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Nintendo Hopes Their Newest Mario Game is the Series’ Much-Needed ‘Missing Link’
There are millions of people who enjoy playing Super Mario games that are three dimensional, games you play from behind Mario’s back. But there are millions more who enjoy playing 2D Super Mario games, games that show Mario from the side. Those games, like New Super Mario Bros. on the DS and New Super Mario…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 23, 2011 -
In Defense of PETA’s Attack on Super Mario
Last week, the People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, ticked off a lot of people who like video games. But maybe the gamers shouldn’t have been so upset about that whole “Mario Kills Tanooki” thing? On one side we had the notorious animal-rights rabble-rousers complaining that Super Mario endorses the wearing of fur…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 23, 2011 -
Is That New BioWare Game a Mercenaries Game? Or a Command & Conquer One? How about an Army of Two One?
Here’s an interesting theory, hatched by an astute video game message-board poster: the new BioWare game that will be revealed during next month’s Spike TV Video Game Awards is a Mercenaries game. This is just a theory—EA’s comment to us about it: “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation”—but let’s consider the speculation and gathered…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2011 -
The Kindle Fire Just Might be a Kick-Ass Gaming Machine
Amazon’s new $200 Kindle, the Kindle Fire, isn’t just a book-reader that happens to run Scrabble and Sudoku. It runs lots of Android-compatible games: the usual suspects like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, but also… the $7, high-end sci-fi horror game Dead Space There was an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Dead Space. The Fire…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2011 -
‘When we show a power-up to Mr. Miyamoto, we get a bit nervous.’
You are working on a new Super Mario Bros. game. You have a new idea for a Mario power-up, something that could be as delightful as the original fire flower or the invincibility star for Mario to headbutt out of a block and temporarily try on. How do you do that? Real people have to…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2011 -
Super Mario Bros. 2 Was a Tiny, Tiny Influence on Super Mario 3D Land
Nintendo is a company in love with its past, or at least the popular parts of its past. Except for Super Mario Bros. 2, a game the company doesn’t talk about much. Sure, Super Mario Bros. 2 let players choose from one of four Mario-verse heroes, a pre-cursor to the multiplayer New Super Mario Bros.…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2011 -
Pepper Spray Cop is Now a Video Game Joke, Too
He sprayed Occupy movement protestors at the University of California, Davis with pepper spray last week. He seemed to do it nonchalantly. And now the country’s most notorious campus cop has become an Internet meme (and his boss has been put on leave). Armed with Photoshop, people have placed this Pepper Spray Cop in many…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2011 -
Augmented Talk Amongst Yourselves
Today’s Talk Amongst Yourself is presented through the science-magic of augmented reality. Take out one of the specially-printed cards packaged with the original copy of TAY that you purchased (you didn’t buy TAY used, did you?). And switch on the AR mode in your TAY viewer. Voila! Also, please chat here about video games. Thanks…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2011 -
Infinity Blade II Won’t Be One of those 99-Cent iOS Games
Infinity Blade II, the big sequel to one of the most acclaimed games on the iPhone and iPad will cost $6.99 when it is released on December 1, according to the game’s creators. Games for iPhone and iPad usually go for a dollar or two, but Epic Games and Chair, the developers of the game,…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 21, 2011 -
World of Warcraft ‘Law Enforcement Guide’ Supposedly Reveals What Blizzard Would Tell the Cops about You
As of mid-2009, the creators of World of Warcraft were retaining the IP histories of its users indefinitely and was drawing the lines about what information about its players that it would—or could—reveal to law enforcement personnel, according to a document released on Friday. The ins and outs of how Blizzard Entertainment would respond to…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 21, 2011 -
Reviews
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations: The Kotaku Review
What do you want out of a video game? What should you hold against a video game, and what should you let slide? One more question: Do your answers change if we’re talking about a sequel? Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, the fourth major Assassin’s Creed game released since November, 2007 arrived this month as perhaps the…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 21, 2011 -
There Will Soon be Two Hitman Games in Development on Different Continents
A new Hitman game will begin development next year in Montreal, according to the game’s publisher, Square-Enix Eidos. The game will be made by a new studio opening in 2012 called Square-Enix Montreal, a sister to Square-Enix Eidos, makers of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The new Hitman shouldn’t be confused with Hitman Absolution, which is…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 21, 2011 -
Shigeru Miyamoto Was Right. Zelda is 50-100 Hours Long*
Back in September, Nintendo’s top game creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, thrilled fans and intimidated busy people by claiming that the the new Zelda, the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword would last 50-100 hours But the length of a game is, to a developer, like the size of a fish is to a boastful fisherman. Was Miyamoto…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 21, 2011 -
Before You Start… Tips for Playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword the Best Way
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a massive game. And it’s a little less straight-forward than other recent Zeldas. I don’t want to spoil the game’s surprises, but I want to give any of you who are planning to play it some tips about how to get the most out of the game. Think…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 20, 2011 -
Nintendo GameCube Turns 10, Still Slightly Older than Nintendo’s Newest Good Character
Happy 10th birthday, Nintendo GameCube. No one threw you a party. The GameCube is, I believe, the most wrongly disrespected console in gaming history. People laughed at it because it was a purple box that played a Luigi game in an era when more people wanted to play Grand Theft Auto III on a black…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 18, 2011 -
ReviewsThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: The Kotaku Review
About 20 hours into playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, one of the Wii’s most ambitious games, I shook my head and realized why I was frustrated with a game that I was enjoying. The new Zelda was fun, I thought, but it was also something else. It was formula. It was the fourth…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 18, 2011 -
What did the Skyrim Gamer Say to the Skyward Sword Gamer?
Michael Fahey has now played Skyrim for more than 60 hours. Stephen Totilo has now played The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for more than 40. Surely, these two have something to say about how these two games compare. They do. They have discussed these two titanic games, tried to find common ground, took unwarranted…
Michael Fahey and Stephen Totilo Published November 17, 2011 -
I Would Rather Be Applauded Than ‘Achieve’
Some time ago I realized I did not have a certain common video game fever. I didn’t care about one of the most popular elements of modern video games: the Achievement. Our last half-decade has seen Achievements swell in popularity, first on the Xbox 360, then on the PlayStation 3, the iPhone and beyond. Rivaling…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 17, 2011 -
The iPhone Rescues Superman From the Clutches of Bad Video Games
He flies. He has heat vision. He catches crashing airplanes. And he usually stars in bad video games. Not today. The Man of Steel’s new game, which is simply called Superman, is very good, if you play it on the iPhone or iPod Touch. The game is about being the mightiest super-hero in the world,…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 17, 2011 -
These Are the Most Interesting New Comic Books This Week, with a Dash of Valve and a Sprinkling of Mass Effect
Man, it’s late. You should have gone to the comic shop by now. It is Wednesday, you know. That’s when new comics come out. And I have recommendations about which ones you should buy. Sorry they’re late, but, hey, the shop will be open tomorrow, too. And you could always download at least some of…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 16, 2011
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