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Here’s The Official Commercial For Fire Emblem: Awakening

It’s really, really intense. EVERY DECISION COUNTS. THIS IS LIFE. THIS IS DEATH. FIRE EMBLEM: AWAKENING I’ve been playing a bit of Nintendo’s strategy-RPG, which comes out for 3DS on February 4, and yeah, it’s intense, especially if you play with perma-death on. Look forward to more impressions (and a full review) closer to February.

Infinite Lives in Candy Crush Saga Isn’t Cheating, It’s Time Travel

Since King.com released the mobile version of popular Facebook puzzler Candy Crush Saga, I’ve been praising the developer’s flawless implementation on iOS and Android. While fiddling about with my iPhone’s time settings over the weekend I discovered that’s not entirely the case—the mobile versions will let players cheat. It’s not quite cheating in a traditional…

The Hierarchy of Video Game Haters

I’ve been writing for Kotaku, off and on, since 2007. I’ve been reading it longer than that. One of the accounts I follow on Twitter (follow me!) begs me to not read the comments on blogs. Of course, I don’t listen, and that is why my head is crammed with weird shards of anecdotal evidence…

The Only Thing Missing From My Mobile Arsenal is This Robotic Battle Tank

The phone-controlled robotic pet battle escalates significantly today with the launch of Desk Pets’ Battle Tank, the tiny tread-borne desktop terror, ready to roam about your work surface narrowly avoiding obstacles until it’s needed in battle. The Battle Tank might not have the sleek futuristic style of Desk Pets’ TankBot, but it makes up for…

You’re Probably Not As Prepared For The Impending Zombie Apocalypse As These Kids

WHEN THE ZOMBIES COME (the title is actually in caps) is a short documentary that’s being shown at this year’s Sundance. And, well, on the internet right now. It’s about the staff of a rural hardware store—all massive Walking Dead fans—who bored and with with a large amount of dangerous things at their disposal set…

I’d Rather Play Fire Emblem Than Play This Clone

I’m a huge fan of Nintendo’s strategy RPG series Fire Emblem. In fact, I’m just a fan of well done SRPGs (strategy role-playing games). Unfortunately not many get translated to English; just look at the Super Robot Wars series. The lack of new SRPGs and the fact that I had to wait a month for…

Super-Slim PS3 Is Coming in Blue and in Red

Later this month in Japan, the 250GB super slim PS3 will be available in Azurite Blue and Garnet Red. Each is priced at ¥24,980 (US$279). If you haven’t seen it, check out how the super-slim PS3 looks compared to other modern consoles. 「プレイステーション ３」（CECH-4000Bシリーズ） [PlayStation]

Finding Porn While Searching for Pokémon X? Maybe You’re Doing It Wrong.

The new Pokémon games are titled Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Have you ever searched either of those games on Google? If you are stumbling upon pornography, it might not be Pokémon, it could be you. Kotaku has been getting tips that point out entering “Pokemon X Videos” on Google turns up X-rated porn. Forums,…

Damn It, Owlboy, Why Aren’t You Out Yet

It’s been a long time coming. A long, long time, and still no release date in sight. But indie adventure/platformer Owlboy looks worth the wait. This video, released over the weekend, showcases both the music of composer Jonathan Geer and the game’s charming art style, which for want of something more descriptive reminds me of…

Pokémon Comes To Life In The Most Electrifying Way

Canadian street artist (and animator, and character designer) Aiden Glynn likes to take everyday objects on the street and bring a little life to them, turning them into characters from video games and cartoons. So a power box becomes Diglett, and an old barrel out the front of a restaurant becomes a prop from Donkey…

The US branch of Atari is filing for bankruptcy, says the LA Times. It’s not really Atari, but still, sad times.

Giant 20-Inch Gordon Freeman Statue Keeps Headcrabs Off Your Bookshelf

Gaming Heads, a company that’s been making Valve-related merchandise for a few years now, will later this year be brining out this impressive (and huge) Gordon Freeman statue. Standing 20″ tall and available in Q3, the regular edition will sell for $320, while a collector’s edition (that comes with an extra weapons, the SMG) will…

Real Man Becomes Walking Horror Inside Skyrim’s Daedric Armour

Sometimes, if the outfit deserves it, I skip the usual “best of the last week” roundup stuff and just concentrate on a single costume. I’m doing that this week, because this Skyrim piece definitely deserves it. The last time I honoured a Skyrim outfit like this was in November 2012, but that gallery was helped…

Westerado, You’ve Made Me Come To My Senses

Continuing their fine tradition of releasing awesome games for absolutely nothing, Adult Swim has put out Westerado, a game that’s a little bit RPG, a little bit action and a whole lot of Western revenge tale. Other designers, please take note. Not just of the game’s fantastic art style, but of the way the use…

A Moving Tribute To The Fallen Heroes Of World Of Warcraft

FlameofWesternesse has made this terrific short film, which catalogues some of the memorials placed throughout Azeroth in honour of World of Warcraft players who have passed away during the game’s tenure. Maybe you’ve seen them and wondered what they were for, maybe like me you’ve barely played the game and had no idea it could…

The Xbox Team Just Hired A Very Classy Designer

Andrew Kim turned a lot of heads last year with a bold redesign of Microsoft’s corporate branding, a vision and set of logos far braver (and classier) than what Microsoft eventually came up with for products like Windows 8 and Surface. It was all unofficial “fan” work, of course, but things just got a little…

Crazy Russians Show Mirror’s Edge Is A Terrifying Thing In Real Life

All that first-person climbing and running and rolling is awesome in Mirror’s Edge, but Mirror’s Edge is a video game. Seeing grown men do much the same thing on a skyscraper in Russia is as amazing as it is gut-wrenching. This is the first episode of Show Yourself, a series “about street underground culture, travels,…

Cheap Glory and a Fake Girlfriend, This Video Game Let You Be Manti Te’o Eight Years Ago

As I’ve said before, whenever news happens in sports, my first thoughts turn to how I can recreate it in a video game. It was no different when, like millions, I read that Manti Te’o’s dead girlfriend, whose tragedy underlined his world-beating performances in Notre Dame’s undefeated regular season this past year, was proven to…

Blizzard Boss Defends Former Diablo III Director: ‘I was Ultimately Responsible for the Game’

Earlier this week, Jay Wilson, the director of Diablo III, said he was leaving the title while still remaining at its publisher, Blizzard. There was a lot of cheering in the game’s official forums, because video games are not that different from sports, where fans openly root for people to lose their jobs after a…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Torso Distortion

Well, we had our swing at it, now it’s time for you to step up to the plate. Yep, it pretty much was a lead-pipe lock that when Deep Silver excreted this bad idea earlier in the week, it was going to get the ‘Shop Contest treatment. You don’t have to create severed torsos of…