Brian Ashcraft

The Magic of Fax Machines

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft Tonight, after dinner, my kid drew some game that involved finishing a maze and drinking a can of cola (don’t ask) and wanted to send it to the in-laws for them to play. So, by the marvels of not-so-modern technology we sent them a fax. Mini-Bash was amazed that you can…

Need For Speed Shift Shifts Into September

EA racer Need for Speed Shift, the latest entry in the Need for Speed series, will be released on September 17 and September 22 in the US. Need for Speed: Shift is a first person racing simulation, featuring realistic handling and physics for some of the world’s top racing vehicles. This title is part of…

Riddick Producer: “Nintendo Wii Is An Effing Genesis”

Well, his language was a little more colorful. In a podcast with GameTrailers’ Invisible Walls, developer Peter Wanat talks about Nintendo and the Nintendo Wii. Wanat, whose credits include Scarface, Chronicles of Riddick and the forthcoming Wanted: Weapons of Fate, points out how most third party developers aren’t finding success on the Wii — save…

DIY Street Fighter IV Cabinets Make The Best Birthday Presents

What did you get for your birthday? James got a Street Fighter IV cabinet built from scratch by his friends, the lucky bastard. During midterms and work, Steve and his roommate Figge collectively spent 4.5 man-hours over five days to build the arcade. A hundred nails were hammered into the handsawed wood panels. A FightStick…

Why There’s Not A Pokemon MMO

Why isn’t there? A Pokémon online game sounds like a logical idea. But the Pokémon franchise director Junichi Masuda has an explanation. “At this point, we’re not thinking of going in that direction,” says Masuda. “Trading is a core concept of Pokémon. So when you’re trading, you meet with a friend and decide which one…

Korean Report: Sony Halting PS3 Supply

According to Korean news site Chosun Online, Sony has ceased supplying South Korea with PS3s for the time being in order to prevent Japanese tourists from picking up the console at a cheaper price point. “We are troubled by ‘reverse-importing’, which is when products exported into South Korea are flown back into Japan,” said a…

It’s Monday. Ban Monday.

Our favorite Kotakuday? Ban Monday. While we don’t have any problem banning on regular days, we turn up the Ban Hammer sensitivity to MAXIMUM on Ban Monday. Here’s how it’s works: Send us the commenter page to tipsATkotakuDOTcom for anyone who should get the axe, err, hammer. You can put in your request at tipsATkotakuDOTcom.…

Japanese Gamers More Satisfied With Xbox 360 Than Wii Or PS3

Game magazine Famitsu has published the results of a reader poll about console satisfaction. Results cover the DS, Wii, PSP, PS3 and the Xbox 360. Readers were also polled about games as well. Keep in mind, this poll questioned Famitsu readers, whose opinions might differ from more mainstream Japanese consumers. That, and not as many…

Which Stripes Are The Best?

Alrighty, time to vote. We’re giving away a copy of Race Pro. You pick the winner Here’s what you need to do: vote. In the comments section below, write the JPG name of the stripes you like best! Be aware that commenting more than once will result in ban hammerage. Ditto for any posts made…

This Girl Is Wearing A Famicom Bikini She Crafted Herself

Retro gaming maniac, pin-up model and underground photo Amano Ai (aka Julie Watai) is putting out a new DVD called Plastic Candy. In it, she dons a DIY Famicom bikini made moments before the shoot. Ai says the bikini was inspired by this erotic game, but we’re prone to believe she cribbed it from this…

A Week In Comments

Marvel Signs Big MMO Deal Comment by: Gyaruson Nominated by: bfwings55 By the hammer of Thor, this game should be a (Hulk) SMASHingly good time. For those of you who snikt – err, I mean ‘snicker’, at the idea of a Marvel MMO than surely your Spidey-sense isn’t quite up to snuff. Stark my words,…

What Do You Expect Announced At GDC?

Howdy. It’s Friday. Let’s talk. 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 oodles about us – more than you even want…

Growing Up Games: When Will Mature, Mature?

By Leigh Alexander We may have an M-rating for “adult content” in games, but that doesn’t necessarily make them mature. What will it take for games to grow up? It’s a trickier question than meets the eye. As players, it’s easy to yearn for more adult content in games. Part of this is curiosity–sex is…

What Should I Do Tomorrow?

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Do Ghosts Believe in You? I have a day off tomorrow (Japan time). I always feel like I should be working on days off. Any recommendations for what I should do? I’m thinking I’ll sleep. And after that, I’ll sleep some more. If I have time left, I’ll sleep. What…

Ghostbusters Is “Gears of War Lite”

After getting dropped by one publisher, the release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game was pushed back. The Atari game is now slated for June 16. With that extra time, what has developer Terminal Reality done? Polished up the game and made it more like Gears of War. These days it seems like almost every game…

2D Fighter BlazBlue Gets Release Date

Guilty Gear developers Arc System Works released BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger in Japanese arcades last November. A multi-platform console port was announced earlier this month. Today, the game gets a Japanese release date. Out June 25, the home version of BlazBlue will add a substantial single-player story mode, one touted to take 30 hours to complete.…

Hideo Kojima’s iPhone Is Covered In Hideo Kojima

With Metal Gear Touch, Metal Gear Solid has arrived on Apple’s iPhone. It’s not a huge surprise as Apple products are littered throughout Metal Gear Solid 4. Kojima’s a Mac user, and he’s got a one-of-a-kind iPhone with his own mug on it. Hello vanity! We assume (hope?) this is a gag on his part…

Sony Computer Entertainment Patents Robot Peripheral

Last June, Sony Computer Entertainment filed a patent application for a real robot that interacts with video games. Think of it as Sony’s take on R.O.B. The patent shows a robot outfitted with a camera that enables the bot to decipher the surrounding environment. There’s a microphone that makes it possible for the robot to…

Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) Ships Over Half A Million

PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 is a smash hit. The game sold 372,000 copies in its first week and is one of the biggest selling copies on the PLAYSTATION 3. The game has in-game tie-ups with 27 different companies, including a karaoke parlor, a sake distillery and a tanning salon. The voice cast boasts…

Nintendo Discovers That Wii Fit Is As Good As… Walking

In this ad, Nintendo says it had Wii Fit researched by Japan’s National Institute of Health and Nutrition. About time! The game’s only been out for over a year. The researchers found out that doing the Wii Fit hula hoop game was the equivalent of “light walking” or playing golf without using a golf cart.…