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Week in Games: The Courage of One’s Conviction
Sam Fisher goes rogue this week in Ubisoft’s anticipated Splinter Cell: Conviction, getting a two week head start on the 360 before hitting the PC. An eclectic gathering of DLC and add-ons rounds out the highlights. Beginning Tuesday, Grand Theft Auto IV‘s two extensions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony become…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku’s Top Five List of Top 10 Lists
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 Top 15 Video Game Religions [UGO] We just wrapped up Religion Week here at Kotaku, and UGO also got into the spirit with a…
By Owen Good -
Bouts Booked for E3 Probably Mean Big EA Sports MMA Presence
The site MMAjunkie reports that mixed martial arts promoter Strikeforce has booked the Nokia Theatre for an event June 16, across the street from the L.A. Convention Center and smack dab in the middle of the E3 Expo. Strikeforce is the licensing partner of EA Sports MMA, due out in the fall; all the fighters…
By Owen Good -
Beta Invitations Going Out for Sims Creator’s Television Project [Update]
Emails sent by famed designer Will Wright’s Stupid Fun Club are now inviting members to participate in his experimental television project, which will engage viewers in the creation of the show’s storylines. An invitation sent Saturday morning tells its recipient they’ve been selected to participate in an unnamed project, but given recent news, and the…
By Owen Good -
Why Games Need More Than One Simple Word
No matter who is brought in to write a story or dialogue, the industry still treats the written word in such a utilitarian way that it has a second-class citizenship among the other art forms comprising a video game. That’s the argument Jamie Love makes in an essay for Gamesugar. Love notices that there are…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Metal Gear Solid Product Placement Edition
Product placement in video games is nothing new, but Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is definitely taking it to another level. You’re going to take it even further in this week’s Kotaku ‘Shop Contest. Konami had a big news conference this week to unveil the new … well, advertisements … it’ll be serving up in…
By Owen Good -
Culture
Sunday Comics
Penny Arcade published April 9. PvPonline published April 9. ActionTrip published April 5. Digital Unrest published April 5. EXTRALIFE published April 6. GU Comics published April 6. Dotgif published April 9. Ctrl+Alt+Del published April 7. Dueling Analogs published April 8. Nerf NOW published April 7. Rooster Teeth published April 8. Monday Night Crew published April…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku Off Topic: Denied
I have a penchant for making things worse. Last year I tweeted that I wanted a rubber stamp that said “DENIED.” Out of the blue a college pal had a print shop send me one, in red ink. Well, I got two parking tickets in Berkeley in January. So you see where this is headed.…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Easter Egg Edition Winners
Last week the Kotaku ‘Shop Contest got in the Easter spirit, offering up a white egg for everyone to color with a video-game theme. Some went further, hatching complicated game scenarios with the incredible edible in them. Boopadoo made the cut with Asshole Dog finding an egg instead of a duck. Many did Dr. Eggman,…
By Owen Good -
Another Patent Filing Speaks of Rumble-Enabled DS
A newly published patent application lends additional credence to what Nikkei reported last month, that Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS handheld will feature force feedback The application shows it working through a coin-sized motor. An earlier filing in February also hinted at force feedback without identifying how. Its illustrations also used a different configuration of the DS.…
By Owen Good -
Ubisoft Pledges to Improve Crappy Thing You Don’t Want
Good news, everyone! Ubisoft says it’s “constantly working to evolve and improve” its new “online services platform” for gamers. Awesome! What’s this “online services platform”? Why, it’s Orwellian b.s. for “DRM.” In other words, despite the utter fiasco its PC copy-protection scheme has been so far, that sucker is here to stay, so get used…
By Owen Good -
Batman: Arkham Asylum Getting Action Figures
Not that Batman has ever gone wanting for action figure exposure, but the Caped Crusader’s getting a new line based on last year’s Batman: Arkham Asylum game. It’ll be revealed in next month’s issue of Toyfare magazine. The line is from DC Direct. No other details are yet known, but if I had to guess,…
By Owen Good -
Netflix Disses Games-By-Mail, Old Games
Blockbuster’s been toying with games-by-mail in select markets for about a year now, but don’t expect Netflix to join the fun. Leaving aside the fact it’d be following the lead of a company it’s turned into a metaphor for dinosaur business models, Netflix just isn’t digging the idea of offering games. Said a company spokesman…
By Owen Good -
Taking Games’ Commentary Beyond Repeat Performances
Even if your wideout didn’t see that linebacker coiled up between the hashmarks in Madden, ready to hit him like a lifetime supply of bad news, anyone who’s played the game can quote from memory what comes next. It’s when Cris Collinsworth saunters up like your uncle with three or four in him before Thanksgiving…
By Owen Good -
Green Day: Rock Band‘s Full Track List
Entertainment Weekly was given first dibs on the track list for Green Day: Rock Band and while 27 of the 47 cuts are not a big surprise, you now have the complete picture of what’s available June 8. Here they are, broken down by performance venue (in the game) and album, with the DLC tracks…
By Owen Good -
Report: Machinarium/Microsoft Deal Breaks Down Over Exclusive Issue [Updated]
The studio responsible for last year’s indie adventure/puzzle hit Machinarium says six months of talks with Microsoft ended with no progress on bringing the Indie game to the Xbox 360, because Microsoft doesn’t want to support games that aren’t Microsoft exclusives. Update: The original source of this report now says: “When asked about their plans…
By Owen Good -
Weekend Coupons: Conan! What is Best in Life?
Crush the retailers! See them driven before you! Hear the lamentations of the publishers! Hardware • Personally, I’m furious about this, as I bought one half the size for more money in January. But whatever, the Xbox 360 250GB hard drive is $103.99 at GameStop today only; there’s a coupon that expires today. Get it…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku Originals: Getting Religion
Jesus H. Christ we had a lot of original copy this past week – fueled by our examination of religion in games and the latest break in the breakup of Infinity Ward’s founders and their former Activision masters. The week that was in Kotaku’s original news report: Kotaku Talk Radio K Monthly – March 2010…
By Owen Good
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