Watch Some Dude Pull His Hamstring for a Copy of Madden

Down in Florida this week, EA Sports challenged people to run the NFL’s all-important 40-yard dash—traveled nearly 25 years ago by one Barry Sanders of Wichita, Kansas in 4.37 seconds—and offering copies of Madden NFL 25 to 100 winners. We hope the guy at 0:16 got one as a consolation prize. Sanders, this year’s cover…

See the StarCraft II World Championships Live Here, All Weekend

The world champion of StarCraft II will be crowned this weekend at Gamescom, and action is underway right now in the tournament’s group stage decider matches. You can watch all of the action right here. The World Championship Series Season 2 group stage deciders began at 10 a.m. and will wrap up soon, in time…

Second Kickstarter for Eternal Darkness Sequel Ends Far Short of Goal

Shadow of the Eternals, the proposed spiritual successor to 2002’s Eternal Darkness, fell well short of its Kickstarter funding goal for a second time. Despite a more modest target of $750,000, the project attracted less than half that amount, or $323,950. Shadow of the Eternals was to be made by Precursor Games, a studio formed…

This Week in the Business: When Ads Go Bad

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “They’re using words like amateur, crass, gross, disgusting … nothing that you’d want your brand associated with.”—A veteran game marketing executive describes the widespread negative response to Ouya’s ‘vomiting gamer’ ad QUOTE | “The handheld market, in terms of the media…

The Best of Kotaku, The Week of August 19

I’m on vacation, so I’m not really supposed to be here, but I figured you guys needed your weekly image courtesy of my Internet travels as well as all of our best content rounded up over at Kotaku Selects. So, go there. And stuff. This week’s image is brought to you by VectorBelly, who is…

In this, the year of Luigi: here’s this kind of bizarre, kind of funny fake ‘documentary’ by Nintendo about finding a parkour pro version of Luigi.

Aha, So THIS Is How You Get Toddlers To Stop Crying

It’s genius, what arfmoochikncheez has discovered. All he does to get his kid to stop throwing a tantrum is ask her to do something completely unrelated to what’s happening at the time, and boom! The tears are gone. Magic. Also, hilarious. Off-Topic is our nightly open thread where we show you something interesting beyond the…

Chun Li from Street Fighter Is Jealous. Of Everyone.

Take an assortment of cheesy embarrassment videos from all over the internet. Add in the blistering attacks of Street Fighter’s Chun Li. Stir well. Laugh heartily. Yes, the premise that Chun Li would kick people into oblivion because people are talking her big thighs is sexist and unnecessary. But this latest video by Parodie Pub—tacky…

Joss Whedon’s Serenity Is on Its Way Back

“Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill ’em right back!” Firefly—Joss Whedon’s beloved cult sci-fi TV series that spun out in the film Serenity—may not be all the way dead. This teaser from Dark Horse Comics is a big hint that the publisher’s getting ready to tease Browncoats with new adventures for…

One Way A Future Saints Row Game Could Be Even More Ridiculous

Between the dubstep guns and dildo bats, Saints Row is a pretty ridiculous franchise. You can’t help but wonder, where can the games possibly go next? Just how much more ridiculous can we get here? Is becoming more ridiculous even possible? Yes, yes it is. Let Dorkly show you how that is: The Future of…

Guy Hilariously Replaces Minecraft’s Sound Effects With His Voice

Now, modding the audio in a game like Minecraft isn’t so rare. But R2Bl3nd‘s custom sound effects—all of which are his own voice—are too fantastic not to share. Heck, it’s hard not to laugh as you watch this. This has been a work in progress since 2011, which means you might’ve seen something like this…

Looks Like We’re Getting A Zelda-Themed Wii U (And It’s Pretty Slick)

Is that a slick gold design I see on this Wii U? Possibly part of a Zelda: Wind Waker Wii U bundle? Earlier this week, Destructoid floated rumors that we might be seeing a Zelda-packed Wii U bundle at some point in the near future, and this image, taken from a since-pulled Nintendo trailer spotted…

Disney Infinity: The Kotaku Review

Disney Infinity is a wonderful way for children of all ages to indulge their desire to create and explore, but are all of these colorful pieces ofexpensive plasticreally necessary? Setting aside the game’s creativity-exercising segment for the moment, let’s consider the origin of Disney Infinity. The game’s roots lie in 2010’s Toy Story 3: The…

Grand Theft Auto V Files May Have Leaked Online

Internet sleuths are currently in the process of digging into what could be leaked Grand Theft Auto V files—and what they’ve found is fascinating. Yesterday, the PS3 version of Grand Theft Auto V became available as a preload on the PlayStation network in some regions. Preloading refers to the practice of downloading a game before…

A Behind-The Scenes Look At Dark Souls II

Happy Friday! Here’s a new hype video produced by Namco Bandai to pump us all up for Dark Souls II, the sequel to the most masochistic game on the planet. Hopefully this will tide you over while waiting for the beta

Would You Pay $15 A Month For The Elder Scrolls Online?

This week, ZeniMax Online revealed that their upcoming Elder Scrolls MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online, would cost players $15 a month to subscribe after purchasing the base game. This has, predictably, set off no small amount of debate. The most common reaction I’ve seen is, more or less, “Nope.” Plenty of folks in my own…

A Longer Look At Multiplayer Shooting On PS4

I’ve always enjoyed Killzone multiplayer, in particular the general sense of heaviness as everyone lumbers around the battlefield. In this new video from Gamescom, Game Informer chats with Shadow Fall game director Steven ter Heide about how multiplayer will work in the PS4 launch game. Crucial takeaways: 24 players, lots of game customization options, no…

The GTA V Hype Train Destroys Other Games With Animated GIFs

In anticipation of Grand Theft Auto V, members of the GTA Forums amused themselves with animated GIFs in an ongoing thread, poking fun at similar games like Saints Row IV, Watch Dogs and The Last of Us Here are the results: GIF-wise, Saints Row IV has nothing to fear about, as it’s a sandbox game…

This Game Isn’t About Violence Or Guns. Just People.

Once in a while, a game comes along that means a whole hell of a lot to you — one you want everybody you know to sit down and play. For me, Gone Home is just such a game. I know I’m not the first to praise Gone Home and I certainly won’t be the…

Tune In To The StarCraft II WCS Season 2 Finals During The Weekend

Season 2 of the StarCraft II World Championship Series is now in full effect at Gamescom 2013. During the weekend, one the 16 best players will be crowned World Champion. You can catch all the StarCraft II action, including well-known and beloved pros such as MC, Jaedong, Innovation, Naniwa, during the weekend on Twitch Here’s…