Michael McWhertor

Should BioShock 3 Revisit Rapture?

Now that BioShock 2 is out, a sequel that didn’t initially didn’t seem “necessary” but, upon release, sure played like it, what’s next for the franchise? Can BioShock 3 return once again to the underwater city of Rapture? That’s the question we posed to BioShock 2 creative director Jordan Thomas during today’s podcast, wondering when…

Kotaku Off Topic: Pho Time

After working for the weekend, it’s here, a few days off that we’ll celebrate with this special edition of Kotaku Off Topic, where anything goes. Well, almost anything. I’m kicking off the weekend with a little pho tonight, perhaps a few big Kirin Ichibans and some relaxation. It’ll be a frosty 50 degrees Farenheit here…

New Final Fantasy XIII Screens Let You Compare Xbox 360, PS3

Square Enix has summoned a batch of new screens for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Final Fantasy XIII, perfect for those still unsure which version will win the fidelity contest. There’s good news for both camps. There’s plenty of new, gorgeous looking screens of the game’s battles, the wide open fields, a…

Japan Is Still Big Portable Country

In Japan, the PSP and Nintendo DS platforms are still outselling the home console competition. And it’s the bigger versions of each portable platform, the standard PSP-3000 and Nintendo DSi LL, that Japan’s buying more of. Sony’s PlayStation Portable once again tops the charts, thanks to strong sales of God Eater and the three-way split…

Uncharted 2 Gets New Multiplayer Maps, Skins & Trophies On Feb. 25

Naughty Dog’s PlayStation 3 action adventure Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is about to get some fresh multiplayer content in the form of two new maps, six new player skins and all-new PlayStation Trophies and in-game medals. So why are you looking at a screen shot of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune? Well, according to word from IGN,…

Is Dead Or Alive: Paradise “Creepy”? Tecmo Says You Be The Judge

It’s not often that the ESRB describes a video game with such vigor as the ratings board did with Tecmo’s Dead or Alive: Paradise. It’s equally rare for a publisher to thank the ESRB for calling its game “creepy.” But that’s how Tecmo Koei America is promoting the mini-game-filled, jiggle-packed Dead or Alive spin-off. “Thank…

Demon’s Souls Goes Black & White For Valentine’s Day

If you have a date with a random Blue Phantom this Valentine’s Day weekend in Demon’s Souls, a Kotaku game of the year contender, make sure you’re up to speed with what’s happening in the game during the holiday. Last week, Atlus asked players to decide whether the normally red and pink holiday should be…

Japanese Gamers Hungry For God Eater

Namco Bandai’s God Eater for the PSP is off to a good start in Japan, giving 295,000 PlayStation Portable owners another taste of Monster Hunter-like hack and slash action. God Eater’s number one debut pushes last week’s software winner, Dragon Quest VI: Maboroshi no Daichi for the Nintendo DS to second place, beating out the…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

After getting through much of my obligation gaming for the week, I’ll finally get a chance to crack open that still-sealed copy of Mass Effect 2 and try my hand at some intergalactic adventure and interspecies mating. If a copy of Aliens Vs. Predator somehow bursts forth upon my doorstep in the next few hours—unlikely,…

Dead or Alive Paradise – Screens

Final Fantasy XIII Screens – Xbox 360

Final Fantasy XIII Screens – PlayStation 3

Final Fantasy XIII Screens – Xbox 360

Kotaku Off Topic: Booze Hounds

It’s been a day. A long day. So let’s relax in a warm bath of off-topic conversation while I enjoy a cold beer or three, a half bottle of wine and Demon’s Souls. We can talk booze if you want. What’s your poison? I’ve rarely met an alcohol that disagreed with me, with the exception…

PlayStation Store Update: The Heavy Rain Demo Is Here Edition

Intrigued by the prospect of Heavy Rain? Still not sold by our review of the story-driven PlayStation 3 adventure? Then download the demo, which leads this week’s North American PlayStation Store update. The decision to download or not to download has been made easier for you by this week’s additions. It’s largely comprised of new…

Halo 2 Maps, Original Xbox DLC Returns To Xbox Live

Microsoft’s plans to end Xbox Live support for original Xbox games had an unfortunate early affect — the removal of all downloadable content from Live for those older Xbox titles. The good news? That DLC is back. That means that your old Splinter Cell or Halo 2 downloadable content is once again accessible, the data…

Nintendo Is January’s Hardware Winner Once Again

Wii fever swept the United States in January, another 465,000 units of Nintendo’s white wonder snatched up by consumers. Hey, when you’re selling that many copies of New Super Mario Bros. you’re gonna need a Wii to play it on. Nintendo once again took the top two spots in the hardware race in the U.S.,…

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Was January’s Biggest Game In The U.S.

Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii had a big January, following its 2.8 million copies sold in December ’09 with another 650,000-plus copies to Mario-hungry Wii owners in the United States. The one game that came closest to Nintendo’s super popular platformer was BioWare’s Mass Effect 2, moving more than 570,000 copies on the Xbox…

Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta Starts May 3

Halo fans, make sure you have your copy of Halo 3: ODST handy in May, as Bungie and Microsoft have announced the official date you can start playing the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta. You probably already had May—or the entire spring season—booked, but put May 3 in your calendar as the day you’ll start playing.…

Activision Takes Axe To Guitar Hero’s Neversoft, Shuts Down Luxoflux

Prototype developer Radical Entertainment isn’t the only studio that got the axe from parent company Activision today. Sources close to and within developers Neversoft (Guitar Hero) and Luxoflux (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) are also being gutted. Luxoflux, also responsible for True Crime and Kung Fu Panda games for Activision, is said to have been…