The Goofy Religions Of ‘Twitch Plays Pokémon,‘ Explained

The cult of the Helix fossil/Omanyte is not the only ‘religion’ that’s formed around the events of Twitch Plays Pokemon, you know. This makes sense: a random group of thousands of people aren’t necessarily all going to believe in the same thing. Plus, the mythology surrounding the Helix fossil itself is a complicated beauty/mess—there are…

An RPG That Teaches You Japanese

Here’s a fascinating new Kickstarter project: an RPG that sets out to teach Japanese to English speakers. It’s called Koe, and it’s a “traditional” turn-based RPG designed to teach you how to read and understand Japanese The concept, via Kickstarter: Essentially, what I want to do in the game is give you an introduction to…

Now You Can Play Threes Right In Your Browser

Threes is a really fun, addictive game, but it’s only on iOS. Well, someone created a browser-based “demake” of Threes that you can play right in your browser. The demake was created by developer Benjamin Davis, and it’s a cool re-imagining of the art style for the game. It’s also WAY HARDER to play without…

Criterion Games is giving away free ECTO-1’s in Burnout Paradise in honor of the legendary Harold Ramis. Owners of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game in North America can download the TV and movie themed “Legendary Cars” DLC for free today.

The 3DS Is Three Today. It’s Still The Best Gaming Machine Out There.

Last year, at around this time, I declared that the 3DS is the best dedicated gaming system you can buy. Today, the 3DS turns three. It’s still the best gaming system you can buy. DECLARATION SUCCESSFUL. Yep, four months after the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the best gaming experiences you can…

The Order: 1886 brings you a good two and a-half minutes of gameplay in this trailer Sony released today. It lingers on the firepower (and quick timer events) available in the alternate-history landscape. Is it just me, or does that stuff look like it would be monstrously heavy with Victorian-era metallurgy?

The Games That Nearly Broke Us: you should read Kotaku columnist Leigh Alexander’s heartfelt story about Netrunner, a cyberpunk board game that can be difficult to learn for folks who have trouble with math.

The Best of iOS, 700 Blu-rays on Sale, DC Comics Subscriptions [Deals]

iOS gets the love today with discounts on some of the ecosystem’s best titles. Get downloading. [Updated] XCOM®: Enemy Unknown ($10) | Normally $20 | One of Kotaku’s best games on the iPad and a former GOTY Horn ($3) | Normally $7 | A previous Kotaku best game on the iPhone The Room Two ($1)…

This Is Why You Shouldn’t Trust Anyone In Rust

Paranoia—and the fact that you can only see naked characters’ weapons when they’re using them—fuels the survival game Rust. YouTuber rewrite illustrates this with an excellent and funny example of why you shouldn’t trustanyone in the game, even players who look like new spawns. Hi… Hey… [rewrite, YouTube] To contact the author of this post,…

​If Dark Souls II Were An 80s Cartoon

1980s nostalgia is easy to exploit for cheap jokes and lazy humor. But an 80s cartoon version of Dark Souls II? I’d buy that for a dollar. Dark Souls II: Rogue Warrior by YouTube user veselekov envisions a scratchy, VHS vision of what Dark Souls II could have been if it had landed in the…

Super Motherload Is Out On Steam Today, And It’s Still Fun

Super Motherload is a simple game about Cold War astronauts mining on Mars. It’s a lot of fun, but beware the Hardcore mode, which is next to impossible. I took a look at it on PS4 if you want to see what you’re in for.

Trials Fusion Takes Off in Mid-April for PS4, Xbox One and PC

Trials is coming back with all the gut-sucking drops and teeth-gritting ascents you remember from the dirt-bike racer’s first two editions, this time adding ATVs, midair tricks and a slew of new environments to Trials Fusion, coming April 16. The game will release for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PC. A news release from…

Ex-Pixeljunk Devs Mix Turn-Based And Real-Time In Nova-111

Taking turns is lovely. Twitchy action is lovely as well. Funktronic Labs’ upcoming PC adventure Nova-111 combines turn-based and real-time gameplay into an incredibly intriguing, double-lovely thing. Once upon a spacetime, there existed a team of intelligent scientists, who were living in a turn-based world. They were interested in expediting their scientific research, and thus…

A Filmmaker Says the Oculus Rift Can Make Great Movies, Too

The trailer you’re watching here doesn’t really do the movie justice. Zero Point is described as the first film shot specifically for the Oculus Rift, and if you want to see what that means, I’d suggest watching this interactive version instead, where your mouse can move your viewing perspective. We can’t embed that trailer here,…