Kotaku Might Be Down, But We’re Still Listening

While the main site may be down, that doesn’t mean our email accounts are. If you need to get in touch, or just want to say hi, we’re still at tipsATkotakuDOTcom!

Make Steam Look Prettier on Windows 8

So, Windows 8 is out! I’ve got something substantial written up on the new OS for gamers that’ll go live when they drag our servers out from the depths of the ocean, but in the meantime, if you’ve already got Windows 8 and are struggling to make any practical use of the Start screen, try…

If you’re making a gaming pumpkin for Halloween, you may as well go all out and make it interactive.

Natural Selection 2 Is Finally Out

It’s been ten years since the first Natural Selection, a Half-Life mod, was released. Its sequel, this standalone game, has itself been in development for six years Today, it’s actually out.

How Valve Fires Somebody

You hear a lot about how great it is to work at Valve, about the studio’s collaborative culture, but remember, not everyone is a perfect fit. Sometimes, somebody’s got to get their marching orders. And the way it’s done is as interesting as the way they’re brought on board. While many developers are sadly told…

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation: The Kotaku Review

There had to be some sort of heroes back then. Unnoticed in the ways that mattered and exploited in the ways that left permanent fractures, the African people that came over during the Atlantic Slave Trade had to have found ways to survive and thrive in a land where they were looked on as property.…

Let’s look back on an iconic scene from the original Star Wars, as we look ahead to the new management.

Modder Rimplus made a Myst book. That has a computer in it. That plays Myst

Vote for this awesome design to be made into a t-shirt on Checkpoint!

Time To Get Rid Of Game Discs

Remember video games on discs? Forget ‘em. These slides come from mega-publisher EA (Madden, The Sims, Battlefield, Need for Speed) and if you dig into them you’ll see that EA is making a LOT of money off of what they call “digital”. That’s selling games for download, selling DLC, subscriptions, microtransactions. You name it. It…

Call of Duty and Guitar Hero Servers Face Storm-Related Troubles

We here at Kotaku aren’t the only ones with servers in storm-beset New York City. Activision, too, has servers in the zone affected by wind, water, and power outages, and those servers are having a rough time of things right now. Actvision community manager Dan Amrich announced on his blog, One of Swords, that servers…

Is this how Star Wars: Episode VII will begin?

Donate to Hurricane Sandy Victims with a Simple Text Message

lifehackercom: There’s no doubt you’ve been reading (and seeing) a lot about Hurricane Sandy’s destruction today. Figuring out how to help after a massive natural disaster can be tough, especially if you’re far away from the damage. Thankfully, several relief organizations allow for quick $10 donations through text message. Read More

Need for Speed Most Wanted Mobile Is Excellent, Until You Play the Console Version

I’ve been playing the gorgeous mobile version of Need for Speed Most Wanted for the past week, loving every tilt-steering, nitrous-swiping, fender-bending moment. Last night I played the console version of Need for Speed Most Wanted for the first time. I can never go back. Real Racing developer Firemonkeys makes the best racers on iOS…

Disney Buys LucasFilm, Star Wars Episode 7 Coming In 2015

This is not a joke. Multiple news outlets are reporting that Disney has bought LucasFilm, and will release Star Wars Episode 7 in 2015 Will it star Luke? Anakin? Jar-Jar? We have no clue. All we know is THAT SHIT CRAY. On top of that? Disney “plans to release a new Star Wars feature film…

Have a look at Call of Duty: Bayonet Ops, created by Kotaku reader Jason Tedeschi

Assassin’s Creed III: The Kotaku Review

It is one of the best video games of the year, one of the most daring developed by a major studio this generation, and one of the most beautiful to ever run on any machine. It stumbles from some awkward glitches and some game design over-reach, but it is superb in a surprising number of…

If you can’t slam with the best, would you kindly jam with the rest?

This Is What Clans Will Look Like In StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm

Launching this week as part of a patch for the Heart of the Swarm beta, the new StarCraft II clan system supports group chat, news/announcement sections, officer promotions, and all the other things you might expect a clan system to have. Anyone can make a clan, Blizzard says, and fill it out however he/she would…

Okami Looks Better Than Ever

Via Capcom, here’s the launch trailer for Okami HD, which is out today on PSN for $20. Not gonna lie: it’s pretty gorgeous. Okami was already a pretty game when it was released for PlayStation 2 in 2006, and it looks even cooler in high definition. I dig!