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Reviews
Assassin’s Creed II: The Battle of Forli Micro-Review: An Un-Machiavellian Plan
Kotaku’s runner-up for 2009 Game of the Year gets its first expansion with the downloadable, playable bonus “memory” of The Battle of Forli. Somehow managing to be essential and unessential, it’s unlikely to be nominated for DLC of the Year. The Battle of Forli is presented in terms understandable to Assassin’s Creed II players as…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 29, 2010 -
Hei$t Cancelled
There a lot of cop games, but no so many about robbers. Codesmasters’ Hei$t, which was to be one of the rare few, has been canceled publisher Codemasters told IGN today. Codemasters told the site: “After a much extended development period, Heist has been terminated as a project and removed from our release schedule.” We…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 28, 2010 -
Things We Don’t Need To See, Such As Our Speed
I just finished racing a couple of laps of Disney’s Split/Second racing game. Impressions to come. But first an observation about something I couldn’t observe: the racing game’s speedometer. It had none. And I didn’t miss it. Split/Second’s designers, as we’ve noted in earlier previews, have worked to streamline the look of their racing game,…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 28, 2010 -
Why A Man Plays Mario
I’m 33 and, with mixed emotions, I play games that star Super Mario. The people who sell Mario games would say it’s great to play Mario games. Mario is for everyone. My gut tells me that playing Mario, the adventures of a fat plumber in a Mushroom Kingdom of warbling enemies and happy conflict, is…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 28, 2010 -
“Enemies Who Will Ride The True Momentum Of A Gunshot”
It’s one of those things that gamers get but non-gamers wouldn’t. In the latest video hyping the features of the company’s April-targeted western Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar Games demonstrates that every person you shoot in the game will fall uniquely. Watch the full trailer for information about which guns you can use in the game,…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 28, 2010 -
11-Year-Old Girl Chases Xbox Robber With Crutch
In a roundabout way, one New Zealand girl got her stolen Xbox back. Wellington-based newspaper The Dominion Post tells the tale of 11-year-old Rena Sciascia, whose dad was too hobbled by a broken leg to chase a burglar who bolted from the Sciascia’s home earlier this week with Rena’s iPod and Xbox in hand. Rena…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 28, 2010 -
From Our Podcast: Co-Op FPS On iPhone Coming, Bayonetta 2 Not Next
Did you miss Kotaku’s live podcast? Then you missed some news. Download links and an excerpt right here for you. Ngmoco’s Chris Plummer, producer on popular iPhone first-person-shooter Eliminate not only became the first Kotaku Talk Radio guest to need to be bleeped on air (he was pumped!) but he also told us that “We…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 27, 2010 -
iPad Doubts: A Gamer’s Problems With Apple’s Wonder Machine
The Apple iPad may be great for web-browsing. It may be the best slate on which to list half of the 10 Commandments since solid rock. But, for gamers, well, thou shalt have some legitimate doubts about this thing. Why might the iPad not become the next great player in games? (Bear in mind, we’ve…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 27, 2010 -
This Week In Video Game Comics
Halo and Sonic comics this week. And a question for you folks: Would you be interested in this weekly round-up covering more than just video game comics but other interesting, new comics too? (Click each thumbnail for more info.) Sonic The Hedgehog Archives Vol. 12 Written by Angelo DeCesare, Ken Penders, and Kent Taylor. Drawn…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 27, 2010 -
Ngmoco, Geoff Keighley Join This Week’s Apple-Flavored Podcast
Kotaku’s podcast waits for no man, not even Steve Jobs. Today, when Apple starts the rumored Tablet press conference, we start our podcast. Call in to talk to guests Geoff Keighley and top folks from premiere iPhone game publisher ngmoco. You may know Geoff Keighley from the Game Trailers TV on Spike, from the Bonus…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 27, 2010 -
U.S. Navy: Video Games Improve Brains, “Fluid Intelligence”
The cognitive effects of certain video-game-style activities are not only impressive but can last a couple of years, a researcher for the Navy recently explained. If gamers don’t want to believe that video games have an effect on them — at least any effect that will cause them to do antisocial things — will they…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 26, 2010 -
First Apple Tablet Game Officially Announced [UPDATE]
Stand Alone Inc, maker of a Crosswords program for the iPhone, claimed today that it is also making a version of its game for the unannounced Apple tablet computer or, as they call it, the iPad. In a press release bearing no official Apple seal of approval but plenty of forward thinking, Stand Alone president…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 26, 2010 -
Aflac’s “You Don’t Know Quack” Draws Lawsuit From “You Don’t Know Jack”
The company behind one of gaming’s most famous trivia series are suing the people behind insurance’s most famous duck, as You Don’t Know Jack makers Jellyvision have filed a trademark infringement suit against Aflac. The suit, filed on January 21 in United States District Court for the Norther District of Illinois, alleges that Aflac’s You…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 26, 2010 -
Chainsaw Plus Paddle Equals Dead Rising 2’s Paddlesaw
You know how it goes: You see two everyday items that, apart, are ordinary but, together, might help you survive a zombie apocalypse? Capcom now shows us that Dead Rising 2‘s duct tape option allows gamers to cobble together such weapons. That confirms our own Brian Crecente’s theory from September: With the increased presence of…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 26, 2010 -
Left Behind Makers Want Their Christian Games On Wii, Xbox 360
In an announcement regarding the state of its business in the past year, the makers of the Left Behind video games say the time is right to bring their brand of Christian games to home consoles. From Inspired Media Entertainment’s statement for investors about company plans for 2010 and beyond: Now that the marketplace appears…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 26, 2010 -
Few Of History’s Top Books Made Into Games, Good Or Bad
With EA’s Dante’s Inferno game on the verge of release, draw your eyes to some lists of the 100 greatest books of all time. Few games have been made based on the books, for better or worse. I found a Top 100 Books list from Newsweek (a meta list of other lists), posted last summer.…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 25, 2010
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