Kotaku

Licensing Blasts From the Past: Nintendo

Michigan firefighters are blaming an overheating Xbox and spiral notebook for a house fire in Clio last month.

Firefighters say the console was left on for as long as four days with a notebook possible blocking its air vents. The original Xbox also still had the power cord which was recalled by Microsoft in 2003.

The family's apartment, which was above the cafe they ran, apparently isn't covered by their insurance so the insurance company is only paying to fix the business and not replace personal possessions ruined by smoke.

Some New Halo 3 Achievements Unveiled

Luke Smith over at Bungie lays out some of the new achievements coming to Halo 3 when the next patch and Assembly map hits.

Smith points out that the included list of achievements aren't all of the new ones coming with Title Update 2.

As folks have seen, these aren’t the only achievements we’re adding. But without proper context, there’s not a whole lot else we’re going to say. Stay tuned.

The update may slip as well, Smith points out, to closer to the Halo 3 one year anniversary. Now for those achievements which can be earned via the Legendary Maps and Halo 3 Campaign:

This is Owlboy. It's a game from D-pad Studio. This is their description of the game:

Owl Boy is a 2D platforming adventure for the Xbox 360 and Windows PCs. Go with Otus on a free flying quest into the clouds and discover the secrets of the floating islands while preserving the Owls' integrity...

Pretty much sums it up. Good news is it looks pretty great! Better news is it's being entered into the IGF, so hopefully it can pick up a little more exposure while it's there.
Owlboy [D-pad Studio, via TIGS]

Who Thinks All These Game Mergers and Takeovers Are Good?

It's Friday! Time for, that's right, TELL US DAMMIT. here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know fucktons about us — more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob — and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your ass. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Not sure!

This week, Tecmo turned down Square Enix's offer of a friendly takeover. Rather, the company is in talks to merge with Koei, making Tecmo-Koei a possibility — like Square Enix or Namco Bandai. Our question:

What do you think of game mergers and takeovers? Are they good for the industry or bad?

Pro Evo 2009 Kicks Off In Europe In October

Time to go trade in that copy of Pro Evo 2008, kids, because the 2009 edition's been dated for release. Continental Europe, you get it first, on October 15. Britain, you get it October 17, because traffic on the channel tunnel is just a nightmare these days. Japan, you get it sometime in November, and America...no idea. Sorry. Import it from Europe if you're that keen.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 gets release date [VG247]

Go tiny or go home. That's the Spore marketing philosophy apparently, as the folks from EA have installed what is probably the world's daintiest billboard in San Francisco's Union Square. At just 14" by 6", the Spore billboard requires a telescope to see.

Fortunately, EA has installed said telescope and aimed it directly at the wee Spore advertisement, giving passersby a chance to enjoy some smartly conceived marketing. If you happen to be in the Bay Area, specifically Union Square, you have a brief opportunity to check it out. Everyone else can live vicariously through pics after the jump.

Square Enix Still Hungry Like The Wolf

Square Enix wanted Tecmo. Still do, and may well make another pass at both Tecmo and Koei. But for now, they've got other fish to fry, with bossman Yoichi Wada reiterating the companies desire to go buy some more companies. Inside Japan, outside Japan, it doesn't matter. Best of luck, gents, but if a company with the size and track record of, say, Tecmo says no, maybe you should lower your standards (Midway, maybe?)

Square Enix Withdraws Tecmo Bid, Hints At Other Acquisitions [Gamasutra]

Tragedy As Kid Plays Halo, Re-Creates Action With Real Gun

There's been a tragic death in the town of Watertown, Wisconsin, as an 11-year old boy has accidentally shot and killed himself. Having taken the day off school for some Halo, Joshua Nimm was playing with a rifle, re-creating the action from the game. Problem was, although he ejected the rifle's magazine, it seems he didn't realise there was a round already in the chamber, and it went off. As a result, Nimm accidentally shot himself, and died as a result of his wounds.

Creek boy dies from gunshot[Watertown Daily Times, via GamePolitics]

A Week In Comments

Square Enix Takes "No" For An Answer, Withdraws Takeover Offer
Comment by: Xagest

Come on guys, this is a take over, not a merger. SquareEnix would stay SquareEnix, and TECMO would become BITCH.

Grand Theft Auto For Wii? Take-Two Says...
Comment by: TheHeartless

GTA Wii Edition

A remake of the classic PSone hit! Complete with the following features:

-No improved graphics!
-Waggle hookers to death!
-Smack the Nintendo Wii Remote and Nunchuk together to hotwire cars faster!
-Multiplayer! Play up to 40 minigames featuring popular Nintendo characters in the bar, including darts, pool, and all the other "sports" that have worked with wild success in the past on with the Wii's innovative technology!
-Blood has been replaced, with the help of Stephen Spielberg and the Boom Blox team, by confetti! We hope to score an ESRB E10+ rating to expand this game to a "wider audience."

Coming Holiday, 2010 along with other Christmas hits like The Legend of Zelda: Save the Forest Again, and Mario Nebula!

David Jaffe: I Am Not Sexist Because I Want To Bone Sarah Palin

You know David Jaffe, right? He might've made some video games — we have some vague recollection of that — but he's mainly known now for his mouthing off. Apparently, Jaffe's public online assessment of one of our nation's vice presidential candidates got some attention, mainly from site GamePolitics.com, who gave Jaffe a bit of a hypertext-lashing. Jaffe's back, not making video games again, and defending his assessment of Alaska governor Sarah Palin's fuckability. Too bad we'll likely see Jaffe's Homeland, because it's clear the man is passionate about his politics.

Spore Kinda Broken In Europe

It's the Yin and the Yang. The black and the white, the good and the bad. So it is with all things in life, and so it is with Spore in Europe, as although the game's finally been released (yay!) it's kinda broken (boooo). Specifically, the game's online modes are broken, with countless scores of Europeans unable to login and access them. If that's you, EA are aware of it, and are looking into it. That's the good. The bad is there's no timeline given, nor explanation, so a fix could come tomorrow, it could not come tomorrow.

Cannot Login / Login errors / Server problems [Spore Forums]

The History Of The Defective Xbox 360

How, exactly, did Microsoft wind up shipping a notoriously defective Xbox 360, resulting in thousands upon thousands of gamers burning through temporarily working consoles and over a billion dollars in warranty expenses? That's largely answered in Venture Beat's massive feature on the birthing pains of the console, one designed under the gun and hastily revised with a software "ship and patch" philosophy.

Venture Beat's Dean Takahashi talks to numerous on- and off-the-record sources close to the manufacturing of the Xbox 360, providing insight into how ill-conceived certain aspects of the first-to-launch console were. For example, VB writes that in August of 2005, just prior to launch, some 68% of consoles coming off the assembly line just didn't work.

It's a fascinating read, from the console's early engineering gaffes and compromises, to Microsoft's reluctant admission of defective hardware. Some of it may be familiar territory, but it's a comprehensive look at the console's history, if nothing else.

Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft’s video game console woes [Venture Beat]

Anonymous Game PR Flack On The Ugly Truth About Games Press

Dan "Shoe" Hsu has been writing some excellent pieces on the Sore Thumbs blog about the "behind the scenes" life of a video game journalist. (Mentally quote the word journalist if you want to make yourself feel better! -Ed.) The former Electronic Gaming Monthly editor in chief has recently been very blunt about the touchier subjects in games writing — accusations of bribery, the ethics of junkets, etc. — but now, it's the PR side's turn.

An anonymous guest blogger from an unnamed "Big Publisher" explains the dirty details of games PR, from the "banning" of editors and media outlets, to the financial arrangements publishers make with magazines and web sites to exchange coverage for good reviews, exclusives for the best reviews.

PC & PSP, Livin' In Per-fect Har-mo-nee (RemoteJoy Lite)

Thanks to the ever-busy PSP homebrew community it is now possible to link a PC and a PSP together via USB Cable and a little plugin by the name of RemoteJoy Lite. Using the app you can hook up your Windows PC with your handheld and play PSP games on the PC screen.

Truly, we live in a Golden Age.

The video above gives a rough idea of what the app can do. As ever with homebrew software, you are responsible for your own device - don't come running to us if it makes your PSP implode into a nugget of dark matter that ultimately leads to the creation of an alternate universe where your evil doppleganger has a beard.

Next week's new additions to Rock Band are from All That Remains, a metalcore outfit from Harmonix's state-mates. They'll be bringing the standard triple shot of rock with the All That Remains 3 Pack, priced at a reduced $2.99 or 240 Microsoft Points.

The track pack includes the following tunes — "This Calling", "Chiron" and "Two Weeks" — all of which can be downloaded individually for 99 cents American. If you're thinking about striking, strike fast. The pricing is a limited time offer.

Microsoft To Give Tokyo Game Show Keynote

What's this? Are Microsoft just feeling bullish after all those Xbox/Vesperia bundles sold out? Whatever the reason, Microsoft is feeling confident enough to send LIV Vice-prez John Schappert to the Tokyo Game Show with a keynote speech under his arm.

On October 9th at midday, Schappert will present his keynote address "A Canvas for the World” which will apparently lay out how the Xbox 360 will bring people together to enjoy "the next wave of interactive entertainment experiences."

No, we don't really know what that means either —- but we bet it is pretty flippin' important. Who knows? Maybe MS are on a roll - by this time next year there could be an Xbox Elite in every self-respecting Japanese home.

Tokyo Game Show - John Schappert Keynote Address [Gamerscore Blog]

Cho Aniki Bringing Beefcake Shmupping To North American Virtual Console

Japan and our pals in the PAL regions have been enjoying the glistening and rippling Cho Aniki on their Virtual Console services for many moons now. North America finally gets the homoerotic tinged side-scrolling shooter this Monday, as the title has been rated by rated by the ESRB — E-10+ for "mild suggestive themes" — and tentatively dated for September 8.

It will join its TurboGrafx-16 sibling Final Soldier, prepping us for the upcoming PSP remake of the same game and confusing the masses with its overly bizarre everything. Start your posing now.