Report: Square Enix Stalling Unannounced RPG Shooter From Nier Dev

Square Enix has been working on an RPG-slash-shooter called Catacombs, gaming site Siliconera reports today Developed by Cavia, also known as the studio behind 2010’s cult classic Nier (and a studio that has since been dissolved), Catacombs is a team-based shooter set in a twisted version of New York’s Museum of Natural History. Siliconera has…

How One Hacker Unintentionally Triggered one of the Biggest Data Thefts of All Time

George “geohot” Hotz found himself with overnight notoriety when, in 2007 at the age of seventeen, he successfully unlocked an iPhone — the first known to do so, bragging about it online. In January, 2010, he became the first hacker successfully to break through all of the restrictions Sony had put on the PlayStation 3.…

My, Chun-Li, You Look Different

This isn’t the Chun-Li I remember! But it doesn’t matter much because look how awesome that animation is. I can watch her loop around for that hit too many times than is normal. Or at least until I fall over from dizziness. That, or someone yells at me to go back to work and stop…

Yell These Words at Skyrim Using The Kinect Patch

Bethesda has released a full list of voice commands that will be supported in Skyrim‘s Kinect patch, which comes out tomorrow for Xbox 360 Check the PDF below for the whole list. And if you’re wondering whether to download the patch—well, first of all, it’s free. Second of all, it turns out shouting “Fus Ro…

He’s Convinced Final Fantasy XV is Coming This Gen, and It Will Be Awesome

Disappointed in Final Fantasy XIV? Saddened by Final Fantasy XIII? Don’t worry, commenter Zasalamel says Final Fantasy XV is coming, and he’ll tell you why it will be amazing in today’s Speak Up on Kotaku. Final Fantasy XV is coming this gen and it will be awesome. How can I make such a statement? I’ll…

Skyrim Kinect Support And DLC Announcement Coming Tomorrow

Skyrim’s Kinect update will go live tomorrow, Bethesda said this afternoon on its blog. The publisher will also announce the first downloadable content pack for its popular role-playing game, although VP of Marketing Pete Hines warned that we’ll only hear a “tidbit” of information about the upcoming DLC. Bethesda also released a full PDF file…

Gas Station Hot Dogs: The Snacktaku Review

Is the hot dog a snack, or is it a sandwich? Snackologists have long debated whether these discount sausage rolls fell under their dominion or were the bailiwick of the culinary elite. I have formulated, I believe, the ultimate answer. If you purchase a package of hot dogs from your local grocery store, bring it…

Great Moments in Video Game Humor: Space Quest IV… or XII… Possibly X

What’s so great about Two Guys from Andromeda getting together to make a new game? For the answer, let’s look at the classic adventure Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers, an adventure so epic it spans at least three different games. After ripping science fiction a new laugh-hole through three amazing Space…

Ride Epic Games’ Massive Metal Slide with Me in First-Person

It seems as if everyone in the Raleigh game development scene have ridden the slide from the second to the first floor of Epic Games’ headquarters. Now, thanks to the magic of shaky iPhone video, you can too. “You can’t miss the slide,” everyone and their brother told me as I prepared for my visit…

The Most Brutal Mortal Kombat Fatality Isn’t Always the Bloodiest

Wait, what? I didn’t pay for front row seats to the Mortal Kombat tournament just to be deprived of bloody entertainment! At least that’s what I imagine is running through the heads of the audience when Scorpion decides to forgo a fatality move. They’ve been robbed of the awesomely gruesome fatalities known to the fighting…

Fake Gamer of the Week: Little Girl Who Just Found Porn On Her Brother’s DS

Oh, Little Girl Who Just Found Porn On Her Brother’s DS. I’m so sorry this happened to you. On behalf of brothers everywhere, I apologize. When your big brother got a 3DS, you were so excited to inherit his old DS that you didn’t even think about clearing out the internal memory. Why would you?…

It’s Mother-Lovin’ Kotaku Off-Kilter Time

Make no mistake; Kotaku Off-Kilter loves your mother. Hell, it loves everybody, but especially moms. Perhaps it’s the season. It’s not supposed to make sense; nothing much will over the next hour and a half.

The Game of Thrones Minecraft Project Is Getting More And More Spectacular

By now you must be familiar with WesterosCraft, the long-running (and long-insane) project to reconstruct the entire world of Game of Thrones on a single Minecraft server Project lead Jacob Granberry has been cranking out videos of the project all month, and it’s looking better than ever. Here are some of the team’s creations: Dragonstone…

Get a Look at God of War: Ascension’s Multiplayer Gameplay Right Here

Sony’s made a big revelation today with the disclosure of the multiplayer component coming in God of War: Ascension. Our preview explains the motivations and mechanics of the mythological prequel’s gameplay, but what if you just want to see it in action? Well, then, just click play on the stream above to see game director…

Total War Developer’s Approach to Metacritic May Be ‘Brutal’ But It Works

In an interview with Gamasutra, Tim Heaton, the studio director of Total War developer Creative Assembly, described their development process as Metacritic-focused and “brutal.” As Creative Assembly works on a game, they’ll do what Heaton refers to as “Metacritic analysis,” breaking every feature down and looking at it from both the player’s and reviewer’s points…

Let’s Take a Tour of America’s Most Epic Video Game Company

My trip to North Carolina to attend the East Coast Games Conference in Raleigh last week was a ruse, a feint. My real target was a (mostly) unassuming office structure in the Raleigh suburb of Cary, the birthplace of some of the greatest games of the past decade. The company that was once Epic Megagames…

There’s Morse Code on the Call of Duty Website. Here’s What It Says.

It’s quick as can be but there’s an obscure teaser for Activision’s next big first-person shooter on the Call of Duty website. The concentric circles on the loading screen for CallofDuty.com contain morse code. You probably know what it says already, but it’s safe to consider this a sneaky sort-of confirmation from Activision. (If not,…

Piss Off Your Friends Once Again In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Last Friday, Sega introduced us to the sequel to their alternative to Nintendo’s Mario Kart. Racing against their PR team and the Sonic brand manager, I learned how developer Sumo Digital is working on setting Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed apart from their first Sega kart racing title. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which Kotaku…

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Sometimes You Get Lucky With Explosions For The Sake Of Explosions

Sometimes being stuck with terribly unskilled Battlefield teammates isn’t such a bad thing. It isn’t so bad, that is, if their shenaniganry manages to kill the opposing team with dumb luck.