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How To Lay People Off in the Video Game Industry
A layoff is a layoff is a layoff, to misquote Gertrude Stein. Surely, they all suck. But they also happen. Some would say they have to happen, capitalism being what it is and such and such. So, all of you big, powerful gaming industry executives who employ people to read Kotaku for them, when you…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 21, 2012 -
Four New Comics You Could Buy This Week, But Just One That You Must
Regular Kotaku comics man Evan Narcisse had to dash off to a meeting and asked me, the guy who has pretty much only been reading all—yes, all—of Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers run for the past month, to recommend some new comics worth buying this week. Hmm. Let’s see. How about… Dragon Age: Those Who Speak…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 21, 2012 -
Looks Like We’ll Know the Wii U’s American Launch Date and Price by September 13
Nintendo is holding a major Wii U press event in New York City on September 13, hosted by Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. An invitation sent to select media outlets today promised a day that will let us learn “more about how the Wii U will change the future of gaming and entertainment.” Sure,…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 21, 2012 -
Unintimidated By Apple, Nintendo’s Boss Says The World Still Needs Dedicated Gaming Handhelds
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata can tell you when Nintendo would stop making its own handheld systems. He can tell you, hypothetically, when a line of machines that has gone from Game Boy to DS to 3DS would end and Nintendo’s games would appear on the hardware made by other companies instead. Last week in San…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 21, 2012 -
Reviews
The Nintendo 3DS XL: The Kotaku Review
Who are you? Are you a person who has a 3DS? You should think about upgrading to the 3DS XL. Are you a person who does not have a 3DS at all? You should get one. The $200 3DS XL is a very good gaming machine, possibly the best portable gaming device ever, which, yeah,…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 19, 2012 -
Nintendo Chief: Mario Is Part Of Gamers’ DNA
The line of games that started with Super Mario Bros and extends to this week’s New Super Mario Bros. 2 have an unusual, innate appeal, according to the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata. “Sidescrolling Mario has a special existence in that it really is part of the fundamental DNA of gamers,” a cheerful Iwata said…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2012 -
Square Would Like You To Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Final Fantasy
The 25th anniversary celebration for Final Fantasy will kick off in a couple of weeks, a few months short of the series’ 24th anniversary, but, hey, no one ever said the numbering of anything Final Fantasy-related was logical. The series that debuted in Japan in December 1987, will be celebrated in grand style in Tokyo…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 16, 2012 -
This is Call of Duty‘s New Class Selection In Board Game Form
You can read about how Call of Duty: Black Ops II changes multiplayer class-selection with the introduction of a pick-10 system. It’s all explained right here. Or you can just stare at this board game prototype of the system from the creators of the game. The only thing that would make this better is if…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 15, 2012 -
Three Cheers for the Losers in the Video Game Wars. They’re the Best.
Ask a Sega Dreamcast owner. Ask a Nintendo GameCube owner. They’ll tell you something that is true: it’s a pleasure to be the owner of a game console that’s in last place. It also kind of stinks, because your console gets the fewest games and your friends mock you all the time. But the fact…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 14, 2012 -
Reviews
Three Huge Reviews, All Right Here: Darksiders II, Sleeping Dogs and Papa & Yo
The slow summer is over! Today, we’ve got three reviews of three major video games. Two of them, you may have heard of. The third is a pleasant surprise. Darksiders II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Kate Cox checks out the sequel to the cult hit. Is it more than the sum of its influences? And…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 14, 2012 -
Bad Hotel is the Next iPhone Game You Should Care About
Yesterday, I kept telling my colleagues about Bad Hotel. You need to play this game, I told them. It’s cooler than all of us combined. (Maybe that’s not so hard?) Bad Hotel? They were confused, because it doesn’t even sound like the name of a video game, let alone a good one. And then I…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 14, 2012 -
7 Must-Watch Minutes of Remember Me, Capcom’s Very Cool, “New” Sci-Fi Game
At first it looks like Assassin’s Creed, but it’s futuristic, stars a lady and… wow, this game looks cool and goes places AC has never gone. Seven minutes of footage, mostly stealth and platforming, as our heroine tries to trick her target into killing himself. You’ve seen it before, until the part where you’re playing…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 14, 2012 -
Black Ops II Multiplayer Blowout: Scorestreaks Replace Killstreaks, Livestreaming Goes Big-Time, Leagues, and More
So much for Call of Duty being gaming’s safely predictable 800lb gorilla. The people making the new Black Ops II are changing multiplayer. A lot. Adios, Killstreaks Black Ops II is still a first-person shooter (set in the high-tech future of 2025, mind you) and players will still be able to spend endless hours virtually…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 14, 2012 -
The Better Name for ‘Girlfriend Mode’ Is Probably ‘Co-Star Mode’
One of this morning’s Internet dramas involved Randy Pitchford, head of Borderlands development studio Gearbox Software, complaining about the website MCV‘s condemnation of a reference to a “girlfriend mode” for Borderlands 2. The “girlfriend mode” is not an official mode in the game, nor does it appear to be an official name, but it was…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 13, 2012
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