Oh, Come On: 67% of Polled Republican Voters Say Video Games Are a ‘Bigger Threat to Safety’ Than Guns [UPDATE]

Want proof that the maddening campaign to make video games a scapegoat for gun violence is working? Just check out these poll results where the vast majority of people essentially say that video games are scarier than guns. At first blush, the latest press release from Raleigh-based firm Public Policy Polling seems like a typical…

Mobile Gaming’s Platforming Hero Returns — One Part Mario, One Part Sonic

In 2011 SilverTree Media introduced Cordy, a robotic platforming hero for the smartphone age. While other developers struggled with implementing traditional games using touchscreen controls, Cordy played as perfectly as the best console platformers, with more personality than most. Now Cordy 2 has arrived, and it’s easily twice as good as the original. Cordy is…

What People Used To Say About The Sega Dreamcast

Today, we’ve got Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony vying for control of the console market. But there was a time when Sega was also a contender. Their last home console, the Dreamcast, is still getting games (sort of) despite being fourteen years old. But what was it about the Dreamcast that inspired such devotion? Let’s take…

Daylight, the first third-party game on Unreal Engine 4, is a randomly-generated horror game coming to Steam this year.

Square Enix Is Teasing Something Murderous [UPDATE: It’s A Game Called Murdered: Soul Suspect]

I have no idea what Square Enix is teasing, but it’s certainly piqued my interest. A few minutes ago, I got a strange e-mail via a Square Enix press list: from: [email protected] via kotaku.com reply-to: [email protected] to: [email protected] date: Fri, Feb 8, 2013 at 10:27 AM subject: What is the hardest case to solve? mailed-by:…

God Save Mario The Anarchist

We’ve seen Mario as a GTA character, which is badass on its own. But have we seen him fully outfitted as a punk rock anarchist? Brazilian graphic designer Butcher Billy has quite an impressive, pop culture-filled profile on Béhance, including his latest, stunning crossover, featuring Super Mario characters and legendary punk rock band Sex Pistols,…

Feel the Love with Disney’s Free Where’s My Valentine?

Love is in the air, and it’s all musky. It calls for a shower, maybe a little spy work. Disney’s free Where’s My Valentine? update should do the trick nicely. Available now for free on iOS and Android, Where’s My Valentine? brings Perry the platypus and Swampy the crocodile and/or alligator together for 12 levels…

Wii U Gets A $390 ZombiU Package

Nintendo is coming out with a new Wii U package, and it’s full of zombies. Starting February 17 in North America, you’ll be able to find this $390 “ZombiU Deluxe Set,” which comes complete with a black deluxe Wii U and GamePad, a digital copy of Nintendo Land, and a ZombiU disc. It also comes…

A New Trailer for Dreamfall Chapters Promises an Emotional Finale to a Beloved Adventure Game

Dreamfall Chapters will introduce an all-new world in the upcoming sequel to the acclaimed adventure game series. Under development by Red Thread Games, the previously announced project is being led by Dreamfall creator Ragnar Tørnquist, who secured the license from Funcom where he worked on The Secret World MMO. A Kickstarter to help fund the…

If We’re Lucky, Crysis 3 Will Have The Heart of Halo 4 And The Innards Of Far Cry 3

As much as first-person shooters evolve—what with new weapons, armor abilities, and creepy new alien enemies (if we’re talking the sci-fi brand)—there’s always a key component to any good game that most seem to miss the mark on. Humanity. We forget that the protagonist is perhaps more than the silent, big-bodied bulk of strength capable…

This Week’s iPad Charts: The Room, The Room, The Room is On Fire

It always brings a smile to my face when one of the games we consider the very best on a platform makes a comeback on the charts. The brain-twisting puzzles of The Room are on fire this week, and the galaxy is 2. The Room is currently on sale for $.99. Coupled with its status…

Activison’s earnings call yesterday revealed World of Warcraft has lost 400,000 subscribers, dipping to 9.6 million.

How to Make a Japanese PSN Account on the New PSN (and How to Navigate the Store)

Have you ever wanted to log on to the Japanese PlayStation Network to download some demos or buy a game or two but have given up on the idea because you don’t know how to read Japanese? No problem. Here’s a step-by-step guide from Kotaku East that explains how to create a Japanese PSN account,…

White Guys Creeping Out Asian Women on Dating Sites

The dating scene can be tough. It can also be awkward. And creepy. And even racist. A Tumblr site called Creepy White Guys is a collection of unsettling messages Asian women have been receiving on dating sites like OKCupid. Messages like: Docile? Submissive? Bwah? So clever! No. Actually. I hadn’t. Good thing you did! WHAT.…

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate‘s online play is region locked, it seems

Why the Sequel to Rival Schools is my Favorite Fighting Game Ever

Growing up, I had two game systems: a barely working Atari 2600 (which lived largely forgotten in our guestroom closet) and an original NES. These lasted me until 1997 when I saved up and bought a Super Nintendo—over a year after the release of both the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64. So, during my childhood,…

A Penis-Powered Controller That Looks Familiar

Upcoming erotic game Custom Maid 3D will be bundled with a very special controller. It looks like the PS Move, but with a few key differences—one of which is you put dicks in it. Dubbed Ju-C Air, the peripheral is a wireless masturbation toy that will respond and react in real time to your stroke…

Years Later, This Game Is Still a Love Letter to Berserk Fans

Berserk is a franchise (in)famous for two reasons: compelling storytelling and ultraviolence. A dark fantasy, Berserk has its origins in manga but has been adapted into an anime TV series, three anime movies (the third of which was released late last week), and two video games. The first, Sword of the Berserk: Guts Rage, was…

In Japan, This Might Be the Nerdiest Way To Fight Crime

In fall 2011, the Japanese city of Matsudo launched the first in a series of anime style posters, designed to appeal to young people and help stop crime. Since then, the character, who is named “Aya Matsumiya,” has appeared in several poster campaigns to help fight crime. There’s even a cosplayer who dresses as the…

This Pokémon X/Y Fake Amuses Japan, At Least

Blurry Japanese magazine scans are often a source of new info about eagerly anticipated games. Games like Pokémon X/Y. That is, unless the scans are totally fake. Earlier this month, what’s supposedly (apparently?) a “leaked” image from a Japanese magazine popped up on YouTube. To date, the video has been viewed over 50,000 times, and…