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We Must Teach Younger Gamers the True Meaning of Ninja
Commenter Kevwood112 worries that we as a community may have lost sight of what it means to be a ninja, which should be a good thing, as you aren’t supposed to see them anyway. Let’s Speak Up about it. My friend and I were have a discussion the other day about ninjas and how they…
By Mike Fahey Published July 18, 2011 -
You Can Fix the National Debt With a Few Mouse Clicks
If you ever wanted to control where your tax dollars go, now’s your chance. American Public Media, known mostly for their expansive public radio work, recently updated Budget Hero, a free web-based game where the player has the future of the nation’s budget in their hands. Using data collected by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office…
By Max Abrams Published July 18, 2011 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Welcome to the new week. We’re sure you have plenty of concerns and responsibilities to attend to, but stop for a minute. Take a breather. And do what you really want for a bit. Which is talk about all things video games, right here, with the Kotaku faithful. Have at it! And in, case you…
By Joshua Rivera Published July 18, 2011 -
Being Terrible at Video Games Makes Surprisingly Great Television
People don’t tune into Japanese television show Retro Game Master to watch Shinya Arino whip through video games effortlessly. They tune in to watch him fail, and fail, and fail, and perhaps to finally, painfully succeed. They’ve also been tuning in for the past eight years, Arino tells me with his sly sense of humor,…
By Brian Crecente Published July 18, 2011 -
CurveBot is a Cutting-Edge Qix
With just about every classic arcade concept getting a fresh coat of paint, especially in mobile game marketplaces, I’m a little surprised I haven’t noticed a Qix update until now. Elpixo’s CurveBot, for all iOS devices, takes Taito’s territory-marking game and brings it into a third-person view. The product is, surprisingly, more playable than one…
By Owen Good Published July 18, 2011 -
A Packed House for Pokémon
Catch ‘Em All | TOKYO, JAPAN: It’s summer in Japan, which means only one thing: a new Pocket Monsters flick. (Photo: Famitsu) Don’t Just Sit There, Let These Toys Blow Your Mind Gundam. Draonball. Kamen Rider. Great Mazinger, even. Namco Bandai’s 2011 Tamashii Nation toy show proves just how wonderful (and awesome) Japanese figures can…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
Want to Play Nintendo’s Biggest Games?
Loads of big games will be at this year’s Comic-Con. Nintendo is no exception. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Super Mario: Mario Kart, and Kid Icarus: Uprising will all make their playable debuts in North America at this year’s Comic-Con. Here’s a list of the playable titles at Nintendo’s Gaming Lounge: Nintendo 3DS: Super…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
Take a Tour of the Tales Cafe
To promote the latest Tales role-playing game Tales of Xillia, Namco is rolling out a Tales cafe, first in Tokyo and later in Tokushima. It’s pretty much trendy cafe Ufotable sprinkled with Tales memorabilia and merchandise. Though, those placemats showing the Xillia characters eating curry in Ufotable are cool indeed. That cutout by the window?…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
Report: The Next Xbox Can Render Avatar Graphics
No, it won’t be wall-to-wall digital blue people. Well, I hope it won’t, because, man, I did not like Avatar However, AMD, the tech company responsible for Xbox 360 graphics tech, said the next Xbox will be able to render graphical detail on par with James Cameron’s sci-fi opus. AMD won’t confirm it’s working on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
Giant Bugs Versus Heavy Armor in Japanese Arcades
Steel Chronicle is Konami’s latest arcade game, and it has players suit up to shoot down huge insects. It’s reminiscent of 3DP’s Earth Defense Force games, which also have players shoot large insects. Wearing the gray assault suit, characters carry an assault rifle, a machine gun, and a beam blade. Wearing a heavy duty blaster…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
This Cosplay Is a Flawless Victory
This Mortal Kombat shot is above and beyond what you normally expect when you think “cosplay photograph”. That’s because Cosplay photographer Alexander Vasiliev is not here to screw around. His Kitana versus Jade image leads the way this week in our round-up of Western cosplay, which also features people dressed to the nines as characters…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011 -
Enjoy A Portal Song, Sung by Two Valve Voice-Over Greats
I know, Portal junk and stuff are so prevalent it sometimes feels as if the internet is drowning in it, but you will still be better off watching this video, filmed over the weekend at the Anime Midwest festival in Chicago. That lady up on stage, Ellen McLain, you’re about to hear her sing the…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011 -
Bikini Figures Plus
In Japan, it’s summer. Time to put on a swimsuit and head to the beach. Easier said than done when you’re a virtual schoolgirl. The girls of Love Plus, Konami’s hit love simulator, are getting a new set of PVC figures. Manaka, Rinko, and Nene bathing suit figures are priced at ¥6,510 (US$78). They’ll go…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
Oh Jigglypuff…
…why so serious? By Dan Hipp
By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011 -
Tales of Pricey Merchandise
If playing Tales of Vesperia wasn’t enough for you, then there’s this: a Yuri Lowell bracelet. It seems at least one cosplayer wanted this bracelet commissioned! Good news, because it’s now officially available for purchase at Namco Bandai’s online shop for ¥5,040 (US$64). テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリア | ララビットマーケット（バンダイナムコゲームス公式通販サイト） [lalabitmarket]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
The Halo Toy Box Set Charting the History of Master Chief
Action figures normally aren’t funny, but McFarlane’s Halo Anniversary piece is good for a chuckle. Better still, it’ll also be sold as part of a three-pack, each figure depicting Master Chief as he’s appeared in the three main Halo games. Due for release later this year, the bundle includes three figures each his own assortment…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011 -
Don’t Just Sit There, Let These Toys Blow Your Mind
Gundam. Draonball. Kamen Rider. Great Mazinger, even. Namco Bandai’s 2011 Tamashii Nation toy show proves just how wonderful (and awesome) Japanese figures can be. Don’t believe me? Have a look at the pics in the gallery, courtesy of website Gigazine. There are some old favorites in there as well as new characters like the pirate-infused…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
Will You Help These Stupid Aliens Into Space?
Kerbal Space Program is a simple, free strategy game in which you’re in charge of an alien space program. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too complex. You just build rockets, and if they explode, you build a better one. The core of the game is the space craft creation suite, which is essentially Spore’s Creature Creator,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011 -
She Didn’t Have Friends. She Had Pocket Monsters.
Ever wonder why nerd heroine Shoko Nakagawa is the queen of Pokémon? Because growing up, she was lonely. Very, very lonely. “When I was a kid, I didn’t have friends,” Nakagawa recently said at press event. “But I did have Pokémon.” Nakagawa has previously discussed her experience with bullies in junior high school. Seeing kids…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2011 -
This Man Spent Over a Month of his Life Completing a Video Game
It usually takes some kind of achievement or trophy you can show off to your friends to compel people to 100% complete a video game. For Steve Tolin, however, all it took was the pursuit of true completion. That and 773 hours of his life. Tolin has completed 100% of Dragon Quest IX’s content, the…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 18, 2011