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CultureTotal Recall
Now You Too Can Play the Terrible Akira Video Game!
In 1988, Taito released Akira, cash-in on the hugely-popular animated film of the same name. Just in case you were wondering if Japanese developers somehow made better movie adaptations in the 1980s, no, they did not. The game was terrible. Still, that’s mostly second-hand information, as most Westerners have never actually played the game, since…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
Activision’s 1984 Catalogue Did Not Feature Call of Duty
Before the internet, before people even really cottoned onto the idea of games magazines, publishers had to sell things the old-fashioned way: with TV ads and catalogues. Most catalogues were simple affairs, all bright lights, screenshots and slogans, but sometimes publishers went a little left field. Like Activision did in 1984 when it basically commissioned…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
Sony’s Got a New Multiplayer Shooter in Development
Sony has tasked German studio ACONY Games with the development of Bullet Run, an upcoming multiplayer shooter that’s based on the premise of a reality TV series gone bad. Taking a page out of properties like Running Man and Battle Royale, Bullet Run has players take control of contestants “in a fight to the death…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
So, Activision and Call of Duty’s Creators Had a Pretty Bitchy Relationship
A stack of emails released as part of the ongoing legal action between Activision and Call of Duty’s creators have turned up some hilariously catty exchanges and contingency plans coming from the publisher’s top brass. Posted over on the LA Times, a 2009 email from Activision’s president of publishing, Mike Griffith, mentions a plan to…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
Devil May Cry Reboot Out In January 2013
Capcom’s Devil May Cry reboot will be out on January 15, 2013. That date covers both Europe and North America, and covers both Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version? It’ll be out sometime in 2013. It had previously been announced to be out sometime in 2012.
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
The Video Game That’s Also a Rap Album That’s Also a Comic Book
Raheem Jarbo, aka Mega Ran, aka Random, is one of the more noted video game musicians out there. For his latest album, though, he went a little further than just rapping about video games. With financial help from fans, he’s been able to put together a concept album that includes not just the music, but…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
Happy 25th Birthday, Animated GIF
Scourge of internet comments sections and saviour of countless rainy days, the humble animated GIF file turns 25 this year, Compuserve having first introduced the file format back in 1987. To celebrate, here’s a ton of the things compiled in a mildly nauseating video. Note: only celebrate if you call it a “giff”. If you…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
Hot Cosplay From Tekken to Warhammer 40K, and Everywhere in Between
This week’s cosplay roundup here on Kotaku is mercifully short on Final Fantasy and/or Kingdom Hearts, two series that are a little, let’s say, over-represented in the field. In their place, we’ve got some costumes that are way more interesting, including some stuff from Warhammer, Tekken, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Lord of the Rings and even…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
Adventure Game Fans, You’ll Probably Want to Play Journey Down
Indie adventure game The Journey Down, which has actually been available in various versions for a while now, but today sees the release of a “HD” version which turns the formerly low-fi experience into something a little shinier. If you’ve never played it, but love adventure games, you should see about fixing that. Of all…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
Diablo III Can Be Played Outside, On a Laptop, On a Freakin’ Mountain
For all the concern over Diablo III’s requirement to always be online – and it’s a very legitimate concern, given many people’s twitchy connections – let’s not forget the trivial flip side to that situation: the gamers trying to push the limits of just how connected they can be while playing. Reddit user puttputt has…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2012 -
40,000 Orthodox Jews Fill New York Stadium For Internet Rally
Sunday afternoon at New York’s Citi Field, and the stands are full to capacity. They’re packed not with New York Mets fans, though. They’re packed with 40,000 Ultra Orthodox Jews, there to attend a rally against the more nefarious aspects of the internet. These amazing images, snapped by Getty photographer Mario Tama, capture the rally…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2012 -
Here’s Three People Coming Back For Mass Effect 3’s Extended Ending
BioWare’s extended ending sequences for Mass Effect 3, which are looking to give players a little more closure on the series, will feature lines from at least three of the franchise’s main voice actors. Lance Henrisken (Admiral Hackett), Tricia Helfer (EDI) and Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan) have all confirmed they’ve been back in the recording booth,…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2012 -
A Few More Beyond Good & Evil 2 Screenshots
Over the weekend, some supposed new screenshots of Beyond Good & Evil 2 – or at least BG&E2’s tech demo – look to have turned up. Interestingly, while they share the same setting as the last screens (and the tech demo video), these actually have star Jade front and centre, and show sequences not depicted…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2012 -
These Avengers Action Figures Look so Real You’ll Think They’re Tiny Actors
Bar none, Hong Kong outfit Hot Toys make the most realistic action figures on the planet. So it’s nice to know that, with The Avengers destroying box office records all over the planet, Hot Toys has the license to produce large, expensive and very fancy figures based on the movie. Nearly every major character in…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2012 -
GameStop Becomes…a Mobile Phone Provider
You buy games at GameStop. You buy games hardware at GameStop. You may sometimes even buy a magazine or action figure. Very soon, though, you’ll be able to add something a little unexpected to the list: mobile phone plans The multinational games powerhouse will soon, in the US at least, turn itself into a telecommunications…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2012 -
Capcom Tries to Fix Street Fighter X Tekken, Breaks it Instead
In updating the console versions of Street Fighter X Tekken to fix a few bugs, Capcom has accidentally introduced a new one, which completely breaks the game. Whoops. Anyone updating to 1.04 and using Rolento’s knife to attack a projectile will find that the results are not exactly desirable, in that it locks the game…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2012 -
Why Grown Men Make Things Out of LEGO
We feature a lot of LEGO here on Kotaku, for good reason: it’s awesome. But the spaceships or Star Wars dioramas we show you are rarely made by kids, or Danish engineers. They’re usually made by grown men. Why would they devote so much time and energy to expressing themselves using what for many is…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2012 -
Please, Stop Torturing us With These Metal Gear Rising Torture Videos
There’s a simple rule publishers need to adhere to when it comes to live action marketing: either do it right, or don’t do it at all. Skimp on the quality, even just a little, and what you end up with will probably be a bit shit. Ubisoft know the rule pretty well. Konami? Konami don’t…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2012
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