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Reviews
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!: The Kotaku Review
There are plenty of shows that apparently only certain groups of people can appreciate. Adventure Time? Scoff! That’s a kid’s show! Definitely heard that one before. Adventure Time—created by the lovable and witty Pen Ward—is a cartoon show on Cartoon Network. It features two adventurers, Jake and Finn, who are the best of friends. They…
By Tina Amini Published November 20, 2012 -
ReviewsPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale: The Kotaku Review
If you think about every major video game publisher whose games you ever played, certain staple characters may come to mind. Recalling those characters might even bring a smile to your face, and remind you of the fond memories you had playing as each of them. So let’s take all those memories and all those…
By Tina Amini Published November 20, 2012 -
Reviews
Borderlands 2: Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage: The Kotaku Review
The newest Borderlands 2 DLC is an arena-based battle. It’s also a set of questlines in a campaign mission to become the biggest, baddest badass of the Badass Crater of Badassery. Still with me? Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage is all about proving you’re the baddest dude or dudette in Pandora, because only the baddliest…
By Tina Amini Published November 20, 2012 -
ReviewsHitman: Absolution: The Kotaku Review
Hitman: Absolution is a wickedly smart, darkly enjoyable video game, one that’s as generous to players as its protagonist is merciless to his victims. You’ll stab, strangle and shoot your way through level after level, sometimes grimacing, sometimes scowling, sometimes laughing. When all is said and done, you’ll probably need a shower. To play Absolution…
By Kirk Hamilton Published November 18, 2012 -
Reviews
Wii U: The Kotaku Review [UPDATE]
The Wii U is the first new video game console in six years and the sixth console Nintendo has ever made. It comes freighted with heavy expectations. It more or less starts the next generation of consoles, one that will see a new Xbox and PlayStation late next year, and therefore it needs to seem…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 17, 2012 -
Reviews
This FPS Controller Will Shoot You in the Face
Two big shooters fired out this fall: Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. If you are into shooters (I mean, really into shooters), maybe you are looking for an edge. That’s exactly what Japanese peripheral maker Hori hopes it can offer with its controller designed especially for FPS games on consoles. But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2012 -
Reviews
Pepsi Special Is a Special Cola, But Not a Special Tasting Cola
Out of the unique flavors Pepsi has released in Japan, Pepsi Special might have the most boring taste. However, it could be one of the most revolutionary. In Japan, Pepsi regularly releases an array of, how should I say, unique flavors. Some of them, such as Salty Watermelon Pepsi, are not as bad as you…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2012 -
Reviews
New Super Mario Bros. U: The Kotaku Review
New Super Mario Bros. U is an extraordinarily important game. It’s the flagship title for a new piece of gaming hardware. It’s the first-ever high-definition Mario. And it’s the Wii U’s first system-seller, one of the big games that Nintendo hopes will convince people to buy their innovative, unusual new console. It’s also just another…
By Jason Schreier Published November 15, 2012 -
ReviewsNintendo Land: The Kotaku Review
Nintendo Land is no Wii Sports and it is no Super Mario 64. That’s the bad news for people who hope Nintendo has once again made a day-one masterpiece for its newest console. The good news is that Nintendo Land is a fun collection of surprisingly well-made smaller games. It’s a museum of beloved Nintendo…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 15, 2012 -
Reviews
New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land: The Kotaku Reviews
Things are picking up pace here at Kotaku now that we have a Wii U in the office. Our own Stephen Totilo and Jason Schreier have been playing the heck out of the thing, and bring you two reviews today. Nintendo Land: The Kotaku Review Nintendo Land is no Wii Sports and it is no…
By Tina Amini Published November 15, 2012 -
ReviewsAverMedia Live Gamer HD: The Kotaku Review
Video capture devices confuse the hell out of me. For years I’ve wanted a hardware solution for PC video capture, perhaps something I could also hook a game console up to, but after a string of ill-informed purchases and a box full of cards that didn’t do what I wanted them to do, I settled…
By Mike Fahey Published November 14, 2012 -
ReviewsCall of Duty: Black Ops II: The Kotaku Review
Six years after the death of Saddam Hussein—just a couple of days ago—I decided to watch the video of his death for the first time. I did this because in Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s attempt to explain its plot, I was shown a brief glimpse of a YouTube video showcasing the director of…
By Patricia Hernandez Published November 13, 2012 -
ReviewsThis Might be Your Next Gaming Keyboard. If You Like Blue.
I tend to like most of my peripherals—as I would, since I paid good money for them—but of all the gear plugged into my PC, I think I have the softest spot for my keyboard. It’s a Corsair K60, and it looks like it could kill a man just for looking at it funny. I’d…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 13, 2012 -
ReviewsNatural Selection 2: The Kotaku Review
Natural Selection 2 is the first ever game I’ve enjoyed watching more than I’ve enjoyed playing. If that sounds like an insult, it’s certainly not intended as one. Rather, read it as perhaps one of the highest compliments I could give. Natural Selection 2 is good stuff—but playing it is only half its purpose. First,…
By Kate Cox Published November 12, 2012 -
Reviews
Call of Duty: Black Ops II: The Snacktaku Review
I don’t know if it’s the “rating pending” box or something specific to the Xbox 360 version of the game, but I’ve been chewing for hours and all I’ve got to show for it is disc shards slicing painfully into my gums. Thanks a lot, Activision. Snacktaku is Kotaku’s take on the wild and wonderful…
By Mike Fahey Published November 12, 2012 -
Reviews
Darkstalkers‘ Sultry Succubus Has Never Looked Quite So Good
Morrigan Aensland from Capcom’s Darkstalkers is one of the most widely depicted characters in video games. Her distinctive features have spawned dozens of statues, hundreds of cosplays and thousands of pieces of fan art. Of her myriad appearances, this statue from E2046’s Gathering line might just be my favorite. Let’s just get this out of…
By Mike Fahey Published November 9, 2012 -
ReviewsPaper Mario: Sticker Star: The Kotaku Review
Have you ever played a video game that you had trouble describing as either “good” or “bad”? Have you ever played something so simultaneously delightful yet frustrating that for every smile it put on your face, it made you want to ram a fist through the wall? Have you ever thought “holy crap, this is…
By Jason Schreier Published November 6, 2012 -
ReviewsHalo 4: The Kotaku Review
I’ve never seen Halo like this before. Halo 4 is emotional, something I’ve never felt from the franchise quite like this. Sure, invested fans will protest and say that the lore is fascinating and the war struggles moving, but I can safely say I’ve never sat through a Halo campaign quite at the edge of…
By Tina Amini Published November 6, 2012 -
ReviewsThe Best Gaming Mouse (Clickwheel) I’ve Ever Seen
When taking Gigabyte’s Krypton gaming mouse out of its box for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Here was a company I normally associate with motherboards and graphics cards with their name on a fancy peripheral, one that promised an awful lot. Silly me. It mostly delivers. WHAT’S IN THE BOX 1x…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 6, 2012 -
ReviewsTootsie Rolls: The Snacktaku Review
There are Snacktaku reviews that come into being as a result of months of research, vetting out of potential candidates and focus testing. Then there are Snacktaku reviews that spring from finding a five-pound bag of candy on clearance at Walmart the day after Halloween. Look at all those damn Tootsie Roll products. The day…
By Mike Fahey Published November 5, 2012