​The Video Games Of Today, Viewed From The Future

Video games often feel so very current; it’s all happening right now. Every year, everything is different! But… how will this all look when viewed from the distant remove of the far future? Last week during the Game Developers Conference “Rants” panel, games researcher/designer/critic Ian Bogost gave an interesting mini-talk in which he imagined himself…

​Notch Says He’s Canceled Oculus Rift Minecraft Because Of Facebook

The people at Oculus VR are doubtless pretty psyched that Facebook just bought their company for $2 billion. Some game developers, not so much. Among the displeased is Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson, who tweeted that in light of the Facebook acquisition, he’s cancelled a deal he and his company Mojang were working on to…

​A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Game That Prints Your Story For You

Reading a choose-your-own-adventure book is pretty fun, but it can be hard to retrace your story. Any attempt to place your chapters back-to-back would require ripping pages out of the book, and that’s certainly no fun. But what if you could have a CYOA print out your story as you went, leaving you with a…

The Commandments of Playing Online Shooters

Multiplayer matches around the world would provide a better experience for all of us if everyone just agreed to a few simple rules. Commandments, if you will. Dorkly has gone ahead and drawn up comics for ten commandments for FPS multiplayer games, and they’re pretty great. Like the one above, for example—because seriously, too many…

Kids Don’t Need Fancy Toys To Have Fun—Just Junk

It’s only natural that we should want to protect our kids; they seem so small and helpless, so vulnerable to the dangers of the world. But actually being a kid means constantly negotiating danger and, usually, coming through just fine. A recent article at The Atlantic takes a look at a type of playground that’s…

It’s Fez time, PlayStation Owners. The indie hit Fez is out today for PS3, PS4 and Vita. Buy one copy and you’ll get all of ’em. All I can say is that I am pretty psyched to play this game on Vita.

Boy Is Super Psyched To Get His Tooth Pulled Out By A Mini Helicopter

One of the most dreaded things for me in childhood was pulling out teeth—but this kid? This kid is PUMPED to pull out his teeth. Dang. Malcolm Swan shares this video of a boy named Adam, who decided to get a little creative with pulling out teeth. In this case, he’s using a mini RC…

​President Jimmy Carter Really Did See A UFO, Technically

President Jimmy Carter has talked about his 1969 encounter with an unidentified flying object several times over the years. He’s never really been of the opinion that what he saw was an alien spacecraft, but maintains that he doesn’t quite know what it was, either. On the latest episode of The Brian Lehrer Show, Carter…

Looks familiar? It’s the menu screen from Age Of Empires 2, redrawn in MS Paint over about 24 hours, by deviantart user Bohlen

I don’t know whether to be excited or filled with dread about the tricks system coming to Trials Fusion Yes, the special moves look like they’ll add a lot to the game but they’ll also provide ample opportunities for embarrassment as players chase down Trials‘ particularly punishing brand of perfection.

​How A Horror Game Plans on Using the Real World to Scare You

Imaginary locations are great places to stage heart-stopping scream sequences. Nothing like being lost inside the bowels of a giant monster, an abandoned space station or the burning plains of hell for put the fear in you. But you know what else is really scary? The real world. In particular, that abandoned 7-11 off the…

Stick of Truth Gold Box, Bethesda Sale, Bioshock Triple Pack [Deals]

Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the Day is one of the first big sales we’ve seen on one of the funniest games out there. $43 gets you a physical copy of Stick of Truth on PS3, 360, or PC, and $45 buys you a PC download, if that’s your preference. [Amazon] If any recent Bethesda…

The Rise of the First-Person Shooter

It’s crazy to think that a younger generation of gamers will grow up having never known a world without first-person shooters. The genre has become an omnipresent fixture in modern-day gaming culture, and its continued evolution is pushing the boundaries of realism and unique gameplay in thrilling ways. Titanfall‘s sci-fi blend of on-foot firefights and…

Xbox One Is $50 Off On Microsoft’s Store

The Xbox One Titanfall bundle is now $450 on Microsoft’s store—joining retailers like Walmart and Target in offering a $50 discount on the newest Xbox—but don’t call it a price cut. Microsoft says the deal isn’t permanent. Here’s Microsoft’s official statement to news outlets including Kotaku: This is not a price drop on Xbox One.…

More Hatsune Miku Heading Stateside, Because Sega Loves Us

Last year Sega gambled on global love of Japan’s premiere virtual idol, releasing the Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F rhythm game in North America and Europe. That gamble must have paid off, because Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd is coming to the west later this year. I am so happy. With improved gameplay, 40…