the original PlayStation Portable. It was sort of a rave version of Tetris, which was a very good thing. The successor to the PSP is now upon us, and so is a new Lumines, subtitled Electronic Symphony The game could stand to be a littler harder, but…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 14, 2012
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  Hollywood is Making a Twisted Metal Movie

  The co-director of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Brian Taylor, will be both writing and directing a Twisted Metal movie. It’s being produced by super nerds Avi and Ari Arad. The movie’s setting will stick to that of the game’s, namely by being about a bunch of psychos who stick weapons on vehicles, and will…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2012
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  Roses are Red, Mario’s Blue

  Perpetual Romance | Hopefully on Valentine’s Day, Princess Peach will actually be in her castle. (Part of a collection of cute digital Valentines on Etsy.) Gotham City Impostors: The Kotaku Review Batman’s had lots of sidekicks over the years. Imps from other dimensions, mask-wearing dogs and his own kill-crazy offspring have leapt from the shadows…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 14, 2012