• Uncategorized

  No, This is the Right Way to do a Japanese Game’s Box Art

  Just like it did with Europe, Nintendo is giving Xenoblade fans the chance to pick the game’s alternate cover before it’s released in North America. Only difference being, North America’s covers are a lot better. They’re the full wrap-around deal, with nothing to spoil the art but the game’s logo on the spine. There’s not…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Game Characters Embarrassing Themselves on Facebook

  Mario is a boozehound. Luigi loves photo bombs. Peach is vain. Some of gaming’s greatest characters get classic (and clever) Facebook pic parodies. It’s not just Nintendo characters getting in on the act. There is Metal Gear Solid’s Snake, whose military pic I saw coming. While not embarrassing, Nathan Drake’s family photo is definitely revealing.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  You’ll Suddenly Feel Awful About Jumping on Bowser’s Head

  Take off those Nintendo-coloured goggles and you’ll see Bowser isn’t a giant lizard. He’s adorable. And you jumped all over him. You monster [via Sing me to Sleep]

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  GameStop’s Latest Deal Makes No Damn Sense

  Look once at this poster and it’ll seem obvious. Buy something expensive, get two of something cheaper for free. By the second look you see the mistake. By the third look you notice the bad math, which makes it impossible to actually make good on the offer. Check Out This Amazing Deal! (Brought to You…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  This is What Minecraft Looked Like on its Very First Day

  While Minecraft was only officially released a few months back, it’s been available and playable for years. The thing is, most people who ever played the game played it later, after a ton of additions and improvements had been made. Few ever got to see the game like this. This is what Minecraft looked like…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  I Don’t Remember Skyrim Being This Sexy

  Cold, yes. Leafy, yes. But even the most daring female companion in the game had the sense to wear more armour than this. Then again, this being the harmless cosplay of Jessica Nigri (shot by 12 North’s Larry Stone), all is well. It’s not like a troll is going to come bursting out of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Local GameStop Says It’ll Show a PS Vita to Anyone, Pre-Order or Not

  Yesterday, Kotaku published a story in which it was suggested, after to speaking to a local store here, that some GameStop stores would only be showcasing a demonstration model of the PlayStation Vita for those who had preordered the device. I’ve since been contacted by store representatives saying that’s not the case. The GameStop in…

  By Owen Good Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Work It Out, Fat Dog!

  Hello Kotaku friends, and welcome to a new week. Did you have a good Super Bowl Sunday? I did. I thought that the game was pretty good if you were a fan of either of the teams (I wasn’t), and the ads were pretty much totally sub-par. Other than the one above. Welcome to the…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 6, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  The Video Game Humans of the Future Should Look This Awesome

  A new console generation is almost upon us, not to mention a new era in PC gaming fidelity. We know better graphics are coming, but just what do those better graphics actually look like? They’ll probably look a lot like this. This technology is called Separable Subsurface Scattering. It’s the product of “hours and hours…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Journey is Finished, Hopefully Out Soon

  PS3 exclusive Journey, from Jenova Chen’s Thatgamecompany, is now done, with Sony “working on” a release date. Can’t. Wait. [Kotaku AU]

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Yup, Looks Like There’s Another Medal of Honor Coming

  Not that anyone who finished the first game (or bought Battlefield 3, or is just paying attention) will be surprised by this, but an invite for a press event just turned up in our inbox looking like this. Meaning we’re 99% sure to be getting a first look at a new Medal of Honor game…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Float Like a Fireball, Sting Like a Dragon Punch

  Take a look at this awesome graffiti found in the streets of Paris. A down and out Ryu from Street Fighter is added to that empowering image of Muhammad Ali’s quickly-won 1965 heavyweight championship rematch against Sonny Liston, which these days you may see more often on the walls of college students than of boxing…

  By Pierre Bienaimé Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Strike Down Star Wars: Battlefront III and it Becomes More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine

  How many times have we been excited then let down by rumours and cancellations of a third game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series? Let’s see. First we hear it was in development at Free Radical. Then it was shipped off to Rebellion. Then it was handed over to Slant Six Games. Then we heard…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Police Academy Star Beeps and Boops His Way Through Video Game Sound-Effects History

  Join Michael Winslow—the noise-making star from Police Academy—on a cursory run through The History of Videogame SFX. Indeed the video is far from exhaustive, going from the blips of Pong (1972) to those of Portal (2007) without much in between: just a few other arcade legends and shooters. All sounds like a bunch of noise…

  By Pierre Bienaimé Published February 6, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  A Resplendently Dorky Hip-Hop Tribute to Mass Effect

  However you define “Nerdcore,” I’d say that once a guy is dropping rhymes about the ins and outs of Mass Effect, he probably qualifies. But let’s not get caught up in labels—these tracks, which premiered over at Destructoid, are a goofy good time. They feature Memphis hip-hopper Adam WarRock sampling everything from Jay-Z to Guns…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Enclosure: Infinite Hues is a Delightful Puzzle for Your Browser

  Enclosure: Infinite Hues instills peace. If petting a cat is enough to lower one’s blood pressure (which it is), then surely this browser-based game can do the same. You are tasked with converging streams of color to one point, manipulating their flow through a 5 by 7 grid. Hold a tile down and it will…

  By Pierre Bienaimé Published February 6, 2012
• Uncategorized

  A Very Skyrim Super Bowl

  A Draugr Awakens | Surely we weren’t the only ones to notice a resemblance between Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime getup and the armor worn by Skyrim‘s undead Nords. (Image via Reddit) Putting the Razer Blade Through Its Gaming Paces Razer’s sleek and stylish Blade gaming laptop is slowly making its way into the hands of…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published February 6, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  Did Three Japanese Guys in Afro Wigs Just Accidentally Cover the Super Mario Land Theme?

  Game music can show up in the most random places. Rarely, however, does it involve rock bands in bad wigs. Japanese rock trio Tsuru recently donned afros and composed the theme to the upcoming live-action adaptation of the the manga Afro Tanaka, a bizarre romantic comedy about a 24 year old dropout sporting an intense…

  By Chris Person Published February 6, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  Live From New York, It’s Bastion‘s Ending Theme

  If you missed the New York Video Game Critics Circle Awards, here’s your chance to see a whole bunch of videos from last Thursday’s event, including a live rendition of Bastion‘s “Setting Sail, Coming Home” performed by songwriter Darren Korb and singer Ashley Barrett. Bastion, an indie action-RPG released last summer for Xbox 360 and…

  By Jason Schreier Published February 6, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  Sadly, Portal-Themed Combustible Lemon Does Not Actually Combust

  Portal 2‘s Cave Johnson rants about citrus fruit in this trailer for an “Electronic Combustible Lemon,” which, when ignited, plays an ominous ticking countdown followed by what I presume is the sound of lemons exploding. Sadly, the lemon itself does not explode. The lemon’s case plays the Aperture Science founder’s infamous rant from Portal 2,…

  By Jason Schreier Published February 6, 2012