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The Periodic Table of Minecraft

Minecraft is as full of dirt and underground junk as the real world, so it may as well get its own periodic table of elements. Well, terrain blocks. Periodic table of Minecraft [DeviantArt, via it 8-bit]

Claptrap Exits Borderlands, Enters Real World

Mechanical sidekick Claptrap, one of the few constants between the first Borderlands and the second, is the subject of this terrific custom model made by Kotaku reader Psychobob. A man with access to a 3D printer, which he’s put to good use previously, Psychobob’s Claptrap model is ridiculously detailed, and even lights up, in case…

30 Years of Triumph, and Tragedy, For an Iconic Games Retailer

This is the story of how Mary Cusumano and her three sons continued one man’s legacy. Against all reasonable odds. —- The TV was a wedding present, a Rank Arena. The previous generation had its problems; it was built from poor components, it broke down easily. But the new model? It was indestructible. A good…

Insomniac’s Latest Originally Looked Like a Game For Kids

The shooter we now know as Fuse, and which was formerly known as Overstrike, looks like a reasonably realistic third-person shooter. The first time we saw it, though, it was a little more cartoony. Which apparently is nowhere near as cartoony as it was originally “The game started out with a much more stylized and…

Your Upset Reactions to the New Splinter Cell Trailer Were “Uninformed” and “Kneejerk”

For many long-time Splinter Cell fans, the latest trailer for upcoming Blacklist was cause for either laughter or deep concern, so distanced did it look from the series dark, quiet and stealthy roots. Fan uproar isn’t the fault of the game, though. It’s the fault of the fans. Apparently. “Everyone can make kneejerk reactions to…

10% of all internet traffic now comes from bots. Once it hits 51%, I’m moving into my bomb shelter.

Black He-Man, Blonde Teela & Other Amazing Custom Masters of the Universe Figures

Toy builder Jon English has come up with these incredible custom He-Man figures, some of the heavily modified interpretations on actual old toys, others entirely new characters. My favourite is probably He-Bro up there, but Sintaur is equally awesome, both for the figure and the name. MOTUC Customs [Jon English, via Super Punch]

Seven Days’ Worth of the World’s Finest Cosplay

It can sometimes be rough trying to find enough quality cosplay to feature in this weekly roundup. Not this week. This week has just about everyhing you could want, from a high-fashion take on Star Wars to a Final Fantasy wedding, via the Pyro’s psychotic dreamland before winding up with some amazing Dragon’s Lair cosplay.…

The Other XCOM Game Might Now Be a Third-Person Shooter [Update]

While everyone gets excited over Firaxis’ very-promising XCOM remake, it’s easy to forget that there was once another XCOM game on the cards from 2K. One we haven’t seen nor heard from for a very long time There may be a good reason for that. First seen by the public as a uniquely retro first-person…

Playboy’s Girls of the Internet is 1996 as it Should be Remembered: Hilariously

Don’t worry, this isn’t (very) NSFW. We’re here for laughs, not leers. The clip above is an edited version of a film (remixed by DeeprUnderstanding) originally directed executive produced by Hugh Hefner himself, back when he was just an old guy who was out of touch, and not the shambling ghost of the 1960s he…

If It Hasn’t Already, EA Sports Should Get Out of the NBA

It’s at least a five-day drive from Burnaby, British Columbia to Maitland, Fla.—if you’re using Google Maps, that is. I have no idea what route you’ll get from Apple Maps, last week’s most conspicuous failure in the world of consumer software. Coming in a close second is NBA Live, a game that hasn’t been on…

A Kickstarter project advising other Kickstarter projects how to get funding on Kickstarter ended in a blaze of failure

Curt Schilling’s Video Game Studio Won’t Face Federal Charges

In the aftermath of 38 Studios’ collapse, a slew of government investigators said they were probing the maker of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for its attempts to secure loans using tax credits that never were issued. Tax credits are the biggest reason the studio, founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, became such…

PSA: Don’t Take This Guy’s Van in Battlefield 3. He is Chasing a Helicopter.

Audio is NSFW. Reader Mike C. works in a veterinarian’s office. It’s nice helping small animals, but the job does have its sad days. Video gaming is necessary to his decompression routine after work. Playing Battlefield 3 yesterday, Mike (GamerTag Kiaza, he’s asked us to include it) happened upon another lonely soul who appeared to…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Power-Ups in Real Life

I’ve been holding on to this idea for a week when we couldn’t get the rights to something, and lo that time has come. The thought occurred to me that, in games like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, why does eating a giant ham hock out of the bottom of a trash can improve…

ChrisWarcraft’s Weekly NFL Quest, Level Four: Retrieve the Pelt of a Blue Lion

Football is a role-playing game. That’s how Chris Kluwe, the Minnesota Vikings punter and noted World of Warcraft and RPG fan, is approaching it. Each week in the NFL, ChrisWarcraft characterizes his upcoming game in terms of an MMO quest. We’re going to chart his progress and see how fast he levels up. Now that…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Brief Boxes: The Winners

A couple Tokyo Game Show cosplayers devoted to the Sega Saturn provided the grist for this week’s ‘Shop Contest, which we’re certain has already gotten a song stuck in your head. Step one, make her open the ‘Shops. Step two, then you look at the ‘Shops. We’ve got this week’s best inside, plus overall winner…

Is It Possible to be Addicted to Games and Yet Not Play Them?

Reader Josh H., a college sophomore, says he’s been gaming and making videos for years, so he sent us this one. It’s alright—I’m not sure it says anything we didn’t know already, as the Pile of Shame is a commonly understood concept for most any serious video gamer. What struck a nerve with me, though,…

University Researchers Discover Cure for FarmVille Bots

If you are a company who rakes in millions making social games for Facebook, I have good news for you. Researchers at N.C. State University have developed the means of more accurately detecting bot accounts without alerting their owners, so the game’s developers can shut them down and kick those freeloading sons of bots out…

Eleven Years Later, at Long Last, Cortex Command has Launched

Cortex Command began life as the project of a Swedish high school student. That high schooler has now turned 30, gotten married, moved to the United States and become a citizen. And, at long last, he’s launched his game. Everything about Cortex Command, by Data Realms, shrieks of a labor of love, from the fact…