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Former QB: “Majority” of NCAA Players “Happy” to be in Video Game for Free
Last month a former Arizona State quarterback sued the NCAA and Electronic Arts for the uncompensated use of his likeness in EA’s NCAA football franchise. Another ex-QB says most have no problem with it. When at Michigan State, Drew Stanton researched how universities profit from the marketing of jerseys with active college players’ numerals on…
By Owen Good -
Hong Kong PSN Battles Swine Flu with DLC
Linking the PlayStation Store to current events or causes isn’t new; SCEA donated $10,000 to Earth Day in a video store promotion. But Sony Hong Kong’s leveraging of swine flu is a bit dubious. TAWKN found this PlayStation Store promo, only in Hong Kong, that definitely plays on the fact some people there are tripping…
By Owen Good -
iPhone Devs Create Games Seal of Quality
Five independent developers of games for the iPhone and iPod Touch have formed a collective brand, called App Treasures, which they hope will steer more business to indies as larger publishers move into the space. The seal, called App Treasures, will direct users who bought a game carrying the seal to other games listed under…
By Owen Good -
Big Surf Island Price, Achievements Leaked Early
A couple pages for Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island went live early, giving up the game’s price and list of achievements and trophies. Tipsters who spotted the price page before it was removed said the game will cost $12.99 (€12.99 in Europe, £9.99 UK) on PlayStation Network and list for 1000 Microsoft Points on Xbox…
By Owen Good -
‘Nine Games That Went Too Far’ Doesn’t Go Very Far Itself
Surprise, surprise. Of nine “games that went too far” named on a network news website, which is the only one gamers have actually, you know, played? Hint: It rhymes with “Schmand Schmeft Schmauto IV.” Here’s the list, truly representative of the worst of the worst that everyone is playing, compiled by ABC News in a…
By Owen Good -
NFL Retirees, Union Finally Settle Madden Licensing Lawsuit
Saying it wanted to patch things up with its increasingly embittered and estranged retirees, the NFL Players’ Association dropped its appeal of a multimillion-dollar judgment related to former players’ uncompensated appearance in EA’s Madden series. The NFLPA will agree to pay $24 million to the plaintiffs and drop its appeal of the $26 million judgment…
By Owen Good -
Scribble Off the Keyboard Cat
This can-you-stump Scribblenauts game is getting even more absurd. Einstein? Got him. The Kraken? Of course. We were even told they put Crecente in but cut him at the last minute. Still, Keyboard Cat remains. Because this entire game is a nonsequitur, it needs an establishing sentence. In Scribblenauts (for the DS), you’re given a…
By Owen Good -
German Pols Push to Ban Development of Violent Games
Germany’s latest demagogue tantrum against “killerspiele” – violent video games – could be shrugged off as hot air, except for the fact it would ban even their development. So Germany-based Crytek would have to move. The interior ministers of Germany’s 16 states have unanimously asked the German legislature to ban outright the distribution, sale, and…
By Owen Good -
Hacked Ms. Pac-Man ROM Wins Hand in Marriage
There seems to be no end to the ways gamers propose to their brides. A North Carolina man successfully popped the Q with using a hacked Ms. Pac-Man ROM and a modded cocktail table cabinet. This came from Kotaku reader Daniel, who is friends with Chad H., a librarian at the U. of North Carolina.…
By Owen Good -
Billy Mitchell Denies and Denounces Taunting Tweets
Some unsportsmanlike tweets attributed to Billy Mitchell are 100 percent fake, says the Donkey Kong world record holder. G4TV has reported that Mitchell, via Twitter, taunted rival Steve Wiebe after his unsuccessful attempts this past week to claim the Donkey Kong world mark that Mitchell holds. “The day after #Wiebe could not pull it off…
By Owen Good -
L4D Sequel Met with Much More than Indifference
Whatever your view is of internet boycotts, Left 4 Dead might be the first critically acclaimed franchise whose announcement of a sequel was answered by nearly 10,000 fans pledging not to buy it. Since the game was unveiled June 1 at E3, a Steam group called L4D Boycott (NO-L4D2) has assembled 9,742 members as of…
By Owen Good -
Miyamoto Laughs (Kinda) at Other Motion Control Projects
Considering both of Nintendo’s rivals announced motion-control projects, one wonders what Shigeru Miyamoto’s reaction would be. The BBC asked if Ninty was “in danger of getting left behind by the competition.” Laughter has no translation, but if Shiggy’s did, it might be “The f—k you talking about …?” Click to view Go up to 3:50…
By Owen Good -
Activision CEO Unhappy No Console Price Chop Announced
Bobby Kotick, the Activision CEO, says that in these hard times the console makers should all do their part and lop a hundy off the retail price of the current generation rigs, so gamers can buy more full-price sequels. Speaking to Bloomberg news, Kotick said he was “disappointed not to see any sort of aggressive…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku Originals: But Wait, There’s More!
E3 week delivered a deluge of stories, previews, impressions, hands-on, live blogs and well, just coverage, but that doesn’t mean the flood stops here. Let’s recap a mammoth news week – more than 250 posts on E3, nearly 100 of them classified grade-A originals – but remember much more is on the way. Probably another…
By Owen Good -
Is 1 vs 100’s Participation Capped? (Updated)
1 vs. 100, the free Xbox Live game show open to, theoretically, everyone, is telling U.S. players “the game session is full” on the first day of the beta. The U.S.’s first live beta event was scheduled for 10:30 p.m. EDT. At that time, having already downloaded the beta, I got an error screen (GO29)…
By Owen Good -
Party On
To: Luke From: Owen Re: The Final Countdown Have a blast at E3, although I’m not sure what you’ll be writing about, since the weekend was slap full of rumors and leaks bigfooting on all the big stuff to be announced this week. Kidding, of course; I’m sure Crecente will have you running like valets…
By Owen Good -
Week in Games: Anything Else Going on This Week?
Releasing during E3 always strikes me as risky. Gamer interest might be high, but everyone’s talking about what’s coming out in the next year, not what’s coming out now. That said, this coming week you can pick up Red Faction: Guerrilla or Fuel on consoles; The Sims and Terminator: Salvation on PC, and some catz…
By Owen Good -
E3 Activity Book: Fun With No Purpose
For those too young to attend E3 – which is to say, damn near all of us – B-Miggs and Agent B have cooked up their latest laugher: The E3 Activity Book for Kids, with its deadly accurate Nintendo presser mad libs. There’s tons of fun in this 4-page pdf, which you can print out…
By Owen Good -
Sell a Used Game in Florida, Leave Your Thumbprint
The sheriff of Broward County, Fla. (Fort Lauderdale) says Florida law requires him to treat used games the same as merchandise sold at pawn shops. That means sellers can’t go home with their cash (or store credit) without leaving a greasy smudge. According to the New Times of Broward-Palm Beach, the sheriff sent deputies to…
By Owen Good
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