Your Guide to Video Gaming’s Sportspocalypse 2011

Sportspocalypse. Sportsmageddon. Spörtsnarök? Whatever you want to call it, the coming month is packed with sports video game releases – a seven-way showdown of licensed sports titles in a month that normally sees only two baseball games. How’d we get to this point? The seven titles here all took different paths for specific reasons even…

Minecraft’s Creator Ponders Adding Achievements

Noting that a lot of people dislike achievements, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson says he’s still a fan of them, and thinks they could be useful to his runaway indie hit as a type of guide leading newcomers through the game, rather than implementing a heavy-handed tutorial that stifles creativity. “I’ve had the idea to…

Ratings Board Says Teens Would Find Swinger Game ‘Beneath Them’

Even though the game ratings authority in the U.K. says “the average 16-year-old would think everything in We Dare was beneath them,” politicians, parents and media there are apoplectic that Ubisoft’s ridiculous swinger-party game was rated a 12 – meaning suitable for kids. “I have a 13 year old daughter and if I knew she…

Here’s the 3DS Already Running an R4 Cartridge

Not 24 hours since its release, here’s the Nintendo 3DS running the notorious R4 flash cart. It’s not that much of a surprise – probably doesn’t even qualify as a hack, as a 3DS is fully backward compatible with DS cartridges, essentially what this is. But this does let you know that, yes, for those…

The Quadruple-Double

Only four NBA players have recorded a quadruple double – double figures in four statistical categories in the same game. All but one were centers. None was a point guard. Kotaku reader Sean took the Boston Celtics against Memphis in an Association mode contest, having recently completed a trade that, like in real life, sent…

The 3DS Turned My Sofa Into A Monster’s Lair

Today, eight games launched along with the Nintendo 3DS in Japan. But if you don’t end up getting any packaged titles, there is already pre-bundled software on the 3DS that should keep you entertained. It’s doing that for me! The 3D camera is fun and all, but AR Games really seems to be the most…

The Moneysaver: Fleshy Headed Mutant, Are You Friendly?

I was the last one left after the nuclear holocaust, eh. The whole world had been destroyed, like the U.S. blew up Russia and Russia blew up U.S. Fortunately, I had been offworld at the time. There wasn’t much to do. All the bowling alleys had been wrecked. So’s I spent most of my time…

How To Keep Your Barfing And Eye-Melting To A Minimum

I’ve been playing with the 3DS all day for much longer than Nintendo’s recommended allotment of time. My head isn’t killing me, and I’m not barfing. Yet. Gaming for me has always been about relaxing and unwinding. And I do think you can do that with the 3DS. You just need to know there is…

Let’s See If DS Games Look Better On The 3DS

This is hardly scientific. In fact, it’s not scientific at all. But since the 3DS has better screens, then DS games should look better on them, no? That’s exactly what I tried to find out! I’m comparing how the New Super Mario Bros. looks on the DSi XL and how it looks on the 3DS.…

Does The 3DS Have More Bite?

Whenever new game hardware is released, there are the inevitable comparisons to the previous hardware. This isn’t right or wrong or good or bad. It just is. And Nintendo’s making that easier than ever. Nintendogs, released in 2005, is a pet simulator in which players look after four-legged friends. Nintendogs + Cats, released this weekend…

A Visual Guide To The 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS Is Stylish, Grown-Up And Flawed

Following up the most successful game handheld in history is no easy task. That’s exactly what Nintendo is doing starting today with the Nintendo 3DS. The future begins now. Note: This is a straight-up hardware review. The Basics The Nintendo 3DS is a portable gaming system capable of displaying more realistic graphics than any of…

Buying A 3DS Without A Pre-Order Is A Beautiful Thing

The lines for the Nintendo 3DS didn’t start this morning. No, many of them started last night. Those who waited in line were most likely able to snag a 3DS. Those who simply waited probably weren’t as lucky. Besides the 3DS, a set of Kamen Rider medallions went on sale today. These are extremely popular…

Don’t Think Of This As Mass Effect 3 “Fan Art”

To call it that would be to give you the idea this is a comic, perhaps, or a shot of Miranda with her kit off. No, this is art that, while made by a fan, would be at home amongst professionals. These pieces were done by Polish artist Patryk Olejniczak, and were born of his…

GameStop In Court Accused Of Hoarding Personal Info

A woman in California has filed a suit against GameStop, claiming the games retailer has been recording and retaining sensitive customer information without their consent. The woman, from Alameda County, alleges a GameStop store recorded her “name, credit card number, and personal identification information (PII)” during a transaction and then made no attempt to dispose…

The Zelda Games That Weren’t Really “Zelda” Games

If you want to get canonical, Skyward Sword will be the 14th game in the Legend of Zelda series. But it’s not the 14th Zelda game ever made. Not when you count these spin-off games! For a long time – and excluding the CD-i titles that were more bootleg than spin-off – Nintendo was perfectly…

America’s Funnymen

Oh, Friday! We’re so happy to see you. Let’s put you to bed with a cup of warm conversation, maybe some laughter—but please, no tears—in tonight’s open thread. Actually, tears of laughter will suffice. If anyone has great comedy suggestions, particularly in the stand-up comedian sense, we’re all ears. I’m a fan of the comedy…

Get Up Close And Personal With A Nintendo 3DS

It’s time to snuggle up with our new Nintendo 3DS and see what it looks like up close. Like, really close. At 720p. A big thank you to Melissa Mai for the shiny new video intro you can see above! Video by Brian Ashcraft

The Wii Swingers’ Game Gets a De-Make

Flash game de-make satire of “We Dare,” the icky swingers’ party game Ubisoft is publishing in Europe. The 12 or so potential outcomes are about as sexy as anything We Dare’s got cooking. By the Scottish game developer Stew Hogarth.

What Not To Do With Your Nintendo 3DS

So, you’ve just got a brand new Nintendo 3DS. You’re going to want to do all kinds of things with it! Just…don’t do these things. Nintendo advises against it. Also, a big thank you to Melissa Mai for our shiny new video intro you can see above! Video By Brian Ashcraft