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Ubisoft: DRM ‘Vital’ to ‘Creative and Innovative’ PC Games
Ubisoft wants PC gamers to know it’s heard the complaints and anger regarding its DRM “online services platform,” and, after careful consideration, it’s digging in. The creative side of the company is now calling it vital to what they do. “We consider that protecting our PC games is vital to our business,” Max Béland, the…
By Owen Good -
Roger Ebert Asks a Good Question
The Chicago Sun-Times film critic has finally revisited his old contention that games can never be art, to defend it “in principle,” and to dispute about that which cannot be disputed. He also asks a great question. “Why are gamers so intensely concerned, anyway, that games be defined as art?” Ebert’s got a point. This…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Coupons: The Good, the Bad, and the Frugal
There’s two types of people in this world, my friend. Those with Weekend Coupons, and those who dig. You dig. Hardware • The Xbox 360 “Super Elite” 250GB bundles, coming in the Splinter Cell: Conviction or Final Fantasy XIII flavors, are $349 plus $10 shipping at Walmart.com. Next best price is $400. [Dealzon] • Walmart.com…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku Originals: Warfare of Attrition
Few stories can overwhelm a major game reveal like Gears of War 3, but the disintegration of the studio that pumped out 2009’s cash powerhouse definitely qualifies. If ever there was a week for pyrrhic news victories, this was it. Kotaku Talk Radio Call of Duty: Legal Warfare The Modern Warfare Fight: Your Guide to…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
This reminds me of something Crecente would always say on the cops desk, when a hospital spokesperson told him a victim was in “stable condition.” And that is, “Death is technically a stable condition.” So keep your discussions unstable! Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ
By Owen Good -
In a First for Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption Gets Difficulty Settings
Rockstar says Red Dead Redemption will feature three different difficulty modes, and while they’re limited mostly to just the game’s aiming feature the studio is calling the variable difficulty a first for any open-world game it’s ever built. There will be an expert free-aim mode with no auto-lock, a standard aiming mode that snaps the…
By Owen Good -
School Play Confronts Video Game Addiction [Updated]
If you’re near East Brunswick, N.J., a high school play being staged this weekend certainly has a modern and timely subject – video games addiction, and relationships falling apart because of it. Today’s production is probably over by now, but tomorrow at 7 p.m., “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom” (pictured) will be performed by students…
By Owen Good -
Modern Warfare 2 Platformer Shows Breach-and-Clear in 2D
Hey, if Modern Warfare 3 falls hopelessly behind schedule as Infinity Ward crumbles, maybe Activision can go this route instead. Well, maybe except for the part about this PC game being 100 percent free. I suppose a spoiler alert is in order for some of this, at least the conclusion. Anyway, this platformer was apparently…
By Owen Good -
ESPN Broadcasts Come to NCAA Football 11
Last year’s NCAA Basketball 10 rendered its games in the broadcast style of CBS Sports and ESPN. That game died but the concept survived; NCAA Football 11 will deliver ESPN’s college football package of graphics, wipes, themes and more. A blog post by the NCAA 11 team late yesterday shed more light on what we’ll…
By Owen Good -
Broadcast Camera Angles in MLB 2K10
Angel Stadium (Los Angeles Angels) [Pitcher, 6-8-3 Right] Took forever to get this one close, but Dallas Braden’s slider points the way, lining up against the advertising placard. Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) [Pitcher, 6-10-3 Right] To be honest, I’m not a big fan of this effort. I was too fixated on the rosin bag…
By Owen Good -
Reviews
Final Fight: Double Impact Micro-Review: Take Two and Call It a Classic
Beat-em-ups of the ’80s were long on action and short on story. Like Capcom’s Final Fight, re-released this week for consoles. Just how ridiculous is the idea that a former pro rassler could be elected to high office in America? Final Fight: Double Impact, a downloadable title pairing the eponymous game (starring a mustachioed politician…
By Owen Good -
Canadian Gov’t Gives $4 Million to ‘Too Human’ Studio
The bunch that brought you 2008 dud Too Human is now on the public dole, getting a $4 million gummint check the studio says will help it build its next AAA-game. The Canadian government gave the money to Silicon Knights of St. Catharines, Ontario, under the auspices of a local development grant. Instead of a…
By Owen Good -
No Additional DLC for Green Day: Rock Band
Point of clarification: The tracklist for Green Day: Rock Band revealed this weekend included six songs labeled “DLC.” These have always been available for Rock Band 2. A producer says there won’t be any additional tracks released for this game. The six DLC cuts are from last year’s rock opera 21st Century Breakdown, the remainder…
By Owen Good -
Mean Girls Game Capitalizes on Film’s Popularity, Lohan’s Career
Six years, three arrests and three rehab stints after Lindsay Lohan starred in Mean Girls, its video game adaptation is being released. Without LiLo on the box. This, folks, is what the suits call “leveraging a hot property.” Better yet, it’s actually been two years since Paramount was said to be working up the game…
By Owen Good -
South Korea to Impose Overnight Bans on MMO Gaming
Wracked by sensational news reports that have made the nation a caricature for games addiction, South Korea is imposing throttling and even six-hour blackouts on 19 MMOs comprising 79 percent of the local market. The squelching comes courtesy of the nation’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and does allow gamers to choose a window…
By Owen Good -
The Real Consequences of War Fought Virtually
The blowup this week over gun-camera footage showing an Army operation raised comparisons to “video game-like” behavior by the men pulling the triggers. NPR’s “On the Media” looked at this controversy and the relationships among games, tactics and weapons systems. “On the Media” spoke with Clive Thompson of Wired for 10 minutes. “I’m a little…
By Owen Good
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