Arcades Don’t Make for Good TV (But Starcades do)

Video games and TV just do not mix. Aside from a few brave attempts coming out of the UK, I’m yet to see a show about games that doesn’t come off as juvenile, stale and boring as hell. There will always, however, be a soft spot in my heart for Starcade Running from 1982 to…

Dangerously Close To On Topic

Hola, Kotaku readers! Thanks for joining us in tonight’s open thread. If you’re just joining us, that’s where we get together for a little chat, one that’s not solely video game related. Tonight’s might be though. I need to talk out my post-E3 2011 grief, guys. I’m in the stage of post-show regret, where I…

These Were the Most Thrilling Moments of Mass Effect 3‘s E3 2011 Presentation

If you like Mass Effect for its blockbuster bits—the explosions, the futuristic set pieces involving giant alien machines, the narrow escapes—this trailer is for you. It represents the Mass Effect 3 moments that might draw in the people who don’t play role-playing games. During my 30 minute long demonstration of Mass Effect 3 at E3…

Heroes of Ruin Is Rich With Ideas, Shorter on Atmosphere

Heroes of Ruin is a deft, well-implemented multiplayer-RPG—but right now it’s lacking in distinctive character. The title, published by Square Enix and developed by n-Space, the team behind the GameCube action-adventure title Geist, is due to launch on the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012. So far, our exposure to the Heroes has mostly been limited…

This is the Disorienting, Possibly Exciting Gravity For Vita Being Played By Shaky Hands

One of the more original PlayStation Vita efforts is Gravity, a game from Sony’s Japanese developers, specifically some of the people behind the Siren horror games. It’s exciting, in that it’s not another PlayStation sequel and that it has stylish, comic book-like beauty. For a clearer look at Gravity‘s graphics, watch the official trailer. But…

The War of the Worlds Takes a Novel’s Approach to a Game

If there’s a star of The War of the Worlds, the upcoming downloadable title for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it’s someone working behind the scenes or above the action. It’s the score by Chris Hülsbeck, or the writing by Chris Fowler or, not least, the narration by Patrick Stewart. As a game, however,…

Heroes of Ruin E3 Gallery

Mix Spore with LittleBigPlanet, Put it on the 3DS and… Wait, What’s That Coil of Yellow Stuff?

Picture Lives, which I sometimes accidentally call Picture This was one of my favorite surprise finds at E3. It’s a downloadable game from Nintendo that will be sold through the 3DS’ eShop. I’d never heard of the game before and had to figure this one out on the fly. Enjoy the video of this very…

Tanks For the E3 Memories

LOS ANGELES, CA | A World War II Sherman M4A3 military tank is on display promoting the World of Tanks from developer Wargaming.net outside of the Los Angeles Convention Center during Electronics Entertainment Expo on June 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Backbreaker‘s Team Checks In Again With Icebreaker In…

The Man Behind Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive and Devil’s Third Reveals His Favorite Retro Games

The creative force previously behind Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series, now on the upcoming Devil’s Third, Tomonobu Itagaki, says he has wanted to make games since he was a teenager. He just didn’t want to make video games. The man better known for his fast-paced, reflex-based action games told Kotaku in a…

Nintendo Doubts You Can Take the Wii U to the Bathroom

Prior to E3, as details of the next Wii were becoming clear, I had a dream that I could play the games on Nintendo’s next console in my bathroom The idea is that the Wii 2—which we now know will be called the Wii U—can stream games that normally run on your TV onto the…

Eyes-on With Sony’s New PlayStation 3D Display (Which Can Render Splitscreen Gaming Obsolete)

Sony is trying to make 3D gaming on its PlayStation 3 more affordable with its very own PlayStation branded, stereoscopic 3D monitor—comparatively cheap at just $500 USD for 24 inches of 3D gaming. Better still is the monitor’s ability to deliver full-screen gaming to two players at once. Sony’s “official 3D Display,” due this fall,…

In Defense of Duke Nukem Forever

Who is Duke Nukem, and why—after all of these years—are we still talking about him? One of our readers has described him as a “character that people actually love or hate. Or feel something about. As opposed to military personnel (1) and (1a).” In a sea of “blandness,” according to the reader, the Duke is…

Lulz Security Raids Bethesda Softworks Servers and US Senate

The scurvy dogs aboard the SS Lulz have raided Bethesda Softwork’s servers after unsuccessfully trying to extort game info out of them. Ah well. They’ve also released a bunch of internal data from the US Senate’s website for further giggling. The Bethesda attack centered around FPS title Brink, from which LulzSec plundered over 200,000 user…

See Sackboy’s New Touchscreen Tricks in LittleBigPlanet for PlayStation Vita

There’s a new LittleBigPlanet for Sony’s new PlayStation Vita. It’s a game that plays mostly like the LittleBigPlanets you’ve played before, but it may be the more fun version, the one with the best new touchscreen and tilt-based tricks. Media Molecule helped walk us through the LittleBigPlanet at E3 2011 last week, which you can…

The Wii Jaws Game is for Kids, the 3DS One Isn’t

This fall’s Jaws: Ultimate Predator will be released on the Wii and 3DS and, in it, you’ll play as a shark. No surprise there. That’s how it worked in 2007’s Jaws Unleashed As the shark you chew boats and people. You’ll rip off limbs, but only on the 3DS version of Ultimate Predator. Like the…

Which Limited-Edition System Do You Wish Would Be Brought Back?

A couple of weeks ago we asked you guys which vintage controller you’d bring back into play if you had a magic fairy game-mother. Responses ran the gamut from “Screw you. MODERN TECH TOTALLY ROXX!” to “Alas, I keep dreamin’ of the day when my Dreamcast was in my hands.” Since controllers alone started such…

Ubisoft Struggles To Explain How Powerful the Wii U Is

As you can imagine, many reporters had questions about the Wii U’s hardware, relative to the PS3 and Xbox 360. One of the few people who actually provided some answers was Ubisoft Quebec’s senior technical architect Marc Parenteau, who was brought in to discuss a Wii U Assassin’s Creed at a developer round-table. Unfortunately, even…

Let Me Tell You How to Defeat an Armored Demon Warthog in Dark Souls

Playing Demon’s Souls spiritual sequel Dark Souls at E3 2011 left me with just as many questions as answers. How, exactly, does the beacon fire system work? What does it mean to be “hollowed”? And why won’t Namco Bandai answer those questions when asked about this punishing and complex role-playing game? I’ll tell you what…

Fallon Kicks Off Gaming Week Tonight With Modern Warfare 3

Video Game Week kicks off on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon tonight on NBC with the help of Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling who will be playing Modern Warfare 3 with writer and actor Simon Pegg. Not into Call of Duty, even if it’s being played by the guy who helped pen Shaun of the Dead?…