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CultureShop Contest
Photobombed Cosplay
OK, team, if you’ve been paying attention, we’ve been hinting at this week’s ‘Shop Contest subject for the past four days. We’ve rounded up a dirty dozen of the most exploitable cosplay pics so far from Comic-Con 2011. It’s up to you to bring the more-funny! Your mission awaits inside! Our theme begins with an…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku Shop Contest Source Gallery
Spy photobombs Yoshi, Birdo and Tinkerbell. Gumby observes a giant Dalek in a pickup truck. Darth Mario. The Venture Bros. Mini Clones. Slave Leias. Solid Snake and Crystal. Lady Spartans. Super Mario Bros. and Peach. Captain America asks a question at the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 panel. Finalists in Konami’s cosplay contest. Lightning plays…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
Well, after this, we are officially done broke when it comes to TAYpics. Not that we have philosophical disagreements with free labor or free artistic content round here or anything, but, goddamn, get it in gear. Otherwise we’ll have to run pictures of sharks and shit and quotes from Eddie Murphy in this space. Today’s…
By Owen Good -
Culture
Sunday Comics
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 July 18. – Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published July 18. – Read more of Nerf…
By Owen Good -
The Cosplay of Comic-Con—Day 3: Venti Snake
Being a Saturday, day three of Comic-Con 2011 saw no letup in the parade of cosplay across the halls of the San Diego Convention Center. And those who have braved the stampeding horde know why the in-house Starbucks would need an armed patrol by this old soldier. Saturday saw appearances by Obi-Wan, Han Solo, the…
By Owen Good -
CultureShop Contest
Chillin’ with Chell Winners
Last week’s ‘Shop Contest served as a warmup for the cosplay explosion of San Diego Comic-Con 2011. We’ve got several entries that will be hard to follow. This week’s top 20 awaits you inside! Off the bat, Koda89 (12) came up with another animated entry that we have to present as a YouTube video. Go…
By Owen Good -
Captain America Makes a Decent Proposal at Comic-Con
The Living Legend proposed to his girl yesterday at Marvel’s Comic-Con 2011 booth. (Given the setting and costumes, these appear to be actors rather than civilian cosplayers, but the proposal is genuine.) As seen by Comic Book Therapy [h/t Daniel K.]
By Owen Good -
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Features More Alternate Costumes, Midair X-Factor and, Yes, Some New Characters You May Have Heard About
Leaning into the microphone, Ryota Niitsuma led his remarks on Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 with not so much a piece of news as it was a reminder. “There will be 12 new characters in the game,” the game’s producer said (through an interpreter) “though I’m sure you already know all the information about that.”…
By Owen Good -
Well, That’s One Way to Combat Misogyny in Gaming
Enthusiasts of military-style first-person shooters are not well known for their progressive thoughts on the matter of gender. The organizers of a large LAN party in Texas, scheduled to celebrate the launch of Battlefield 3, have decided the best way to deal with any slurs hurled at female gamers is to simply forbid them from…
By Owen Good -
Why Uncharted 3 Isn’t Using Facial Motion Capture
With some big-budget games with strong narratives—L.A. Noire, Resistance 3—now using facial motion capture to add depth to their characters and dramatic impact to their scenes, it’s somewhat noteworthy that Uncharted 3 isn’t. There’s a reason for that, though. “It gives us more flexibility to pick the best physical performances and the best audio performances…
By Owen Good -
Heisman Poise
Taking inspiration from a Stick Jockey column a few weeks ago, encouraging sports gamers to take overcome their on-field setbacks without quitting or reloading from a previous save, as the game will ultimately deliver a reward. One reader’s pursuit of comprehensive greatness fell short, but embodied the lesson. Following a superb freshman campaign in NCAA…
By Owen Good -
You’ll Battle Bosses Bigger than a Planet in Asura’s Wrath
Asura’s Wrath, a new game (joining Dragon’s Dogma) due for a 2012 release, got a showing at the World of Capcom panel yesterday at Comic-Con. Here is a two minute video full of gameplay, showing off the game’s beat-em-up adventure cred. In story and in action, it does seem a little God of War-y but…
By Owen Good -
Shark Week
Mr. Vaughn, what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It’s really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that’s all. Now, why don’t you take a long, close look at this sign. Hardware • Nintendo 3DS (Cosmo Black, Aqua…
By Owen Good -
William Shatner Leads 3,000 People in a Group-Khannnn
Wrapping up a panel on Star Trek: The Captains, William Shatner’s documentary about the leading men of the Star Trek universe, Capt. Kirk rose to reprise the most famous four-letter word in Trek history, the subject of “The Long Khan,”, a documentary about the meme which premiered earlier this month on EPIX. Shatner asked that…
By Owen Good -
Halo: Anniversary Promises a New Perspective on Old Memories
Here is exactly what was shown of Halo: Anniversary‘s singleplayer campaign, today at Comic-Con 2011. The demonstration was also given to press at E3 back in June; this is its first public display. It covers the classic level “Silent Cartographer,” and showcases the ability to switch between updated high-definition graphics and the low-def visuals of…
By Owen Good -
Uncharted Writer Originally Wanted Chloe Frazer’s Voice for Elena Fisher
Elena Fisher began as a Spanish character, the writer of the Uncharted series said. The adventure’s female protagonist was originally conceived as “Elena Vargas,” and originally, writer Amy Hennig wanted Claudia Black, the voice of Chloe Frazer in Uncharted 2 to voice her. Hennig revealed the detail of Fisher’s creation on Friday at a panel…
By Owen Good -
Mass Effect‘s Depth Will Save It From the Fate of Most Video Game Movies
Mass Effect won’t suffer the same fate as other video game movies, said the screenwriter assigned to the project, because it draws on far more than the “seductive” visuals and active sequences that all video games are known for, whether or not they are accompanied by a story with any depth. “In the early days…
By Owen Good -
Halo: Anniversary will Include New Content, Old Visuals and Updated Girlfriend References
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the high-definition remake of the landmark Halo: Combat Evolved, will feature new narrative content and on-the-fly switching between its new presentation and the graphic mode of the original. The news, first revealed to the gaming press last month, was delivered publicly to a couple thousand Halo fans packing a panel on…
By Owen Good