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  Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Stick Now Available For Preorder

  The Mad Catz Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom FightStick mock-up from the San Diego Comic Con just got real, with the Wii arcade controller now available for purchase at the GameShark Store. Mad Catz first displayed the Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom fight stick in San Diego, gauging fan reaction to the design. Apparently fans reacted well, as it’s…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2010
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  The 40th Day Multiplayer: All Co-Op, All The Time

  Army of Two: The 40th Day might seem like a violent game, but as this multiplayer trailer shows, it’s all about caring for your fellow man. I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to handle multiplayer in EA’s Army of Two sequel. I prefer online multiplayer shooters where no one realizes I am doing…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2010
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  The History Of Video Game Art In Reverse

  The main hallway of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City is a spiral. When you walk through it, ascending several flights in the process, paintings all to your right, you get the sense of walking through an artistic history. Last week I visited the museum to see an exhibition of the life’s work of…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 5, 2010
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  If you want to talk about games — if you need to talk about games — here’s the place to do it. If you want to talk about other things, bookmark this, go back to sleep and come back later. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 5, 2010
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  Apple Hits 3B App Downloads, Google Preps Android Phone

  Just in time to try and take the sizzle out of Google’s Android phone announcement later today comes Apple’s announcement that more than three billion apps have been downloaded for the iPhone and iPod Touch in less than 18 months. Note the word downloaded and not purchased. But it’s still an incredibly impressive feat, and…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 5, 2010
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  This Is What I Ate For New Year’s

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Adventures in Zoonosis Gah — sorry to hear about all the hardships this past week. Extreme close-ups of Japanese food! This is the osechi ryori we ate during the New Years holidays, and all the food was split between the entire Ashcraft family. Osechi is eaten over the course of…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  Steamboat Mario, Now In Fabulous Technicolour!

  By Dan Helle, as seen on Tiny Cartridge.

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  British Sales Charts: Just Dance!

  Finally, a little variety in Britain’s sales charts, as the PS3 version of Modern Warfare 2 and FIFA 10 make way for…oh. Just Dance, for the Wii. Way to go, Ubisoft. Way to go, Britain. Those who may not have heard of Just Dance, please see this for reference. The rest of the charts is…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  World of Nintendo, The Room

  This Colorado collection of gaming goodness is Brett’s. It’s the Video Game Memorabilia Museum. It consists of Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, Kirby, Square Enix, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. There’s a chair, too. Video Game Memorabilia Museum [Figure.fm via DannyChoo]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  Dragon Age: Awakening Expansion Out In March

  You remember that full Dragon Age expansion that turned up in New Zealand last year? It’s real, and it’s out on March 16. The expansion, called “Awakening”, will allow players to import (and edit!) their characters from the main game, and should run for around 15 hours. For the best explanation of what’s going down,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  Japanese Hardware Sales Tally

  Tally ho! So to speak. Famitsu publisher Enterbrain has released hardware sales figures for Japan. The data was collected between December 29, 2008 and December 27, 2009, and the data is for Japan. The numbers for the DS include all variations — the same for the PSP and the PS3. Nintendo DS 2009 estimated sales:…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  In Europe, Monster Hunter Is Now Nintendo’s Baby

  In Japan and North America, Monster Hunter Tri is a Capcom game, developed, published and distributed by the company. But in Europe and Australia? It’s now Nintendo’s problem. The announcement was made earlier today by Capcom, who say that while they’ll still technically be acting as publisher, Nintendo will be “responsible for the sales, marketing…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  Kenka Bancho, The Badass Nationwide Dominating Movie

  School tough guys, punching and kicking. The tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek fighting game Kenka Bancho isn’t only getting a new PSP game in Japan this February, but a feature length motion picture. This March, Kenka Bancho ~ Zenkoku Seiha (Nationwide Domination) gets a theatrical release. Hero Takashi Sakamoto gets in, well, a fight during a school trip after…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  WoW’s Chinese Future Still Up In The Air

  Having been suspended from operating in the country since November, it appears that World of Warcraft’s future in China has been decided, and will be announced sometime this month. That’s according to Chinese media giants Sohu, who say that the two government agencies engaged in a territorial dispute over the title – the General Administration…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  2009’s Top Five Selling Games in Japan

  Last year is so…last year. This being January, it is time to look back at some numbers Famitsu publisher Enterbrain has crunched. The data, just released today, was collected between December 29, 2008 and December 27, 2009. 5. Final Fantasy XIII Launch: December 17, 2009 Estimated Sales Tally: 1,698,256 copies 4. Tomodachi Collection Launch: June…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  Well, Guitar Hero: Van Halen Did Need Better Box Art

  Guitar Hero: Van Halen couldn’t be more underwhelming as a product if it had “UNDERWHELMING!” as a bullet point on the back of the box. But with the right box art…hmm… Seizing upon a rare moment’s peace, a bored GameStop employee came up with this. Which is not only an amazingly life-like portrait of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  In 2009, Japanese Game Market Shrinkage Continued

  In the West, the video game market is growing. In Japan, it is not. As with 2008, the domestic Japanese market size has been on a downward slide, getting smaller and smaller. In data collected by Famitsu publisher Enterbrain between December 12, 2008 and December 27, 2009, both hardware and software sales were down. Software…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  Dare You Object To Some Phoenix Wright: Wii Videos?

  Just like the handheld versions, lawyer adventure series Phoenix Wright on WiiWare is shipping in Japan with English language support included. Which means we can watch some gameplay clips and know what the hell’s going on! Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney WiiWare First Look! [Capcom]

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010
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  D3 Publisher Spelling Mistake Explained

  Japanese game company D3 Publisher chalked up one of the most embarrassing misspellings of 2009: That of the company’s own name, D3 Publisher, in a game trailer. There is a reason for that, says the company. According to a spokesperson, “It was supposed to be ‘PURLISHER’ with a ‘R’ there and not a ‘P’.” The…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2010
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  Be An Australian Games Censor For A Day!

  Ever wanted to be a trigger-happy member of the Australian Classification Board, decide what’s fit for public consumption and what’s not? Today’s your lucky day, as "Ban This Game!" lets you do just that. Put together by Conor O’Kane, who also did the excellent Harpooned, BTG!’s premise is simple. If a game “crosses the line”,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2010