This German Screenshot Reportedly Says When Halo 4’s Map Packs Are Dropping

Lots of players—including Kotaku’s own Tina Amini—think that Halo 4 needs more maps. 343 Industries has said that additional multiplayer environments are coming but hasn’t clued anyone in as to the exact arrival times. But the screenshot above from a German Xbox 360 dashboard appears to reveal dates for the next three sets of maps…

The Sights, Lights (and Imagined Smells) of the World’s Biggest LAN Party

Over last week and the weekend, over 10,000 PC gamers from Europe and across the world gathered in Sweden for Dreamhack Winter, the world’s biggest LAN party As you can probably understand, the place was packed, as the thousands of attendees gamed, ate, partied and sometimes even slept their way through the four-day event. Since…

Celebrate Cyber Monday with These 200 Deals on Video Games

As we all know, one of the oldest traditions in America, going back to the time of the Pilgrims, is Cyber Monday. It takes the madness of taking a day off of work to buy crap on Black Friday, strips out the 3 a.m. line-ups, the tramplings, the beatings, and replaces it with buying stuff…

Getting Up Close and Personal with Square Enix’s New Engine Blew My Mind

This last Friday and Saturday in Tokyo, Square Enix held their 2012 Open Conference. While there was some talk about the relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV, the majority of the two-day event focused on Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. Agni’s Philosophy is the real-time tech demo of Square’s new Luminous Engine that was first presented at…

Parents, Please Don’t Name Your Kid “Pikachu”

For decades, no, centuries, Japanese parents were happy giving their kids regular Japanese names. Sure, there have been trends, but the latest one is producing some kids with peculiar names—and even worries about bullying. Japanese names are slightly different from English ones. Traditionally, first names were selected based on the number of brush strokes in…

Let’s Go With Uncle Go, One of China’s Most Interesting Indie Games

Over the last three years, I’ve been attending the Game Developers Conference China (not to be confused with the China Game Developers Conference) and I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the creations of many independent developers show casing their work for the Independent Game Festival China. I’ve got around to playing FTL:…

This Bonsai Tree Made Entirely of LEGO Makes Me Wish I Had LEGO Scissors

Seeing the original Karate Kid as, um, a kid, I was amazed that there were little trees that needed to be cut with little scissors. Those trees, of course, are bonsai trees. Via botanical artist Makoto Azuma, come these bonsai trees made out of LEGO. All that’s missing are little LEGO clippers! As website Spoon…

Here’s What Makes a Final Fantasy, According to Square Enix

This last weekend in Tokyo, Square Enix held an open conference centered around its real-time tech demo, Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. While presenting the technical aspects was paramount in the design of Agni’s Philosophy (as it was meant to showcase the detail and flexibility of Square’s new Luminous Engine), its creators were adamant it feel…

Non-Gamer Gets Screwed By Game Companies and Banks

Seeking damages and reparations for money he lost, Mr. Shao of Foshan, Guangdong, has filed a lawsuit against two of China’s largest game companies, as well as China’s equivalent of PayPal, and a bank. What exactly is Shao so peeved about, apart from his lost cash? Apparently the money was going into accounts for online…

New Final Fantasy XIV Director Talks About What Went Wrong With The Original

Naoki Yoshida is about as far away from the stereotypical image of a Japanese businessman as you are likely to get. Clad in designer jeans with expertly styled hair and numerous finger rings, he looks more like a rock star than anything else. His business card even features a caricature of himself smoking while relaxing…

Between Dec. 1 and Feb 28, Japanese rental store Tsutaya is renting copies of Dragon Quest X free of charge.

Students Immortalize Cafeteria Chefs With Card Game Spoof

Rumor has it that the immensely popular card game Three Kingdoms Killers became popular because of the Communications University of China in Beijing. So it only makes sense now that a mock game, “Three Kingdoms Chef Killers”, is something that students at the University would come up with. The mock game replaces the base characters…

Some of the Smallest (and Most Amazing) Figures on Earth

Welcome to the realm of dust particles and hair strands. Tinyland! It’s also the scale at which some truly minuscule—and impressive—sculptures have dazzled Japan, a country with a long tradition of making things small. For several years now, these carved figures have appeared on Japanese bulletin boards. The figures are called “100 Yen Coin Person”…

Third Grader Dazzles Twitter with Her Amazing Doodle

Some say artistic talent is innate. Other claim it’s the result of hard work. Whatever it is, this Japanese third grader has it. On November 24, a Japanese Twitter user named Shin_Toto uploaded the above image online, writing, “My daughter’s (third grade) drawing. Ball point pen on A4 photocopy paper. What’s the best way for…

Why Apple’s Siri Is Personified as a Butt Lady in Japan

In Japan, it’s been popular for the past several years to make “-tan” versions of electronics. These are cute personifications of game hardware or even computer operating systems. Most recently, Microsoft released the official Windows 8-tans; however, most of these “-tan” creations are not official. They are fan creations, like “Siri-tan”. Everyone’s favorite virtual personal…

Yes, the Wii U Also Works on Japanese Bullet Trains

For those worried that the Wii U doesn’t work on outside, say on Japanese high speed rail, take heart. Apparently, it does. And here’s the photo proof. Kuzo from Japanese site Rocket News recently boarded the Nozomi bullet train—the N700 series Nozomi, to be exact, which is outfitted with electric sockets and WiFi. Besides being…

Only In My Dreams Did This Game of Thrones Beatdown Take Place

Artist Roberto Flores continues to make dreams come true with his Game of Thrones fighting game mock-ups, this time featuring the greatest battle never seen in the books: Daenrys and her dragons up against Robert and his enormous gut. Game of Thrones Excel! Round 3 – Dany vs Robert [DeviantArt]

One Of The Best Parts Of Grand Theft Auto Is Now In App Form

I think this is something anyone who has played any Grand Theft Auto game can relate to: driving around, just for the hell of it, flicking through radio stations, laughing at Lazlow’s shenanigans, listening to the well chosen songs from the game’s soundtrack. This new Android thingy, allows you to do this in real life…

Incredible Skyrim Cosplay Gets Your Week Started Just Right

When comedian and TV host Chris Hardwick figured one day that his girlfriend, actress and TV presenter Chloe Dykstra, looked a lot like Skyrim’s Aela The Huntress, there was only one thing to do. Finish the job. So here’s Chloe in Aela’s outfit, which was crafted by cosplayer Vanessa Walton (photos are by Paolo Cellammare).…