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The Real Hobbit (and Dwarves) Meet Their LEGO Counterparts

The entire cast of The Hobbit, from hobbits to dwarves to wizards, have had a photoshoot where they were snapped, in full costume and make-up, with their respective LEGO minifigs. Ian McKellen looks so impressed I really hope they let him keep it. The Hobbit Cast & Their LEGO Minifigs [The Hobbit]

Rest In Peace, Dave Brubeck

Today, the world lost one of the greats: Jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck died at the age of 91. Among his many musical achievements, Brubeck was the man behind the iconic jazz record Time Out, a collection of odd-meter compositions best known for the famous tune “Take Five.” Time Out experimented with song-form, meter,…

A Kotaku 5-Player: Will the VGAs Announce a Flash Game? Or Wonder Woman?

As news goes, the Video Game Awards are more about the future games they will tease than the existing ones they honor. Kotaku will be in Los Angeles on Friday covering the gala. Here is an internal chatroom discussion among Stephen Totilo, Luke Plunkett, Mike Fahey, Kirk Hamilton and yours truly as we try to…

Eat ‘Toritos’ And Drink ‘Mountain Dude’ In This Game About Becoming A Pro Gamer

A game where you become a pro gamer… by playing games? How meta! This was made in 24 hours, so while not particularly fleshed out, it’s still worth spending a few minutes with it. My favorite bit is that going outside ends the game, though the stuff you can purchase comes close. The Toritos are…

Zynga Applies for a Nevada Gambling License

As part of its lengthy preparations to offer real-money gambling via its social games in the U.S., Zynga has taken the first step towards acquiring a Nevada gaming license, which would help pave the way towards giving American players a chance to give the company their money without getting virtual livestock in exchange. They’ve comleted…

First Look at the Ender’s Game Movie

Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, here’s your first look at the upcoming Ender’s Game movie (based on Orson Scott Card’s book) starring Harrison Ford.

Does Far Cry 3 Make A Reference to Dragon Age II‘s Dorkiest Town?

Darktown. It’s long been my favorite area in Dragon Age II, a stupid name that embodies the worst in fantasy game lore-writing. My friends and I have taken to calling it “dorktown,” and I can still quote the codex entry by heart. “The foul miasma known as chokedamp clogs and swells in every corner of…

Zen Pinball and Its Merry Marvel Tables are Marching to the Wii U eShop

Zen Studios’ hugely successful pinball simulation lands on its third console, the Wii U, later this month via the Wii U eShop. The game will incorporate features specific to the Wii U’s GamePad, which includes controlling the plunger on the touchscreen, cycling through information displayed on the table’s dot-matrix readout, rotating camera views and a…

A match in WWE 13‘s Attitude Era mode got the venue wrong, and folks in Tucson are tsk-tsking the mistake. (last item)

Grand Theft Auto V‘s First Trailer Gets Redone With Lego And It’s Still Cool

I can’t wait for Grand Theft Auto V to release. To the point that even a LEGO rendition of that first trailer sparks my excitement. Now someone do one of the second trailer. No wait, Rockstar: just make another trailer. A new screenshot? A tiny announcement? Hello? Rockstar? Click here to visit our Grand Theft…

As promised earlier today, Zynga’s theme park builder CoasterVille is now live

Midweek Moneysaver: So Far, So Good

This Wednesday edition of Kotaku’s The Moneysaver catches all the offers, promotions and bargains that can’t wait until the weekend. The Midweek Moneysaver is brought to you by Dealzon. Software • Yesterday’s release Far Cry 3 (PC download) is $39.99, free ship from GameFly. Elsewhere $50. [Dealzon] • Best Buy special on select 360 Kinect…

Nintendo, Your Mortgage is Due: Where’s Our Animal Crossing 3DS?

Originally announced at E3 all the way back on June 15th, 2010, Animal Crossing on 3DS has been one of the most desired titles for Nintendo’s handheld. Out in Japan since November 8th, Animal Crossing: New Leaf (as it’s now known here) is selling monster numbers, and yet it got nary a mention in today’s…

This Mod Puts Some Mirror’s Edge In Your Team Fortress 2

Remember Brink? I initially looked forward to that game because it promised me a parkour competitive shooter, and that idea seemed awesome. Alas, that wasn’t what the game gave me. Not a good one, anyway. This Mirror’s Edge inspired server mod for TF2, though? Looks like it might just pull it off. The developer, explaining…

Ex-Developer’s Rant Reveals Why Madden is a Dream Job, and Disillusioning

Nothing deleted from Twitter is ever deleted on time, and sometime between Monday and Tuesday, a disillusioned former Madden developer figured that out. By then, his unvarnished rant tossed a dripping slab of red meat to Madden‘s many Internet enemies, and it didn’t win the author much support from his old friends. “Delete your tweets…

God Help Me, I Love Assassin’s Creed III‘s Lockpicking Minigame

I’ve picked so many locks in so many video games. In sewers beneath medieval castles, in cyberpunk prisons, in futuristic alleyways and warehouses, in banks and embassies and spaceships. I’ve seen so many video game lockpicking minigames I could spit. I’ve balanced tumblers and teased open locks. I’ve broken thousands of precious lockpicks, which are…

This Street Fighter Fan Movie Doesn’t End the Way You Think It Will

Ryu and Ken. Ken and Ryu. Street Fighter’s eternal rivals have been punching and kicking each other for 25 years now. Lots of fan films (and professional ones) have been made about the fighting game series but their real-life versions of their bouts have rarely looked this good. The filmmakers behind Fractured Illusion offered a…

I Understand the Mobile Collectible Card Game Genre Now, But I Can’t Afford It

Look at that. There I am, in second place overall in Aeria Mobile’s Pirate Maidens, one of those newfangled mobile collectible card games I’ve been having so much trouble dealing with lately. After a week spent dominating the female anime pirate collecting game I can safely say that I understand the genre intimately. I just…

Dude Gets Wood-Chippered By A Jeep In This Gory Far Cry 3 Glitch

Either Freddy Jr has discovered a particularly brutal glitch in Far Cry 3 or the vehicles of Rook Island have some dark ulterior motives. Whatever the case may be, no cranium is safe from the hungry maw of this Jeep’s flatbed, which spews forth blood redder than pirate balaclavas and more plentiful than a Miike…

These People Don’t Deserve Their Awesome Video Game Twitter Accounts

Ever wonder what @Mario is up to on Twitter? How about @Sonic? Or maybe @Wario, @MarcusFenix or @MasterChief? You can visit those accounts if you like, but be warned: They’re all pretty awful. You might think that someone lucky enough to have snagged @Link or @PrincessPeach would be goofing it up with all sorts of…