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SimCity Needs An ‘Undo’ Button
No, I’m not making a joke about how SimCity‘s makers doubtless wish they could hit “undo” on last week’s embarrassing, disastrous launch. (Though I don’t doubt that’s the case.) I’m saying I think SimCity actually needs an undo button. You know, Control+Z. A shake of the smartphone. A little button with a backwards-curving arrow on…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 11, 2013 -
In A World Filled With Cheesy Credits Music, StarCraft II Stands Apart
Last night, after years and years of putting it off, I finally played the final couple of missions in Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Yeah, I know. Hey, I like the game and everything, but I got sidetracked!) It was a kick to finish the story the day before the sequel, Heart of the Swarm,…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 11, 2013 -
Game of Thrones Set As A 90s High School Comedy
High school can be a cutthroat place, a den of sex, lies, deceit and backstabbing. Relationships are forged for political purposes and torn asunder under dark, mysterious circumstances. Power resides where students believe it resides. And always, a warning: Prom Night is coming. Welcome to School of Thrones, which re-imagines George R.R. Martin’s dark fantasy…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 11, 2013 -
SimCity Makers Say Crashes Dramatically Reduced, No ‘All-Clear’ Yet
SimCity may have gotten more stable over the weekend as the game’s creators at Maxis have added more servers, but the game isn’t quite out of the woods yet. In a new update to the EA blog, Maxis head Lucy Bradshaw says that they’ve reduced game crashes by 92% since launch day, but that lingering…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 10, 2013 -
Gearbox Teases Burly New Borderlands 2 Playable Character
At South By Southwest in Austin, Gearbox debuted a teaser trailer that hints at the addition of a new character to Borderlands 2. The character isn’t fully shown, but looks to be some sort of melee-focused badass. The video above comes via Polygon, who are on the ground at SXSW. “A new vault hunter is…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 8, 2013 -
Tomb Raider‘s PC Version Is Good, Despite A Few Stray Hairs
After about seven hours with Tomb Raider, I’m on board with Evan’s endorsement. It’s a very good game, and a strong example of the whole “game that’s like a movie” thing that Uncharted laid out a few years back. But what of the PC version? I’ve been putting it through its paces, and can happily…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 8, 2013 -
The Many Ways We Didn’t Get To Play SimCity This Week
Looking back on this week’s SimCity launch debacle, it isn’t just remarkable that the game’s servers failed, it’s remarkable how many different ways they failed. The spectre of Diablo III has loomed over this entire affair, as Blizzard’s action-RPG is certainly the easiest point of reference for an always-online PC game that fell on its…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 8, 2013 -
Report: EA Suspends SimCity Marketing In Light Of Launch Disaster
In light of SimCity‘s disastrous launch week, publisher Electronic Arts has suspended the marketing campaign for the game, according to an internal email obtained by Polygon The email, which was sent to all of EA’s marketing affiliate partners, informs them that EA is deactivating links through LinkShare and that “we ask you to please remove…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 8, 2013 -
Epic Violinists Dressed Up As Journey Characters Epically Playing Journey Music
I always felt as though my Journey character would’ve been pretty good at the violin. And what do you know, that seems to be the case, as demonstrated by violinist Taylor Davis in this new video tribute. I liked this video, partly because it’s more reserved than the more histrionic exploits of Lindsey Stirling, as…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 8, 2013 -
This Tomb Raider Rap Is Pretty Damn Good
Yes, yes. Another day, another rap-tribute to a video game. But this one’s particularly good. Alabama rapper Kadesh Flow goes beyond “fun and/or goofy” and enters the realm of “real chops.” Give it a watch. (Thanks, Tai!)
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 7, 2013 -
I Didn’t Know Disney Helped Make The New Mass Effect 3 DLC
One of the best parts of Mass Effect 3‘s new ‘Citadel’ add-on—and there are a lot of good parts —comes near the end, when you have an opportunity to spend some quality one-on-one time with each of your companions from throughout the entire series. I liked all of the interactions that I saw, but this…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 7, 2013 -
Nvidia has announced that the PlayStation 4 will support their nifty PhysX physics software.
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 7, 2013 -
SimCity Makers Address Launch Fiasco, Vow To Continue Adding Servers Over The Weekend
The head of the studio behind the troubled new SimCity told Kotaku today that efforts to solve the game’s server woes will continue aggressively into the weekend. The statement, from Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw, indicates that some people are in fact playing the game but that EA has a long way to go to…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 7, 2013 -
Here’s Anita Sarkeesian’s First ‘Tropes vs. Women In Games’ Video
It’s been a long road for feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian. Last summer, she ran a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new video series examining sexist tropes in video games—her goal was $6,000 and she raised nearly $160,000. In the midst of the Kickstarter drive, Sarkeesian was subjected to a brutal, organized…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 7, 2013 -
Amazon Has Stopped Selling Digital Copies Of SimCity
As the disastrous SimCity launch lurches toward the end of the week, it feels like it’s been one catastrophe after another. Earlier this morning, EA started disabling features to get the game to work. And in the latest hit against SimCity, megaretailer Amazon.com has stopped selling digital copies of the game. SimCity is now listed…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 7, 2013 -
This Big Lebowski Chiptune Tribute Is Better Than The F***ing Eagles
“I had a rough night, and I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man.” That line from The Big Lebowski is one of my favorites from a movie chock-full of amazing lines. It was the first time Hollywood told me that as it turns out, it’s okay that I find The Eagles super annoying. Hey, The Dude…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 6, 2013
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