Cosplay Shodown: Gamescom Vs. BlizzCon

August was packed to the gills with conventions. And conventions mean cosplay. But who had the best in August? BlizzCon’s “purple girl” seems to be leading the charge for all things Warcraft, while in Germany the all-female cast of Metal Gear Solid were rocking Gamescom. Here’s your chance to decide which of the gatherings brought…

Red Faction: Guerrilla’s New Bagman Mode Explained

So what’s this new Bagman multiplayer mode coming in next month’s Red Faction Guerrilla Multiplayer Pack? This trailer explains it all. I’m a little bit worried about playing a game over Xbox Live Arcade or the PlayStation network that requires players to keep hold of a bag. If the reasoning behind my trepidation isn’t abundantly…

@Brian Crecente: Well, this letter’s not supposed to be for people who necessarily agree. It’s like the persuasive writing jive we learned in school, ”as with a girl’s skirt, keep it long enough to cover the subject, and short enough to keep it interesting”.

Those Hot Xbox Live Arcade Peggle Nights

What could possibly be better than Peggle on Xbox Live Arcade? More Peggle on Xbox Live Arcade! PopCap Games has announced a Peggle Nights expansion, doubling the size of the original release. While Peggle Nights for the PC was a standalone title, the game being released this fall in the form of an expansion pack…

Guest Op/Ed: Toxics, Electronics and Why Consoles Matter

Here at Greenpeace we’re no strangers to controversy. Sparking it is part of the reason we exist: sometimes it’s the only way to raise an issue up in the public dialogue to a point where a discussion is had, a decision gets made, and action taken. And that’s what our work on games consoles is…

Talk Amongst Yourselves

We’re in the first Pinata-free gaming year since 2005. Bummer. Overcome your sorrow and comment here about video games. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

This Meat Is So Raw, So Red And Oh So Meaty

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Death By Fire Alarm Best thing about living close to Kobe? Kobe beef. De-licious. What you missed last night Venezuelan Politicians Trying To Ban Violent Video Games Evony Devs Sound A Bit Iffy Tearing The PS3 Slim To Pieces, Just To See What Its Insides Look Like Sega: Yes, Bayonetta…

FASA’s Dev Culture Was “Destroyed” By Microsoft

The name “FASA Interactive” will be familiar to anyone who loved them some Mechwarrior back in the day. Sadly, they’re no more, having been shut down by Microsoft, who bought the company in 1999. Bought then, allegedly, ruined. FASA founder Jordan Weisman has said that once Microsoft bought the studio, things changed. When Microsoft bought…

Defense Grid Powers Up On Xbox Live Arcade

I loved Plants vs Zombies, but it’s not my favourite tower defence game. Nope. That honour goes to Defense Grid, which I’m happy to hear will soon be making an appearance on Xbox Live Arcade. It’s due on September 2, and will be sold for the entirely reasonable price of 800 MSP ($10), especially when…

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Ad: “Japanese Women Are Frightening”

Developer Tecmo has tongue planted firmly in cheek for this Ninja Gaiden Σ 2 spot that is a send off of a Japanese shampoo ad. Tecmo uses the tag line "The women of Japan are frightening" (日本の女性は、恐ろしい。) as it shows the lovely ladies of Σ: 2 slicing up bad dudes. The phrasing is a parody…

Inside Dubai’s Sega Fun Park

Sega’s massive new Middle Eastern fun park opened its doors earlier this month, and already, die-hard Sega fans have popped in, cameras in hand, to see what it’s like. And it’s…well, it’s less of a fun park, more an over-sized arcade, as aside from a few large rides the focus appears to be squarely on…

Square Enix Doesn’t See PS3 Price Cut Impact This Year

……but the company sees a big impact next year. When does Final Fantasy XIII come out again? Oh right, this winter. According to Square Enix honcho Yoichi Wada, the cheaper US$299 PS3 will spur game sales, but not enough for the company to revise this year’s financial forecast. “In terms of the impact (the PS3…

Stream Hulu, Netflix To Your Wii

MediaMall’s PlayOn service (already on 360 & PS3) is about to enter “open” beta for the Wii, which is good news for owners looking to expand their machine’s usefulness. Why? Because it streams both Netflix and Hulu, that’s why. It does this by acting as a bridge-building web interface, so you’re basically just using both…

Is Capcom Working On A New Okami?

In 2006, former Capcom subsidiary Clover Studios released the critically acclaimed PS2 title Okami, or 大神 in Japanese. The game’s title, Okami, is a Japanese pun: Written as 大神 in Japanese kanji, okami means “god”, but “okami” written as 狼 means “wolf”. The main character of the game is a manifestation of the god Amaterasu…

Square Enix Answer Final Fantasy VII Remake Question

Square Enix has remade numerous games in its back catalogue. One title that it hasn’t remade just yet is Final Fantasy VII. At the Gamescom convention in Germany, website VG247 asked Square Enix producers Yoshi Kitase and Motomu Toriyama about the possibility of a FFVII remake. The translator replied: There’s not official project that’s up…

Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 Bar Hostess Voting Has Ended

One more audition to go! SEGA has been running an online poll for upcoming PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 4, allowing folks to vote for their favorite candidate. There have been over 30,000 votes cast. The front runner has been adult video actress Rio. The 22 year-old thespian is known for her work in blue…

EGM Might Be Back By December

It’s been a rollercoaster few months for readers of former flagship gaming mag EGM. First it died, then we heard it’d be coming back…differently, and now owner Steve Harris has announced a tentative return date. “Plans put in motion today for EGM to return on December 1…”, he posted on his Twitter account earlier today.…

Japanese Store No Longer Buying Old Xbox 360 Consoles

This sign was spotted in front of a Japanese game shop and states that the store will no longer be buying back used Xbox 360s that went on sale before August 2007. The poster tells customers how they can check the serial number on their machine’s date. The store will buy Xbox 360s will the…

Gears Of War 2: Game Of The Year Edition

GameStop have announced today that, starting next month, you’ll be able to buy a “bundled” version of Gears of War 2, called the “Game of the Year” edition. It includes the main game along with all post-release DLC, which comes to 19 maps and the bonus singleplayer level Road to Ruin. Well…”include” is such a…

BlazBlue, iDOLM@STER Voice Actress Moonlights As Pin-Up Model

In Japan, voice actresses aren’t just voice actresses. They’re voice actress idols. Take Chiaki Takahashi — she’s in a candy-coated pop band and poses for pin-up pics. For many Japanese fans, it is important that voice actresses are as cute as the characters they portray. Takahashi has done loads of anime voice work as well…