Nintendo Power Is Gone, But Nintendo Magazines Live On

Nintendo Power magazine may have released its final issue late last year, but the spirit of the publication lives on with Nintendo Force, a very shiny, very new magazine that’s hoping to take its place. Featuring writers from sites like 1UP, IGN and Destructoid, it’s got a very nice cover (note the subtle NES cartridge…

Watch This Amazing Sci-Fi Short. You Won’t Believe It Was Made By One Man.

And a young one at that. This short is called Rha, and it’s extraordinary for two reasons. 1) It’s, well, extraordinary. 2) It was written, directed and animated by one man That man is digital film design student Kaleb Lechowski, who is only 22 years old. He got help with the sound and voice acting…

Far Cry 3’s Vaas Makes For One Sexy Pin-Up

One thing just about everyone says after finishing Far Cry 3 is, jeez, I wish there’d been more Vaas. Here’s more Vaas. A lot more Vaas than you were probably bargaining for. This fantastic image was done by the supremely-talented Doubleleaf, whose work you may have seen before Vaas Montenegro [Doubleleaf @ DeviantArt]

Jon Snow, Meet Skyrim. You Two Have A Lot In Common.

That incredible Skyrim shot up there? That outfit (and modelling) is the work of Canadian Amanda Eccleston, and you can see more images from the shoot here The shot on the right is a pretty great Jon Snow, and in the middle, yup, that’s Crystal Graziano paying tribute to Zone of the Enders To see…

Harmonix Let A Fan Make The End Credits To One Of Their Games

I’ve never “finished” a Dance Central game because, every time I start playing, the booze eventually runs out, and/or people eventually go home. I could play it sober, by myself, but, um, no. That might have to change soon, though, because Dance Central 3’s closing credits are wonderful. Not only are they a great pixel…

Pets & Video Games. It’s Like The Internet Condensed Into A Single Thing.

Press Paws is an upcoming art show in LA that wants to bring together pets and video games. If that wasn’t already a perfect pairing, the show is also about raising money for charity. Featuring the work of over 50 artists (like Paul Robertson, who did the image up top, and Jim Mahfood), proceeds raised…

For One Weekend, A Real Street Was Turned Into An 8-Bit Landscape

To promote the release of Wreck-It-Ralph in the UK (for some reason, it’s out later in some markets), between January 11-13 a lane in London was transformed into an 8-bit landscape by an artist and a team of workers. The installation was done by Aden Hynes Sculpture Studios, and included a car, a letterbox, animals,…

How Two Artists Are Staying True To Metal Gear’s Legacy With The Series’ Next Game

Most of the time here on Fine Art, we can only show art for games that are already out, because that’s the way the business works. Most of the time. We’ve got a nice break from that today though, with a large collection of art for the upcoming Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Artists Cho and…

Where Street Fashion Meets Ancient Video Game Art

Serene Weather, a design firm from Korea, put together this fashion shoot using real-world locations and not-real pixellated characters. I know, the legs are too skinny for this to have actually happened, but I like to think that behind every one is an actual person wearing those actual clothes. On the Street [Serene Weather, via…

Sports Video Gaming Must Face Its Own Era Of Excess

Wednesday was supposed to be a day of no news in Major League Baseball. There are no league games in January, of course; pitchers and catchers report to spring training in 29 days. And exit polling had long foreseen the shutout ballot, for the first time since 1996, that the Baseball Writers Association of America…

Modder Creates The World’s Coolest Iron Man Video Game (Inside Grand Theft Auto)

Grand Theft Auto IV modder H1Vltg3 has built this incredible Iron Man mod for the PC version of the game, which does so much more than just reskin the main character. The mod also contains a script which dramatically alters the way you can play the game, giving him proper hand repulsor beam effects and…

Correction: Jack Thompson Wanted Best Buy to Not Sell M-Rated Games To Kids

We recently reported that violent video game critic Jack Thompson asked Best Buy in October to not sell M-rated games. He actually wants them to not sell them to kids, asserting that “Some of these ‘Mature’ games, in addition to containing adult levels of violence, also contain sexual, pornographic material, so much so in fact…

The Week in Games: Speak of the Devil

DMC: Devil May Cry brings 2013’s major release calendar out of hibernation this week, along with downloadable content for Borderlands 2. BioShock has a special edition release hitting shelves, too. Monday • Crusader Kings II: The Republic (PC DLC) • Crusader Kings II: Mediterranean Portraits (PC DLC) • Crusader Kings II: Songs of Prosperity (PC…

Video game store owners are NRA members, too. One went on TV to rebut politicians who blame games for mass shootings.

If Street Fighter IV was a First-Person Game, Here’s What It Would Look Like

Pipoca, the Brazilian animator who brought us First-Person Bomberman, now delivers this concept of Street Fighter IV‘s bonus stage, fought first-person style. It’s a great take, but if the combos are based on your point of view, I’m now completely messed up on how to throw a hadouken. What’s forward? Up? YouTube video uploaded by…

The World of Warcraft Theme Park in China Features a “Happiness Index” for Its Rides

This weekend Redditor FrancescaO_O paid a visit to Joyland, the World of Warcraft-themed park in China, and reported back with this amusing picture. Each ride comes with a five-star happiness rating! That’s most likely a broken English translation, where “happiness” is meant to reflect the ride’s thrill level—as in, a five-star ride has more drops,…

What would you pay for a song from Love Fist’s 1986 EP from Vice City? 69 cents? Wait! Act now and get all 4 for $1.99!

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Googly Eyes

That no-good Chris Person stole our thunder on Tuesday with this, in which he discovered that googly eyeballs add a certain je ne sais quois to every video game. Well, he is just one person. We are an army of ‘Shoppers, and this week we’re going to take his idea and completely overrun him with…

Sunday Comics: Pièce de Résistance

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. Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Published Jan. 7. Read more of Penny Arcade Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published Jan. 9. Read more of…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Balloon Snake: The Winners

I told you maggots to hold the damn file size under 2 MB, but no, one of you just had to create something so hilariously excellent above that limit that I am now forced to take extraordinary measures just to bring it to you. So now all of you must stay late in order to…