The Sims Beat Warcraft for Top PC Seller of ’09

June’s release of The Sims 3 bested World of Warcraft for the crown of 2009’s best selling PC game, according to numbers released today by the NPD Group. Modern Warfare 2, despite a November release, was a strong fifth. Dragon Age: Origins also saw a November release and also made the top 10, at No.…

NPD: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Stomps The Competition, More Than 2.8 Million Sold

In December, New Super Mario Bros. Wii sold another 2.82 million copies to U.S. consumers, pushing the game past the 4 million mark in the United States, according to the NPD Group. That’s the start of good news for Nintendo. Nintendo also sold another 2.4 million copies of Wii Fit Plus and 1.79 million copies…

Nintendo Hardware Sells More Than 7 Million To Win December ’09

Nintendo hardware dominated the holidays last year, with the Wii and Nintendo DS crushing the hardware competition, according to new sales figures from the NPD Group. The Wii alone outsold the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP and PlayStation 2 combined, moving 3.81 million units in the United States last month. It was followed closest by…

Arkham Asylum Gets its GOTY (Edition)

The British Board of Film Classification has listed a Game of the Year edition for Batman: Arkham Asylum, offering no details beyond the fact it’s a separate version under a different name. The game was approved with no cuts made, but that doesn’t really mean much as, of course, the original version passed review by…

IGDA Condemns Alleged Rockstar Work Conditions As “Exploitative, Harmful”

The International Game Developers Association has weighed in on accusations from the anonymous blogger(s) alleging unfair working conditions at Rockstar San Diego, calling the practice of “excessive crunch” during Red Dead Redemption‘s development “deceptive, exploitative, and ultimately harmful.” The statement from the IGDA does not solely focus on the rumored work conditions at Rockstar San…

Pallurikio Rolls All Over WiiWare

Pallurikio is taking over WiiWare with its new twist on platforming. Get a glimpse of its more than 50 levels in the video (find it after the jump). Pallurikio is out now worldwide on WiiWare via the Wii Shop Channel.

Army of Two Action Figures Hit Stores, Fistbump Castle Playset Sold Seperately

The battle for Shanghai rages on in your home with the release of NECA’s Army of Two: The 40th Day action figures, bringing total fistbump destruction action to toy stores near you. NECA’s Salem and Rios 7″ action figures feature real pivoting facemask action and more articulation points than any Army of Two action figure…

What Do You Want In Your Dead Space 2 Collector’s Edition?

The Dead Space Facebook page wants to know what sort of swag you’d like to see in a theoretical collector’s edition of Dead Space 2. EA needs your help! Dead Space 2 is in the works, and they’re trying to figure out what they could put in a special box that would make you pay…

Global Agenda Teaser Prepares For Launch

Hi-Rez Studio’s action MMO Global Agenda is coming February 1st, and this official launch teaser should give you a good idea of what to expect once next month rolls around. Laser Gatling guns, sword fights, and giant robots; it doesn’t get much better than this, at least conceptually. Hell, I’d buy a cereal that listed…

And The Nominees For Best Video Game Writing Are…

According to the Writers Guild of America, five games from 2009 are worthy of nominations for the organization’s Videogame Writing Award honors. Some have already walked away with multiple game of the year nods, others have certainly not. It’s a mixed crowd that includes games like Uncharted 2 and Wet, as well as Modern Warfare…

You Can Now Buy Ratchet And Resistance Action Figures

As if we needed another excuse to visit our local comic book stores, DC Unlimited is finally shipping its Ratchet & Clank and Resistance action figures to wherever fine monthly graphical literature is sold. It’s been a long time coming. We first heard about the Resistance 2 action figures nearly a year ago, with the…

First-Person Tetris Might Make You Queasy

I just tried playing Tetris in first-person which probably doesn’t play out the way you expect it to. If you don’t get too sick playing first-person games, give it a try. It’s free to play in a browser and, aside from potentially making players dizzy also has a night-time mode. Both interesting touches. Be safe,…

Kingdom Hearts Puts Mario To Sleep In Japanese Game Chart

Only the combined power of Disney and Square Enix can put Mario’s video game sales dominance in Japan on pause. For now, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is the country’s bestselling game. The latest Kingdom Hearts game—this one for the PSP—sold 446,000 more UMDs to Japanese gamers, the week’s only new release to make Media…

You Will Believe A Hamster Can Fly

Developer The Game Atelier delivers the first screenshots for The Flying Hamster, the first horizontal hamster shooter for the Sony PSP. I am filled with joy beyond words. Okay, perhaps not as beyond words as I initially thought. I’m just a big fan of hamsters in general, and haven’t been able to keep one as…

At Last, Blinds For Gamers

Unexpected gaming angle in catalog advertising fancy blinds. [As seen by a certain Kotaku editor who can’t currently play games during the 2-3pm hour on weekends because it’s too bright and he has no blinds in his new home yet.]

Wii Fit Plus Targets Target Parking Lots

Nintendo is rolling out the Wii Fit Plus Experience at select Target store parking lots in California, Georgia, and Texas over the next three weeks, with a $15 gift card for those willing to get their exercise on in public. Nine Target stores across the three states will be hosting Wii Fit Plus demos in…

Kane & Lynch 2

Sex, Drugs, But No Violence: A Porn Game With A Message?

Video game developer Andrew Hall makes no bones about his lifestyle or the game he helped make that revels in it. “I have consensual sex and I do drugs,” he told Kotaku in a recent interview. “I’ve never killed anybody before. But in video games you just go kill people all day, it’s like nothing.…

Man Defeats His Achievement Points Addiction, Almost

I used to work with Jason Cipriano, back when he was obsessed with Achievement Points. I heard from him yesterday and he’s cleaned himself up. Kicked the habit. Jason admits over at MTV Multiplayer that, yeah, he kind of took things far back in the old days of his Achievement mania and that the hankering…

Survey: 82% Of “Gamer” Parents Are Hip To The ESRB

A survey conducted by The Harrison Group and Activision Publishing has found that a large percentage of parents with gaming children are familiar with the ESRB ratings system. As the popularity of video games continues to grow, so does parental awareness of the ratings system that governs the industry. The survey, which gathered the results…