Don’t Play As A Space Marine. Play As A Vacuum Cleaner.

Finally. Just as every calendar year sees a new FIFA and new Madden, 2013 sees the release of Robot Vacuum Simulator 2013, which follows…Robot Vacuum Simulator 2012. You can download and play it right now. Which I’m assuming you already are, since that’s one of the best trailers I’ve ever seen. Even if you don’t…

Some Of The Best iPhone Games Ever Made Are Now Free

Apple’s App Store turns five this week (it first opened on July 10, 2008), and to celebrate, many of the biggest and best apps – including games – seem to be going on sale for, well, nothing. Among the games currently available for free (the sale isn’t official yet, so people are finding more games…

Moneysaver One-Shot: Borderlands 2+Season Pass $13.50, GMG Encore Sale

You have ten hours. Green Man Gaming’s “666 Sale” that just finished up took their servers straight to hell. Lucky for you, for the next ten hours all of their deals are available again. Most of what’s on offer will be Steam activated, and code GMG10-VTTCS-VYH18 takes an additional 10% off. Click here and go…

These Guys Can Finish Half-Life 2 In Under 90 Minutes

Over the weekend, the SourceRuns Team, comprised of fourteen players, got together and finished Half-Life 2, from beginning to end, in 1:27:51.09. Which, as you’ll see in the video above, is madness. It’s also a new world record. Apparently it took “over 600 days of hard work”, which means they deserve the title they gave…

No Dragon Can Steal This Cosplay Gold

You know it’s a good week for cosplay when you can see outfits from Persona, The Hobbit and Final Fantasy XII, all in the one place. Other highlights? That BioShock Splicer mask wasn’t just made as a one-off by the wearer, he sells them fromhis Etsy store. And that Korra shot…phew. To see the larger…

The Art Of Game Of Thrones

Karakter design studio in Germany were brought on by HBO to do the concept art for pretty much every VFX shot in the show’s second season. Including the epic Battle of Blackwater. Having made a name for themselves doing video game work, on series like Killzone and The Settlers, they won themselves an Emmy last…

Skyrim’s People Will Die At The Hands Of Animal Crossing’s Villager

The Animal Crossing psycho gag runs about as far as it can run in this mod, which turns your Skyrim character into the star of Nintendo’s mortgage simulator. Then gives him a giant sword. It…might be a bit much. Some Smash Bros. fisticuffs are one thing, but throat-cutting and disembowelling? Even Resetti would get upset.…

I Can’t Believe There Is A Video Game That Looks This Good

I mean, I know it’s a driving game, a genre that’s long had the luxury of looking better than other games, thanks to the fact they only have to render a track and some cars. But still. Look at this This isn’t some fancy cinematic trailer. The game, which is playable right now for its…

Six Champions Emerge from Pokémon U.S. Nationals

Six champions were crowned in Indianapolis this weekend at the largest ever Pokémon U.S. Nationals ever staged. The winners, and the next three finalists, will all travel to Vancouver, in August, for the 2013 Pokémon World Championships. The winners, by division. (By the way, it’s weird to me that someone born between 1998 and 2001…

A new bundle of DLC—the Champions Bundle—is coming to Halo 4 on Aug. 20, 343 said today at the Rooster Teeth Expo. It costs 800 Microsoft Points, and will introduce a new armor pack, a skin pack, and a new game type called Ricochet.

Two new community-created maps—Process (pictured) and Standin—will come to Team Fortress 2’s next update, along with an overdue rebalancing of Badwater to cope with the shenanigans of the current game.

NFL Pros Go Back to College to Fight for Their Video Game Rights

Two letters and a number. That’s all you need to be a household name in college football—or its video game, at least. But this year, when NCAA Football 14 hits shelves on Tuesday, South Carolina’s fearsome DE#7 and Texas A&M’s do-it-all QB#2 will be joined, for the first time, by active players appearing under their…

The Week in Games: Roar the Praises of Her Warriors

Oregon’s brand of video-game football returns to the virtual gridiron with NCAA Football 14, EA Sports’ annual simulation of the college game. the second expansion pack for Sid Meier’s Civilization V also arrives, on PC and Mac, with Guncraft coming on Thursday. Tuesday • Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Brave New World (PC, Mac) • DARK…

Rumor: Ultimate Warrior Returning to WWE’s Flagship Game Franchise

Not in the 13-year history of the Smackdown/Smackdown vs. Raw/WWE/WWE 2K series has The Ultimate Warrior—one of professional wrestling’s most intense, controversial, and just plain weird superstars—made an appearance. Apparently that will change with WWE 2K14. The forums of SmackDown Hotel, a wrestling enthusiast site, last week published an image of the August edition of…

Today is Bungie Day, making this the perfect time for reclusive founder Jason Jones to give his first proper interview in 11 years. The first of a three-part sitdown with IGN discusses the infamous potency of the pistol in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Let’s Make a Deal

So, after consultation with some readers, it’s been decided that former Xbox boss/current Zynga overlord Don Mattrick should be our next victim subject, coming from his appearance 30 years ago on a Canadian TV quiz show. Don’t worry, I have more than just that one image for you smart ‘Shoppers to use. If Mattrick appearing…

E-Sports League Hit With Lawsuit Over Bitcoin-Mining Scandal [Update]

Three gamers have sued the ESEA League, one of the largest PC gaming leagues, for the surreptitious installation on their computers of malware that “mined” the virtual currency called bitcoins, netting a rogue ESEA employee some $3,700 back in April. Their lawsuit seeks class action status. The suit was filed in San Francisco on Wednesday…

Sunday Comics: A Dose of Reality

Welcome to Kotaku‘s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics, chosen by our readership. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner. Brentalfloss the Comic by Brent Black, Andrew Dobson and Dan Roth. Published July 4. Read more of Brentalfloss the Comic Penny Arcade by…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Hairy Situations: The Winners

Dude! What the hell is that growing on your face?! Oh, this? It’s a fungal infection. I’ve got some Absorbine Jr. I can put—No, dude, I’m talking about that nasty-ass Pac-Man on your cheek! The misadventures of Mr. Pac-Man Beard Fail and the kid who got Super Mario shaved into his head provided the grist…

This Prototype Cartridge of EarthBound Can Be Yours for $15,000

At long last, EarthBound is coming to the Wii U’s Virtual Console later this year, but if you can’t wait, and you have a ridiculous amount of disposable income, an eBay seller is now auctioning the ultimate in collectible cartridges. This prototype cart of EarthBound is so rare, it can’t be given a grade by…