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The First of July

Avatar for Michael McWhertor —Kotaku readers, we leave you this Friday with an open thread for your enjoyment. You're steering the ship tonight, so please make pleasant conversation and offer links of interest to your fellow Kotaku readers so that we can have a healthy, productive off-topic post. If you're celebrating your... More »

11:00 PM
By Michael McWhertor
4,336 views
369 comments

Featured comment by k0k0them0nkey: "A song from a girl to her future grand daughter. I wouldn't watch it if kids are in the room..." More »

Latest Stories

Artist Wants to Make a Life-Size Replica of Counter-Strike’s ‘Dust’ for Us to Play In

Aram Bartholl has a habit of bringing the most recognizable things from our virtual worlds into reality. He created the first-person shooter glasses. He installed replicas of Need for Speed Underground 2's flashing neon arrows and Counter-Strike's crates in public spaces. More »

10:00 PM
By Michael McWhertor
12,926 views
80 comments

Featured comment by MaximusDM: "Oh moiy gawd. I lub da map dust. I can poon soo many n00bs on it." More »

Professor Layton Anime Coming Stateside This Fall

Level 5's puzzle adventure series Professor Layton spawned a film in 2009, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. Anime distributor Viz Media now plans to bring the Japanese movie to America this fall, reports Anime News Network.

09:30 PM
By Michael McWhertor
4,874 views
56 comments

Featured comment by Daniel Hayes: "*Looks up at shelf* Huh, guess this already came out in the UK, with a pretty good english dub about..." More »

Even Team Fortress 2’s Mann Co. Store is Having a Sale

Now that Team Fortress 2 is free-to-play, what will you spend your disposable income on? Perhaps newly price-slashed items in the game's Mann Co. store! More »

08:30 PM
By Michael McWhertor
16,676 views
89 comments

Featured comment by Ramnok: "I don't care as I cant play with anyone, I've worked my ass off searching for a solution to my..." More »

LittleBigPlanet Creators ‘Stepping Away’ from Series to Pursue ‘New Ideas’

Media Molecule, the UK studio behind LittleBigPlanets big and small are taking a break from the PlayStation series that has spawned two PlayStation 3 games and one PSP game. More »

08:00 PM
By Michael McWhertor
7,551 views
153 comments

Featured comment by Sam fisher's a aimbot: "Looks like all of Sony's Dev's are moving on (with the possible exception of Naughty Dog!) on to new games,..." More »

Civ World Wants You… But Not Just Yet

Happy Fourth Soon | Sid Meier as Uncle Sam. (Image from Firaxis Games) Zynga Files $1 Billion IPO Fueled By Virtual Farms, Mob Wars and Cityscapes The game makers behind mega Facebook games Farmville, CityVille and Mafia Wars today filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission to take... More »

07:00 PM
4,290 views
8 comments

Featured comment by Shagittarius: "That is creepy." More »

Left 4 Dead 2 Campaign Opens A Portal to Portal 2

Spoiler alert? Only if you planned to play community made campaign "Suicide Blitz 2" in Left 4 Dead 2, currently the officially featured fan-created add-on for Valve's zombie horror first-person shooter, the game that has a very neat Portal 2 Easter Egg buried within. Watch as two Left 4 Dead... More »

06:40 PM
By Michael McWhertor
27,124 views
153 comments

Featured comment by hazelnut1112: ""Companion Cube" *Smacks Wall* Why did I laugh at that part?" More »

Bye Bye Games for Windows Marketplace, Hello Xbox.com

In what does not seem like a positive sign for Microsoft's Games For Windows efforts, the Games For Windows Marketplace is merging with Xbox.com, a move that the Xbox 360 maker says is for convenience and ease.

06:20 PM
By Michael McWhertor
11,035 views
140 comments

Featured comment by LeetAmerico: "I actually wanted cross-platform racing in Dirt 2 and 3. I know that was Codemasters' decision not to do it,..." More »

6 1/2 Minutes of the Most Gorgeous Game You’ll See This Week

This is Journey, a downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 that is coming out this fall and looks like a dream. The game's creators at ThatGameCompany are running a beta for the Journey now, to test its quiet, anonymous multiplayer mode. More »

06:00 PM
By Stephen Totilo
26,185 views
232 comments

Featured comment by Aqualogy: "I liked the part where s/he was walking." More »

The Week in Gaming Apps

In a surprise twist marking my return to the site and consequent reclaiming of The Week in Gaming Apps round up, only two of this week's apps are physics puzzlers, and hey, one is not an iOS game! More »

05:40 PM
By Mike Fahey
4,900 views
4 comments

Featured comment by Cpryd001: "I hate that Tiny Towers for the iOS was just a short blurb, and not a full-fledged review. That game..." More »

Listen Up! There’s More Free Portal 2 Music Today

Volume two of "Songs To Test By," Valve's soundtrack to Portal 2, is now available. 18 tracks of free music, plus some bonus ringtones and chimes for your iPhone and Android mobile.

05:20 PM
By Michael McWhertor
9,193 views
40 comments

Featured comment by Mystic_Kirby: "2 songs into the album and I'm already in love. Halls of Science is just so soothing." More »

This Week in the Business: "Brilliant strategic move."

What's happened in the business of video games this past week... QUOTE | "Push out the lifespan of PS3." - DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole responds to rumors that Sony is actually preparing to unveil and PlayStation 4 sometime next year. STAT | $4.27 million – How much Sony CEO Howard... More »

05:00 PM
By James Brightman | IndustryGamers.com
6,230 views
35 comments

Featured comment by laser beams: ""Not accepted by core gamers" is such a loaded statement. there are plenty of core gamers who ran out and..." More »

Ex-Sonic the Hedgehog, NiGHTS Creator Now Has His Own Fishing Game

Yuji Naka, former head of Sonic Team where he was responsible for many Sonic the Hedgehog games, hasn't given up on the Wii. He has a new fishing game, Family Fishing, in the works, complete with its own unique controller. In development at Naka's new studio Prope, Family Fishing is more than just... More »

04:40 PM
By Michael McWhertor
4,324 views
47 comments

Featured comment by Szejing96: "Mmmm. Hyperrealistic environments and fish with fake Miis." More »

Drawn to the Warming Glow of the Triforce

Artist Fergus Robinson brings the beautiful Triforce and adventurous Link to life in his top notch Zelda fan art illustration. Related Rampage: Link The Triforce by Fergus Robinson / Fergus (Twitter) Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? More »

04:20 PM
By Justin Page
12,838 views
41 comments

Featured comment by Szejing96: "He's touching the wrong one." More »

The State (and Stats) of the Portal 2 Gamer

If you ask us, Portal 2 is a great game. However, a few weeks after its release we took a look at its Steam Achievements and discovered that only half of its players had actually finished the game—and we also found that even less had played any of the game's co-op campaign. We decided to... More »

04:00 PM
By Joshua Rivera
20,384 views
212 comments

Featured comment by Arctic Tabasco: "I'd love to play the co-op campaign, but none of my friends have Portal 2 - nor are they really..." More »

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

It's a perfect time to catch up on new releases and backlogged titles, now that the video game industry is going on what amounts to summer break. Perfect time for me to play Shadows of the Damned, I say. And so I shall, finally taking the shrinkwrap off Grasshopper Manufacture's game this weekend... More »

03:40 PM
By Michael McWhertor
3,965 views
212 comments

Featured comment by Blood-Pudding: "Nazi Zombies: Shi No Numa Map. Ocarina of Time (playing this with the Vintage Gamers Club's website). Bit Trip Runner...." More »

Toys R Us Brings Halo, Sonic, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Republic Commando Toys to Comic-Con

Some people go to the San Diego Comic-Con for the latest news on their favorite comic books, television shows, and movies. Some go to hobnob with the stars, or show off their latest cosplay masterpiece. More »

03:20 PM
By Mike Fahey
88,843 views
83 comments

Featured comment by allstaraugustine: "Where. The fuck. Is Republic Commando 2 or Battlefront 3. I hope I live long enough to see either of..." More »

How To Kill the Company Behind FarmVille

Hate Farmville, CityVille and all of its billions of pestering, needy fans? There's a simple way to get rid of the company that makes those games: Kill Facebook. Buried in Zynga's mammoth digital registration filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which could lead to injecting a... More »

03:00 PM
By Brian Crecente
20,851 views
250 comments

Featured comment by Howie-dooeet: "They tapped the right source. Good for Zynga. I wish I had that foresight." More »

The Daily Show Attacks Video Games In Light of Supreme Court Decision

Jon Stewart fumbles the ball on his take down of the Supreme Court's decision to rule that video games are protected speech this week, forgetting that he's living in the same glass house. Ironically, Stewart uses the very graphic video game images he thinks should be criminalized, on a television... More »

02:40 PM
By Brian Crecente
38,095 views
705 comments

Featured comment by center420: "Sale of M rated games should be prohibited to minors, just as R rated movies are. Our supreme court is..." More »

The World of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is More Than Just Yellow Lighting

In this behind-the-scenes video for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the Eidos Montreal development explores the world festering beneath the glow of amber lights, where humanity is in danger of losing itself and freedom fighters struggle to protect the last bastions of green lighting effects.

02:20 PM
By Mike Fahey
11,474 views
107 comments

Featured comment by Fish-E: "1:23 yay bob page!?" More »

The Next Street Fighter Lets You Try to Re-Create the Coolest Street Fighter Moment Ever

At a tournament in 2004, facing near-certain defeat, Street Fighter player Daigo Umehara turned back a hurricane of an attack from another top player Justin Wong. More »

02:00 PM
By Stephen Totilo
37,060 views
188 comments

Featured comment by Ampere: "[www.capcom-europe.com] A more in-depth look here, including DLC." More »

How Zynga’s Billions Stack Up Against EA, Nintendo and Other Gaming Giants

The people who make FarmVille, CityVille and Empires & Allies think their company's stock will be worth at least $1 billion when they go public. The New York Times thinks the company's value could go up to $20 billion. More »

01:40 PM
By Stephen Totilo
22,969 views
157 comments

Featured comment by heartcafe: "O.o Ubisoft doesn't pass even Zynga? That's kind of disturbing..." More »

Mario Was Dead Before He Hit the NES

Before the cellophane came off your freshly shipped copy of 1985's Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment Center, Mario was already one life in the hole. More »

01:20 PM
By Mike Fahey
30,191 views
151 comments

Featured comment by mjrpwnr: "Perhaps some things are best left unseen?" More »

How To Become the Most Feared Bounty Hunter in The Old Republic’s Galaxy

Being a Bounty Hunter in Star Wars: The Old Republic takes more than just scrounging up a missile-firing backpack and avoiding sarlacc pits. It's also about choosing whether you want to become a Mercenary or a Powertech when you grow up. More »

01:00 PM
By Mike Fahey
17,496 views
116 comments

Featured comment by KillaB43: "Fenn Shysa approves" More »

Zynga Files $1 Billion IPO Fueled By Virtual Farms, Mob Wars and Cityscapes

The game makers behind mega Facebook games Farmville, CityVille and Mafia Wars today filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission to take Zynga public in hopes of raising $1 billion. The billion dollar price tag, though, could change once bankers determine the true value of shares and... More »

12:28 PM
By Brian Crecente
10,347 views
59 comments

Featured comment by Lockgar: "I still don't know why gamers are so afraid of the "causal gamer". This is actually a good step towards..." More »

Zenonia 3 Comes to Android for Free

After triumphant releases on the Android platform for the first two games in its retro role-playing series, Gamevil delivers the third and beefiest installment of Zenonia to the Android Market for the low price of completely free. More »

12:00 PM
By Mike Fahey
9,951 views
97 comments

Featured comment by georgemmark: "It seems there is a problem with all Tegra powered devices. The game downloads and installs properly but it doesn't..." More »

Missed an Episode of Retro Game Master? Don’t Worry We Have You Covered

Retro Game Master has a new home in North America, streamed live on Kotaku every week at 8 p.m. eastern. But what if you miss it? Don't worry, we've got your back. More »

11:40 AM
By Brian Crecente
12,966 views
29 comments

Featured comment by vilhelm: "I really want to watch these shows, but they're blocked here in Japan. *sigh* Or that's what I thought until..." More »

Angry Birds, Angry Text

Someone needs to "fix" this so the soon to be angry bird starts off in a mailbox. [Reddit]

11:20 AM
By Brian Crecente
11,248 views
41 comments

Featured comment by judacris: "I'm sorry. If I already "put the red bird in the slingshot and pull", why must I ">pull slingshot" again?..." More »

The New X-Com is a Shooter, Advance Wars is MIA, So Thank Goodness for Fray

What's a fan of strategy games supposed to do when all around him or her there's news of delayed tactics/strategy games, metamorphosized strategy games and, well, not a whole lot to be cheerful about? More »

11:00 AM
By Stephen Totilo
11,080 views
58 comments

Featured comment by sniperboy4: "Personally, I like turned based strategy games. Real Time like C&C can just be overwhelming..." More »

Are Drones So Easy to Fly That Even a Journalist Can Do It?

There's been much talk lately about the Predator Drone and how using it to take out enemies from a distance is like playing a video game. This sudden increase in Drone buzz may have something to do with the Paris Air show where a number of UAV are on display by a bunch of different companies, one... More »

10:40 AM
By Brian Crecente
17,372 views
42 comments

Featured comment by talgrath: "To be clear, the "drone" she is flying is about the size of a model helicopter and works on similar..." More »

Talk Amongst Yourselves

It has been decided. The TAY image for July shall be Jacques-Louis David's masterpiece (and apparent Kotaku reader favorite) "The Death of Socrates". Although we don't know the exact date of Socrates' death, there's a one in 12 chance that he died in what we now know as July, making the timing... More »

10:20 AM
By Jen Schiller
4,023 views
393 comments

Featured comment by Firescorpio now with radioactive fire stinger: "Thanks to Jackman941 i'm having a attack of Serious Nostalgia, there is in every person a movie scene, a book,..." More »

China’s Glorious Mission in Action Shows How the PLA Will Train Its Army With Games

Development of the People's Liberation Army video game, soon to be used to train China's armed forces, seems to be coming along nicely since last we heard about it. In this video we get a look at how the first-person shooter will work, and how it was developed. More »

10:00 AM
By Brian Crecente
9,658 views
110 comments

Featured comment by ths1optimistic: "You know the Chinese army is badass when they can pose in front of roiling flames. Watch out America." More »

Incredible Machines Come To Life with Apparatus

One man's random pile of wood, pulleys, cables, and motors is another man's giant mechanical rabbit capable of projecting a marble into a tiny blue box from a mile away. More »

09:30 AM
By Mike Fahey
12,230 views
34 comments

Featured comment by Northstar5000: "Maybe you guys need to run stories about the Amazon app store Free app of the day when they are..." More »

I Guess I Collect Business Cards!

Nice To Meet Cha | OSAKA, JAPAN: Even Shinya Arino's business card, which I got a few years back, says "Kacho". (Photo: Brian Ashcraft) The Zelda Game of My Dreams Reddit user thepixelartist, who is a "professional 3D artist" by trade, has taken the raw game files included with The Legend of Zelda: More »

09:00 AM
2,474 views
9 comments

Featured comment by Behrditz: "It would be better if the business card said Kancho, and everytime he goes to give it to someone, he..." More »

Two Lara Crofts. Both Pole Dancers.

There will be no more official Lara Croft girls. After having flesh-and-blood Tomb Raider spokesmodels, Eidos is ditching the fan service and focusing on creating a realistic in-game Lara Croft. More »

08:30 AM
By Brian Ashcraft
30,715 views
112 comments

Featured comment by knobmonster: ".... This was impressive. It's amazing that, aside from the sexual connotation that comes along with pole dancing, how much..." More »

Rumor: Original Crysis Bound for Xbox 360? [Update]

Today, the South Korea GRB (Game Rating Board) apparently approved Crysis for the Xbox 360. Crysis has not been released on the Xbox 360. It's a Windows-only title. More »

08:00 AM
By Brian Ashcraft
19,496 views
246 comments

Featured comment by Zidago: "Top of the list? Disgaea 4. I'd prefer tactical rpg than dull shooter." More »

Would You Like to Take a World of Warcraft Questionnaire?

The University of California at Santa Cruz is studying how WoW players arrange their interface elements to do various in-game tasks, such as raiding. If you play WoW, click on through and answer away!

07:50 AM
By Brian Ashcraft
9,900 views
24 comments

Featured comment by blae: "WoWUI Study not "IU" #corrections" More »

All the Fresh Nerd Heroin You Could Ever Want

On July 2, Animate is opening its latest super store in Shinjuku. If you've never been to an Animate, they're like hypermarts. For otaku. This latest Animate is no exception, with its four floors packed with anime, manga, and game goods. More »

07:30 AM
By Brian Ashcraft
200,254 views
100 comments

Featured comment by Cobaltios: "Good.... god. I don't have any other proper words for this." More »

The Baggy Pants and Silly Hats of the Fable Universe

Mike McCarthy, of Lionhead Studios, has for many a year now been working on the Fable series, bringing us some of the weirdest and most wonderful characters going around. In a world where angry bald space marines are the norm, and brown and grey the extent of most colour palettes, Fable's bright,... More »

07:00 AM
By Luke Plunkett
207,220 views
87 comments

Featured comment by hardmodethardus: "I love the hell out of this art but couldn't spend more than a couple hours with any Fable game..." More »

Now Age of Conan is Free-to-Play

Massively-multiplayer game Age of Conan has just jumped on the bandwagon and is releasing a free-to-play version. For those wondering, the existing, paid version is going nowhere, with free players given the option of upgrading should the fancy take them. One day, our grandchildren will laugh at... More »

06:30 AM
By Luke Plunkett
13,852 views
74 comments

Featured comment by jorel262: "The game is free but you need an expensive system to play it... Is that still the case?" More »

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