What Is Japan’s Fetish This Week? Male Daughters

Lipstick. Long hair. Cute dresses. They’re beautiful women, but they’re not necessarily all women. In Japan, they’re called “男の娘”, or literally “male daughter”. Pronounced “otokonoko” or even “otoko no musume”, the moniker is a play of words on “男の子” (otokonoko) or “boy”. Japan has a long history of cross-dressing, and these otokonoko are geek-infused modern…

Which E3 Game Involves This Plastic Doll Head?

This doll head arrived in the mail today. Sender’s name on the box that contained it is Rebecca Jorden. This is the back of the head. Figure it out? Rebecca Jorden = “Newt” from the movie Aliens. In the classic 1986 James Cameron action flick, she carries a plastic doll head called Casey. Looks like…

Look At All The Things Hal Jordan Can Make in Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters

Frankly speaking, I don’t know what else you’d need to make besides a sword or a plane, so I’m sold. Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters will be in stores on June 7th

Is Cory Arcangel an Asshole?

The artist known as Cory Arcangel first made his name with the installation “Super Mario Clouds v2k3” at the 2004 Whitney Biennial, in which the 8-bit clouds of the original Nintendo Entertainment System classic were projected across a wide open space. The art world ate it up, but did it actually mean anything? Perhaps damning…

Who Among Us is Wise Enough to Unravel the Secret of the Latest Street Fighter X Tekken Teaser?

Join me as I delve into the secrets of the latest character teaser for — oh forget it, it’s Julia Chang. Next.

Forza Motorsport 4: Five pre-order cars show off showroom shine

Three hits of news on the Forza 4 front today. First, Turn 10 Studios has revealed the official shot of the game box art. Second, they’ve announced that the “Hero car” for the game is the Ferrari 458 Italia. Third, they’ve announced the five pre-order cars — along with “showroom” shots of each. I can’t…

Sweet Tooth Bot Preps to Invade E3

Twisted Metal dev David Jaffe tweeted this first look at the booth art being prepared for the game’s E3 outing next month. “BEHOLD: THE RISE OF SWEET BOT!!! Aka: a side of the still work in progress Twisted Metal E3 Booth. I’m loving it!” [davidscottjaffe]

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Could Be 2012’s Sleeper Hit

Everything about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning seems designed to lose my interest. There’s the title, the high fantasy setting, the silly race names. The entire game seems like a pastiche of all of the action role-playing titles that came before it. But then I played it and suddenly I was enthralled. I suppose it stands…

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Reveals Fresh New Details

In Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood our friend Ezio’s travels take him to Constantinople, heart of the Ottoman Empire, where no man’s feet need touch the floor while seated. We know he’s following in the footsteps of Assassin’s Creed‘s Altair, but why? Ubisoft promised us answers, and they’re slowly letting them trickle out as we build to…

The Red Faction: Armageddon PC Demo is an OnLive Exclusive

In another big win scored in the name of internet streaming gaming, PC players looking to give THQ’s Red Faction: Armageddon a try before the game’s June 6 release date are going to have to sign up for OnLive. Don’t bother looking on Steam or Direct2Drive, at least not until June 6. Until then the…

Shave Yourself, Play a Game, Plant a Tree

Not necessarily in that order. But if you click here and play It’s a Jungle Out There—an, ape-centric personal grooming themed game developed by Philips Norelco—you could win one of the daily prizes, either one of their Ultimate Bodygroomer Pro or their Vacuum Stubble and Beard Trimmer Pro. It’s a clever story: you choose an…

It’s Okay To Be Jealous of Europe’s Arcana Heart 3 Super 3D Boobie Edition

All we saw of Examu’s girl-on-girl fighting game Arcana Heart 3 in North America was a lousy downloadable PlayStation 3 exclusive. Not only does the game come on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Europe, it’s packed with simulated breasts. Curse you, Europe! Limited to the other side of the pond and weighing in…

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Let Us Mourn the Games We’ve Loved and Lost

Commenter Shin Lord was so certain his post about video games and consoles we regret trading, selling, or losing would make it into Speak Up on Kotaku he made his own image. Cocky bastard, isn’t he? Parting ways with a video game or console is easy for some, but traumatic for others. Since gaming is…

Shinobi Delivers a Rare 3DS Game To Get Excited About

Ignore that this is a 3D game for Nintendo’s latest portable. Ignore that it’s been nearly a decade since we’ve seen a new title staring Joe Musashi. Embrace, instead, the fact that this is a Shinobi that fans of the 1987 side-scrolling arcade game may recognize and could come to love. I only had about…

What an Excellent Music Choice for Hunted: The Demon Forge‘s Launch Trailer

Filter’s gloomy rendition of “Happy Together” sets the perfect tone for the May 31 launch of inXile’s co-op focused dungeon romp Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

Talk Amongst Yourselves

Three men walk into bar: an American, a Swede and a—oh, dash it! You’re not here for jokes. You’re here to talk about games. Because this is Talk Amongst Yourselves, the official Kotaku forum. So just excuse me, and get on talking. I’m an honest sucker for TAYpics that incorporate some of my favorite games.…

Storm In A Teacup Is A Dreamy, Delightful Platformer for the iPhone and iPad

Can a physics based platformer stand out—not to mention be a treat to play—on the iPhone? It can when you’re piloting fine porcelain in a bizarre, hazardous dreamworld while playing Storm In A Teacup Storm In A Teacup is one of the latest games from iPhone and iPad publisher Chillingo, the people who sell Angry…

Shinobi

Modern Warfare 3 in Action Leaves Me Wanting… But What?

Modern war in modern cities: Gunfights in the walled canyons of New York City’s Financial District, rolling battles in the subterranean train tunnels of London. This is the promise of Modern Warfare 3, as revealed during a press event in Los Angeles last week. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t reinvent itself, but it…