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Tire Maker Erases All Evidence of Kevin Butler Playing a Wii [Update]
A couple weeks back, a tipster reminded me that Jerry Lambert, the actor who has portrayed “Vice President of Everything” Kevin Butler in the PlayStation ads for the past three years, once appeared in an ad for Bridgestone tires playing a Wii. It was quirky, but a little outdated. Interestingly, that video has since been…
By Owen Good -
The Latest in Evil DLC
Holy shit! It’s the return of Evil, Evil DLC! We’ve been on hiatus through all of the summer, but now we’re back to scold all of the pre-release preoder bonuses and day-one DLC drops for the big fall season. Far Cry 3-Monkey Business Pack Available: Why the fuck hasn’t Far Cry 3 come out yet?…
By Owen Good -
Actually, It is Kinda B.S. That Bayonetta 2 is a Wii U Exclusive
It’s funny when anyone on the Internet flips out, but no one does it better than the video gamer. When the issue involves someone not getting what they want, when they want it, at the price they want it—and you yourself don’t want it—it’s entertaining as hell watching someone break into a Rumplestiltskenian fit on…
By Owen Good -
Backhanded Box Quotes: “Tolerable With Friends … but So Is Dying of Bowel Cancer.”
Welcome back to “Backhanded Box Quotes,” a collection of measured, thoughtful criticism from the user reviews of Metacritic, Amazon and elsewhere. Two games this week released to nearly universal acclaim, unless you’re The Wall Street Journal. Borderlands 2 and Torchlight II. But in the great shining ideas marketplace and opinion democracy known as consumer reviews,…
By Owen Good -
FIFA 13‘s Early Release is Here, So Let’s See Some Celebrating
You’ll get Roberto Soldado’s somersault, Mario Balotelli’s flex appeal, and tons more goal celebrations as part of the new package of animations in FIFA 13, which unlocked 30 minutes ago for holders of the EA Sports Season Ticket early weekend program (on Xbox 360 and PS3). FIFA 13 arrives in North America on Tuesday, Australia…
By Owen Good -
NBA 2K13‘s MyTeam Means All Team Sports Have an ‘Ultimate Team’ Mode Now
Spotted earlier in lists of features, achievements and trophies, folks weren’t too sure what to make of “MyTeam” a new mode coming to NBA 2K13. This video explains it and, for lack of a better term, it sounds a lot like the “Ultimate Team” mode EA Sports introduced with FIFA 10 three years ago. That…
By Owen Good -
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge Slices and Dices, and Still Cuts Through a Beer Can Like This
This is a couple minutes of gameplay for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, the Wii U launch title that carves through dough-headed stooges like this and still can slice a tomato like this. The game throws blood all over the screen as Ryu traipses, mostly unchallenged, through what appears to be an early level. On-screen…
By Owen Good -
Sports Video Gaming’s First Panel Show, Available Now by Podcast
Press Row, a discussion of sports video gaming and current topics in the industry and the sports they reflect, debuted yesterday. It’s a collaboration of some of the biggest publications and sites dedicated to the subject, including Operation Sports, GamesRadar and Polygon. I was one of the panelists in the debut discussion. Press Row has…
By Owen Good -
NBA 2K13‘s Demo Will Put Its Money Where Its Multiplayer Is
NBA 2K12 launched last year with a slew of online problems, disconnects, failures to connect and outright crashes, practically all of it tied to a decision to rewrite the game’s old online codebase, which dated back to the game’s Dreamcast origins and was an agonizing blemish even on a consensus game-of-the-year like NBA 2K12. In…
By Owen Good -
EA Sports Coded College Games With Real Names, Say Lawsuit Emails
EA Sports used the real names of college players when coding its NCAA rosters internally and the NCAA’s licensing authority argued that the publisher should be allowed to include them in the games themselves, according to emails turned up in a lawsuit against both the publisher and the NCAA, ESPN reported yesterday. It’s a small…
By Owen Good -
ReviewsF1 2012: The Kotaku Review
This past week, I haven’t felt as helpless or as vexed behind the wheel since I was 15 years old and trying to divine the magical balance between clutch and gas pedal that actually sent my mother’s BMW 325e forward along our farm’s gravel road. Each time the vehicle shuddered and stalled out, I was…
By Owen Good -
Separated at Birth: NBA Coach Avery Johnson, and the Hovitos Fertility Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark?
A figurehead atop a slowly sinking team, and a figurehead atop a slowly sinking stone. Separated at Birth is pure conjecture. It is not even half-assed genealogical research. Any resemblances are purely coincidental, no matter how hilarious.
By Owen Good -
Culture
The Week In Games: Run for the Border
The overwhelming top release this week is the highly anticipated Borderlands 2, on all three core platforms. Torchlight II at week’s end also is not to be missed. Tuesday • Borderlands 2 (360. PS3, PC) • F1 2012 (PS3, 360, PC) • Kinect Sports: Ultimate Collection (360) • Jet Set Radio (PSN) • Street Fighter…
By Owen Good -
In Search of the World of SportsCraft
Brian wanted to go to Boise State. I remember that much. Eight years ago, captivated by NCAA Football 2004, I asked my closest friends from grad school to give me their preferred position and college. I was going to create all of us as blue-chip prospects in the game’s recruiting engine and see where we…
By Owen Good -
This Cereal’s Font—and Its Namesake—Seem to Scream ‘Mario’
This is a box of “Marios,” a novelty product pitched by Mario Williams, a new member of the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line, and currently on sale in Buffalo-area grocery stores such as Top’s. Proceeds from the sale of this cereal benefit patients and families of children being treated at an area cancer institute. The nameplate…
By Owen Good -
ChrisWarcraft’s Weekly NFL Quest, Level Two: Break the Horses of Middle Earth [Update]
Last week Chris Kluwe, the Minnesota Vikings punter and noted World of Warcraft and RPG fan, cast his team’s season opener in terms of an MMO quest. He’s done the same thing this week so we’ll hold him to it and chart his progress. Although, I do wonder who the quest-giver is: Is it head…
By Owen Good -
Frank Ocean Just Up and Leaves His Saturday Night Live Performance to Play Some Galaga
As promised, the R&B singer/songwriter Frank Ocean brought John Mayer to last night’s performance on Saturday Night Live. The two performed on a stage surrounded by some arcade cabinets with nondescript glass and cabinet art, but they were running ROMs of real games in attract mode. It appears to be a big coup for Namco…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: The More You Know
Alright, hang with me here. While gazing at Dishonored‘s box art, I convinced myself I was looking at a deranged steampunk Destro. I’ve been too cute with topical subjects lately, so I’m just going to give everyone a concept and let you run wild with it. I want to see insane G.I. Joe cameos in…
By Owen Good -
A New Game on Mega Man‘s 25th Anniversary? Don’t Get Your Hopes Up, Says Capcom
Just because a series celebrates its 25th anniversary doesn’t automatically mean we’re going to see a new game out of it. Metroid is a notable example. And 2010 came and went without any kind of re-release of Duck Hunt That said, Rockman/Mega Man fans note the game turns 25 on Dec. 17, and the last…
By Owen Good
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