Reviews & Features
Rock Band
| 22 March 2008 |
A game where you can play not only the guitar but the drum set, too? Are you kidding me?!?
Star Wars Galaxies - A New Hope or a Phantom Menace?
| 22 March 2008
An old scruffy-looking nerf-herder returns to Star Wars Galaxies after four years to rediscover his inner Wookie
Assault Heroes
| 28 February 2008 |
Euphoria [yoo-fawr-ee-uh, -fohr] a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania. Or, more clinically correct, the feeling I had while playing ...
Bioshock
| 28 February 2008 |
Would you kindly travel into the world of Rapture and become a champion to the weak and bewildered, or delve into the depths of depravity for your own demented satisfaction? In an industry where each ...
Hellgate: London
| 7 February 2008 |
A long time ago, having played numerous pay-to-play betas, alphas, shoddy releases, and dismal games in general, I set down myself a list of rules to follow when picking up a new game. There is nothing ...
World of Warcraft - A Noob’s Journey
| 6 February 2008 |
Azeroth, my dear Azeroth, the hours I have spent traversing your wide and varied lands. No you will not begin speaking like this after playing World of Warcraft, nor will you die in front of your ...
Timeshift
| 7 January 2008
Can you master time to become the ultimate weapon? Everyone that likes FPS games should take the time to play Timeshift. This is a title with a long history of starts and stops company and developer changes ...
Sam & Max: Season One
| 5 January 2008 |
Kids growing up on a diet of console gaming with fully realised 3D landscapes, intense action and complex game design, not to mention fully rendered double D sized boobs thanks to Tomb Raider's Lara ...
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
| 27 November 2007
One of the biggest multi-platform releases this year has finally hit our hard drives. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is a present day First Person Shooter (FPS) featuring an engrossing single-player story, ...
Newsfeed Selector
» GameSpot Headlines
Xbox Live hacked?
24 May 2013 |Hacker claims to have cracked Microsoft's online network, exposing confidential information for 47 million users.
Alan Wake will return ‘when the time is right’
23 May 2013 |Remedy says it could have made "less ambitious" sequel, but it wouldn't have done series justice; Quantum Break to be "ultimate Remedy experience."
Ninja Theory teases announcement
23 May 2013 |Enslaved, Devil May Cry developer hints that it will have "something new to show" tomorrow.
Is The Witcher 3 coming to Xbox One?
23 May 2013 |CD Projekt Red declines to confirm RPG for next-gen platform, says it will "shed more light" on 2014 game at E3 next month.
Sony explains why Gran Turismo 6 is debuting on PS3, not PS4
23 May 2013 |SCEE CEO Jim Ryan says PlayStation 3 still has "a lot of potential," would rather launch on platform that has 70 million units sold already.
Destiny gameplay reveal at E3
23 May 2013 |CGI/live-action trailer for Bungie's new shared-world shooter featuring Breaking Bad star and directed by Jon Favreau teases gameplay reveal during Sony's media briefing next month.
Mirror’s Edge 2 spotted on Amazon
23 May 2013 |Listing for sequel to 2008 first-person free-running game appears on retailer's German website.
Atari to sell RollerCoaster Tycoon, Test Drive franchises at auction
23 May 2013 |Bankrupt publisher hoping to bring in at least $22 million from upcoming asset auctions.
FIFA 14 release date announced
23 May 2013 |FIFA 14 coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on September 27. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will arrive later in 2013.
GameStop: Xbox One, PS4 will be less expensive at launch than past consoles
23 May 2013 |Retailer says next-gen platforms from Microsoft and Sony will debut below price points for Xbox 360 and PS3 at launch.
» IGN Headlines
» 1UP Headlines
Listen to the Final 1UP Podcast Ever
7 April 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> As you know, 1UP.com has breathed its last. Such are the vicissitudes of business. Happily, Jose Otero ...
Review: Bending Genres in Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
22 March 2013 | <!-- Begin Template_OpenHtml --> Feature <!-- Begin socialTools --> Share it: Tweet [removed][removed] [removed] window.fbAsyncInit = ...
Review: Shambling Mirror of Fate Signals Time to Jam a Stake in Castlevania’s Heart
8 March 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate brings the series back to Nintendo's portable systems, ...
An Unflattering Boll Cut
7 March 2013 | <!-- Begin Template_OpenHtml --> Feature <!-- Begin socialTools --> Share it: Tweet [removed][removed] [removed] window.fbAsyncInit = ...
The Trials and Tribulations of Gears of War: Judgment
6 March 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> <body> As the next generation of home consoles slowly emerge into the limelight and enter the ...
The Cinematic Nature of Parasite Eve
1 March 2013 | <!-- Begin Template_OpenHtml --> Feature <!-- Begin socialTools --> Share it: Tweet [removed][removed] [removed] window.fbAsyncInit = ...
A Plea for the Gaming Industry to Respect Gamers
1 March 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Although the economy might not be in the thick of a recession as it once was, that doesn't mean things ...
Moving Forward and Looking to Indies, Not Better Graphics
28 February 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> Excited as I was to finally see a next-generation console, much of the PlayStation 4 software we saw ...
Urban Trial Freestyle Review: Where Flash Trumps Substance
27 February 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> There is no getting around the similarities between Urban Trial Freestyle and the Trials series. The ...
The Orwellian Superheroes of Watch Dogs and inFamous: Second Son
23 February 2013 | <!--Begin feature--> <!-- for syndication --> <body> Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or ...
» GameDaily Headlines
Mass Effect 2: The Engineer
26 April 2013 |Unleash combat drones and hack your enemies with Mass Effect 2's nerdy Engineer class.
MW2 MP Broken?
26 April 2013 |Xbox 360 version plagued by cheaters and 18 person deathmatches. What's Infinity Ward doing about this? Based on our experiences this week...nothing.
NES Stress Test
26 April 2013 |Can Super Mario Bros. withstand subzero temperatures? GoNintendo hopes to find out.
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Trailer
26 April 2013 |Ubisoft releases a teaser to its much-anticipated Tom Clancy game.
Blur Beta Key Giveaway
26 April 2013 |Enter to win a chance to play Bizarre Creations' latest speedster three months early.
GDC 2010 Coverage
26 April 2013 |Check out the latest videos from this week's feature packed show in San Francisco.
Red Dead Redemption Trailer
26 April 2013 |New video details life in the Wild West.
Gears of War 3
26 April 2013 |Epic Games confirms the inevitable. Better ready the chainsaw.
Left 4 Dead 2: Realism Versus Here to Stay
26 April 2013 |Thousands of frag happy gamers vote to make experimental Mutation an official part of the L4D2 multiplayer scene.
NBA Jam Facebook Contest
26 April 2013 |Immortalize your latest one-liner in arcade basketball history.
» Gamasutra Headlines
Making DayZ: An interview with its creator
25 May 2013 |Project lead Dean Hall takes Gamasutra from his initial inspirations through his design process and finally how the game is currently being built and will be delivered to fans in this eclectic interview. ...
Blog: We’re indie, we like Microsoft. So what?
25 May 2013 |The Xbox One reveal was broadly perceived as being anti-indie. But I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1 developer James Silva explains why he thinks "everything is fine." ...
The guy who created DayZ made it to the top of Mt. Everest
25 May 2013 |Dean Hall is a soldier, a game developer, and now apparently an elite mountain climber, as he recently made it to the highest summit on planet Earth. ...
Xbox One: A flawed plan, well-executed
25 May 2013 |Analyst Nicholas Lovell argues that Microsoft is chasing a 1990s-era plan for set top box domination in an era that has long since moved on. ...
Player progression: Understanding how players get through your game
24 May 2013 |This detailed breakdown explores the dichotomy of how players move through games -- through learning how to play, or by powering up -- and what that means for your design. ...
Art Works webinar coming up on May 30th
24 May 2013 |A new webinar from the National Endowment for the Arts will be held later this month for prospective applicants of 2013's Art Works grant. ...
Unity announces support for open-source platform Tizen
24 May 2013 |On the heels of YoYo Games' announcement that it would be bringing GameMaker to Tizen, Unity Technologies has announced it, too, is developing a version of its software to the open-source platform. ...
Here’s a look at the new dev tools you may have missed at GDC
24 May 2013 |In this reprint from the May issue of GD Mag, Nate Ralph takes us through this year's newest tools and middleware, straight from the Game Developers Conference show floor. ...
Video: Thief vs. Deus Ex - a design discussion
24 May 2013 |Deus Ex designer Warren Spector and Thief designer Doug Church grill each other on stage at GDC 2002 about their first-person stealth game design decisions. ...
This Week in Video Game Criticism: From Indie Networks to Wii U
24 May 2013 |This week, our partnership with game criticism site Critical Distance brings us picks on topics including the Wii U and indies helping indies. ...
» GamesIndustry.Biz Headlines
Gaming Tax Credits: A Developer’s Guide to Free Money
25 May 2013 |Government give-backs aren't limited to Montreal. Here are dozens of North American programs for developers, from Puerto Rico to PEI
Microsoft applies for patent on TV achievements
25 May 2013 |Xbox One maker calls dibs on technique to encourage viewership of shows and ads
Mark Cerny to detail PS4 creation at Gamelab
24 May 2013 |Barcelona conference will also host Michel Ancel, Jesse Schell and Counter Strike creator Minh Le
Sony slashes profit margins on games business to just 2%
24 May 2013 |Company continues to seek more funding with ¥150 billion bond sale
ITC gives Xbox final clearance in Motorola dispute
24 May 2013 |Google loses in patent case after more than two years of litigation
Shutting out the indies is a big mistake for Xbox One
24 May 2013 |Indie games aren't just an artistic niche - this is where the industry's creative and commercial future will be written
Kinect 2.0 for Windows coming in 2014
24 May 2013 |The new Kinect will hit PC after the Xbox One's launch
Xbox One is a games machine first and foremost, says Activision
24 May 2013 |Eric Hirshberg says there's a "false divide," that hardcore gamers can enjoy other entertainment like watching TV too
Wargaming promises financial support to open-source foundations
24 May 2013 |Free-to-play publisher gives back to technologies it utilizes
Kinect will be Xbox One’s game-changer, says Harrison
24 May 2013 |Microsoft exec says having camera controller standard will boost dev support, says content will be "more broadly curated"
» GamePolitics Headlines
National Endowment for the Arts to Host Webinar for Media Arts Projects Grants
25 May 2013 | The National Endowment for the Arts let us know that it will host a webinar on Thursday, May 30 ( 3:00-4:00 p.m. EDT) to help applicants understand the application process ...
ITC Rules That Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Does Not Infringe on Motorola’s Patents
24 May 2013 | The International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled on Thursday that Microsoft did not infringe upon any of Motorola Mobility's patents related to its Xbox 360 console. This ...
CS: Global Offensive Community Will Soon Police Itself
24 May 2013 | Valve has decided that players in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community should be able to police themselves. With that in mind, the company has launched a beta of a ...
EA Promises Support for PS3 and Xbox 360 Until 2017
24 May 2013 | While some maybe worried that the PS3 and Xbox 360 would be abandoned as soon as the PS4 and Xbox One is released to retail at the end of this year, EA says that it plans to ...
iam8bit Entertainment System Exhibit Opens June 7 in Los Angeles
24 May 2013 | The iam8bit Entertainment System, a videogame-themed art exhibit, is set to launch in Los Angeles on June 7. Organizers of the iam8bit Entertainment System promise the ...
SimCity Update 4 Turns Some Disabled Features Back On
24 May 2013 | A brand new update to EA's always-online city management game SimCity finally turns on some features that were turned off during the game's launch due to wide scale ...
Newzoo: Global Games Market Growth at 6 Percent to $70.4 Billion in 2013
24 May 2013 | Newzoo's 2013 Global Games Market Report predicts that game revenues will grow to $70.4 billion worldwide this year, representing a 6 percent year-on-year increase for ...
Playnomics Reveals Consumer Spending Numbers in F2P Space for 2013
24 May 2013 | According to a new report by social game analysis company Playnomics (reported on by Gamasutra), the top one percent (commonly referred to as "whales" because they ...
ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom: Libraries Should Embrace Video Games, Not Ban Them
24 May 2013 | An interesting editorial penned by Barbara Jones, the director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association, puts the brakes on all the talk ...
Wargaming Providing Financial Support to Three Open Source Software Foundations
24 May 2013 | Free-to-play MMO developer and publisher Wargaming (World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships) has announced that it will provide financial support for three ...
» Joystiq Headlines
N 2.0 is all the difficult running and jumping and dying you’ll ever need
25 May 2013 |<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="397" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/61194964?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffbd24" webkitallowfullscreen="" ...
Ninja Theory teams up with Chillingo on iOS, Android F2P brawler Fightback
25 May 2013 | DmC and Enslaved developer Ninja Theory revealed its latest project this morning, an iOS and Android free-to-play brawler called Fightback. The game is being published by EA subsidiary Chillingo, which says it has a "a striking ...
Report: Publishers to receive cut of Xbox One pre-owned sales
25 May 2013 | The Xbox One will support the used games market, but how this will happen and who stands to benefit has been a topic of much discussion this week. As Microsoft continues to allow speculation to run rampant, MCV has gotten in ...
PlayStation Europe PS4 ad says ‘Coming 2013’
25 May 2013 | A new PS4 ad in Europe provides further indication the continent can expect the console to arrive there this year. While Sony announced the PS4 was due "Holiday 2013" back at February's reveal event, the company declined to commit ...
Xbox One official game box design unveiled
24 May 2013 | Microsoft repre-soldier Major Nelson confirmed the box designs for Xbox One games by showing off how copies of the newly announced Forza Motorsport 5 will look. Much like how the Wii U went bold with blue, the Xbox One design is ...
Sony explains why Gran Turismo 6 is launching on PS3, not PS4
24 May 2013 | The biggest eyebrow-raiser with last week's Gran Turismo 6 reveal was that it's launching on the PS3, and not the PS4. Doesn't Sony want to drive PS4 launch sales with one of its biggest franchises? In an interview on the ...
Defiance free to play on Steam this weekend
24 May 2013 | Defiance, Trion World's transmedia MMO made in conjunction with SyFy, is offering a free chunk of to players on Steam this weekend. The trial will be paired with 30 percent discount of the full game, bringing it down to $42 for ...
Joe Danger, Joe Danger 2: The Movie somersaulting onto PC
24 May 2013 | Joe Danger's latest daredevil stunt is to ride both his games, Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie, onto PCs via Steam. UK indie studio Hello Games told us a number of tweaks are coming to the PC versions, including Big Picture ...
Civilization 5: Brave New World enacts policies and ideologies
24 May 2013 |<iframe frameborder="0" height="357" id="viddler-6432de4a" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="http://www.viddler.com/embed/6432de4a/?f=1&autoplay=0&player=simple&secret=108344249&loop=false&nologo=false&hd=false" ...
Adult Swim’s Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe hitting Steam soon
24 May 2013 | Super Puzzle Platformer Deluxe, a crazy mix of Tetris and Mega Man created by developer Andrew Morrish and published by Adult Swim, comes to Steam later today. The project started as a Flash game (playable for free) in which you ...
» Kotaku Headlines
While You Were Sleeping
23 August 2011 |Sleeping can be fun — necessary even. But what if stuff happens when you’re sleeping — game stuff? What are you supposed to to do then? Thankfully we have a solution — While You Were Sleeping, a quick round ...
Talk Amongst Yourselves
23 August 2011 |This is where Kotaku readers go to talk about the stuff we’re not already posting about. Think of it as the official unofficial Kotaku community forum. (more…)
Finally! Video Game Clothing That’s Stylish And Perfect For Daily Wear
23 August 2011 |Deus Ex: Human Revolution is already getting great reviews, though it doesn’t release until tomorrow. And now a Deus Ex clothing line has been announced for what promises to be a blockbuster game. (more…)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s Review Scores Are Perfectly Natural
23 August 2011 |In the year 2000, Ion Storm unleashed the perfect marriage of futuristic shooter and skill-based role-playing in Deus Ex, a game so unique that even its own sequel couldn’t replicate its success. Can any follow-up possibly do ...
The Gaming Tragedies That Didn’t Kill Us (But Nearly Broke Us)
23 August 2011 | My proudest moments as a tap dancer are displayed in my parents’ house in the form of sparkly, obnoxious trophies. (more…)
On The 8th Day Atlus Gave Us A Good Reason To Buy Devil Survivor Again
23 August 2011 | With only one more day before the 3DS remaster of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor comes out, Atlus gives fans one more day to consider replaying one of the best role-playing games of 2009. (more…)
The Rare Angry Birds Theme Guitar Remix Spotted In The Wild
23 August 2011 | When musicians decide to take video game music and make it better, the results are almost always fantastic. (more…)
Death Of PC Gaming Scheduled To Be Disproven On August 26
23 August 2011 | We’ve heard it said time and time again, PC gaming is not dead, but sometime just saying something isn’t enough. This Friday, PC peripheral maker Razer plans to prove it. (more…)
Aliens: Colonial Marines Shows Why It’s Smart To Wait 25 Years To Make A Movie Game
23 August 2011 |While we’ve known for a while now that Gearbox’s upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines makes extensive use of original concept art from the movie it’s based on, 1986′s Aliens, it’s still a surprise to see ...
The Trailer For Dark Souls Comes With Fair Warning
23 August 2011 | The new trailer for Dark Souls comes with a simple warning: Prepare to die. (more…)
» Next Generation Headlines
The limits of videogame interaction
17 September 2012 | Nuanced and subtle game design is meaningless if the player can't respond in kind, says Clint Hocking. A few ...
World Of Warplanes: free-to-play dogfights from the creator of World Of Tanks
17 September 2012 | Developer Wargaming on taking its free-to-play fight to the skies. World Of Tanks was a freak success. Not even ...
Introducing Free-To-Play Week
17 September 2012 | A thorough investigation of the industry's fastest-growing business model kicks off today. Throughout this ...
Joe Danger 2: The Movie review
17 September 2012 | Hello Games' sequel layers on the polish without losing the original's scrappy small-team charm. At ...
Sleeping Dogs tops UK chart again
17 September 2012 |read more
Time Extend: Super Metroid
16 September 2012 | "The last metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace." Thankfully, that's just about the only thing Super Metroid ...
The Making Of: Spacewar!
15 September 2012 | The first ever videogame ran on a $120,000 piece of hardware - we go back to the summer of 1962. It's a ...
Hide&Seek;Weekender offers drop-in gaming to London public
15 September 2012 |read more
Tokyo Jungle review
15 September 2012 | Bold and strange, Crispy's underdog adventure daringly attempts to upset the natural order of things. Novelty ...
Gamestation stores to be rebranded under Game name
14 September 2012 | 122 Gamestation outlets to be unified with parent company, rebranded stores to combine "best of both brands". ...
» Digg Headlines
» Slashdot Headlines
Xbox One Used Game Policy Leaks: Publishers Get a Cut of Sale
25 May 2013 |Chewbacon writes "Details about the used-game policy on Microsoft's newly-announced Xbox One console have been leaked. The policy explains how used-game retailers can survive Xbox One destroying the used-game market as we know it: ...
Xbox One: No Always-Online Requirement, But Needs To Phone Home
22 May 2013 |An anonymous reader writes "The Xbox One was revealed earlier, and Kotaku was able to get some answers about the always-online rumors that plagued the console before its announcement. Microsoft VP Phil Harrison said Xbox One ...
Microsoft Unveils Xbox One
22 May 2013 |Today at a press conference leading up to E3, Microsoft unveiled its next-gen games/entertainment console, the Xbox One. Their stated goal for the Xbox One is to have a single device provide "all of your entertainment." One of ...
Steve Jackson Shows Off the Texas Brick Railroad (Video)
21 May 2013 |Imagine game designer Steve Jackson and a bunch of friends building Lego trains and tracks and scenery, including buildings and other props. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? The group calls itself the Texas Brick Railroad. A lot of ...
Nintendo Hijacks Ad Revenue From Fan-Created YouTube Playthroughs
18 May 2013 |mcleland writes "The BBC reports that Nintendo is now using the content ID match feature in YouTube to identify screencap videos of people playing their games. They then take over the advertising that appears with the video, and ...
Used Game To Survive? EA Plans To Drop Online Pass
17 May 2013 |Krazy Kanuck writes "Introduced in 2010, Online Pass was marketed as a way to 'preserve' online content or DLC as titles were sold in the used game market. Many saw this as a way to cut out the second hand game market. EA has now ...
NeuroGaming Conference Profiles the Rise of Brain-Computer Interfaces
15 May 2013 |kkleiner writes "The first NeuroGaming Conference and Expo took place at the beginning of May to showcase the convergent technologies that are paving the way toward gaming with your mind. Tech news has been dominated with stories ...
Google Play Games Leaks Ahead of I/O
12 May 2013 |Android Police reports on an information leak out of Google in the lead-up to their I/O conference, which starts on May 15th. A new version of Google Play Services contains information about "Google Play Games," the company's ...
Vulnerability Found In Skyrim, Fallout, Other Bethesda Games
12 May 2013 |An anonymous reader writes "The author of this article goes over a format string vulnerability he found in The Elder Scrolls series starting with Morrowind and going all the way up to Skyrim. It's not something that will likely be ...
World of Warcraft Loses 1.3 Million Players in First Quarter of 2013
10 May 2013 |hypnosec writes "World of Warcarft, the gaming industry's most popular franchise and one of Blizzard's cash cows, is bleeding subscribers with 1.3 million defecting from the game in the first quarter of 2013 alone. Blizzard ...
Latest Blogs
Blogs Have Moved!
| 3 November 2010
Blogs can now be found in the vBulletin blogging tool, located here.
Latest Division News
Guild Wars 2: Division Overview
| 22 August 2012
An Introduction to Guild Wars 2 and the TOG GW2 Crew.
Get to know your guildmate interview #4: Serah De Vere
| 29 December 2012
Ral Partha interviews TOG member and Guild Wars 2 fan "Serah De Vere", in the latest installment of "Get to know your guildmates with Ral Partha"!
Get to know your guildmate interview #3: Pumpkin
| 19 December 2012
Ral Partha interviews TOG member and Guild Wars 2 fan Pumpkin, in the latest installment of "Get to know your guildmates with Ral Partha"!
TF2 Unveils a new Co-Op Mode - Mann vs Machine
| 26 August 2012
The game that keeps on giving unveils new co-op mode. Red and Blue join forces to fight off a marauding mob of malevolent machines. TOG TF2 has 2 MvsM servers up and running for your machinations. See the ...
Health, You and the Launch of Guild Wars 2
| 23 August 2012
Specs gives a humorous but serious run down on how to stay healthy in the first weekend of Guild Wars 2.