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The Creators of Shenmue and Heavy Rain Have a Chat About Storytelling

Yu Suzuki and David Cage walk into a room. This isn’t the setup of a joke, but rather what ends up being a thoughtful session of comparing notes over the methods of storytelling in Shenmue, Indigo Prophecy and the upcoming Beyond: Two Souls. Take a look—the relevant bit starts 22 minutes in. David Cage Talks…

The Solution to the Wii U’s Third-Party Drought? More Nintendo Games.

The Wii U isn’t doing all that well when it comes to third-party support. Many games skipped the console early this year, the latest Rayman got delayed, and the new Call of Duty isn’t guaranteed to be on there, either. Now, Nintendo says they need to strengthen their own Wii U lineup to turn this…

Behold! Some of Internet’s Scariest Pikachus

Pikachu sure is cute. Well, save for the times that the yellow Pocket Monster is utterly terrifying. Over the years, numerous scary Pikachus have popped up on the internet—this and this, for instance. There are many more examples, but here’s a quick look at some, not all, of the standouts that have been spotted around…

Gaming With Your Mom Can Be Awkward, But It’s Mostly Just Hilarious

Here’s the result of Jimmy Fallon’s last week call to arms, urging gamers around America to film themselves as they play video games with their moms. Was the one-week campaign worth it? Oh yes. Definitely.

Former Kotaku cohort Brendan Koerner has a new book out called The Skies Belong to Us. It’s about airplane hijackings during the 1970s and sounds great. Get it.

Children’s Cake Smuggled Aboard Corellian Corvette, May Contain Plans

Well, Marc Freilich’s six year-old son just got about the coolest birthday cake on the planet. Sure, the cake itself is a near-sighted scrap pile that’ll be malfunctioning within a day, but with hungry boys around, it won’t need to last that long. Hope he made his wish before sticking the knife in. Also hope…

Pokemon Cosplay Wins At The…Brazilian Protests

There are massive protests going down in Brazil right now, mostly over corruption and – remember this – the cost of public transport. The demonstrations are causing embarrassment for the government while a major international football tournament is taking place, but one who is not causing embarassment is this chap here. Who’s taken the protests…

Assassin’s Creed Delayed On PC. Again. But This Time It’s OK.

If you thought the annual release schedule for the Assassin’s Creed series was tiring, spare a thought for fans of the series who prefer the PC version. Every year, as regular as the series sees a release, the PC version of the game is delayed by a few weeks. And this year is no different.…

Hope You Weren’t Expecting A New F-Zero Game Anytime Soon

As Nintendo cycles through its back catalogue, we’ve seen the return of everything from Kid Icarus to Donkey Kong. One series that’s remained dormant for a while, though, is F-Zero, and sadly, it seems it’s going to stay that way. “I certainly understand that people want a new F-Zero game,” Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto told…

What Happens When You Scrub A Female Co-Star From A Magazine Cover

Here’s a weird thing. The cover of the latest issue of Scandinavian mag GameReactor features, as many covers will this month, The Last Of Us. What’s different about this one, though, is that it’s caught the attention of developers Naughty Dog, as the image has been altered from its original form. The piece, by Naughty…

What 17 Million Pounds Of Weed Looks Like

17 million pounds. Of weed. As reported by the Center for Investigative Reporting, that’s the amount of weed seized on the U.S.-Mexico border from 2005-2011. So, a lot of weed. The video above was made by the CIR, who in a more detailed report their site get fantastically nerdy about just how much weed we’re…

Pokemon #666 Better Be Something Awesome

Yes, yes, there’s a lot of Pokemon. At last count, we have 649 of them—with 19 more announced and probably even more to come as we come closer to Pokemon X & Y’s release. You know what that means, right? One lucky Pokemon gets to be number 666 in the national Pokedex. It’s inevitable. But…

Gamasutra has posted Dragon Age head writer David Gaider’s terrific GDC talk about sexism and sexuality in video games. It was a really interesting talk, and part of the overarching trend toward inclusivity at this year’s Game Developers Conference.

Instant Xbox One Nostalgia

No sooner did Microsoft announce its DRM 180 yesterday than some gamers commenting here on Kotaku and elsewhere on the web began wishing Microsoft would do another 180 and go back. The gamers for whom yesterday was bad news appear to be a minority. Few as their numbers may be, I could see them and…

Mobile’s Call of Duty Even Gets Map Packs. Isn’t That Cute?

Look at the little mobile first-person modern warfare shooter. It’s got map packs, just like it’s PC and console inspiration. It names them all fancy — Modern Combat: Meltdown — dramatic! It even releases them on one platform first — it’s now live on iOS, with Android coming soon. Of course Meltdown is free to…

Animal Crossing’s Creepy Nintendo Jerk Chambers

You can decorate your house however you’d like in Animal Crossing…which means that some people have made rooms in New Leaf that are rather creepy judging from these images compiled by Tiny Cartridge. Sure, it could just be overzealous devotion to Isabelle, Wii Fit trainer, Reggie, and Iwata. But notice the tissue box in every…

One Indie’s Troubles With Microsoft

The common, popular narrative is that companies like Microsoft are eeeeevil. All they want is money! Or something like that. Maybe it’s not so clear-cut? This quote in the image above comes from a piece on Rock Paper, Shotgun on Skulls of the Shogun. (Edit: the quote comes from Borut Pfeiffer, who works for Plush…

This Might Be The Funniest And Sneakiest StarCraft II Easter Egg

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm has been out there for a while now. And while we’ve reported on quite a few hilarious easter eggs from the game, this one is particularly well-hidden. Found and shared recently by YouTube user StarNet420, it’s just way too funny to ignore. Absolutely worth the wait in the video.…

A New Custom Controller To Help Disabled Kids Play Video Games

Gaming, even with the help of a well-designed controller, can be a physically demanding task. It requires coordination, skill, and hand-strength, even for the simplest first-person games. Not everyone has that strength. Video games can be particularly difficult for those with physical disabilities. Thankfully, industrious makers are always coming up with new ways to help…

Watch This Yoga Ball Transform into a Katamari Damacy Controller

Playing Katamari Damacy is always delightful, but I’ve always wanted a controller that actually emulated the game. Well, now one exists! With a little bit of elbow grease, a yoga ball, a few optical mice and some other parts, a bunch of crafty Katmari fans made that dream a reality. Sure, things like this have…