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Video Games Can Help Convict You Of Crimes (Or Prove You’re Innocent!)

Security expert Brandon Nesbit is about to give a talk on how video games and consoles can help catch a criminal. Or, if you’re under investigation and did nothing wrong, how they can clear your name! It’s all in the alibi. Nesbit, who will soon give a presentation to the DEFCON Security Conference, will be…

Sony Back In The Black

Japanese electronics giant Sony has had a tough time during the past few years. But haven’t we all? A new report states that thanks to aggressive cost-cutting, Sony is poised to post an operating profit of US$342 million (30 billion yen) for the first corner. In the same period last year, Sony posted a 25.7…

Is This Infamous 2’s Cole? Sure Looks Like It [Update]

Cole MacGrath, hero of Infamous and bike messenger, wasn’t the best-looking game character in the world. His redesign for the sequel was even worse, though, so it’s good to see developers Sucker Punch reverting to something a little more familiar. While we already knew this about-face had been made by the team, a developer diary…

Super Mario Little Pony Bros.

My Little Pony versions of game characters are not new. (See here, here and here.) This diorama, however, is something special! As seen on That Girl’s Site

Bringing A Modern Touch To Some Retro Sprite Art

HTML5 is, in simple terms, a new language for the web that among other things will allow for videos and animations to play without the need for Flash. It can also breathe new life into old video game art styles. Joe Huckaby over on the Effect Games blog has a great piece up showing a…

Summer Cosplay Looks Like This

Right now, it’s hot in Japan, unbearably so. That didn’t keep the cosplayers away from this weekend’s Wonder Festival figurine event in Chiba, Japan. How many of these characters can you name? More importantly, how many of these characters can name you? [ワンフェス2010夏]薄着が増えた？ 夏のコスプレギャラリー [Kotaku Japan]

Yeah, Looks Like NBA Jam Is Coming To The Xbox 360 & PS3

What, you don’t trust the UnterhaltungssoftwareSelbstkontrolle? Then you’ll have to take the ESRB’s word instead that NBA Jam is headed to the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3. The basketball title, which at the moment is only officially bound for the Nintendo Wii, was earlier this month rated by the USK – Germany’s ratings board –…

These Wonder Festival Figures Are Wonderful

Wonder Festival, wonderful, geddit? Over the weekend, the annual summer Wonder Festival figurine expo was held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. Figures included characters from Capcom’s Sengoku Basara, Monster Hunter, Konami’s Love Plus and retro shooter Silpheed from Game Arts. Check ’em out in the gallery below. ワンダーフェスティバル2010夏　フォトレポート [Akiba Hobby] ワンダーフェスティバル 2010夏 フィギュア画像ピックアップ…

Take A Visual Tour Of Tron: Legacy’s New ‘Flynn’s Arcade’

We went to Flynn’s Arcade last year during Comic-Con 2009 to play some games, take some pics and enjoy a little Daft Punk. Disney did Flynn’s again this year, only it did it bigger and better. The classic arcade games were still there, as were the copies of Space Paranoids, the game feature in the…

Going Out Of Style

To: Luke From: Owen Re: Hasta La Vista You may have noticed this past week that I stopped italicizing video game titles. Though I strenuously profess my innocence, and vow I read of this requirement in our online style guide, apparently that is not the case. I don’t know why this is upsetting. It’s definitely…

This is Either ‘What If?’ or ‘Marvel Team-Up’

I’d love to know which common foe it is that united these arch-nemeses. Picture by longtime Kotaku reader and former comment ombudsman Shiraz Malik at San Diego Comic-Con 2010.

FIFA 11 Takes a Personality Test This Year

This year FIFA 11 strives to make its players, especially its superstars, more identifiable not only by their physical appearance, but also by their style of play. To that end, “Personality+” has been built in to EA Sports’ top seller. According to EA Sports, Personality+ draws from a database of 36 attributes and 57 traits,…

The Week in Games: Zerg Rush

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – a sequel following its predecessor more than 10 years later, and officially under development for the past three years, finally launches on Tuesday. So does the online racing MMO Need for Speed World. Today, July 25 Napoleon: Total War – The Peninsular Campaign (PC) Monday, July 26 Dive: The…

Kotaku’s Top Five List of Top 10 Lists

Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there. •Eight Ways to Improve Red Dead Redemption [EgoTV] How about “Press Y to Skin Human.” •Video Gaming’s Greatest Mustaches [OC Weekly] A bit surprised that…

Why Aren’t There More Video Game Sand Castles — In Our Sand Castle Contest?

Are you fired up for StarCraft II? Do you like novels good for beach reading? Do you have ready access to a supply of sand? You still have time to enter our sandcastle contest, which ends tonight! As part of our Summer of Gaming week, Kotaku’s giving away 10 hardcover copies of Heaven’s Devils by…

FIFA 11 Personality+ Screenshots

Ashley Cole, Chelsea. Didier Drogba, Chelsea. Samuel Eto’o, Inter Milan. Nicolas Anelka, Chelsea. Ashley Cole, Chelsea. Samuel Eto’o, Inter Milan. Andres Iniesta, FC Barcelona Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal David Villa, FC Barcelona Carles Puyol, Barcelona

DC Universe Online to Release Nov. 2

At Comic-Con yesterday, after showing that epic six-minute trailer setting up the game’s story, the eminent artist and writer Jim Lee said that DC Universe Online will launch on Nov. 2. Furthermore, playing the console MMO will not require a PlayStation Plus subscription. There hadn’t been any suggestion that it would, but the assurance brought…

Chad Ochocinco Gets a Head Start on Madden

When last we heard from Bengals receiver/game enthusiast Chad Ochocinco, he was offering season tickets for an early copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Now he’s enjoying Madden NFL 11, 18 days before release. Ochocinco, who last year had difficulty configuring his Xbox 360’s wireless connection and inadvisedly tweeted his Gamertag to the world,…

Nine More Tracks Confirmed for Rock Band, Dance Central

Harmonix, as promised, yesterday rolled out a list of six new songs for Rock Band 3 and three for the upcoming Kinect game Dance Central. The tracks are, for Rock Band 3: • “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Tears for Fears) • “Rock Lobster” (The B-52s) • “Foolin'” (Def Leppard) • “Beautiful People” (Marilyn…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Big Head Mode

McWhertor’s shot yesterday of the Twilight cosplayer – wearing a giant mask that matched his skin tone, making him look like he was in big head mode – is the last-minute inspiration for a ‘Shop Contest everyone can enter. Big Head Mode. And that’s really it. I’m not sure why we haven’t done this before.…