Brian Crecente

K3

TABLE OF CONTENTS March 2009 The Empire of the Sword The Cut Scene: Inside The Video Game Weapon Replica Business by Michael Fahey M-Rated Growing Up Games: When Will Mature, Mature? by Leigh Alexander We Are Going To Eat You Zombie!!! Games of the Living Dead by Luke Plunkett School of Rock What Guitar Hero…

Are You Buying a DSi?

I already received mine. Tristan is still saving for his. Mike and Mike are picking one up this weekend. But what about you? I’m waiting for the DSi Store to officially open before reviewing the DSi, but so far, it’s pretty slick. I’m not sure yet if I would have paid for one, though. For…

DSi Inspires Fiscal Responsibiity

My 7-year-old son, it seems, has suddenly learned fiscal responsibility. But it wasn’t the ailing economy, or thoughts of a car that started him on the road to saving, it was Nintendo. Two months ago, the day Nintendo announced when their DSi portable gaming system was coming to the U.S. for $170, Tristan said that…

Chi Town

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: When Your Last Name Is First, Where Is Your Middle Name? I’m in Chicago for a long weekend. One of my many cousins is getting married here and we decided to fly in for an extended-family visit. So far I’ve managed to cram a stuffed pizza, some Chicago dogs, and…

Sweet Noby Noby Kicks Give Me Nightmares

Reader Tonks sends us a picture of this amazing Noby Noby Boy shoe he made. On the shoe you can see that Noby Noby boy has stretched himself through the eyelets of the shoe. Pretty amazing. But as much as I love shoes, and shoes featuring games, I don’t think I could ever wear these.…

Hands On With iPhone Multiplayer Shooter LiveFire

Ngmoco’s LiveFire, a multiplayer first-person shooter designed from the ground up for the iPhone, is a valiant attempt to bring the fast-paced genre to the portable, but still needs quite a bit of work. When Ngmoco founder Neil Young handed over a playable build of LiveFire to me during GDC, he was sure to point…

R.U.S.E. Tweaks, Slows Real-Time Strategy

By all appearances, R.U.S.E. is another attempt by Ubisoft to redefine strategy gaming in a way to be more attractive for casual fans, slowing the pace of real-time strategy and adding depth to the genre. “We wanted to create something new, and we followed that creative vision for several years,” said developer Mathieu Girard. R.U.S.E.…

Battlestations Pacific: Lets You Win the War With Japan

In Battlestations: Pacific you don’t just have a chance to play on the side of Japan, you can experience a World War II where Japan wins the war. The game features both a U.S. And Japanese campaign in the game, both built around historically authentic archived missions. “Authenticity and historical accuracy we take quite seriously,…

Iron Fist Joins Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Cast

Iconic 70s superhero Iron Fist will be among the two dozen playable characters featured in upcoming action title Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. The characters included in the game were selected because they are returning favorites from the first title, they are core to the Civil War story line or just because the developers wanted to…

Brütal Legend Promises to Deliver a World of Metal Farce and Subtle Humor

Brütal Legend is much more than an action game with sharp writing and a heavy metal soundtrack. Double Fine’s ability to craft a world out of the imagery of heavy metal helps the game transcend it’s genre and potentially deliver an experience that will be as unique as it is memorable. What glimpses I saw…

Do You Love Kotaku? Prove It!

You say you love Kotaku, but do you really mean it? I mean, mean it enough to provide video evidence of said love? Down with it and live in New York? Video king Richard Blakeley is putting together a video of unabashed Kotaku lovin.. the platonic kind, so if you’re interested you should email him…

Bipolar Weather

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: IT’S SNOWING?! Yeah, Denver weather is insane. It snowed the day Tristan was born, in may, and then a week or two later we had a blizzard. But it keeps you on your toes. And where else can you live where it’s barbecue weather for lunch and you’re shoveling snow…

DSi Accessories Inbound

With the launch of Nintendo’s DSi in North America imminent it’s only natural that we would start hearing about new accessories for the portable. BDA today announced a whole line up of Power A DSi doodads and whatnots. But sadly no unmentionables. The collection includes, in BDA’s own words: Folio Starter Kit This kit provides…

Flock Playset Is Painfully Endearing

This has to be one of the cutest game-themed playsets I’ve seen in quite awhile. OK, maybe it’s the only game-themed playset I’ve seen in ever. The mother ship is surrounded by a farm’s worth of animals and a lone ship ready to do some gathering and probing. The best part is that the whole…

Arkham Asylum, Punch-Out, Wolfenstein: The Previews of GDC

This year’s Game Developers Conference was, as is often the case, quite a bit of fun. It was packed with opportunities to sit down and talk with the people behind some of the greatest games, past, present and future. This year, though, it was also quite loaded up with the chance to play soon-to-be-released games.…

The Conduit Control Customization

There are plenty of things to talk about when it comes to Wii shooter The Conduit, but none are more important then the controls and the absurd number of ways you can customize them. Matt Corso, art and creative director at High Voltage, walked me through the options, which not only rival, but may surpass…

SCEA: PS2 Price Drop Will Cut Into Wii, Eventually Help PS3 Sales

With a price drop to $99, the Playstation 2 is being repositioned as a family friendly video game console for the casual gamer. Something that could put the Playstation 2 directly in the Nintendo Wii’s big blue ocean, says John Koller, SCEA’s director of hardware marketing. “I think you can look at the PS2 as…

Snow Lightning

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: So, Yeah, I Did It, I Bought A Piece Of Japan It’s a total white out right now outside my window. I can’t see a thing but the trees a foot or two away from the glass. I can see occasional flashes of light and hear the ominous roll of…

U.S. DSi Unboxing and Hands On

Sure the cake was neat, but what about the DSi? That’s right I didn’t just get an edible DSi today, Nintendo also sent along the real thing. Take a gander at these fancy unboxing skills. Warning, because I went from outside box to the start-up and main menu, the video is nine minutes long. Ps.…

The Most Spectacular DSi Cake You’ll Ever See

I just received a pretty spectacular package at my front door: A DSi and accompanying larger-than-life cake. Check back for our DSi unboxing in a few. In the meantime, enjoy the cake.