Sorry, You Can’t Worship Hello Kitty Anymore

Hello Kitty is more than a cartoon cat. She’s a cultural institution. No wonder, then, that the character was recently enshrined in a Shinto shrine, which is located in Kofu, Japan. Bad news, however, if you were planning on making alms in front of the enshrined Kitty-chan. The iconic cat has since been removed, only…

Skeleton Totoro Is Not Cuddly Cute. At All.

Oh Totoro, how I just want to pounce on your big, furry belly! The titular character from My Neighbor Totoro is one of anime’s most adorable creations. But take away the fur and the fat, and you get something quite unsettling. Via Albotas, this is the work of artist J★RYU. Check out more of his…

A League of Legendary Cosplayers

League of Legends is huge. Gamers love it! And when gamers love something, they love dressing up as it. Here is a look at some, but not all, of the best League of Legends cosplay the internet has to offer. These outfits and photos are wonderful—nice work all around! Have a look at the above…

The First Nintendo Console That You Can Drive (On A Table)

The Famicom was once a magnificent beast, but its time in the sun has long gone. Unless you’re a collector, you probably don’t have much need for one. These guys didn’t. So they turned it into an RC car, which is driven by the console’s control pad. ファミコンラジコン疾走 [友樹 小堀]

I Took A Month Off Work And I Didn’t Play Any Video Games

Plenty of my friends have had babies, so I knew what to expect. The woman goes into labour. There is the physical pain. You rub the back and say ‘there there’. You watch the little lump of flesh flop out like a wriggling trout. You shed the tears, you kiss the baby on the forehead.…

Concept Art For A Game That Has Never, And Will Never, Come Out

OK, you’re going to have to bear with me on this one. This art is for a project called Solace. The work of Judson “Tettix” Cowan, it’s an album, and for each song Cowan has drawn a piece of “concept art”, or a “screenshot”, imagining the game that would be based on the music, if…

This Game Was Made The Old-Fashioned Way. By Hand.

This is Lumino City. It’s the sequel to a 2012 game, Lume. It’s “hand made” in the sense that rather than being built from digital 3D assets, it was mostly filmed on a set, that was made in the real world. Even the effects are done, for the most part, for real; the windmill spinning…

Don’t Tell Ubisoft Their Games Suck

Not unless you want them to actually fire back. This refreshingly honest exchange—which was still on the site at time of writing—took place overnight on Ubisoft’s Australian Facebook page. Call it unprofessional if you want, but hey, it’s nice to see someone slinging remote digital mud get a little back from a publisher for once.…

After Years Of Playing A Game, These Guys Turned Their Exploits Into A Giant Story

Dwarf Fortress is, even with mods helping it out, one of the ugliest video games on the planet. It’s also one of the most rewarding for those who crack its tough exterior, leading to the kind of heroic exploits and emergent gameplay most titles can only dream about. One tale in particular, though, stands out.…

Reminder: PlayStation Home Is Still F**king Weird

Last time we checked in on Sony’s PlayStation Home service—yeah, it’s still around—we found that, over the years, it’s… changed. The people still using it, and paying money for things, have…interesting tastes. The objects, items and experiences you see below are not jokes. They’re what’s actually new for sale this month on the service, as…

In this poignant article at Gameological, one writer has his Magic collection appraised to dispiriting result.

Surgery Simulator 2013, Performed In Front Of A Live “Studio” Audience

Surgeon Simulator 2013 is, for reasons mostly comedic, the best damn game most of us have played this year It’s even better when there’s a live audience—real or otherwise—to see you fail. Or, somehow in this case, succeed Heart transplant surgery with live audience [CriticalIdiot]

Well, Killzone On The Vita Looks Pretty Great

You can’t ever put your complete trust in something until you’ve got your hands on it—especially when it comes to this franchise and this platform—but still. Even allowing for that, this is looking like a much better effort than other FPS games we’ve seen on the Vita thus far. We’ll have more on Killzone: Mercenary…

Everyone’s Going to Play as the Bad Guys in Aliens: Colonial Marines Multiplayer, Aren’t They?

Ok, yes: the Marines in Gearbox’s officially sanctioned Aliens shooter have some cool guns. But, honestly, if you’re going to pick up this game, do you really want to play as another sci-fi soldier? No, you’re not. You’re going to want to impale humans on your deadly tail, slash them to bits and spit acid…

Stop Trying To Use ‘Companies Exist To Make Money’ As An Argument. Just Stop.

You’re expressing an opinion on something—maybe DLC, maybe DRM, maybe microtransactions or online passes. Something controversial where it’s clear that a company is taking advantage of customers. You have worries. You’re upset. Enter the Apologist Gamer, here to invalidate your concerns. “Companies Exist To Make Money,” they’ll stupidly say—as if this fact wasn’t obvious, as…

Ni No Kuni Gets Its Own Dubsteppy xx420_NoScope Video

Thanks to My Inner Fred for making this “Official Pro Wizard” video of Ni no Kuni. (It’s somewhat spoilery, in that it shows some stuff from after the first act.) Wait for the drop at 0:36. Who says that shooters should get all the great bro-tastic NoScope videos? This game does have motherfucking management, after…

A Gorgeous Digital World That You Can Explore Starting Today

Last year, I wrote about the beautiful digital island found inside of Proteus. Proteus is an exploration game where the world is reactive to the player. Stones will hum as you walk by. Frogs will sing to you. I’d tell you more but it’s best that you experience it yourself; there’s nothing quite like it.…

Source Code and Moon director Duncan Jones will be directing the Warcraft movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist Won’t Have Interactive Torture, But It’ll Still Have ‘Interrogations’

One of the more inflammatory aspects of 2010’s Splinter Cell: Conviction was the fact that it included a number of gruesome interactive torture sequences. The game, in which you play as rogue spec-ops badass Sam Fisher, featured a number of ticking time-bomb scenarios in which Sam would torture various bad guys to get information. True…

Wizardry Online Launches. Prepare to Die, Permanently.

The free-to-play massively multiplayer online extension of one of the world’s oldest role-playing game franchises is now live in North America, luring players to its servers with the sweet embrace of permadeath. How long will you survive Wizardry Online? The selling point of Sony Online Entertainment’s Japanese import, besides the prestigious name, is the fact…