Perhaps the Worst English Translations of 2013 (Or the Best?)

Living in Asia, you get used to mangled English. It stops being a source of amusement, and you can feel empathy for those trying to express something in another language. Then, every once in a while, you see something that makes you stop and go what. The. Fuck. Today, literally. The website of the Capital…

China’s “God of DotA” Embroiled in Love Scandal

Professional gamers in China are treated pretty much the same way professional gamers are treated in other parts of Asia; with a certain deference. With the social position comes being a celebrity, and with that celebrity status it makes sense that something as personal as a romantic affair can blow up into something huge, even…

Japan’s Most Dangerous Hacker Served with a Wanted Poster and a Bounty

Mugshots. Artist’s sketches. Physical descriptions. Those are what you see on typical wanted posters in Japan. But this is not your typical wanted poster. It’s not even your typical crime. Instead, this wanted poster features descriptions of programming languages, viruses, and internet use. But like most wanted posters, this one also has a hefty reward.…

Afraid of his Mom, Chinese Kid Hides at Net Cafe

A ten year-old boy hid himself in an internet cafe in Changsha, Hunan province, for four days after receiving bad marks on his end-term exams. The boy, called Rui Rui, didn’t go to the net cafe to ease his pain—Voice of China reports that instead, he was hiding there to avoid punishment from his parents.…

Hello Kitty in Spaaaaaaaaace!

Seventh graders at Cornerstone Christian launched Hello Kitty into space. For science. Yes, science! The coolest bit is that after her space flight Kitty-chan was recovered 47.5 miles from the launch site. The onboard GPS and a loud beeper help locate the cat. One small step for cartoon felines, indeed. Hello Kitty in Space [Melody…

Man Explains Why He Slept with WoW Guild Members

A chat log in which a Chinese gamer discussed his one-night stands has gone viral in China. In the chat log, the gamer dished on sleeping with several female guild members. The gamer was asked, “So you switched servers and came into our guild just to do our girls?” His reply was simply, “For the…

Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft is hiring

The Magic of Photoshop Brings the PS4 Controller to Life [Update]

The PlayStation 4 is coming. There’s an event later this month which will apparently unveil the new game machine. Last month, Kotaku published loads of details about the PlayStation 4, including its controller. Members of game forum NeoGAF (Noisepurge, Kairu, Mista Koo, and Sickboy007) churned out digital mock-ups of what the PlayStation 4 controller could…

Don’t Fret, This Last of Us Gameplay Footage Won’t Infect You [Update]

Here’s a few minutes of The Last of Us gameplay, which has players groping around in the dark and dealing with scary enemies. It looks rather frightening. The Last of Us will be out this May. The Last of Us Gameplay Footage [GamesHQMedia@YouTube] The Last of Us [GameTrailers] Note: This post has been updated with…

George Lucas’ Daughter Could Probably Kick Your Ass: The Movie

Amanda Lucas, the daughter of Star Wars creator George Lucas, is an MMA fighter. This trailer is for a documentary about her, called Lucas, due for release later this year. It’s being made by Briton Bobby Razak, a director who makes MMA docs like this (as well as commercials) for a living. You can check…

Turning Skyrim Into A Game That’s Not Even Skyrim Anymore

I mentioned its predecessor, Nehrim, in my big PC mods roundup last week, so it’s only fair today I point out a project a little more contemporary in its aims. Enderal: The Shards of Order is a total conversion for Skyrim, in development by the same team behind Nehrim, that seeks to take the bones…

What if Mega Man was released on the Sega Genesis? Well, its music might sound like this

You Will Not Believe You’re Watching This L.A. Noire Blooper Reel

Is this reel real? Depth Analysis, which created the face scanning technology used in 2011’s L.A. Noire, for some reason released an outtakes reel on Thursday and it shows just how sophisticated the technology really is. We’re not just hearing voice actors flub lines, snicker and look off-camera, we’re seeing their game characters do it,…

These Are the Candidates for Madden NFL‘s Cover This Year—I Think

The past three years on Super Bowl Sunday, I’ve tried to handicap the field for the cover of the coming year’s edition of Madden NFL, the bona fide Wheaties box of sports video gaming. It’s gotten increasingly difficult as EA Sports has opened the search to a fan-voted process, from three candidates to 32 and…

The Week in Games: A Thief in Time Saves Nine

Fire Emblem: Awakening warms up the release schedule tomorrow in time for a new Sly Cooper and Dead Space 3 on Tuesday. Monday • Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS) Tuesday • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn (PC DLC) • Dead Space 3 (360, PS3, PC) • Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3, PS Vita)…

Kevin Costner’s Tatanka Hunting Simulator 2013 Dances With Irreverence

It may look like a cel-shaded reboot of Activision’s Stampede. However, this is Kevin Costner’s Tatanka Hunting Simulator 2013, an unauthorized adaptation of the Academy Award-winning Best Picture for 1991. It’s the work of Acid Wizard Studio at the Global Game Jam, which wrapped up last week. And it looks insane. From its instructions: “If…

Let’s Go Apartment Hunting in Gotham City with DC Universe Online

In July I moved back to my hometown to buy a house. After nearly 20 years of renting, I was grateful to never again worry about noisy upstairs neighbors, proximity to a laundromat, rent increases, security deposits or apartment hunting. And then DC Universe Online released Home Turf this week. The latest extension to the…

The Latest ‘Working Portal Gun In Real Life’ Hack Is Pretty Damn Cool

Mirrors lined with blue and red LEDs have long been a staple of Portal-themed decoration. Taking it to the next level, however, is jamin101wolf. He bought the Portal gun prop available through ThinkGeek and Amazon, then plugged the two mirrors into remote-control power boxes. With this he pulls off the effect of firing a red…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Horsing Around With Gabe

We’ve had a run of good luck with no-brainer exploitables, and that continues this week with Gabe Newell, donning a horse mask after giving a talk in Texas, and then firing up some kind of Half-Life gang sign. Here are a couple of still frames taken from a video; if the student on the right…

Sunday Comics: Starting Over

Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Brawl In The Family by Matthew Taranto. Published Feb. 1. Read more of Brawl In The Family Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Published Feb.…