Kotaku: Bad Ideas

Sure, Let's Release Genetically Engineered Mosquitos Into The Wild

Mike Fahey — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Malaysia recently released 6,000 genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. What reason could there possibly be to justify such a thing? More »

Making Bomb-Filled Video Game Maps Of Your School Is A Bad Idea

Mike Fahey — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:20:00 EST

Just because video games give you the tools to recreate your school as a battlefield doesn't mean you should use them. This morning five Louisville, Kentucky, middle school students learned this lesson the hard way. More »

Someone Had The Balls To Release An Iron Man 2 Demo

Mike Fahey — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:40:20 EDT

The last thing you want to do when critics are calling your movie tie-in game one of the worst titles of 2010 is release a playable demo for the Xbox 360, yet here we are. More »

Utah Lawmakers Need $25K to Override Veto of Anti-Game Bill

Owen Good — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT

The Deseret News heaps the last spadeful of dirt on the grave of Utah HB353, saying the state legislature appears unlikely to call a veto session because of, well, money. More »

The Sims Movie Concept Explained

Mike Fahey — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:30:00 EDT

I hadn't heard much about the movie based on The Sims since it was announced last year, so I figured someone had seen the sensible side of things and called the whole project off. Not so! Producer John Davis gives classic 80's flick Weird Science a nod in the movie concept, which involves a couple of kids getting their hands on something called The Sims Infinity Pack. More »

Radio Shack To Carry Video Games

Mike Fahey — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:30:02 EDT

Despite the fact that their online store has a rather large catalog of games for sale, to me Radio Shack has always been the place my dad took me as a kid to buy crappy toys. According to Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson, however, that's all set to change next Tuesday as the company plans to use the launch of Halo 3 to launch itself into the retail gaming business, carrying software and hardware in their stores. The GameSpot article cites several other analysts calling the move a bad idea due to GameStop's dominance of the sector as well as lack of space to dedicate to a serious selection, and I have to agree. Unless they are willing to dedicate a large percentage of floor space to gaming, this won't work. Carrying a limited selection of popular titles only works at the airport *hides his $60 copy of FFIII DS*. At least we now have a good idea of where to go in case Halo 3 sells out everywhere next week. More »

UK Sony PSP Advert Photo Collection

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 11:24:30 EST

Kotaku reader Weefz has been on a quest, taking as many pics of the UK Sony PSP ads as possible. Apparently there are 22 of them in total, and Weefz has documented 15 of them so far. Granted, not all of them are annoying, but there are a couple doozies. More after the jump. More »

British PSP Ads Promote Suicide, Removed By Station

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 19:22:28 EST

Sony UK's latest ad campaign has not only alienated the mainstream, but now has pissed off the Metro. A PlayStation Portable ad that read "TAKE A RUNNING JUMP HERE" was only a few feet from the subway tracks at bustling Piccadilly station. Disturbing, as according to Manchester Online, there have been a rash of passengers getting hit by trains in recent months. An employee noticed the ad, thought it was inappropriate and had it covered with tape. The ad has now been taken down. The electronics giant refused to comment. More »

Return of Hot Coffee? Well, Not Really...

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 13:22:01 EST

Our star-crazy sister-site Defamer stumbled upon what we'll call "Hot Coffee Part 2: Electric Boogaloo." Log onto the site for New Line Cinema's yet unreleased, but reeks-of-suckage Running Scared and play the "mature" online game in which you get to be Paul Walker and perform *cough* cunnilingus. More »

Gizmondo Game Over...

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 14:21:43 EST

Poor, unloved Gizmondo. From the company's inexplicable no-show at CES and a lawsuit from one of its own developers to mafia-connected dudes on Gizmondo salary and pushing back its handheld in the US, the company has done everything possible to eff things up. And things are starting to catch up with them. The London-based Gizmondo Europe is broke, and is trying to secure a $5 million short-term loan until it can secure a planned $75 million in refinancing. That, my friends, will be used to pay off the short-term loan as well as the $21 million in overdue shareholder loans. Word of advice: Quit while you're ahead. More »

Tell Off Punks that Blew Up a PSP

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 13:20:58 EST

I'm sure this is old, but stuff like this really irks me. YouTube has a clip up from Spanish language video site elRellano.com, which shows some punk in a witch's hat smashing a perfectly good PSP with a hammer and then repeatedly blowing it up with firecrackers. Now, I shouldn't have to explain why this is utterly insipid. I won't even link you directly to the clip. Instead, I'm posting the email addy to contact these chowderheads, because guess what, they've included it at the end of their video tripe. That's smart fellas, real smart. More »

Uwe Boll's BloodRayne Film Site Unfortunately Up

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 20:16:48 EST

Chowderhead Uwe Boll put up the website for his certifiably horrible BloodRayne flick. A quick tour around the website turns up pictures of the cast (victims), BloodRayne merchandise (now worthless) and an "interview" with chowderhead (insert comment). More »

Xbox 360 Premium Set Going for $100,000?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:44:46 EST

Finally, the 360 Ebay auction to end them all. A seller is offering the next-gen console, five games and an extra controller for the starting price of 100 grand. The site does not list which games (look at the image to tell what's what), and only four are pictured. Note: There is a notice in the middle of the page that reads, "Dead Auction, Don't Bid." Uh, thanks for the heads up, but I wasn't planning to. More »

Pointless PSP Product

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 13:24:25 EST

The guys at Akihabara News picked up a PSP Giga Pack and got this plastic PSP stand. I guess Sony expects us to put our portables on it or something. But seriously Sony, I've gotten better prizes outta ceral boxes. More »

Uwe Boll Hires "Whores" & Badmouths Spielberg

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 13:22:08 EST

Okay, Steven Spielberg might have made some rubbish in his day (1941, anyone?), but it's still Steven Spielberg making crap. Conversely, chowderhead Uwe Boll has made nothing but crap, and his crap is worse than anything conceivable by the human mind. More »

Red China Making Shockingly Boring Game

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:19:36 EST

Mend socks? Help old ladies get home in the rain? Prevent people from spitting in public. That's right comrades, red China's developing a computer game that'll help you be a good mindless serf. Called Chinese Hero Registry, the game hopes to learn players from evil capitalistic titles. More »

French Bicycle Race Hits Cellular Phones... Ugh

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:20:38 EST

Tour de France: Official Mobile Game has got to be the worst cellie concept. Ever. Last I checked, the actual 3,607km Tour de France lasts almost all of July, and who wants to play a cellie game for an entire month? Aren't cellie games supposed to be pick up and put down games like Tetris? Either this Tour de France is just time trials or really cheats the distance factor. And I mean really cheats. Well, there's no way for me to find out. Visiting the online site turned up nothing but unadulterated frustration. Need a sample? The site lists the game features as "Inspiring sounds and stunning graphics." Gee, thanks. I tried to download the game, but when the pop-up said "Please choose your country first" and then only offered "Deutschland," I gave up. Good people of Germany, please pitch in and help us figure out what the hizzy heck this game is. More »

I Can Live Without Ambient Gaming, Thank You Very Much

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 15:23:57 EST

Back in the 1950's, movie theaters wired movie theaters with buzzers, hired men in rubber alien suits and added off-stage effects to make watching the motion picture more interactive, more "real." Fifty years later, Philips follows suit with "ambient gaming." Due for release in May 2006, AmBX (as they've christened it) is a "step towards a full sensory gaming experience." Well, that's what Philips says. More »

Rejected Xbox 360 Designs

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 12:22:14 EST

They've could've been gracing 360 kiosks across the country, but MSoft didn't think they were up to snuff. A BBC documentary featured all of the rejected 360 mock-ups, which look more like suitcases from the film 2001. More »

Greedy Band Accuses Microsoft of Xbox Piracy

Brian Ashcraft — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 14:35:54 EDT

Microsoft is being taken to court for music copyright infringement. The drummer of the now defunct punk band Ink & Dagger claims the 'Soft used three of their songs for the snowboarding game Amped without obtaining permission. Ryan McLaughlin, the band's sticksman, told the U.S. District Court that he is "outraged that his artistic integrity has been so brazenly violated." More »

Man Blows $100 Grand on RPG Space Station

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 16:22:25 EDT

According to Eurogamer, an American gamer forked over $100 grand for a virtual space station in the online RPG Project Entropia. The space station sits in the Paradise V Asteroid Belt and includes mining and hunting tax rights, a mall, billboards and the right to name the space station whatever the hell he chooses. More »

Need Video Game Thrills? Hire a Kidnapper

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 14:10:19 EDT

Video games not real enough? Hire New York artist Brock Enright, and he'll make a real life game that promises to scare the crap outta ya. Originally an art project, his company, Videogames and Adventure Services, offers "customized reality adventures," AKA real-life video games. In short, VAS specializes in kidnapping rich people and psychologically screwing with them for about $1,500 a pop. What he does is not technically illegal; however, the NYPD are not happy with this business venture. "In what I do," assures Enright, "there is alot of smoke and mirrors." More »

Mech Biker Gear

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 10:22:19 EDT

Is it even necessary to say why a Gundam motorcycle helmet is a bad idea? More »

Gizmondo Possibly Delayed Again (No One Cares)

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:22:49 EDT

Yup, guess we won't be seeing the Gizmondo in the States anytime soon. Tipsters Tony and Kelly pointed out that EB Games is listing the handheld as coming out next year. More »

French-Canadian Actress Slams Uwe Boll

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 18:20:47 EDT

It ain't difficult, but actress Emmanuelle Vaugier is spewing venom in resident chowderhead Uwe Boll's direction. With a body of work that includes Suddenly Naked and Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss, Vaugier is certified to judge garbage. She states the second House of the Dead movie is "trying to erase the first one from people's memories." More »

Uwe Boll is SARS

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 23:13:28 EDT

Skewed and Reviewed has an interview up with film director and resident chowderhead Uwe Boll. Even though the helmer may make crap films, he does have good taste, stating his favorite directors are Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter and Brian DePalma. Boll also mentions his affection for Al Bundy and the German metal band Rammstein. Ah, things are starting to make sense. More »

Wanna-be Spaceman Wants to Wear Gundam

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 13:22:42 EDT

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To date, the Russian Space Agency in partnership with Space Adventures Inc. has taken three "Space Tourists" to an international space station for 20 mil a pop. (The third wanna-be returned to Earth a few days ago.) The website says "This is not space camp," and the company offers extensive sim and physical training. Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin supplies the space cred by being on the board of directors and no doubt, loving the paychecks. More »

Another Terrible Controller

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 17:03:15 EDT

Elecom has figured out how to put 14 buttons on a controller. Making it wireless, however, escapes them. (It's all those dang buttons.) More »

Don't Give This Man Money!

Brian Ashcraft — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 12:25:14 EDT

Thanks to director Uwe Boll, the Dungeon Siege movie will be called In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. The movie is based on the popular RPG, and Boll is incorporating a Lord of the Rings epic narrative to his vision. What's worse, the bloated film could end up four hours long. Like Tarantino did with Kill Bill, Boll plans to split the picture into half and releasing two separate films. In the Name of the King is shooting in Vancouver with respected actors Ray Liotta, Leelee Sobieski and Burt Reynolds. (Liotta's worked with Martin Scorsese, and Sobieski's worked with Stanley Kubrick. Reynolds used to get alot of tail.) More »

Taiko no Tatsujin Hats

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 12:22:30 EDT

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YesAsia was able to get a page of product description about these lids. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. Only thing I want to say is gimme a bat so I can clobber these dudes. More »

Politicians Pick on Video Games... Again

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 08:32:33 EDT

Movies or video games? Politics always has a default setting. Whenever the folks in power need something to freak out PTA members, they drudge up the latest action flick or first-person shooter in hopes of drumming up support and avoiding the real issues. More »

Speculations About IL Game Law, Governor

smizek2 — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 14:36:15 EDT

Last week Illinois gamers like myself were hunched over in fear, waiting for Governor Blagojevich to put pen to paper and make our lives a bit more difficult. And then it never happened. More »

Dead or Alive the Movie to Suck

Brian Crecente — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 16:23:49 EDT

Tecmo and Constantin have been caught in the act of making a movie translation of Dead or Alive. On paper, this particular game movie sounds like it has a chance. It will be directed by Cory Yuen, of Romeo Must Die and The Transporter fame, and will star a bunch of people who've had bit roles in other great and not so great movies. Wait, this is gonna suck. More »