What’s Wrong With Video Game Trailers

I love video game trailers, but I love them for the same reason I love concept work: I see them as entirely separate art forms from an actual video game. I enjoy them and appreciate them for what they are, not what they’re trying to represent. And that generally leaves me a pretty happy guy!…

Is Valve Releasing a New Counter-Strike Game?

Out of nowhere, there’s rumours flying around tonight that Valve is on the cusp of revealing a new game. It’s not Episode 3, but for many, it will be the next best thing: a new Counter-Strike game. Most of the chit-chat so far is based around testers (and eSports commentators) having very recently got some…

Total War Goes Back to Japan With New Expansion

After a range of teeny little downloadable content packs, Creative Assembly’s Total War: Shogun 2 will next month be getting its first serious expansion, called Rise of the Samurai. It sends the game back in time (well, further back in time), and kicks off 400 years before the events of Shogun 2. As such, while…

Six Shots of Pinball FX 2‘s Next Table, Ms. ‘Splosion Man

Back in July, FX Pinball 2 creator Zen Studios revealed that Twisted Pixel’s Ms. ‘Splosion Man would supply the theme for the next table for the pinball simulator. Six fresh screens of that went out today. No release date or trailer yet, but Zen says both are coming soon enough. Zen’s next project is the…

This Battlefield 3 Computer Could Stop a Bullet or Two

Put aside the platform pissing match between EA and Valve over Battlefield 3 for a moment, PC fans, and let’s all enjoy a nice custom PC casemod based on DICE’s upcoming shooter. Marketing team SeeBark Media built this wonderful custom PC in honour of Battlefield 3, emblazoning the side with labels honouring the game’s engine…

What do Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings Have In Common?

Rockstar North is a video game developer known and respected the world over as the creators and continued custodians of the core Grand Theft Auto series. That’s earned it a reputation as a specialist in the field of mature, cinematic video games. Games where drugs are dealt, prostitutes killed and people say fuck with a…

To No One’s Surprise, All PC Installs of Battlefield 3 will Require Origin

Just for the record, if you’re going to play Battlefield 3 on the PC, you’re going to create and use an Electronic Arts Origin account. Period. Developer DICE has confirmed what, really, shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, a couple days ago on Twitter. This covers retail copies on DVD, but we can assume it…

Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Microsoft of Double-Billing Xbox Live Subscriptions

Microsoft must defend its Xbox Live billing policies in a class action lawsuit filed this week in Indiana. Plaintiff Ryan Graves says he was double-charged for a subscription under “vague and onerous terms of use” for the console service membership. Graves says that his Xbox Live subscription lapsed when he didn’t update his credit card…

Octorok Roomba Party

Good evening, Kotaku readers. As you read this post, I am most likely once again visiting the SUPER iam8bit show in Los Angeles. Since I’m indisposed, would you mind keep an eye on tonight’s open thread post, please? Thanks! I’ll leave the off-topic discussion in your capable hands. And since I didn’t find too many…

Kirby Explains, Without Words, The Appeal of Kirby Mass Attack

Kirby has been kind to the Nintendo DS. He’s been a good ambassador for the platform with Kirby Canvas Curse, Kirby: Squeak Squad and Kirby Super Star Ultra. His next DS game, Kirby Mass Attack, looks to continue the streak of good, dual-screen portable Kirby games. Watch as Kirby, with a little help from Kirby,…

It’s Saints on a Plane in Saints Row: The Third‘s Freefalling Mission

Saints Row has never been about subtlety and the third installment is no exception. In fact, the amount of wacky action is being pushed past xXx levels. In the newest gameplay video the saints are taken captive aboard a jet. After a few threats, shoots ensue, both in the plane and falling from the sky.…

The Beauty of a Super Mario World Sunrise

Enjoy the morning sunrise while Mario and Yoshi rush to the aid of Princess. Ben Hickling created this great piece for the latest Super Sketch Squad theme. You can follow Ben and his work here on Tumblr Super Mario World by Ben Hickling (CGHUB) (RedBubble) (Twitter) Via: sketchyfun Need your daily fill of geek eye…

Metro: Last Light Gameplay Digs Deep

In the third gameplay video from the E3 demo of Metro: Last Light, our protagonists find themselves speeding down what looks to be a pretty deep tunnel. Dark and fast-paced, the video mostly shows the player shooting bad guys on a train, in classic shooter form.

Don’t Forget! Today’s the Last Day, 3DS Owners

Today is the last day for current Nintendo 3DS owners to register for the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. Just connect your Nintendo 3DS to the Nintendo eShop by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time to receive 20 free downloadable games.

This Team Fortress 2-Inspired Animated Short Absolutely Made My Week

You need to stop what you’re doing and watch this now. Why? Wait ’til you see what happens when the guy designed to look like the Scout from Team Fortress 2 is relentlessly pursued by another guy designed to look like the Heavy and gets cornered and has to resort to drastic measures and then…

Retro Game Master Episode 8: S.O.S.

In this eighth episode of Retro Game Master, our game-testing everyman, Shinya Arino, faces off against S.O.S. S.O.S. was developed by Human Entertainment for the Super NES in 1994. In the game, which was inspired by both the book and movie The Poseidon Adventure, players must escape the sinking ship Lady Crithania. The game has…

The UK’s Game Media Awards Announce its Finalists

On October 26th, Develop and MCV will announce the winners of the UK Game Media Awards at a swanky reception that will permit those lucky few to use the prefix “award-winning” in conjunction with their job titles/publications. Click through to see the nominees [http://www.develop-online.net/news/38428/GMA…]

To-Do In Los Angeles: See Art and Games Collide at SUPER iam8bit

Reminder! Tonight’s the tonight. The iam8bit art show returns to Los Angeles, California as SUPER iam8bit, opening its doors at 7 p.m. to the public in sunny, spotlessly clean Echo Park. You may want to line up hours ago, Angelenos. That’s because in addition to having swell fine arts and crafts for sale, iam8bit will…

No More Monkeys, No More Robots

Much Rocking and Beards, No Cake – Jonathan Coulton rocked it on our roof today. Why? Because that’s how he rolls. Might want to check your roof. Maybe he’s rocking it there too. He’s like the Santa of rocking it. A Hardcore Triber Tells You Why Tribes: Ascend is So, So Close to Being Transcendent…

An Angry Diablo 3 Fan’s Appeal to Blizzard, Presented Without Commentary