Owen Good, Author at Kotaku

Armed Robber Demands Just Dance 2014

Armed robbery is a violent crime; with priors, you’re looking at a really long stretch in the state pen if you get caught. So it’s prudent to call ahead and make sure the game store you’re robbing has the title you want. In Tennessee, one robber wanted to be sure his local GameStop had Just…

By Owen Good Published January 18, 2014

This Gentleman is Upset He Was Not Invited to Titanfall‘s Alpha

What happens when you don’t get a beta alpha key for Titanfall? Well, you pack a lipper, grab the camera and go to YouTube to sound your barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. (Audio definitely NSFW. Use headphones.) In the grand tradition of Mr. Bitch-Eat-That-Ho from Street Fighter comes this customer service complaint…

By Owen Good Published January 18, 2014

Grand Theft Auto Online Has an Unofficial ‘Combat Photographer’

The snapshot feature of Grand Theft Auto V isn’t just for taking selfies on the top of the Maze Bank. Some have used it to create gorgeous landscapes, and this gamer has taken it upon himself to be the “combat photographer” of Los Santos. Redditor cy_sperling on r/games today, says he wanders the city in…

By Owen Good Published January 18, 2014

Someone Bid $1,200 for the Finnish-Language Manual to an NES Game

For some reason, the typed, un-illustrated manual, in Finnish, for Bram Stoker’s Dracula on the NES is a very desirable collector’s item. Finland’s equivalent of eBay currently has a listing for one, where it’s been bidded up to the equivalent of about $1,200 U.S. NeoGAFer PetriP-TNT found the listing today, noting that the Finnish Dracula…

By Owen Good Published January 18, 2014

Grand Theft Auto Online will be down for maintenance beginning tonight at 9 p.m. EST. Rockstar Games says it will return “within 24 hours” after then.

By Owen Good Published January 15, 2014

Apple Has To Pay Back Parents Whose Kids Bought Stuff In iPhone Games

Apple will pay at least $32.5 million and change its billing practices in order to settle complaints over children racking up in-app purchases in iPhone games without their parents consent. The Federal Trade Commission announced the agreement today. The $32.5 million figure is a minimum refund amount to consumers and not a fine. Last summer,…

By Owen Good Published January 15, 2014

Don’t Worry, Indie Sensation No Man’s Sky Is Still Coming

After a flood wiped out the offices of Hello Games on Christmas Eve, fans’ first thoughts turned to No Man’s Sky, which wowed viewers of the Spike VGX a month ago. Will that game be delayed? “We won’t let that happen!” The studio writes. Despite high-spirited statements, an update today does paint a grim picture.…

By Owen Good Published January 15, 2014

PlayStation Store Says The Last of Us Prequel DLC Arrives Feb. 14

The first DLC extension for The Last of Us, “Left Behind,” will launch on Feb. 14, Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog said in a Tweet this afternoon. The chapter is a prequel to the main story, hadn’t been officially dated before. “Left Behind” will explore the friendship between Ellie and another young survivor named Riley,…

By Owen Good Published January 15, 2014

Titanfall‘s Custom Controller is Ready for Drop in March

A limited edition Titanfall Xbox One controller (that’s it, pictured) will be available at the game’s launch this March, Microsoft said this morning. It will cost $64.99. The design is meant to evoke “a piece of military spec hardware transported from the universe of Titanfall,” said the lead artist for Respawn Entertainment, makers of the…

By Owen Good Published January 15, 2014

Broken Age Aborts Early Access Launch for Season Pass Approach

Broken Age, the crowdfunded adventure from Double Fine launching today to its backers, won’t be offered on Steam Early Access. It will, however, release under a “Season Pass” model that gives buyers both of two planned episodes. “Early Access” releases generally carry the impression the game still is in progress or is incomplete. Double Fine…

By Owen Good Published January 14, 2014

If Google Was A Guy He’d Probably Be Really Annoyed

College Humor wonders, “What if Google was a guy?” And by that, it means, an actual person who took your queries, rooted through a filing cabinet, and handed you what you were looking for. It’d mean that guy would have to put up with a lot of this, probably. Looks like a rather crummy job.…

By Owen Good Published January 14, 2014

Call of Duty‘s DLC Will Turn You Into Michael Myers from Halloween

That quick tease Activision gave this morning of Call of Duty‘s new maps “doesn’t look anything like Call of Duty,” I said. Well, there’s a reason you’re lugging around a fire axe. One map, “Fog” will turn you into Michael Myers, the killer from Halloween. Completing a field order in fog turns you into the…

By Owen Good Published January 13, 2014

SimCity is Finally Getting Offline Play

After insisting a year ago that such a mode was nearly impossible, offline play is coming to SimCity, Maxis has announced. It will be delivered in Update 10 for the game. A timeframe for that update was not included in the announcement. “We are in the late phases of wrapping up its development and while…

By Owen Good Published January 13, 2014

It’s official. Confirming the earlier rumor, the Onslaught DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts will release Jan. 28. Activision released the following short trailer detailing the first episode of a four-part Extinction-mode story. It doesn’t look anything like Call of Duty.

By Owen Good Published January 13, 2014

Dad Has No Idea What He’s Doing in Grand Theft Auto

Video games provide a fertile field for generational gap humor. One young man just took his father for a spin with Grand Theft Auto V (and some wine), secretly recording the observations. He seems to grasp the central theme. “Take that copper! It’s society’s fault!” It helps that father and son are British, as nonplussed…