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Where The Word “Cosplay” Actually Comes From

‘Cosplay did not suddenly appear,’ says Nobuyuki Takahashi. He should know: Takahashi helped invent the word itself. The following is an excerpt from Cosplay World, a new book written by Kotaku’s Brian Ashcraft and, well, me.It’s available now on Amazon and other online (and physical) book stores. In the 1970s, Japanese college students began dressing…

Video Games Get Gun Silencers All Wrong

You round a corner. You think you’re in the clear but—oh no!—an enemy is standing guard. How will you ever bring him down without alerting other guards? Aha, your pistol has a silencer. One mouse squeak gun shot later and you’re free. Except that’s not how silencers work at all This video from RagnarRox debunks…

EA’s Corporate Speak Is Meaningless, Court Agrees

Today a federal court ruled to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed against EA for lying about Battlefield 4, a video game that came out and didn’t really work for some people. The plaintiffs can appeal—though it doesn’t seem like they’ll eke much more out of this. What’s really interesting about the lawsuit, though, is how…

Guild Wars 2 Players Angry Over Currency Exchange Changes [Update]

Guild Wars 2 players have long enjoyed the ability to easily exchange gold for gems used to buy nifty cosmetic items in the game’s Black Lion Trading Company store. Yesterday’s game update changed all of that, and players are not happy. Update: ArenaNet has responded, and will be reinstating the ability to purchase gems as…

​We’re One Step Closer To Having A Real Transformer

Transformers! They’re the stuff of childhood dreams. And thanks to some enterprising folks in Japan, we’re one step closer to having them be a reality. You’re looking at J-deite Quarter, a 1.3-meter-tall transforming robot made by Brave Robotics, Tomy and Asratec. It’s step one in a 3-step goal of creating a 5-meter-tall, life-sized and transforming…

Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies Is Like A Half-Broken Mod

Seeing Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies on Steam, I knew from the title alone I had to try this free-to-play version of Counter-Strike. After all, it has a confusing title…and, zombies! In the past, the company Nexon have made free-to-play versions of Counter-Strike for countries such as Japan and South Korea. This is the first time they’ve…

Mortal Kombat Doctors Are Miracle Workers

No matter how many times I’ve torn Johnny Cage in half, he keeps coming back. The Warp Zone gives us a look at the men behind the de-mutilation. In less violent fighting games it’s pretty easy to imagine Ryu or Ken taking to the sidelines for a couple of days to nurse their wounds. Maybe…

​Titanfall Is Adding A Co-Op Horde Mode

Titanfall is a lot of fun, but there’s no denying that it feels a little… thin. The game’s exclusive focus on player-vs.-player combat left many of us wishing for a bit more variety. Good news: The game’s latest update will add a cooperative mode to the game, and it looks pretty cool. The mode is…

Twitch Plays Smash Bros. Is Perfectly Chaotic

If I had to use one word to describe Smash Bros., it would be “mayhem.” Oh, hey. That’s the exact word I’d use to describe a room full of Twitch viewers trying to play a single video game, too. It’s almost like Twitch playing Smash Bros. is the perfect combination. You may know the Twitch…

Former EA CEO and Wire fan John Riccitiello has a new job. He’s now going to run Unity, the company whose game engine powers many popular indie games on mobile and console platforms. Outgoing CEO Dave Helgason announced the change today.

Shadow of Mordor, Your New Gaming Laptop, and More Deals

PC gamers can pick up (GOTY Frontrunner???) Shadow of Mordor for 33% off today. Season Pass also discounted. [ BundleStars] There is also a pretty great Lord of the Rings Bundle Wasn’t expecting to see much of this one again, especially not discounted. [LE Xbox One Advanced Warfare Controller] Attack on Titan, Part 2: Limited…

Halo: Nightfall looks like Microsoft’s trying to get serious about making shows based off their games. Here’s the new trailer.

​Here’s What Halo 3 Looks Like In 1080p

The last Master Chief game made by Bungie came out seven years ago, long before HD resolutions became the norm for most video games. Microsoft’s given it a full graphical upgrade for the modern era, though. Check out what Halo 3 looks like in high-definition. The footage above comes via IGN, who unveiled glimpses of…

I Love What Disney Fantasia Lets Me Do To Music

It’s been ages since I’ve exercised this much control over the music in a rhythm game, and I’ve never felt so sore after doing it. Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved arrived on Xbox One (and 360) yesterday, and its magnificent manipulation of popular and classical music is an excellent excuse to reconnect the Kinect and start…

Dark Souls II’s DLC May Be The Peak Of The Whole Series

Dark Souls II‘s three expansions are a wonderful culmination of everything From Software has learned about making Souls games. And they should be considered essential playing for anyone who enjoyed the series so far. These games tell a lot of stories, but there is a common thread, begun in the original Dark Souls expansion “Artorias…

Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku‘s reader-run community: 6 Prequels That Surpass Their Originals • TAY Explores Comics: D Gray Man • You Should Be Watching Your Lie in April • Gonna be the Twin-Tail! is My Hype Show TAY Classic—TAY Open Forum—Beginner’s Guide To TAY Follow them here.

Here are the first-gen starter Pokémon, looking as adorable as ever—but in a physical, huggable form They come courtesy of Ashley Muldoon, who sells crocheted dolls in her Etsy shop, StarCraftsCo. She’s planning to do the third-gen starters next, in honor of the impending release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire My finished crocheted mini…

You can now play a very, very early version of Return of the Obra Dinn, the upcoming first-person mystery adventure game from the creator of Papers, Please. You cannot save your game, and there are no menus at all, but you can at least check out the (pretty cool) visual style for yourself.

Mario Kart 8 DLC Adds a Classic Stage

Initially, Mario Kart 8 DLC looked like it was going to be yucky. But now it seems like it could be quite good, with Link, Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach. But there’s more, including Yoshi Circuit from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! In this trailer, you can see how the course looks for Mario Kart 8.…

Blizzard released a status update on the upcoming Android and iPhone/Android phone versions of their online CCG, Hearthstone: Android tablets are slated to get the game before the end of the year, while the phone versions will arrive early next year. They also included a neat infographic which you can look at below.