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Hockey Stars’ Brains and Brawn Matter More in NHL 12
Hockey’s video game superstars will perform more recognizably like their real world counterparts in NHL 12, anticipating turnovers, powering their way to the goal and playing a more proactive defense, the game’s producer said at Electronic Arts’ Summer Showcase this afternoon. In past editions of the ice hockey simulation, players perfomed very reactively, producer David…
By Owen Good -
Nintendo Says Netflix Viewing on Wii U Controller is “Theoretically” Possible
Credit to Forbes for pressing Nintendo of America’s president, Reggie Fils-Aime, on the take-it-anywhere capabilities of the Wii U’s touch-screen controller. In an interview, Forbes’ David M. Ewalt asked Fils-Aime whether it was possible to watch streaming video on the controller. “The messaging comes right from the console. So the programming would need to originate…
By Owen Good -
Swamp Ass, the Silent Tragedy that Strikes Each Summer
July is now upon us, and even for those who use the month to explore the great indoors, that means humid conditions that trap heat and condensation. Nathan Fillion is here to urge gamers to know the risks, protect themselves, and do their part to eradicate the antisocial disease known as Swamp Ass. [h/t The…
By Owen Good -
Xbox Live Indie Devs Plot Another ‘Uprising’
On the heels of the “Indie Games Uprising” of the winter, Xbox Live’s indie development community is planning a 10-game indie blitz from Aug. 21 to Sept. 2. The organizers just put out that trailer and come Aug. 1, will begin taking a vote on candidates for inclusion through their Facebook page Meantime, the snippets…
By Owen Good -
EA Blames Post-Release Policies for Crysis 2‘s Disappearance from Steam
Electronic Arts has followed its claim that Steam “expelled” the EA-published Crysis 2 with an explanation that some EA games will not be available over Steam, the leading PC download service, because of a dispute over how they are patched and updated. This comes, of course, a month after EA opened Origin, its own digital…
By Owen Good -
Man Deploys ‘Madden Defense’ to Beat Murder Rap
A man on trial in North Carolina for killing his pregnant fiancée says he could not have been the killer, and is using a screen capture from a game of Madden NFL as his alibi. Michael Mead, accused of killing Lucy Johnson, 31, in 2008, showed a “screenshot from the gaming system to a private…
By Owen Good -
Confederate Army Uniforms Pulled from Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace
Microsoft removed a Confederate soldier’s uniform and cap from an Xbox Live avatar items collection, following complaints from users about what the symbols represent. The gray uniform and cap, recognizably symbols of the American Confederacy, went on sale in an “American History” collection that featured Revolutionary War-era garb, fireworks, and an Abe Lincoln stovepipe hat…
By Owen Good -
Space Station Internet Too Slow for Online Video Games
Regarding life in space, everyone has three questions: How do you poop, has anyone screwed, and can you play video games up there. Alright, maybe the first two are more commonly asked, but we have an answer to the third question now. Chris Hadfield (pictured), a Canadian astronaut, said the Internet connection aboard the International…
By Owen Good -
Rockets’ Red Glare
Bursting in Air | On Independence Day weekend, what’s more American than soccer and fireworks? Fans of FC Dallas celebrate the nation as well as a 2-1 victory over Columbus. (Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty) Dress Up Your Xbox Live Avatar Like a Confederate on July 4 While I don’t read any statements or endorsements of historical…
By Owen Good -
Culture
Welcome Our New Insect Overlords
There’s probably a reason everything and its brother went on sale this weekend. That’s because there are next to no new releases for the coming seven days. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, on 360 and PS3, is your big highlight. Tuesday Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (Xbox 360, PS3) — The followup to Earth Defense…
By Owen Good -
Dress Up Your Xbox Live Avatar Like a Confederate on July 4
While I don’t read any statements or endorsements of historical viewpoints behind this, Microsoft had to figure someone would notice that it’s now selling a Confederate Army uniform for your Xbox Live avatar’s virtual dress-up and call it out as a borderline offensive gesture. One of our readers saw it, and did. Listed generically as…
By Owen Good -
‘Stache Porn
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. •Top 10 Mustaches in Video Games [Gaming Bolt] C’mon guys. *points at own mustache* *points at Crecente’s* Although while Revolver Ocelot is a solid choice,…
By Owen Good -
Wii U Zelda May Look Totally Different From That E3 Demo
Nintendo closed its E3 reveal of Wii U, its new console, with a real-time demonstration of a Legend of Zelda concept, in high definition (screenshot above). Don’t get your hopes up that it’s what the final game will in fact look like. Nintendo could go in a completely different visual direction. Why would they do…
By Owen Good -
Mass Effect 3‘s Makers Aren’t Ready for Tali’s Closeup
We are 8 months from Mass Effect 3‘s release and still unaddressed is one critical detail everyone expects the trilogy will at last reveal: the unmasking of Tali. In an interview with CVG, Casey Hudson, the executive producer for the game, implied that the team hasn’t conclusively decided what to do about Tali. Reading his…
By Owen Good -
CultureShop Contest
Board Game Box Art
This week we learned of World of Fourcraft, a game that turns New York into a giant game of real-life Risk. That got me to thinking about the box art that predated today’s video game packshots, and thus our latest Kotaku ‘Shop Contest challenge. Somewhat open-ended yet plainly straightforward: Take a video game and give…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
A new month means a new image in #TAYpics, and we have our first winner. Skitzogreg, come on down, you’re the first to be featured in Talk Amongst Yourselves for July 2011. Hope everyone is enjoying day two of their long weekend. This is Talk Amongst Yourselves, so that and other topics are kosher as…
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 June 27. – Read more of Awkward Zombie Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published June 27. – Read more of Nerf…
By Owen Good -
CultureShop Contest
Caught ‘Em: Winners
Our latest ‘Shop contest took inspiration from the capture of the notorious gangster Whitey Bulger. We’ve got a list of the 20 most wanted ‘shops inside. Their crime? First-degree hilarity. Given the go-ahead to use Asshole Dog, Cilixblade (3) struck first. Companion Cube (5) followed with a quick ‘shop. Everyone knows how I love that…
By Owen Good -
Wait a Minute, Could Uploading Video of Video Games Really Send You to Prison?
It might in the future, according to one reading of Senate Bill 978, assuming it gets passed. This is a proposed law put before the Senate about a couple months ago, but the games community just sat up and noticed once it read the language and understood the totality of its prohibitions. The proposed law…
By Owen Good
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