Kotaku: good times

PAX 2009 Schedule Drops - We're Gonna Need A Bigger Calendar

Mike Fahey — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:20:00 MDT

The full schedule for the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo has been posted on the PAX website, featuring 43 hours of programming, all over the course of three days, all for you.

It looks like Totillo and I are going to have our hands full when we drop in on PAX 2009 September 4th through the 6th in Seattle. Between the 43 hours of programmed events, interviews, appointments, concerts, and parties, I should be dead by early Saturday morning. Stephen will surely soldier on, however, bringing you coverage of everything from Friday's keynote speech from industry legend Ron Gilbert, to Sunday's flying over the country in the middle of the night, drooling on the passenger next to us.

Other highlights include the annual Rooster Teeth Red VS. Blue panel, the Pitch Your Game Idea panel, and Wil Wheaton presents: THE AWESOME HOUR!!1, in which Wil Wheaton talks about stuff for an hour. I'm betting he talks about stuff for an hour a great deal, only this time there'll be more chairs.

Check out the full schedule over at the PAX website to see if there is anything you'd like us to cover.

The End Of A Man's Story, Told Through His Consoles

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:30:00 MDT

In January, we linked to a series that was being kicked off by The Morning News, in which writer Todd Levin would recount the story of his life through the various gaming console's he's owned. It was good, good reading. Well, it just wound up, so now's as good a time as any to link to it again, particularly seeing as he spends half the final chapter dwelling on the same love/hate relationship with this site that we have to fight through every goddamned day while we sip cold coffee, alone, and wonder why the hell we quit our part-time gigs in the video games department of Best Buy to work this dead-end beat.

Second Place is First to Lose [The Morning News]

Today is So Ban Monday

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 02:00:43 MDT

Don't forget! Here's how it works: Send us the commenter page for anyone that should get the axe. If we agree (even slightly), we'll swing. And swing hard. Though! No ban gloating. Gloating leads to Ban Hammer backfire, which could cause you to get the boot. Tuesday we'll be back better, lighter, strong and faster. Hope to see you on the other side!

Ban Monday is Coming

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:00:39 MDT

Whew! It's been a rough couple of weeks. And after every big event, a new flood of commenters appear. While we do welcome the new folks, we also want to warn them. We ban here at Kotaku. Ban like crazy. So please do not confuse our comment sections with your run-of-the-mill forum, boards, blah blah. Next Monday (October 1st) is our favorite Kotakaday, Ban Monday. We are always open to ban submissions, but next Monday the ban sensitivity on the Hammer will be turned up max. Here's how it works: Send us the commenter page for anyone that should get the axe. If we agree (even slightly), we'll swing. And swing hard. Though! No ban gloating. Gloating leads to Ban Hammer backfire, which could cause you to get the boot. Tuesday we'll be back better, lighter, strong and faster. Onward!

Ban Monday Begins

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:36 MDT

Let the blood letting officially begin. As you may or may not know, today is a Ban Monday, our favorite Kotakaday! Our willingness to ban increases ten-fold as we clean up and clean out. We want to keep the comments section readable (AKA thin the herd), and we want you to help. Here's how it works: Send tipsATkotaku.com commenter pages for anyone you think should get the boot. Our ban threshold is going to be way lower (hello fanboy trolls!). Nothing is definite, but ban requests from longtime commenters will be given great authority with the hammer. So be sure to include your own commenting profile! Ban Monday ends in exactly 24 hours. Tuesday's comment section will be lighter, faster, better. Onwards!

Memories Of E3 2006

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:40:21 MDT

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the kick off of the final E3 as we used to know it. Part videogame industry expo, part freakshow, we were barraged by the hypnotic lights and the well-tanned thighs of booth babes trying to compensate for shit graphics and me-too gameplay for three solid days.

At the time, we had no idea that we'd be attending the industry's final decadent blowout. We'd have taken a moment to pause, to reflect, to appreciate the sights and the stench of a Los Angeles Convention Center packed with 60,000 attendees.

E3 taught us many things. We were horrified to learn the PLAYSTATION 3 was to be priced at $599, yet pleased that it would ship worldwide by November 17th. How naive we were then.

We had just seen the Halo 3 trailer. Witnessed the Super Smash Bros. Brawl reveal. We'd been subjected to "massive damage", "Riiiiiidge Racer!" and Bill Gates paralyzing keynote and we didn't think we could take it anymore.

We relished in our first hands-on experience with the Nintendo Wii remote. We played Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero II, Metroid Prime 3, Elite Beat Agents and Resistance: Fall of Man all for the first time. I recall the horrible bus ride home from the Sony party, ready to vomit into my free Ogio luggage.

With the new, slimmed down E3 still two months away, there's plenty of time to remember the insanity, the sheer pleasure of dozens of game announcements all occuring over the course of five days. Won't you share them with me in the comments? Michael McWhertor

PS3 Contest: The Answers

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 01:00:22 MDT

Following the earlier freak out, the contest winner was announced. And now that everybody's had a chance to chill out, here are the mission answers — If anything, just to piss you off. They are:

Mission #1
Mission #2
Mission #3
Mission #4 (Answer: 16 cone hats)
Mission #5: Flynn, Fahey and Luke

See, counting makes cheating harder. Oh! That reminds me: When we announced the contest, we stated:

Anyone who posts answers on Kotaku or anywhere on the internet will be banned and made an example of.

Several individuals in the comments section mentioned how they cheated their way through the contest. I've been mean enough for one week, so I won't insert their names here, but know, they have been booted. To everyone who didn't cheat and got screwed over by the cone hats, much love and respect. It was fun. For me. Brian Ashcraft

Ain't No Party Like a Bungie Staff Party

Mike Fahey — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:20:55 MST

Every year since 1999, the folks at Bungie have set aside a day to take a break from creating kick-ass games to eat, drink, game, and be merry. Dubbed the Bungie Pentathalon, the event features game tournaments and enough food and drink to keep the Kotaku staff occupied for almost an entire hour.

This years events included a four man Halo 3 tournament, Wii Bowling, Age of Empires, Street Fighter, Gears of War, Guitar Hero, and even a real Pictionary competition. You can read all of the sordid details of the party over at Bungie's website, including more amazing pictures taken of the Halo 3 tournament that show off amazing, next-gen picture blurring technology. Michael Fahey

Bungie Pentathlon: Winter '07 [Bungie.net]