The Problem With Sex As A Video Game Goal

As you thumb through dialogue trees in Mass Effect, trying to find the best lines to seduce slinky space-warrior Ashley, you’re engaging in what the developers hope is an advanced form of simulated human interaction. Throughout the game, Ashley slowly warms to your own personal Commander Shepard, even reeling off some flirtatious lines of her…

Is that Gunmetal on Your Wrist, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

The watches in the new Tracker Collection from Diesel Watches are made for maximum agility, speed and strength. Militaristic, weathered, and forged from actual gunmetal IP, these rugged time-keepers won’t keep you hidden for long. Molded and stamped grooves in these graphite gray, yellow and off-white watches make the Tracker Collection much more than merely…

A Gears of War That’s ‘Not What You’re Expecting’ Teased

Gears of War fans will want to tune into next month’s Spike TV Video Game Awards, when something new, something Gears of War related will be shown for the first time. Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski says the VGAs will be “showing off some new Gears of War gameplay,” while also guaranteeing the following:…

World Of Warcraft’s Shocking Large Daddy Needs Your Help

In a remote Horde outpost in the Stonetalon Mountains of the newly-restructured World of Warcraft, a young Blood Elf girl named Clarissa begs passers-by to help bring her pal Mr. D back to life. Sound familiar? Players that participated in the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm beta and those players that have ventured into the Stonetalon…

Your User-Generated Android 2010 Gift Guide

The Android is a Google mobile phone platform that has games on it, and that’s about all I can tell you with confidence. I have no Android, but let’s fear no obstacles to having a 2010 Android Gift Guide. Since we’ve run holiday video game buyers’ guides for every other modern gaming platform over the…

Should You Buy An Intellivision? The Intellivision was the second major console to enjoy strong sales success (after the Atari 2600). Consider this my informal advice on whether you should buy an Intellivision or not and, if you do, which games you should get. Should I Buy An Intellivision Now? If you don’t already own…

Epic Mickey Creator Immortalized In Trading Card Form

Artist Len Peralta commemorates this week’s release of Epic Mickey by adding creator Warren Spector to his “Geek a Week” collectible card art project. Check out more art and a podcast interview with Spector at the “Geek a Week” website. Gameface is a photographic and artistic celebration of the people who make, play and love…

Gamers At The Supreme Court, Arguing For Video Games

In the battle between people who want to criminalize the sale of violent games to kids and the video game industry, the video game industry’s fans made a video. This video was shot by the Entertainment Consumers Association, a gamers’ advocacy group, at the Supreme Court on November 2. On that day, the Court heard…

Science Makes Old Mice Young Again

You’re older than you’ve ever been and now you’re even older, unless you’re one of the lucky mice participating in a recent study that’s partially reversed age-related degeneration, resulting in stronger, sharper brains and larger, more virile testicles. It’s a fact of life: Human’s grow old. As we grow old our bodies begin to deteriorate.…

A War Game Where Nothing Could Happen

Video game creator Sion Lenton had an idea for one level of his next war video game. The sequence would feature Marines, probably in near-future Tajikistan, on assignment, on patrol. They’d walk around, looking for bad guys. They’d find none. “I was contemplating having a mission where nothing happens,” he told me while he was…

Xbox 360 May Get Cable-Like Online Subscription Service

Microsoft’s no stranger to working with TV networks, but according to Reuters they’re working on a cable-like online subscription service for the Xbox 360. It’s likely to have come about because of the Google TV threat—however much of a threat it may or may not be, it’s likely worried Microsoft. Nonetheless, it’s all good news…

Sonic Does Not Win This All-Star Video Game Footrace

It’s Sonic vs. Mario vs. Samus vs. Earthworm Jim vs. the kid from Aladdin and a bunch of other old-school gaming icons in animator Steve Williams’ great video game race. Who wins? Watch. Classic video game characters in a race [YouTube]

LEGO Universe MMO Log Four: Picking Up The Pieces

After a brief vacation delay, we’re back with the final entry in our four-part LEGO Universe MMO log. We’ll keep this one short and sweet, with a real world twist. Kotaku’s MMO reviews are a multi-part process. Rather than deliver day one reviews based on beta gameplay, we play the game for four weeks before…

iTunes Chart Toppers: EA Will Not Be Undersold

EA’s big holiday sale brings Scrabble, Monopoly, and Madden back into the iPhone fold, knocking off promising newcomers like last week’s Rage and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Here’s the full list of games for both platforms: iPhone Position Title Price Weeks Last Week 1 Angry Birds (Clickgamer.com) $0.99 29 1 2 Smurfs’ Village (Capcom)…

Show Them You Care With A Homemade Sonic Sackboy

Getting handmade gifts for Christmas was a real drag as a child, but now that we’re older we can appreciate the work that goes into creating a custom Sonic the Hedgehog Sackboy. Can you do-it-yourself? Pig Corner’s GoldenJellyBean gives us all of the tools we need to craft our own Sonic plushie out of nothing…

The Nintendo Download: Two Cave Stories Are Better Than One

Nicalis’ adorable retro adventure Cave Story returns to the Nintendo Download in two new flavors: A double-screened DSiWare version and a free WiiWare demo. Only a raccoon playing disc golf could make this week any better. If you own an internet connected Wii console and haven’t downloaded Cave Story yet, you should probably get right…

Poor Crash Bandicoot

As seen on The Onion, which took a break from posting fake news for this one. [Thanks, Walking Eye]

Black Friday Week Was Very Good To Nintendo

Fueled by new hardware colors and special holiday bundles, Nintendo had a very happy Black Friday week indeed, with 1.5 million video game systems finding their way into the hands of gaming-hungry shoppers. What systems sold the most? Nintendo’s handheld gaming systems won the week of Black Friday, according to the company’s own internal sales…

Empire Strikes Back Director Irvin Kershner Dead At 87

Irvin Kershner, the director behind what many consider the finest of all the Star Wars films, has passed away at the age of 87. Irvin Kershner didn’t want to direct The Empire Strikes Back. When George Lucas asked him to take on directorial duties for the second Star Wars film, Kershner initially declined, only to…

Diehard Nintendo Fans Debate Whether Donkey Kong Is Good Or Evil

Nintendo’s famous ape seemed like a villain back in the original Donkey Kong game, but he’s been a good guy recently. Which is it? We asked people who would know, some of whom were dressed as Nintendo characters. This video was shot in November at the Nintendo World Store. Thanks to all who agreed to…