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This Week’s iPhone Charts: Minecraft With Guns Wins the Day

Riding high atop the paid iPhone charts this week, CraftedBattle is a Minecraft-style first-person shooter map editor. Build a map, fill it with bots, and fire away. In the number two paid spot this week, actual Minecraft What a strange little title to rise to the top of the paid iPhone charts. It doesn’t even…

Remember, Your Game Console Might Be a Cockroach Hotel

As many gamers can tell you, bugs can be a problem. No, like bugs—real bugs. Roaches. Gross, you say. That would be correct. But this is a friendly reminder that bug infested consoles are very much a thing This problem is not new. But during this console generation, there have been forum threads seeking advice…

Beautiful Worlds Just Waiting For A Video Game Adaptation

I like Populous. I like Reprisal. I like pretty things, which means I also really like the polygonal art of Timothy J. Reynolds. He says his style evolved from “a healthy dose of legos and cartoons” he grew up on as a kid, but I see the isometric viewpoints and 3D structure and all I…

The Humble MIDI Is 30 Years Old

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, turns 30 this week. While it’s used across devices and mediums, for a long time it was crucial to your experience with video games, as it was a popular way of getting electronic music stored on game cartridges and discs, especially in the 1990s. Everyone will have their…

A Final Fantasy Statue So Good I’d Stick It In A Gallery And Charge People Money To Look

Sadly, this isn’t something you can buy. It’s a garage kit, which means it’s basically a home-made piece, so the astonishing detail you’re seeing here is a one-of-a-kind. As something so beautiful deserves to be. It’s Ultima, a summon from Final Fantasy XII, and the impressive statue stands an enormous 20″ tall. I’ve included some…

Well, At Least Mike Tyson Will Like Dead Space 3’s Launch Trailer

There are songs that work in video game trailers because they’re great. There are others that work because they’re ironic. This is neither. It’s a hilarious disaster.

Dreaming Of A Wii U That Can Also Play 3DS Games

Nintendo actually used to make stuff like this. I had an add-on for my GameCube, for example, that let me play Game Boy Advance titles through the console on my TV. They were good times, but sadly, times that have been short since the release of the Wii, which failed to receive a similar add-on…

This Sure Is A Homemade Star Trek: Into Darkness Trailer

From the guys who brought you that homemade version of the Man of Steel trailer comes this latest adventure in sweding, applied to the trailer for J.J. “TrekWars” Abrams’ upcoming Star Trek: Into Darkness. Highlight for me: the guys trying to vocally re-create the Inception horn. I actually rewatched Abrams’ Star Trek yesterday. I think…

It’s Not Made By Nintendo or Sony, But This Handheld System Looks Promising

JXD S7300 HD Gamepad2. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? But the name might be the only thing I can see wrong with this new handheld system, designed entirely around the idea of playing classic old video games. Based on Android 4.1, the JXD S7300 HD Gamepad2 comes with a range of…

This interesting article explores what happens when you apply real-world city planning to the new SimCity

Sony is teasing… something. What? Hard to say. Could be something terrible. Or something cool. What do you think?

This Rendition Of The Pokémon Battle Theme Will Put You In A Fightin’ Mood

It’s been years since I’ve heard this specific version of the trainer battle music in Pokémon—I had Red, back then—but hearing it now on violin and piano evokes old memories. This performance by krissalad is great and makes me wonder what other Pokémon songs would sound live. Pokémon Red & Blue – Trainer Battle Theme…

The Most Notable Vampires In Video Games

Surprisingly, blood suckers aren’t as common in video games as you might expect. They might appear as a generic type of enemy, and of course there are a few of them in the Castlevania series. We collected some of these vampires, paying attention to leave out those who like to carry people on their backs.…

I Spent Saturday Morning Solving Puzzles In The Belly Of A Naval Battleship

If you’ve played a Zero Escape game like 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors or its sequel, Virtue’s Last Reward, you’re no stranger to the idea of a “room escape” game. You’re placed in a room, probably with a team. The room is locked, and the only way out is to solve the puzzles…

This Game is Witty, Charming, Gorgeous and Nigh-Unplayable

“Oh good, this is one of those games,” I thought to myself happily as I started up Marcus Eckert’s Wide Sky on my iPod Touch. The gorgeous, somewhat melancholy music and stark, four-color imagery suggested that this would be one of those charming little independent mobile games that slips into the iTunes App Store quietly…

Rumor: The Studio Behind Epic Mickey Is In Trouble [UPDATE]

Rumors are flying that Junction Point, the game studio behind Epic Mickey and its sequel, the recently-released Epic Mickey 2, is facing some issues. Although Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts says the studio will be shut down, we have not been able to confirm that. However, multiple sources have confirmed to Kotaku that Junction Point’s…

Some guy from Kotaku just reviewed DmC for the New York Times. The review is mostly about the game’s villains.

Come At Me, Bro: Why Taunts Are Just So Damn Great

A player’s mettle isn’t tested solely by his or her ability to press buttons in the right way, at the right time. When playing against another person, skill is only part of the performance—nevermind when playing with an audience present. Pressure is a real thing, and smart opponents will try to psyche you out however…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Is The Same Weirdly Wonderful Game, Minus A Few Rough Edges

Like many of the finer things in life, Deadly Premonition is an acquired taste. It’s a very cool game, but in a very specific way. The oddball open-world mystery/horror game, which came out for the Xbox 360 in early 2010, will likely never find an audience like those enjoyed by, say, a Halo or a…

Deadline reports that plans to re-release more Star Wars films in 3D have been scrapped. Phew.