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Minecraft 1.8 is Out All Official-Like
Although it had been more-or-less officially leaked last week, Minecraft beta 1.8 is now for realsies available for download, adding (among other things) a refreshed Adventure mode to prepare for the 1.9 update. [Minecraft.net] (Thanks, Jonathan!)
By Joel Johnson -
Yup, That’s an Evil Master Chief Punching Hercules at a House Party
The latest episode of The Guild is a universe of geeky stars, with Dollhouse‘s Eliza Dushku, Chuck‘s Zach Levi, Colin Ferguson from Eureka, and more join Felicia Day at a party where evil Master Chiefs punch Kevin “Hercules” Sorbo in the kisser. Why? I have no idea! I’m not caught up on The Guild. But…
By Joel Johnson -
Faux Futurists Want to Keep PC Gaming in the Past
Some day soon, Nvidia’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang is going to walk on stage at some obscure electronics industry event and say these words: “We love PC gaming. Our heritage is in 3D gaming hardware. And that’s why we’re more excited than ever to announce we’re never making another gaming video card again.” Sound like a…
By Joel Johnson -
░▒▓ Announcing Blip Festival Tokyo! ▓▒░░░░░░░░░░░░░
Presented by 8bitpeoples, the second annual Blip Festival Tokyo brings a hard-hitting group of low-tech musicians and visualists to Japan to lay down an arresting distillation of the energy & spirit of the global chipmusic underground. ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 今年も2011年10月22日、23日に第二回ブリップフェスティバル東京が開催されます。YOU SHOULD GO. ヨーロッパ、オーストラリア、日本のチップチューンミュージシャンが出演します。 OCTOBER 22 – 23, 2011 Koenji High 4-30-1 Koenji-Minami Tokyo, Japan Anamanaguchi [US] Bit…
By Joel Johnson -
Gamestop to Start Selling Apple Hardware, New and Used Alike?
According to 9 to 5 Mac‘s sources, games retailer GameStop will start selling Apple’s iOS devices—iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad—at their stores. (We reported a similar rumor before.) Even more interesting? They’ll be taking the hardware in for store credit. [9to5Mac.com]
By Joel Johnson -
Win this Custom Space Marine PlayStation 3
Relic’s Space Marine is swinging a chainsword at your favorite console this week—and if that destroyed console happens to be a PlayStation 3, you’re in luck. The Goods One lucky Kotaku reader will win this tough-enough custom-painted Space Marine PlayStation 3—and a copy of Space Marine to slip inside. How to Enter This is very…
By Joel Johnson -
The Evolution of Video Game Controllers in Pretty Poster Form
Brooklyn-based Pop Chart Lab’s latest poster is another attempt to show the lineage of video game controllers, from the twin sticks of Spacewar! to the lonely, somewhat sui generis Wii U tablet sitting lonely at the bottom. A signed and numbered print will run you just 24 clams. I ran up to the Museum of…
By Joel Johnson -
L.A. Production Company Looking for the “King of the Nerds”. Is that you?
An L.A. production company is looking for nerds for a new reality show called “King of the Nerds”. If you think you’ve got what it takes, Lindsay Casting ([email protected]) wants you to drop a line. From the producers of MYTHBUSTERS, SURVIVOR and AMAZING RACE comes a new competition-based show embracing and celebrating passionate and intellectual…
By Joel Johnson -
Yes, That’s a Mabari War Hound in The Sims 3: Pets
Who says cross-game promotions never work out? If you pre-order The Sims 3: Pets: Limited Edition on Xbox 360 or PlayStation, you’ll get a dozen exclusive breeds of dogs, including a panda chow, skunk birman, and—in a Kotaku-exclusive reveal, because we’re an important media outlet—a Mabari War Hound from Dragon Age And if I’m reading…
By Joel Johnson -
Retro Game Master Episode 11: The Wing of Madoola
This week on Retro Game Master the Kacho takes on The Wing of Madoola Released in 1986 for the Nintendo Famicom,The Wing of Madoola is a side-scrolling action adventure tale of the Kingdom of Badham (nothing more dangerous than bad ham) and a magical statue that can bring peace to the world. So of course…
By Joel Johnson -
Adventure World is Zynga’s Take on Tomb Raider—and Another Step Toward “Real” Games
Zynga’s latest Facebook game, Adventure World, is another step towards the company’s inevitable future: they’re teaching their millions of players how to play—and enjoy—”real” video games. We’re not Zynga haters around here—at least not by default. The way I see it, no matter how addicting, now matter how ably the company is able to capitalize…
By Joel Johnson -
This Thursday Retro Game Master Takes On The Wing of Madoola
This week on Retro Game Master the Kacho takes on The Wing of Madoola Released in 1986 for the Nintendo Famicom,The Wing of Madoola is a side-scrolling action adventure tale of the Kingdom of Badham (nothing more dangerous than bad ham) and a magical statue that can bring peace to the world. So of course…
By Joel Johnson -
I Can’t Believe It: The Razer Blade Might Not Just Be the Future of PC Gaming—It May Be the Future of PCs
Does PC gaming need to be saved? It’s a question so arrogant it upset gamers for weeks after gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer posed it. After seeing this morning’s reveal of their new creation, the Razer “Blade” gaming laptop, I think I’m ready to go one better: I think Razer may not just save PC gaming—I…
By Joel Johnson -
Dishonored is a Somethingpunk Shooter for Everyone. That Could Be the Problem.
I’ve been afraid to write about Dishonored. For weeks after I saw a guided demo in a room with other game journalists, I’ve looked at my notes and thought, Everything I have to say is negative. I don’t want to be negative. It’s too soon to be negative. So this is me staying positive. Dishonored…
By Joel Johnson -
Watch This Gorgeous Portal Fan Film Right Now
If Chris Nolan directed the opening of a Portal film (and Hans Zimmer scored it), I suspect it would look a little something like “Portal: No Escape”, a gorgeous and intense fan film set in the world of Aperture Science. (It wasn’t Nolan, though. It was Dan Trachtenberg!) [via Superpunch]
By Joel Johnson -
iPad 2 “About Half” as Powerful as Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Says Man Who Would Know
The iPad 2 is “about half” as powerful as modern games consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, according to graphics genius John Carmack. In an interview with Tom’s Hardware, Id Software’s John Carmack—one of the most knowledgeable, influential, and affable graphics programmers of the last twenty years—spoke at great length about the power…
By Joel Johnson -
This Thursday Retro Game Master Takes On 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō
This week’s Retro Game Master challenge’s full title is actually Kanshaku tamanage Kantarō no Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi. (That’s Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō in English.) But we’re just calling it 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō! For such a fancy name—one that’s referencing a famous set of ukiyo-e wood prints, no less—it’s actually quite…
By Joel Johnson
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