Join Me on My First Date with a Virtual Girl

Last week, I chronicled my adventures in winning the heart of a virtual girl in the Japanese dating sim New Love Plus+. Now, I invite you all to join me as I take her on our first date—and once again prove I am not quite the Don Juan of dating sims. New Love Plus+ was…

Are You A Senior Game UX Designer? We’re Hiring

Gawker Media, the company behind Kotaku.com, is developing Kinja, our collaborative blogging platform. We need a UX expert to make our software as elegant and pleasant to use as possible. And I suspect a game developer might be who we need. We’re currently hiring a UX Director in our New York office to spearhead improvements…

Japan Thinks the New Godzilla Should Hit The Treadmill

Hollywood’s latest take on Godzilla is hitting theaters next month, and while we’ve already heard some of Japan’s response to the new and improved giant city-destroying monster, that was before they got a full picture. So what do they think of him now? From Japan’s largest internet forum, 2ch, while some think positively of the…

I’m Embarrassed to Play Dating Sims—And I Shouldn’t Be

I’m not going to lie, even after talking about the virtues of the genre, I am still embarrassed to admit I occasionally play dating sims—and I shouldn’t be. It’s funny. If I say I play Angry Birds, Call of Duty, or Street Fighter, I never feel embarrassed. Games have been a part of my life…

Mionix Naos 7000: The Kotaku Review

I’ve been using Mionix mice for years now, because being a regular person, and not a pro gamer, I value ergonomics over performance. But what happens when Mionix get around to making a mouse that feels as good as it works? You get, at least in theory, the Mionix Naos 7000. Which is an awesome…

An Ode To The Video Games We Can Barely Remember

Memories that remain rigid. The ones you can replay in your mind without effort. Those memories are usually the least interesting. Whether they are accurate or not. And most likely they are not. A story endlessly retold by friends and family; sections that don’t fit brutally forced by the collective might of those who witnessed…

The Old City, an exploration game that looks pretty great, is now up on Kickstarter. Get on it.

Playing Dark Souls II…With A Three Year-Old Kid

This is not the most appropriate game to be playing with such a small child. That said and out of the way, who could resist when the kid is being so cute? Are we gonna make a boy or a girl? A girl. What will her name be? A lady. Lance and Penny Play Dark…

Watch A Guy Play Through Mario 64 Blindfolded

Twitch streamers sure know how to pull cool stunts. Case in point: there is a channel where a speedrunner attempts to play through Mario 64…without being able to see what’s going on on the screen. 62bitgaming is hoping to get through the classic Mario title using his vast knowledge of the game—but he’ll also make…

A Married Couple Who Has Sex And Makes Games About It

The page is called TMI. We were bound to tackle sex eventually. Cara Ellison has written up a fantastic profile of a developer the gaming industry has no idea what to do with: married art game duo Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, aka Tale of Tales. That doesn’t mean no one plays their games, however.…