Happy 25th Birthday, Sega Master System!

It’s been sadly overlooked by all the hoopla surrounding the 25th anniversary of the NES and Super Mario Bros., but this week was also the 25th anniversary of another classic gaming console: the Sega Master System. The machine that began life as the Sega Mark III before assuming its more famous moniker was first released…

New Universe, Old Mutants

Greetings, Kotaku readers. Are you in the mood for a little off-topic conversation? This is the place for the discussion about video games and everything else. I’ve been reading more comic books lately, but mostly things that I have owned for years—most Frank Miller and Daniel Clowes stuff—but it’s time to start digging some things…

Review: Rock of the Dead

Kill zombies. Do it with a guitar controller. The concept behind Rock of the Dead sure sounds like a brilliant idea, but the horrible reality of this tedious “strum or die” game quickly sets in. Rock of the Dead feels like an intentional riff on Sega’s The Typing of the Dead, a game that transformed…

Turn Your iPhone 4 Into A GameBoy Color

People have been skinning their iPhones to look like retro gaming handhelds ever since the gadget first appeared. This new vinyl will do your iPhone 4 up like a GameBoy Color. Available from Etsy for $6. [Seen via HBG]

EA Sports MMA Now Available On iPhone

The latest EA Sports title to hit the iPhone is EA Sports MMA – well, “MMA by EA Sports.” It’s $4.99 and available now on the iTunes App Store. For your five bucks, you get many of the big-picture details of the console title out now. Fight now? Yep. Career mode? Sure. Created fighters? Yes.…

Enjoy Some Treats With This Fable III Movie

In addition to this trailer packed with in-game cinematics, Fable III sent word today that all new copies will have a one-use code redeemable for free goodies in-game. With the code, you’ll get three skins – the Scottish Male (or Female) Hero (or Heroine) Outfit, the Highlander Tattoo Set and the Red Setter Skin (for…

Minecraft Is Just One Of The 391 Indie Game Festival Entrants You Should Know

The 13th annual Independent Games Festival has named the nearly 400 entrants vying for awards in this year’s competition, an impressive list that includes surprise hit Minecraft, Cave Story, Explosionade and hundreds more. And you can preview every single one. The record number of entries in this year’s IGF battle including plenty of games we’ve…

The Hart Of Pro Wrestling Is Yours In Smackdown Vs. Raw

Michael Jordan isn’t the only greatest-ever performer highlighting his sport’s video game this year. Bret Hart and his inimitable Sharpshooter submission hold are playable with a bonus code you get for preordering THQ’s Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 from Best Buy.

Did Sonic Fans Just Release A Better Sonic the Hedgehog HD?

A pair of die-hard Sonic the Hedgehog fans have released their own high-def homage to the Sonic games of old, Sonic Fan Remix, a side-scrolling platforming adventure that’s dripping with detail. Does it rival the one Sega just released on consoles? While Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was built by a team of…

Not Even Kirby Can Stop Pokemon’s Reign In Japan

Pokemon Black and Pokemon White continue to be super effective at maintaining a stranglehold on Japan’s software sales charts, easily moving past 4 million copies sold overseas and handily defeating Kirby’s Epic Yarn for the Wii. While Kirby’s soft and fuzzy new Wii game opened with respectable sales, it’s clear Nintendo should’ve released two versions,…

Check That, NBA Jam Is Coming Nov. 17 for PS3 and 360

Well, that’s what we get for trusting a retailer listing. GameStop said NBA Jam on the Xbox 360 and PS3 was due Nov. 16; today, EA Sports’ formal announcement says the game hits shelves Nov. 17 – a Wednesday. Not that there’s a federal law governing when games come out, but in North America, Tuesday…

NBA Jam Screens

13 Hours

To: Ashcraft From: Totilo Re: TONIGHT GOT BUSY I slept for 13 hours last night. I was that sick. Yikes! I could have been spending that time playing video games. At least some of it. Today I worked from home. I don’t know how you other Kotaku guys do it. I can’t stand working from…

Beer-Battered Kotaku Talk Radio

We invite you to listen to the newest episode of Kotaku Talk Radio right here, or download the one-hour show to your favorite MP3 player. This is an experimental episode. Crecente was traveling, so Mike McWhertor and I teamed up for this New York – Los Angeles edition. In this episode, we try a new…

Fedor Wins The What-If Fight

Randy Couture (left) and Fedor Emelianenko (right), cover stars of EA Sports MMA, have never fought in real life. They battled in-game at a launch event Tuesday, with the big Russian taking bragging rights. [Image via EA Sports]

Cabela’s Is Back, And This Time It’s Packing Heat

To video games, Cabela’s means The Gun, the pump-action piece of plastic with which you mow down herds of deer and squadrons of waterfowl. Yet it’s never appeared for any Cabela’s game on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Until now. Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 11, which releases on Tuesday, brings The Gun – more accurately, the…

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 11

Making Team Fortress 2 Hats Turns Out To Be Very Profitable

The recently launched “Mann-conomy” for Team Fortress 2 has quickly become a profitable venture for the community modelers who cranked out new weapons, hats and accessories for Valve’s game. Valve just sent out royalty check to creators… and they’re big. Five TF2 community members—Rob Laro, Shawn Spetch, Steven Skidmore, Spencer Kern, and Shaylyn Hamm—created new…

BioShock Infinite In Four New Screens

Irrational Games, the people behind the BioShock in the sky coming in 2012, have released four new screens of the upcoming BioShock Infinite that might feel a tad familiar. You’ve seen these people, place and things before, but not from these angles. You may have seen these things in gameplay video, perhaps in the game’s…

Don’t Worry About The Witness

Some gamers who loved Jonathan Blow’s Braid were perplexed when early footage of his team’s next game, The Witness, debuted on Kotaku last month. To those alarmed or confused, Blow offers some encouraging words. “The only two guys who have played The Witness to completion have said it will be better than Braid when it…