Michael McWhertor

Apple Takes Swipe At Nintendo DS, PSP In Portable Game War

iPhone maker Apple has been clear about its interest in highlighting games for platform, calling the iPod Touch the “funnest iPod ever,” but it hasn’t taken a competitive swipe as blatant as the one it made today. During Apple’s “It’s Only Rock And Roll” event today, Phil Schiller showed pictures of the Nintendo DS and…

How To Build Your Own Big Daddy, Step By Step

With Halloween just around the corner, make sure your ability to scare the bejeezus out of little children is set at maximum mind warp by making your own Big Daddy costume. Expert costumer Harrison Krix shows you how. You’re going to need plenty of cardboard, foam and a working drill—yes, that Big Daddy drill spins—plus…

Conan O’Brien Tests His Sobriety With The Beatles: Rock Band

Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien took The Beatles: Rock Band for a spin during last night’s episode, showing just what a gifted fake musician he is. Of course, he had a little help from his friends. Dhani Harrison, son of The Beatles’ George Harrison and The Beatles: Rock Band consultant, was a guest on last…

You Lookin’ At This Army of Two: The 40th Day Box Art?

We love a good box art. And we always appreciate a bad box art. But I’m not sure under which column the new Army of Two: The 40th Day cover falls, spooky, dramatic and explosion-filled though it may be. At the very least, it’s consistent with the original, with our heroes Rios and Salem once…

Square Enix’s Nier Already Getting A Spin-off?

Nier, the action adventure role-playing game from Square Enix and developer Cavia, is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next year. That game may already have a spin-off title in the works, according to the newest Famitsu Weekly. It appears that Square Enix will be releasing the game we know simply as Nier…

Gameloft Brings Halo-esque N.O.V.A. To iPhones

Publisher Gameloft is bringing Hal… err, N.O.V.A. to Apple’s iPhone, a sci-fi first-person shooter that we’re going to say is the developer’s best clone of a wildly successful game to date. N.O.V.A. was shown for the first time today at Apple’s “It’s Only Rock And Roll” event, evoking thoughts of Halo familiarity from our liveblogging…

Obama Namechecks Xbox Once Again In Speech To Kids

President Barack Obama is once again tossing the old Xbox under the bus, naming Microsoft’s console in a speech to schoolchildren today, implying it might interfere with their education. Or maybe this is just smart product placement… In a peppy speech that focused on promoting education and personal responsibility, Obama made brief mention of Microsoft’s…

Report: Nigerian Gov’t Upset Over New PlayStation Ads [Update]

While news of the PlayStation 3 price drop to $299 USD appeared to have been met with universal praise, it appears that one group isn’t so thrilled with Sony. That would be the entire country of Nigeria, apparently. According to reports citing a statement from Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili, the…

Contra Rebirth, Super Return of the Jedi Scroll Onto Nintendo Weekly Downloads

This week’s batch of newly downloadable titles for WiiWare, DSiWare and Nintendo’s Virtual Console is a 16-bit paradise, as Konami’s Contra Rebirth and LucasArts’ Super Return of the Jedi overload the Wii with side-scrolling action. Other less spritely items are also available, including the colorful arcade shooter ColorZ for WiiWare and the bite-size DSiWare offering…

Sony’s High-Res Image Enlargement Tech Could Make PlayStation Store Awesome

Sony’s “High-Resolution Image Enlargement Technology” may not have the coolest name, but the PlayStation 3 and PSP software could make for a much more interesting, zoom-tastic PlayStation Store. Shown at the recent CEDEC conference in Tokyo, the high-res image tech makes for a sweet looking calendar, smoothly scaled images and embedded web pages, but not…

PAX Organizers Report “Confirmed Swine Flu Case” From Show

Communication from official PAX sources indicate that the show may have been home to an infestation of the H1N1 flu virus, more commonly known as the Swine Flu, with Penny Arcade reps urging attendees to monitor symptoms. The official PAX Twitter account wrote today “Just heard of our first test-confirmed swine flu case at the…

Commodore 64, No Longer On iPhone

iPhone owners with a retro enthusiast streak got some good news this weekend — an approved Commodore 64 emulator was now available for the Apple platform via the iTunes Store. Today, the bad news hits. That C64 app has since been removed, due to the accessibility of the emulator’s built-in BASIC system, according to Pocket…

Meat Bun’s 50% Off Labor Day Sale Means Cheap Video Game Ts

For today and today only, we’re marking down anything and everything Meat Bun. That means 50% off every tee, from old stuff to new stuff to deluxe stuff as we make way for even newer, equally good stuff! Head on over to the Meat Bun online store to grab whatever it is we have left…

Guitar Hero 5 Review: Do The Evolution

Activision returns to a simple numbering scheme for the Guitar Hero series with the fifth entry in the core-focused, band non-specific entry, Guitar Hero 5. That’s reflective of its largely gimmick-free gameplay as well as the series’ evolution. Guitar Hero 5 doesn’t offer as much in the way of new, innovative features as, say, Guitar…

SexBox, The Adults Only Gaming Console Is Coming

Finally, we adults may have a console to call our own, one on which we can enjoy adult situations, adult language and adult movies. Silicon Xtal Corporation has filed a trademark for SexBox, a console dedicated to Adults Only entertainment. Silicon Xtal Corporation, an integrated circuit and passive component manufacturer, has filed for the SexBox…

New Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Screens Assassinate Subtlety

Team Ninja’s not necessarily known for their restraint, as new Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 screen shots helpfully illustrate. There’s a heavy emphasis on co-op action, should you be able to decipher what’s happening on screen here. Plenty of shots of Ryu, Ayane, Rachel and Momiji in their alternate costumes in the latest batch of media,…

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Gallery

Sony “Aware” Of PlayStation 3 Firmware Issues

Earlier this week, reports from PlayStation 3 owners indicated that users of the latest firmware were experience problems, specifically with the game Uncharted and the DualShock 3 controller. Sony says today it’s “aware” of those reports and “looking into the matter.” Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications, updated the official PlayStation.blog today to assure…

Meet Left 4 Dead 2’s “Jockey” Infected

You’ve read about the horrific annoyance of Left 4 Dead 2’s newest special infected, the Jockey, now see him standing very, very still, probably for the only time. The Jockey joins the Charger and Spitter as the newest super infected in the Left 4 Dead universe, a Survivor driver who will steer players away from…

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Should the stars align this weekend, I’ll be playing Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. But that may turn out to be an unlikely scenario, so a few back up games here at Kotaku Towers West will have to suffice. That would be two PlayStation 3 games, Guitar Hero 5 and Demon’s Souls, which will…