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EA Invokes First Amendment Protection for Video Games in Trademark Dispute with Helicopter Maker
Electronic Arts is asking a federal judge to rule that it has a First Amendment right to depict real-life military helicopters in video games such as Battlefield 3 without the permission of the aircraft’s maker. The action, basically a pre-emptive lawsuit against Textron, the parent company of Bell Helicopter, comes after discussions between the two…
By Owen Good -
Minecraft‘s Mobile Version is Getting an Update in February
A free update due to arrive in February will bring Minecraft: Pocket Edition closer to the Survival Mode of the game’s wildly popular PC version, says Daniel Kaplan of Minecraft maker Mojang. Kaplan wrote that the Mojang team plans on submitting an update for its iOS and Android versions on Feb. 8. Once approved, the…
By Owen Good -
Bullet Blender
Welcome back to the Kotaku ‘Shop Contest. We’ve got another exploitable that should become an all-star callback in 2012 like the ones we just saw yesterday: The Bullet Bill Blender. Less talky, more ‘Shoppy, so let’s do this, mkay? Source Image: Custom Bullet Bill Blender by Mustard Seed Dreams; image by Bake With a Vengeance.…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
In the morning, in the evening, ain’t we got TAY … We do now, I guess. Welcome back to our call to do something you already do: Talking amongst yourselves. Big thanks to ‘Shop superstar Pan1da7 for today’s TAYpic. We just got a new one of those, so everyone should be eager to ‘shop it…
By Owen Good -
Culture
Sunday Comics: The Safety Dance
Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published Jan. 2.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published Jan. 6.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by…
By Owen Good -
All-Star Finale Winners
Last week we closed out the Kotaku ‘Shop Contest for 2012 with an all-star reunion, tasking our elite contestants with bringing together as many of 2011’s top exploitables as possible. We’ve got 20 all-pros in a gallery inside, plus overall winner Kazaxat, inside! To recap, for New Year’s Eve, I gave the ‘Shop Contest community…
By Owen Good -
Please Stop Sending Me Links to Zillion-Dollar Xbox Live DLC
Jan. 1 happened exactly six days ago, and as of then, gun props for Xbox Live avatars were prohibited for sale. Problem is, plenty of people either already bought or acquired those items (by, like a code in a special edition or something) well before that policy went into place. These customers are entitled to…
By Owen Good -
Maybe It Isn’t a Sport, But Is Pinball a Sports Video Game?
I’ve tried to be open-minded about what constitutes a sports video game, largely because the genre has so few new titles or competing products in a given year. Pinball FX 2, one of my favorite games of 2011, has struck me as a quasi-sports video game for a while, I just couldn’t really articulate why.…
By Owen Good -
The Old Republic‘s First Major Update Adds New Bosses and a Raid
If you rolled a character on Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s public test server, go check out the game under its first major patch. BioWare pushed it out today, and it includes new bosses and mini-raid. “Kaon Under Siege” a level 50 flashpoint—a smaller raid limited to a group of four—has been added to the…
By Owen Good -
Price of PSN Game Is Put Up to a Poll, but There’s a Catch
The creepy survival-horror game Amy, about a psychic girl caught up in a zombie-like pandemic, is due for release on Wednesday on Xbox Live, where it will cost 800 Microsoft Points. Alright. It’s due out on Tuesday on PlayStation Network, for a price of $12.99. That means the game is effectively $3 more on the…
By Owen Good -
Call of Duty Dominates Xbox Live’s Top 10 Most Played in 2011
The three most recent editions of Call of Duty went one-two-three in the top 20 of Xbox Live’s most-played titles, as measured by unique users connected to the service, reports Major Nelson. The only thing in the top 10 that wasn’t a shooter or sports title was Skyrim, at No. 6. Black Ops was No.…
By Owen Good -
What the Hell is Sonic Doing in a Car Insurance Ad?
This is appropriate. Every time I’m out speeding around and run into something, I feel like I’ve lost all my rings, too. Apparently Progressive Insurance is starting an ad campaign featuring Sega’s mascot getting a scolding from Flo (cosplayed at DragonCon 2010.) Why exactly, who can tell. If they actually took a look at Sonic’s…
By Owen Good -
Analysis Alleges Microsoft Gimped Third-Party Video in the New Xbox Dashboard
Shortly after the new “Metro” dashboard for the Xbox 360 was released to the public, Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry noticed that in-dash video was of a poorer quality than the same video played elsewhere. Investigating further—as Microsoft remained totally silent on the matter—it’s discovered why: They say the software development kit given to third parties is…
By Owen Good -
Watch a WWE Legend Burn Down a Village in Skyrim
I believe the famous professional wrestler, given name Randall Mario Poffo, once said “The same fire the dragon breathes, he shall burn by.” True words, brother. But we’re going to see a lot of the former, not so much the latter, in this video of the opening sequence in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, where…
By Owen Good -
Sick, and Twisted
New year, new games. Our forward-looking Moneysaver finds pre-order values on 2012’s first hot releases, including SSX and Twisted Metal. And a new year also means price drops on last year’s hits. More than 50 deals in software, hardware and digital distribution are inside! Software • Feb. 14 release Twisted Metal (PS3) is $47.99, free…
By Owen Good -
These Greek Mythology Flash Games Are Eternal Torture
Pippin Barr is back at it again. The video game researcher and artist has built a series of flash games based on the eternal, ironic punishments meted out in Greek mythology, so you can know the agony of Tantalus, Prometheus and others. Illustrated in super-retro Atari 2600 style, the games involve rapidly pressing two keys…
By Owen Good -
Capcom Says It Never Said It Supported SOPA, Won’t Say It Doesn’t Support SOPA, Either
Earlier this week, according to Digital Trends, a Capcom spokesperson was asked for the company’s position on the Stop Online Piracy Act. “The ESA represents us on these matters,” was the reply. The ESA supports SOPA. Applying the transitive property, that means Capcom supports SOPA. Not so, says Christian Svensson, who blamed “bad journalism” for…
By Owen Good -
Hold on to Your Butts, Samuel L. Jackson Now Plays Modern Warfare 3
Eight months after confusing teammates and adversaries in Black Ops, the guy running a Samuel L. Jackson soundboard took Jules Winnfield/Mace Windu/Eddie Murphy’s uncle into some Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, with much better dialogue selections and more hilarious, and oblivious, reactions. I realize voice communication over Xbox Live is not always crystal clear, but you’ve…
By Owen Good -
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
I have always said you don’t need family for the holidays, you need family for after the holidays. This weekend kicks off the long slog to March, or April if you’re really in a bad climate. For those who aren’t hanging around their family, it’s a good time to sink into a game and punch…
By Owen Good -
Microsoft Refunds Money Lost in Xbox Live Phishing Scam, Promises Better Customer Service
Microsoft said it has intervened to restore the Xbox Live account of a customer hit by an overseas phishing scam, and refunded all unauthorized charges the scammers were able to make as her complaint got lost in customer support and was never properly locked down. Further, a Microsoft spokesman tells Kotaku that the company is…
By Owen Good
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