Your April Fool’s Survival Guide [Update]

Oh dear. It’s now April 1, making this officially the worst day of the year for all things internet. Over the next 24 hours things might get a little rough. But it’s OK. We can get through this. Together. In this post, we’ll collect all the pranks, jokes and ill-advised attempts at either we come…

NSFW: Is This The Most Violent Recruitment Site In Japan?

There are a lot of companies in The Land of the Rising Sun. The majority of them have boring recruitment sites. Not this company. Shinji Mikami, the creator of survival horror series Resident Evil, has started a new game development studio called Tango. Mikami, who was previously based in Osaka, is setting up shop in…

Rumor: Killzone, Resistance Sequels Added To PS3’s Greatest Hits Line

According to this scan from a new Walmart catalogue, Sony has just added some big-hitting new games to its line-up of budget “Greatest Hit” titles for the PlayStation 3. Games like Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Infamous, LittleBigPlanet’s fancy Game of the Year edition and even surprise multiplatform hit UFC Undisputed (the latter of which readers…

Who Makes More, Game Designers or Game Programmers?

Maxim has listed the the average game industry salary, courtesy of Game Developer Research. Let’s have a look: • Business and marketing: US$131,000+ • Producers: $129,000 • Programmers: $90,000 • Sound designers: $80,000 • Artists and animators: $70,000 • Game Designers: $67,000 • Quality Assurance: $32,000 Huh, the average game designer salary is lower than…

NBA Jam Also Features 80’s Basketball Legends

The new NBA Jam may be set in the present day, but that doesn’t mean every player in the game is on a 2010 NBA roster. Two in particular stand out: legends Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Yes, pitched at those aged 30 and up, the game will include a campaign mode which culminates…

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Screenshots: Levels, Yoshi & A Dense Mario

To go along with the new trailer released earlier today, Nintendo also let loose some new screenshots and character art for one of 2010’s most eagerly-anticipated Wii games. So, yes, there’s Rock Mario, along with Yoshi and some of the game’s many planet levels. All of it looking exactly the same as Super Mario Galaxy…

Barack Obama Passes Historic Video Game Health Care Bill

Pixelated president Barack Obama proposes the “Video Game Health Care Bill,” with Phoenix Downs, med kits and antidotes for every Moogle, woman and child being chased by ghosts. Inspiring stuff. [College Humor – thanks, MC Double Def DP!]

Kotaku Off Topic: No Foolin’

Welcome to a very serious edition of Kotaku Off Topic, one free from April Fools’ Day pranks, mostly because it’s March 31, damn it. OK, that maybe wasn’t true, because tonight’s selection of links features at least two hoaxes, but they’re things one should be aware of. This edition of Kotaku Off Topic also features…

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Screenshots & Character Art

Zeno Clash’s XBLA Release Is Delayed

Perhaps you noticed that today Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition was supposed to release on Xbox Live Arcade. Perhaps you noticed that it did not. “It’s been pushed back a tad,” says the developer. “Sorry about that to everyone,” wrote Andres Bordeu on the ACE Team forums. “It should come out early April. Atlus will be…

Real Bullet Hell Action Coming To Your iPhone, Courtesy Cave

Fans of frenetic arcade shoot ’em up action of the Cave variety will be able to put their touchscreen twitch skills to the test this spring with the release of Espgaluda II for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Cave promises a port of the 2005 arcade game—which also saw release on Xbox 360 in Japan…

Five Stars Will Also Suffice

Funny, I think the same thing can be said of NPR’s music and book reviews. Via Fake AP Stylebook, which anyone in media should be following. And anyone outside of media.

A Baker’s Three Dozen of UFC Undisputed 2010 Screens

Caution, there are a whopping 39 screenshots of UFC Undisputed 2010 behind this door, and if your computer monitor is of a poor constitution it might destroy itself rendering such manly badassery. Brendan Shaub, James McSweeny, Marcus Jones and Roy Nelson are featured – they were the semifinalists in The Ultimate Fighter Season 10, and…

Gears of War Developer To Debut Next Game on Late Night

The host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon writes that the design director for popular Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War will be on his show next week to debut his next game. Game developer Cliff Bleszinski, who worked on both Gears of War and Gears of War 2, has not yet talked about when…

Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Pack Review: Pricey Maps

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remains the most popular game played on Xbox Live since its launch late last year, but that doesn’t mean that the fans of the fast-paced, first-person shooter couldn’t use some new ways to play. Enter the Stimulus Pack. The first Modern Warfare 2 map pack, coming to the Xbox…

First Conduit 2 Screens, Details On Online Co-op

Sega is making Conduit 2 doubly official today, offering a first look at the sequel to last year’s The Conduit for the Wii, complete with new details and a chance to put your face in the game. Conduit 2 will build upon the original with a new Team Invasion Mode, a cooperative multiplayer option that…

Kotaku Talk Radio Races Out Another Episode for Download

The outfit responsible for Project Gotham Racing and the forthcoming Blur joined us today to talk racin’ with Kotaku Talk Radio. You can download the .mp3 faster than it takes to get two new tires and a splash of gas. If you missed Crecente, Totilo, Bizarre Creations’ Gareth Wilson and of course our lively cast…

Prepare for April Fools

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Become Right Handed Or Left Handed, Time to Decide! If there were one day I year I don’t enjoy working on a gaming blog it would be April Fool’s Day. Deciphering the news from the “jokes” is a chore. A painful chore. What you missed: How They Brought NBA Jam…

Club Nintendo Updates With New Games, New Goods

Members of the North American version of Club Nintendo can start blowing those coins they’ve been saving up on new goods, including two new video games exclusive to the program, a new Game & Watch Collection. Game & Watch Collection 2 packs in an impressive three whole Game & Watch games into a single Nintendo…

Indie Sports Game Unites Developer’s Dream with a League’s Ambition

By the end of April, Xbox Live’s Indie Games channel will see a very unusual first: The service’s first sports title licensed by a professional league, and backed with the sponsorship of a major brand. NLL Lacrosse 2010 will be the pro sport’s video game comeback nine years after its one and only console release.…