Ninja Is E3’s Most Unexpected Turn-Based Game, Supports 30 Players

There are many games at E3. But only one of them is the non-video-game Ninja What is it doing here? I It’s part of the Indiecade exhibition, a showcase for some creative and/or wacky games. You could be playing Ninja right now with your best friend, your mom or even your mailman. Watch the video…

Mass Effect 3‘s New Voice Commands Are Xbox 360-only and Here’s Why

Mass Effect 3 is getting Kinect support, letting you issue commands with your voice, letting you play the devil or angel on Shepard’s shoulder. If that sounds like a feature you want, note that voice command won’t be coming to the PlayStation 3 or PC versions of the game, BioWare says. While it might make…

Twisted Metal Multiplayer Is Frantic, Fantastic

It’s not unfair to say that vehicle combat games have gone out of fashion. There are very few, if any AAA franchises anymore, which is definitely a big part of why Twisted Metal‘s multiplayer is so refreshing. The combat in the game is just as fast-paced and competitive as a FPS or fighting game, but…

Tera Gallery

Here’s That Action-Packed TERA Online Combat I Was Telling You About

Remember back in our big role-playing games of E3 2011 article, when I called out Bluehole Studios’ TERA Online for its fast-paced combat and larger-than-life enemies? Here’s a video that explains what I was talking about. It’s not quite a massively multiplayer online action game, but it comes pretty close. I know it’s easy to…

Blackwater E3 Gallery

Suprisingly Competent Blackwater Kinect Title Could Be Its Own Greatest Victim

This week was the first time we heard of publisher 505 Games’ Blackwater, an FPS that would cast you in the role of Blackwater Worldwide mercenaries. The topic seemed thorny—the mercenary company, now renamed Xe Services LLC., has been at the center of a multiple of controversies and the subject of highly critical Congressional hearings.…

X-Men Destiny Makes You Pretend to be The X-Men Without Actually Playing as Them

X-Men: Destiny, Activision’s newest attempt to channel the franchise into beat-em up form, really wants indulge your fantasy of becoming a part of the expansive lore of the comic series. Rather than choosing their favorite heroes and villains from the series, players choose one of three new mutants whose powers you can cultivate and strengthen…

You’re Not the Only One That Thinks PlayStation Vita is a Silly Name

With the release of Duke Nukem Forever right around the corner, Gearbox president and CEO Randy Pitchford has no time for weak, watered-down juice bar drinks like the PlayStation Vita.

This is the Wii U Console in my Ink-Stained Hands

This is the Wii U console, the part of Nintendo’s big new gaming machine that’s been getting a lot less attention than its stunning screen-based controller. I got my hands on the console today. Take a video tour with me. A few important notes: 1) There is an error in the video… I thought that…

Farewell, GameCube, the Wii U Doesn’t Play You

Speaking to Kotaku earlier today, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime revealed that while the Wii U will still be compatible with Wii software, its predecessor’s backward compatibility with the GameCube will not be making an appearance.

Call of Duty Creators Working On a “Sci-Fi-Oriented Shooter”

Respawn Entertainment, the new studio founded by Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vince Zampella following their messy split from Activision, is of course working on a shooter. But what kind of shooter? A future shooter, that’s what. The game is being published by EA, and at an event earlier today EA Games’ Frank…

Hey City People! You Can Finally Play Kinect Without Serious Risk of Bodily Injury

There’s not much to say about Nyko’s wide-angle lens attachment for the Kinect—which widens and shortens the Kinect sensor’s point of view, allowing you (and a friend) to play way closer to the sensor—except that it works. I played the Kinect Adventures dodgeball game just a few feet away from Kinect, and it worked perfectly:…

Xenoblade, Pandora’s Tower, The Last Story Still Possible For American Release

American Wii owners who’ve looked lustfully at some acclaimed Japanese Wii games will have to lust some more. During a wide-ranging interview with Kotaku, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said he had “nothing to announce” regarding whether role-playing games Xenoblade and The Last Story as well as action game Pandora’s Tower would be coming…

Dead Island E3 Gallery

Dead Island Stands Out By Being Both Splattery and Solemn

Dead Island had been sending mixed signals—I wasn’t able to tell whether this title was meant to be a goofy splatterfest or emotionally devastating. Having now had the chance to experience the game first hand, I think it’s trying to be a little of both. Surprisingly, the combination works. When the announcement trailer for the…

Let’s Get to Know Catherine‘s Hero

By night Catherine‘s Vincent Brooks climbs the teetering towers of his nightmares. By day he’s an average guy in a long-term relationship with a woman that wants him to commit. While Catherine is a horror / suspense game, at its core is a story that’s been told countless times across many forms of media. Girl…

The Sights and People of E3 2011’s South Hall

I’ll give E3 this: It’s colorful. We did a few laps to see the big dogs: Square Enix, Activision, Ubisoft, Konami, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft…Robot Entertainment. (I can’t help it. Orcs Must Die looks really fun!) Photos by our fearless photog, Isaac Viel

These Batman: Arkham City Controllers Won’t Decapitate Anybody

Here’s a first look at Power A’s Batarang controllers in the flesh. They’re more mediocre “Xbox peripheral” than deadly weapon, but if you like lights, they’ve got those!

The Lighter, More Elegant Soulcalibur V May be Taking New Cues from Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat

There’s a new entry in the long-running Soulcalibur series, Namco’s weapons-based fighter, a game that its creators say is a “lighter, faster, more elegant” battle of swords and souls. It’s also a game with “more dynamic” battles, one drawing some influence from Street Fighter IV and Mortal Kombat Soulcalibur V, says producer Hisaharu Toga, will…