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NBA Boss isn’t the First League Commissioner to Appear in a Video Game [Corrected]
Some ramped-up role-playing sequences in NBA 2K12‘s “My Player” career mode have delivered an unlikely first: David Stern, the NBA commissioner, is the first league officer—to anyone’s recollection—to appear, both in voice and in motion capture, in a video game. [Clarification] While Roger Goodell (NFL) presents the Lombardi Trophy in the Madden NFL Super Bowl…
By Owen Good -
Honey Badgers? In NBA Jam? It’s More Likely Than You Think
With the NBA lockout looking like it will wipe out a lot of games this year, some basketball video game makers are looking outside the league’s real life rosters to create enthusiasm and interest. NBA 2K12 for example, is bringing 15 of the sport’s greatest players to life. NBA Jam‘s going with goddamn honey badgers…
By Owen Good -
Holding Out Against a Hero
You see the icon, you read the name, you boot it up, you think Tiny Heroes is about deploying a diminutive unit to plunder the gold from the dungeon laying out there before it. Wrong. In this game, you are a goblin, and your job is to marshal your resources to keep the Tiny Heroes…
By Owen Good -
Three Out of Four Online Marriages End in Divorce, Says Korean MMO
MapleStory, the South Korean sidescrolling MMO (above), allows players to get hitched if they so choose. Sadly, many of the unions are not parted by death but divorce—20,344 out of 26,982, to be precise. Nexon, the publisher of MapleStory recently released the figures. Getting hitched runs a $25 in-world fee but splitting up doesn’t incur…
By Owen Good -
GTA IV Overtakes San Andreas in Lifetime Sales [Correction]
Grand Theft Auto IV, released in 2008, has just now overtaken its predecessor, 2004’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in total sales, says the top boss over the GTA brand. [Corrected at bottom of story.] Grand Theft Auto IV moved more than 2 million copies between March and now, according to figures cited by Strauss…
By Owen Good -
Confronting the Eternal Question: Why Don’t Video Game Heroes Pee?
Note that I said “confronting.” I can’t say “answering” because that presumes there is a good reason for the absence of urinal faculties in Ryu, Mega Man and Princess Peach. And when we get to the end of this video by Gameboyardee, we are left with even more questions. t’s best to just think of…
By Owen Good -
All About PlayStation Vita, from Tokyo Game Show 2011
In moments we are due for a keynote address on Sony’s next-generation handheld system from Tokyo Games Show, courtesy of Shuhei Yoshida, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide studios. He and Kissei Matsumoto, the no. 2 for Sony Computer Entertainment, are expected to present the latest information on the detailed specifications of this state-of-the-art…
By Owen Good -
Aaaand Harley Quinn’s Saucy Arkham Mo-Cap was Actually Done by a Dude …
Thanks for ruining that, IGN. Fortunately, we didn’t find Arkham Asylum Harley among anyone’s video game crushes from the Speak Up on Kotaku of Sept. 2. But if you want to rehabilitate your loving memory of Batman’s clown princess, I suggest a glance here You can contact Owen Good, the author of this post, at…
By Owen Good -
Deals on Deus Ex ($35) and Madden ($50) Start the Week
August’s two biggest games, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Madden NFL 12 both got discounts through Amazon. Previously Madden was offered at full price with store credits as an inducement. Today’s deal is a straight discounted price. Deus Ex now is nearly half off. • Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3, Xbox 360) is $34.99, free…
By Owen Good -
Ninja Academy
But Is It Accredited? | A new school opened this week in Jonesville, N.C. Its faculty is a little young. If you have to ask where the entrance is you probably won’t pass the admissions exam. (Photo: Katie Tysinger, used with permission) The Syndicate Reboot Is Real, First Details & Screens Leak Out of EA…
By Owen Good -
MineCon Attendees Get First Dibs on Mojang’s Next Two Games
For those on the fence about attending MineCon, the inaugural Minecraft convention to be held Nov. 18 and 19 in Las Vegas, Mojang is hoping an early look at its next two games will sweeten the deal. All attendees will receive codes for the alpha versions of Scrolls and Cobalt once the games are ready.…
By Owen Good -
Culture
The Best Game You Can Name
The good old hockey game NHL 12 headlines a robust week of releases, joined by Call of Juarez: The Cartel and The Gunstringer for Kinect. PC exclusive Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad also joins the party. Monday • Dungeons & Dragons Online: Secrets of the Artificers (PC) Tuesday • Call of Juarez: The Cartel…
By Owen Good -
Tetris Art, or, When Life Gives You an L-Piece, Use It to Create Luigi
Yesterday I featured an obvious ‘shop of Game Boy Tetris, purporting to show a playing area whose remaining blocks resembled two people having sex fucking. Boy did I miss the boat. Turns out there’s a guy out there who actually does use Tetris to create pixel art, and he just completed one of Luigi, nine…
By Owen Good -
Modding’s Biggest Hits
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there. •The 10 Craziest Console Mods Not Used for Gaming [Ranker] Smokey up there headlines a list that includes a PS3 converted into a George Foreman…
By Owen Good -
Kinect Keeps an Eye on Grandma Without Invading Her Privacy
Because of the way its camera depicts what it sees, Kinect is being used by researchers to monitor elderly patients for their risk of a fall while still respecting their privacy. The device is helping the University of Missouri’s independent living community predict health risks 10 to 14 days before their most serious symptoms manifest.…
By Owen Good -
Tax Breaks for Games Makers are So Rich, Even Oil Companies Question Their Fairness
The New York Times this morning published an extensive look at the system of tax incentives and breaks exploited by games makers, concluding that their write-offs to research and development costs satisfy the letter, but not the spirit, of 50-year-old tax policies that by now defy common sense. Focusing almost exclusively on Electronic Arts, the…
By Owen Good -
Boxplay
Yes, I’m aware I said I wouldn’t go back to the cosplay crutch so soon. Then that thing appeared at Fan Expo a couple weeks back. An anthropomorphic box cover? We can’t let that one go stale. Fire up your Photoshop, GIMP, or whatever you use and meet us inside! We’re never at a loss…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Talk Amongst Football Night in America on CBS
Good morning, fellow amongst-yourselves talkers. Today we bow our heads in solemn remembrance of a most important day in America: The NFL’s opening weekend. Commence to solemnly remembering, amongst yourselves. Big thanks to NotTheOtherBob for today’s TAYpic. Want to have your TAYpic featured here? Submit your images to #TAYpics. Check out this thread for details…
By Owen Good -
Culture
Sunday Comics: Deus XXX
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. You can contact Owen Good, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page. Awkward…
By Owen Good -
Smash Mountain Winners
Some Gamecube-playing jokesters’ trip to Splash Mountain supplied the canvas upon which our smart ‘Shoppers illustrated all sorts of hilarious scenes for the latest Kotaku ‘Shop Contest. We’ve got a gallery of 20 all-stars, plus winner meelooteen inside! Leading off, BigMike McCarthy (2) supplied a solid callback to an earlier contest. Prof. Bananas Goldsteinberg (15)…
By Owen Good
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