Kotaku
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rapelay
And Now Rape Games Are Not Banned in Japan
Don't believe everything you see on television — even when it's reported by a major Japanese television network — and especially when reported by TBS, it seems. More »
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174
Comment by MellowJade: As a girl I really don't see what the big deal about this game was. Honestly I don't understand why Amazon... 26 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Stephen Totilo On His Move To Kotaku, Leaving MTV
Stephen Totilo is leaving his MTV Multiplayer gig to join the ranks of Kotaku as our new Deputy Managing Editor. Why would Totilo do such a thing? He explains the transition in a new interview. More » -
journalism
Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
An Online Journalism Blog article says that traditional news outlets need to start making video games that either replace or improve the delivery of news stories. More »
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By AJ GlasserComment by potatojenkins: I hate game journalism. It's the worst, most pedestrian "journalism" there is. Proof? Look at any preview, news, review, or anything from... 4 Responses | Other threads
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politics
Washington Post Writer Makes Snide Quip About Gamers' Voting Rights
Not surprising as conservative columnist and author George Will often makes snide remarks — and often about things he knows nothing about. More »
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Comment by [ZTF]214A, 2A, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 214B, 214D: This, ladies and gentlemen, is a professional troll. 30 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
N'Gai Croal Leaves Newsweek and Game Journalism
Friday will be popular gaming pundit N'Gai Croal's last day at Newsweek. The well-known game journalist took a buyout from the magazine publisher and plans to move more toward the development side of gaming.
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Comment by ccruse1112: He is leaving a huge gap in the game media. There are very few African American voices, and his... 38 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Shacknews Bought By..GameFly?
It's a strange headline, yes, but that's how the world goes sometimes. Shacknews founder Steve Gibson has revealed that his site has indeed been bought by games rental outlet GameFly. More »
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Comment by Ozymandias: Lets hope we don't lose kotaku from Gawker, those sites are being sold off left and right... consumerist, fleshbot... 17 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Just To Clear, No, That DS Game Did Not Feature An Islamic Chucky Doll
Hick news channel WTNH's bleeding edge report on Crave's Baby Pals for the DS had a few holes in it. One of the biggest was the fact the channel didn't bother contacting the game's publisher. Oops. More »
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Comment by Wsoxrule: Parents need to lighten up and accept that their way of believing isn't the only way that is acceptable... People... 7 Responses | Other threads
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clips
Well, Of *Course* There Are Secret Islamic Messages Hidden In This DS Game
Does the Crave DS game "Baby Pals" really say "Islam is the light" when you give your tot a bath? Of course not. That's ridiculous. Doesn't stop WTNH from reporting it, though!
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Comment by Archaotic: ...people are really fishing for ways to villify Muslims these days, aren't they? It sounds like gibberish. 31 Responses | Other threads
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rumor
Rumor Gamecock Founder Looking to Jump From Developer to Mag Publisher
Gamecock founder Mike Wilson has been in talks with the owner of eBay-listed gaming magazine Hardcore Gamer about a potential purchase, Wilson confirmed to Kotaku today.
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business
That Mag For Sale On eBay Actually Found A Buyer
Let's recap: at the same time Ziff Davis were offloading the 1UP Network, lesser-known magazine Hardcore Gamer also went up for sale. On...eBay. And not a collection of mags. The magazine itself. More »
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Comment by hahnchen: Hardcore Gamer was an awful publication. It was such an obviously amateur affair stuck in the past. The art direction... 6 Responses | Other threads
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reviews
Movie Critics Second Guessing Star Ratings Too
More than 80 years ago the movie rating star system was born in the New York Daily News.
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Comment by JimmyOB: I think you guys have gotten game reviews down to what is necessary and relevant and I love that. ... 7 Responses | Other threads
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guitar hero
Forbes Writer Stands By Calling Rock Band A "Shameless Knockoff" Of Guitar Hero
Earlier this week, Forbes writer Peter C. Beller made a tit of himself when he swallowed some Activision PR and reprinted it in his article on Bobby Kotick. Today, surprisingly, he stands by it. More »
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Comment by Ashkihyena: At least the people who make Rock Band are not run by a douche bag. 20 Responses | Other threads
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disturbance in the workforce
Gamerscore Blog Team Let Go As Part Of Microsoft Layoffs
Sorry to keep hitting you with these bad news stories. Maybe things will get happier next week. But today, things are bleak, with news now that Microsoft's Gamerscore blog team have been laid off. More »
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Comment by akashhhhh: Oh, but "Trixie 360" is still around, that woman is mortifying. 6 Responses | Other threads
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tragedy
Game Journalist In Murder Suicide
Former game journalist Jason Montes, 33 years-old, and his estranged spouse, 25, were found dead by police on January 11. He is suspected in this apparent murder suicide. More » -
uk
The Sun Teaches Us How To Make Sackboy
Stuck between articles on googly-eyed Amy Winehouse, UK tabloid The Sun has a helpful PDF how-to for knitting a Sackboy toy. No, really. More »
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Comment by neko613: Somehow I highly doubt I can pull this off myself... I might not speak for all gamers out there, so does... 6 Responses | Other threads
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egm
The Final Copy Of EGM That (Almost) Never Was
1UP is a husk. EGM is dead. Sad news, especially for subscribers, especially for those anticipating what would have been the magazine's 20th anniversary issue. But hey, chin up, here's your silver lining. More »
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Comment by KaneRobot: I've bitched about EGM earlier today, but I will say it's a damn shame this mag doesn't get a true... 18 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
1UP Sold To Hearst Corporation, EGM To Close [Update]
What began as a rumour last month has now escalated into full-blown fact; Ziff Davis have officially sold the 1UP network to competitors Hearst, owners of UGO.com. More »
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Comment by pinataburster: Goodbye...Gaming's Rose May you ever grow in our hearts You were the grace that placed itself Where lives were torn apart You called out... 18 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Mass Firings At 1UP After Sale
Oh boy. Looks like the sale of 1UP to Hearst hasn't gone as smoothly as you'd expect. Rather than simply move house, it seems most of the site's most experienced/popular writers have instead been let go. More » -
Unbridled Sensationalism
The Sun: "Wii Puts 10 In Hospital A Week"
Yay! It's The Sun! Let's check in, see what they've got to say about video games today. And it's...not about crime. Not about parenting. It's all about...hospital! More »
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Comment by Fadecy: Rival Schools for PSN/XBLA PLZ: Oh noes! Movement is injuring people! That was about the gist of the article right? The sun is the the worst newspaper... 8 Responses | Other threads
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famitsu
Warning: Producer of Metal Gear Solid touch *is* Female
This week's Famitsu has an interview with Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid Touch producer Yasuyo Watanabe. The headline for the story is very careful to accentuate that Watanabe is female. How careful, you ask?
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By tim rogersComment by hikkifan1986: What? I don't get it. I'm aware the industry is sexist. They are touting a woman as their first producer...where's... 19 Responses | Other threads
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g4
Adam Sessler Gets The Boot... Up to Editor-In Chief
You see what happens when you interview Hsu and I on national TV? You get a promotion, that's what! More » -
kotaku magu
Edge's GOTY Awards Surprise (OK, Not Really)
Respectable British print mag Edge have, in their latest issue, published their list of what they believe were 2008's best games and studios. You may be surprised with the results. More »
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Comment by freekdeman: Weird, doesn`t seem right. Xbox 360 winning best console based on what exactly? (I own two out of pure need... 26 Responses | Other threads
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nintendo
DS Scrabble Beats Kid On "Fuckers" Triple-Word Score
Well, if it isn't the Daily Mail, with another highly entertaining story about the EVILS and HORRORS of video games. In this instance, the evils and horrors of...Scrabble.
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time
TIME Take A Stab At 2008's Ten Best Games
It's the end of the year. Know what that means? Time for lists! End of year lists! And know who loves lists more than anyone else? TIME magazine. Those guys are crazy for lists. More »
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Comment by danno84a: Didnt MGS4 come out this year? Can that really not make the list?! 15 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Considering the BusinessWeek Arcade
We mentioned the somewhat odd BusinessWeek Arcade back when it launched; now Ian Bogost has taken up the whys and wherefores over at the Journalism & Games Project blog. More »
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Comment by Sensai-N: I feel the need to voice a humble criticism: while I do enjoy some of the information Ian Bogost has... more » | Other threads
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parody
'CliffyB' on How to Save Game Journalism
The blog Hardcasual is back with a bang after a lengthy hiatus, channeling the voice of Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games (which, if you can't parse that statement, means Bleszinski didn't actually write this) to discuss some of the current problem with game journalism and reviews. More »
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Comment by VicViper: All due respect to CliffyB, but the day when he makes a game with a quality story, instead of recycling... 10 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Gaming And Rock'n'Roll Differences? (Effing And Wanking)
Games and music continue to intersect more and more. Music publication NME has a big feature on video gaming and music — how musicians are using games to introduce music and how games *could* be diverting kids from picking up actual instruments. More »
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Comment by Blue Wizard 422: By show of hands, how many of you have danced or had sex to a video game? 14 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
A Most Bizarre Newspaper Headline
Issue of the UK's Daily Mail dated Saturday, November 29, 2008. Headline says: "1,000 Free Game Consoles PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, SEGA Mega Drive, Wii...and more." It's like a game of odd man out. Which doesn't belong? More »
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Comment by OW-Holmes:Enemy of R.O.A.C.H.: Pssh, everyone knows the Megadrive is just two Master Systems duct taped together. 11 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
The Problem With Games PR
You know, we get asked the following quite a lot: "hey, you guys should find out about [some game]". It's asked like finding a lot of stuff out in this indsutry is easy. Well, it's not. And you know why it's not easy? Because of games PR. The slick-haired filter between what we want to know and what game companies get to tell us. While some (some) are proud gamers and are also super-helpful, others are clueless, and some - the worst kind - are lying shitbags. Want to know more? Brandon Sheffield's written a nice piece over on GameSetWatch, giving you guys a helpful breakdown on how games PR works, what's wrong with it and what he thinks can be done to fix it. More »
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Comment by SituatedDread: I never even knew what game PR was til' this generation and yes there is a big problem with it!... 6 Responses | Other threads
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Culture
Do Reviewers Really Understand Innovation?
Yet another nice piece from the Guardian; Keith Stuart takes up the issue of innovation and whether or not reviewers really get it. Using Mirror's Edge as a launching point, he notes that there seems to be too much focus on some of the little details and not enough emphasis on deconstructing the experience: More »
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Comment by CrunchbiteJr: The only thing reviewers produce that audiences want to read is a score at the end, audiences couldn't care less... 21 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Making the Case for Games Journalism
Game journalism is a pretty maligned corner of the journalism world as a whole — sometimes for good reason, but as Gus Mastrapa argues, we're not really deserving of the broad brush we get painted with. Why, he even points to Kotaku as a 'sure sign that we've arrived'! Games journalism doesn't lag behind many other enthusiast presses, he says, despite their advantage of age: More »
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Comment by Valshar: "Game journalism is a pretty maligned corner of the journalism world as a whole" That's probably because most "game journalists", as... 19 Responses | Other threads
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final fantasy
1UP Editor In Final Fantasy Nerd Engagement Extravaganza
If you've ever read a copy of EGM or popped over to 1UP, you'll know the name James Mielke. Guy's been with Ziff Davis for a while now, and is currently Editor-in-Chief over at 1UP.com. Anyway, he recently proposed to his girlfriend. But didn't just do the bended-knee thing. He went all video game nerd, roping in a couple of "friends" to help him make things special. Those friends? None other than composer Nobuo Uematsu and designer Yoshitaka Amano, both most famous for their work on the Final Fantasy series. Amano designed the ring (pictured), Uematsu a melody that Mielke had playing when he proposed. Girlfriend said yes, mission accomplished, thousands of FInal Fantasy nerds the world over find themselves getting all misty-eyed. More »
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Comment by duckmouth: Anyone else think a 10 year old could have designed a better looking ring than this? 8 Responses | Other threads
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nintendo
Nintendo Launch Another Official Magazine
Print is, for the most part, dying a slow and protracted death. Magazines are shrinking, merging or going out of business the world over. And not just games mags, all mags. Add in the current economic "crisis" and you're looking at one hell of a time to go launching a new magazine. But launching one is precisely what Future are doing, with news today that they're kicking off a new Official Nintendo Magazine for the Australian and New Zealand market. The first issue goes on sale in December, doesn't include a cover disc (at least, not yet), and will go for AUD$8.95. Going back to what was said at the start of this post...best of luck, gents! More »
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Comment by Optimistic Prime: It may do very well if Australian government has it's way. They are planning on filtering all internet Down... 2 Responses | Other threads
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playstation 3
Europe's Version Of Qore: The Details
Like we told you last month, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe are putting together their own version of Qore. Presumably because European PlayStation owners haven't suffered enough. The program will be called Official PlayStation Magazine HD, will of course be a premium (ie you pay for it) service, and will be distributed weekly over the various European PlayStation stores. A job listing for the program says that the show will feature "hi-def video, game demos and other content", so basically, expect Qore, but with a much longer name. More »
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Comment by LuXe: Heheh... Is this like LIVE Gold? I mean, only slightly shittier and slightly less community-members. Void of online-play, no community or... 9 Responses | Other threads
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Culture
Hype Cycles and Dysfunction: Game Journalism
Leigh Alexander has a nice piece up on what she calls the "dysfunctional family circle of game industry, game media, and game consumer," focusing on the whys and wherefores of the 'hype cycle,' hot (sometimes misleading) headlines, and a culture of jaded consumption. There's been a lot of talk of the problems of game 'journalism' lately, but Leigh's piece is particularly well-written and reasoned. Are we dealing with a chicken or the egg question?: More »
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Comment by kilikafinal: you get out by having no internet. but who would do that? 3 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
First Gears 2, Resistance 2 Reviews Roll In
It's that time again! The time of the year for the big games to hit the shelves, and for the big mags and websites to fall over themselves handing out 9s and 10s in response. Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 are two (2?) of the first to turn up, and whaddya know, the reviews are both from the official mags of the respective consoles. The UK's Official Xbox Magazine has given Gears 2 9/10, while Britain's Official PlayStation Magazine has given Resistance 2 a 9/10. Which is a shame! As someone who tracks review scores as a sport in of itself, rather than a purchasing guide, I was hoping to see one of them have a little more fun with it, hand out a 10 or an 8, just for shits and giggles. Ah well. Guess we'll have to wait for the non-exclusive reviews to trickle in for those. More »
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Comment by Batousi: Just read a forum post from a dude who gets lots of video games pretty early. Said he played Gears... 35 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
PS3 Fallout "Compares Poorly" Review Explained
Magazine PSM3 reviewed upcoming title Fallout 3. It's an exclusive review, and a review that's been leaked onto the internet. One link from that review seems to have stuck out: "The PS3 version compares poorly to its Xbox and PC counterparts." Thankfully, PSM3 is putting out fires and explaining what the publication meant by that. More »
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Comment by rich8606: 2 years on and ps3 games still don't look better... so much for Cell processing power. 71 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Konami's Xbox 360 Metal Gear Quote Was Erased!
As Kotaku commenter El-Suave pointed out earlier, the quote from Konami PR mouthpiece Yoshitaka Arai about "looking into" an Xbox 360 Metal Gear Solid 4 has since been removed from the original source article. The new quote is from Konami PR manager Chiaki Nakajima, does not mention Xbox 360 or MGS4, and reads: More »
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Comment by Lla_Med_Redrum: I actually don't want this to be true. I have 360 and PS3 but the PS3 is just really behind... 8 Responses | Other threads
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journalism
Are Embargoes Really Necessary?
John Keefer has a nice piece up on Crispy Gamer regarding the issue of embargoes — are they really necessary, or do they simply encourage lazy journalism and sometimes inappropriate relationships with publishers? The issue at stake here isn't so much embargoes, which are a symptom of the problem, as much as journalistic integrity (or lack thereof) and moving from an 'enthusiast press' to 'real journalism': More »
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Comment by Brian Crecente: Yeah, totally disagree. This comes from someone who obviously has never worked for a newspaper. All forms of journalism from... 23 Responses | Other threads
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pegi
PEGI: We'll Talk With You, But First, Do You Support Us?
The ongoing debate between the British Board of Film Classification and the Pan-European Game Information system over who should be left to rate video games has recently been locked in at a feverish pitch. The argument, one which one day we may see come to U.S. shores, is steeped, I think, in some very interesting issues.
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Comment by Antiterra: PEGI, I never told you this, but I like you. So I'm going to assume that this is just a... 7 Responses | Other threads
journalism
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Fri Jul 3
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Transformers blows up this weekend. Need to know more? io9 gets down and dirty with the superbots.
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Gizmodo's just reviewed two great smartphones, the Palm Pre and the iPhone 3GS. Here's a guide to help you decide which is better for you.
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The Life of Steve Jobs - So far.
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