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If Games Can Be Patched, Why Can’t Their Stories?
Who controls the story of a video game—its writers or its players? The obvious answer—that a storyteller is a storyteller, end of discussion—has driven some reporters (including me) to condemn and dismiss the widely-circulated fan petition that asks BioWare to change its ending for Mass Effect 3, the popular sci-fi roleplaying game that came out…
By Jason Schreier Published March 12, 2012 -
Halo Fan Films Never Look This Good
Though the acting can seem a little hammy in this fanmade Halo film, which creator Xerxes Sangco sent us yesterday, the graphical effects are seriously impressive. And the art direction is phenomenal. Even more impressive: the fact that Sangco and crew made this whole thing without spending more than $200. Hope you’re paying attention, Hollywood.…
By Jason Schreier Published March 12, 2012 -
Survey Says 56% of U.S. Households Own Gaming Consoles
Over half of homes in the United States own current-generation gaming consoles, according to a survey put together by the Nielsen Group and released today. That’s up six percent from last year The survey has some other interesting facts, but here’s the point I found most salient: The Web is increasingly important in generating awareness…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Twirling Robots Rarely Look This Pretty
This is a real-time motion test for ROBOTA: Vengeance, run on the Unity Engine. At first it looks really good. Then you realize that it’s slated to be released on iOS and Android. Suddenly it looks holy shit good. The creators, Sixits Studios, are trying to crowdfund a whopping $100,000 to finance ROBOTA: Vengeance, which…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Activision Wins Small Battle in Large Call of Duty Lawsuit
Publisher Activision took home a small victory in its longstanding legal battle against Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vincent Zampella earlier this week, convincing a Los Angeles judge to drop a fraud claim against it, according to a news report. Bloomberg reports that State Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle dropped one of two…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Shepard’s War Begins In This New Mass Effect 3 Trailer
Mass Effect 3 launched three days ago, but that hasn’t stopped publisher Electronic Arts from releasing new trailers for the sci-fi action-roleplaying game. Not that I’m complaining—this one is pretty awesome. Explosions, spaceships, and dramatic proclamations round out this look at Commander Shepard’s latest adventure, which developer BioWare released Tuesday for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Which Is The Best Final Fantasy? All of Them!
When people talk Japanese roleplaying games, there’s one question that comes up quite a bit: Which is the best Final Fantasy? Plenty of JRPG fans have wasted hours debating this question, each making his or her own case for which of Square Enix’s ubiquitous roleplaying games is the cream of the crop. It’s a stale…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Resigns After Spending Campaign Money On PlayStation
South Carolina Lt. Governor Ken Ard resigned this morning following a longrunning scandal during which he admitted he used his campaign funds to buy iPads and PlayStation 3s, news outlet TalkingPointsMemo reports. According to the report, Ard spent $3000 on a PlayStation, clothing, iPads, and his wife’s cell phone bill. He spent a total of…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
The Latin Inspiration Behind One of Final Fantasy VII‘s Biggest Songs
You’ve heard “One Winged Angel,” the memorable dark melody that plays during Final Fantasy VII‘s Sephiroth’s most chilling moments, but did you know that much of it was inspired by the Latin cantata Carmina Burana? Kotaku video editor Chris Person has put together this video showing some of the similarities between the two pieces.
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Retailer Shoots Down Grand Theft Auto Vita Rumors
Earlier this week, we reported a rumor that retailer Play.com had accidentally leaked the existence of a Grand Theft Auto for Vita and three other games. In a statement to Eurogamer today, Play.com confirmed that this report was false. [Eurogamer]
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
BioWare Says Mass Effect 3 Shipped 3.5 Million Copies
Mass Effect 3 has shipped 3.5 million copies in its first week on sale, BioWare said today. The sci-fi action-roleplaying game has received a number of positive reviews across the board, boasting a 95 on Metacritic’s critic score aggregation. [BioWare]
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Sora Goes All 80s In These Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Screens
Publisher Square Enix has released some new screenshots and artwork for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, the upcoming action-roleplaying game that it will release for Nintendo 3DS this year. As you can see from the shots, it looks like Sora and crew are headed back to the world of Tron, the 1982 sci-fi film…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
Your Choices Will Change BioShock Infinite‘s Story
BioShock Infinite will tell a different tale every time you play it, director Ken Levine says. Speaking to me during a phone interview last week, the BioShock creator said his upcoming shooter will feature significant choices—choices that have a significant impact on the way Infinite‘s story goes down “I don’t wanna present it as sort…
By Jason Schreier Published March 8, 2012 -
Why Apple’s New iPad Won’t Win Over the Xbox Gamer
Apple’s next iPad is a tremendously powerful device. It boasts a gorgeous screen and some pretty impressive hardware. One prominent game developer even bragged that its specs trump those of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming consoles “People are always talking about blurring the line between handheld and console,” Chillingo co-head and director Chris…
By Jason Schreier Published March 8, 2012 -
No Beta Planned for Halo 4
Unlike its predecessors, upcoming Xbox 360 shooter Halo 4 will not have a beta, 343 Industries revealed on its blog today. “Splitting resources to manage and build a beta is not on our schedule,” the developer wrote. [The Halo Bulletin]
By Jason Schreier Published March 8, 2012 -
Mix Drinks, Battle Slimes, And Cook Dragons in Adventure Bar Story
The best way to describe Adventure Bar Story, out today for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, might be “Final Fantasy meets Animal Crossing.” Though this new simulation-roleplaying game can’t boast the narrative depth of the former or the meticulous attention to detail of the latter, it’s still a charming adventure with a fantastic soundtrack and…
By Jason Schreier Published March 8, 2012 -
Evil Robot George Washington Is One of BioShock Infinite‘s Big Villains
Meet the Motorized Patriot. This creepy, Washington-faced automaton will try to mow you down with his gatling gun in the first-person shooter BioShock Infinite, which will be out October 16 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. He’s one of the Heavy Hitters, a group of enemies that the team says will “provide a unique…
By Jason Schreier Published March 8, 2012 -
We’ve Played Mario Tennis 3DS… Poorly
Here’s a hands-on look at Mario Tennis Open, a goofy upcoming sports game that will be out this May for Nintendo 3DS. And by “hands-on look,” I mean Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo demonstrating a serious lack of ability to play video games. As you can see, Mario destroyed him. Totilo wants me to note that…
By Jason Schreier Published March 7, 2012 -
Epic Games Says New iPad Will Have More Memory, Higher Resolution Than Xbox 360 And PS3
Developer Epic Games revealed the next game in its mobile Infinity Blade series today at the Apple iPad press conference. Showing off Infinity Blades: Dungeons on the new iPad, which will feature an A5X quad-core processor and a high-resolution display, Epic Games President Mike Capps said it will feature a new crafting and dungeon system.…
By Jason Schreier Published March 7, 2012 -
Apple Will Release The Next iPad, A ‘Graphics Powerhouse,’ On March 16
Apple will release a new version of the iPad on March 16, it said today at a press conference in San Francisco. Our sister site Gizmodo has all sorts of details on the new tablet, which will use Apple’s high-definition Retina Display and feature 2048×1536 resolution. It will be available in black and white, starting…
By Jason Schreier Published March 7, 2012
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