Off Stage, She’s Pretty, On Stage? She’s A Nazi

Western cosmetic brand Ponds is using members of the all-female Takarazuka Revue theater troupe in its latest campaign. This is what Takarazuka’s Rurika Miya looks like off-stage. What’s she look like on stage — as a Nazi? The Takarazuka Revue performs a wide variety of shows that range from The Great Gatsby to a theatrical…

It Is Real, This Is Actually Happening

Gran Turismo 5, a game over six years in development – and the recipient of its fair share of major delays – will finally be out next week. Don’t believe us? Reader Michael sends the proof.

Pinball Gave NBA Jam’s Announcer His Gaming Start

His bombastic boothman persona in NBA Jam isn’t Tim Kitzrow’s only gaming credit. The guy also was the voice of Rod Serling in the classic Twilight Zone pinball table. He got his start from his bandmates, who worked for Midway. “In a lot of ways, it was the most fun I ever had,” Kitzrow (left)…

Your First (Brief) Look At Kinect’s Panzer Dragoon

Project Draco is basically Panzer Dragoon for the Xbox 360’s Kinect. It’s even made by the same guy. First revealed at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, though, it’s only today we get our first proper look at the game. These two screenshots, courtesy of Japanase game site Famitsu, show that, yeah. You ride dragons! Project…

Review: Guwange Is Bullet Heaven

Guwange is a scrolling shooter that was first released in Japan all the way back in 1999. It’s now being re-released on the Xbox 360, and it’s – pardon the pun – one hell of a time. Despite being more well-known in the West for games like DonPachi and Deathsmiles, Guwange is one of Cave’s…

Donkey Kong Banana Chowdown Features Japanese Champion Eater

Takeru Kobayashi, famous as the six-time winner of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, is appearing in Toronto for a pre-release stunt for Donkey Kong Country, in which he and the game will evidently have a banana-eating contest. That’s all I can infer from the wording of Nintendo of Canada’s news release, which says Kobayashi…

Off To The Grid

Kotaku readers, please use this open thread post to talk amongst yourselves, to stimulate each other in conversation and seek advice about things that may or may not be about video games. I’ll be at the movies. Yeah, sorry, not trying to rub it in, but I’ll be seeing Tron Legacy tonight. Maybe I’ll be…

EA Sports’ Next Facebook Offering To Feature Real-Time Gameplay

EA Sports is set to deliver its third Facebook game, but unlike Madden and FIFA Superstars, this one will feature skill-based, real-time gameplay, instead of a build-your-club management style. The EA Sports PGA Tour Golf Challenge, coming soon to Facebook, offers an experience-and-level-up career format similar to how clubs are developed in the Superstars games,…

Nintendo Gives The Last Story A First Class Package

Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey developer Mistwalker is working with Nintendo on The Last Story, a game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. That deserves a first-rate presentation, doesn’t it? Nintendo thinks so. In Japan, where we know The Last Story will be released for sure, Nintendo is bundling Mistwalker’s latest RPG with the Wii…

Backbreaker Sequel Headed To iPhone Soon

Backbreaker’s iPhone version – a port of the popular “Tackle Alley” minigame from the console title – flips the script in a sequel that tasks players with stopping the computer runner. New moves and “super showboating” will also be featured. NaturalMotion Games announced Backbreaker 2: Vengeance (and also Jenga) today. Vengeance mode puts you on…

The Desert Bus Departs For Charity Tomorrow

It’s that time of year again, when a group of charitable gamers sit behind the wheel of the infamous Desert Bus and drive endlessly, tirelessly, maybe even masochistically, at a maximum speed of 45mph for nearly a full week For the fourth year in a row, the world’s most boring game will be played marathon…

Backbreaker Vengeance Screens

How To Have A Frank Discussion With Your Kids About Star Wars

Click to viewParenting in the information age is difficult; children today are exposed to things that their parents never saw at such a young age. Such as Jar-Jar Binks (who killed grandma). This well written (and acted) sendup of uncomfortable-conversation PSAs comes from Asylum. Seen via Star Wars: The Old Republic Strategies PSA: Talking To…

Help! I Swallowed My World of Warcraft Authenticator!

Remember: If you ever ingest the Battle.net Authenticator you use to protect the integrity of your World of Warcraft account, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention on the official World of Warcraft forums. Just like this WoW player did… Yesterday, World of Warcraft player Preliatus took to the game’s official forums…

Costume Quest Goes On Extended Holiday With ‘Grubbins On Ice’

Halloween has come and gone, but Double Fine Productions’ candy-coated role-playing game Costume Quest will continue. The first add-on for that downloadable game, Grubbins On Ice, is coming soon. GameSpot has first details on the wintry expansion to Costume Quest, which appears to be a five hour adventure in the vein of the original game,…

Canada Truck Heist Nets $1 Million In PSPs, PS3s

What the hell is going on in Canada this week? A freight heist outside Toronto bagged $1 million worth of PS3s and PSPs from two tractor trailers. Cops are looking for the suspects. Maybe it’s the Canadian Army? Police in a region west of Toronto say that on Monday, someone made off with truck hauling…

A Rose Grows In A Strange Place

To: Ashcraft From: Totilo Re: Nothing I spotted this sprouting from the New Museum in SoHo (downtown Manhattan, you know?) while I was walking out of our New York offices yesterday. It was dark, so I waited to shoot this picture until the morning. I have no story to tell you about it, but I…

You Could Play Bungie’s Next Game Before Anyone Else

Bungie wants you to shape its future. It’s putting out the call for hundreds of thousands of committed, Halo and Marathon-loving Bungie fans to be a part of its focus testing group, a group that could become beta testers for its unannounced game. Signing up to be a Bungie beta tester may be the easiest…

What The Hell Does The Canadian Army Want With $25,000 Worth Of Video Games?

A Canadian military garrison has a rush order out for 500 video games, a requisition that a headquarters spokeswoman admitted is “strange.” The government tender, which closes Dec. 2, asks for Gears of War, Grand Theft Auto 4 and Assassin’s Creed 2, in addition to rhythm gaming titles, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and X-Men…

Portal 2 Delayed To April

February 2011’s Portal 2 is now April 2011’s Portal 2, according to publisher Valve. The PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sequel will now be out the week of April 18. Valve calls this “the shortest delay in Valve’s proud tradition of delays” but tries to cheer us up with this: “[I]t represents the approaching…