Culture

This Week in the Business: Fortune Also Favors the Cautious

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “Being too ambitious, as we have seen with THQ for example, is not always a good thing.”—Koch Media co-founder Dr. Klemes Kundratitz, on rapid growth at Koch Media and its publishing arm Deep Silver QUOTE | “GameStop has at least 10…

Leaked E-mails Suggest Bethesda Misled Gamers About Prey 2

Arkane Studios is making Prey 2. Officials at the company behind the game just didn’t want you to know yet.

The Week in Games: A Dream Effort

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team on the 3DS kicks off the week of new releases, but it has company coming later in the week. Heist-shooter Payday 2 rolls out on three platforms and the Summer of Arcade continues on Xbox Live with Charlie Murder. Today • Mario and Luigi: Dream Team (3DS) Tuesday • Europa…

Sunday Comics: The Shape of Things

Welcome to Kotaku‘s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics, chosen by our readership. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira. Published Aug. 9. Read more of Nerf NOW!! Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Published Aug.…

This Week in the Business: The Customer Isn’t Always Right

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “There’s one mistake that they all make, and that mistake is listening to their customers.”—Jesse Schell, noted game designer, on why Microsoft and other big companies can have a hard time introducing new technology QUOTE | “Who knows if there’ll be…

Capcom’s Heroes Look Awesome as Samurai

Ever wonder how Capcom’s greatest heroes and heroines would look as samurai? Or ninja? Or geisha? Well now is your chance! Onimusha Soul is a Japan-only browser (and smartphone)-based customizable card game. Much like in the Valkyria Chronicles browser game, you build your own squad and battle against the squads of other players. But the…

The Week in Games: Pik-Me-Up

Today’s release of Pikmin 3 on Wii U, plus Tuesday’s Tales of Xillia on PlayStation 3 and Dragon’s Crown on PS3 and PS Vita, wake the video game release calendar up from its usual midsummer slumber. Today • Pikmin 3 (Wii U) Tuesday • The Sims 3 Dragon Valley (PC, Mac) • Dragon’s Crown (PS3,…

Sunday Comics: Infinite Variety

Welcome to Kotaku‘s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics, chosen by our readership. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner. Brentalfloss the Comic by Brent Black, Andrew Dobson and Dan Roth. Published July 30. Read more of Brentalfloss the Comic Penny Arcade by…

This Week in the Business: ‘Like Having a Dead Body Handcuffed to You’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “I don’t think they should have had a physical drive on Xbox One—it’s like having a dead body handcuffed to you.”—David Darling, founder of Codemasters, discussing the revolution of digital distribution QUOTE | “What I don’t like in the games industry…

It’s A Crying Shame This Video Game Never Got Made

Rodrigo Ribeiro, a senior concept artist at Spark Unlimited (and formerly of Insomniac), recently published these images of a game that sadly never saw the light of day. Pity. Because I’m completely in love with the character designs. The style of the guys and girls below falls somewhere between “Gorillaz” and “The Goon”, which pushes…

Taco Bell is debuting a new Doritos Locos Taco flavor on August 22. They’ve done Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch. What could it be? I’m hoping plain.

League of Legends, Mass Effect & Loads of Rad 80’s Tributes

Since we last saw the supremely-talented Dave Rapoza, he was doing some of the best fan art in the business. Now he’s doing some of the best business art in the business. Like half the planet these days, he’s done some art for iOS card game Legend of the Cryptids, as well as work for…

The Wonderful World of Video Game…World Maps

Thanks to Attract Mode for pointing out Are We There Yet?, a site that’s dedicated to collecting and showing off one of gaming’s most important – and often cutest – aids, the world map. It’s concerned mostly with older stuff, from the 80s and 90s, and covers everything from fighting games to old arcade titles…

There Is A Literal Use For The Term “Lady Killer”

We’re looking today at the work of OXAN, a visual development studio that does work for games, movies and magazines. Some of the stuff below is from Applibot’s Legend of the Cryptids, an iOS card game that is killingit when it comes to art. You can see more of their work at the studio’s CGHub…

Breaking Bad Images So Good You’ll Think They’re Photos

Based in Osaka, Riccardo Minervino is an Italian CG artist who works for Capcom. Meaning, Yeah, these Breaking Bad shots aren’t screengrabs from the show, they’re 3D models. You can see similar shots of a similar amazing quality here Most of the images you’ll see below are terrific 3D images, then, but I’ve also included…

Lay’s Special Chip Flavors Return As If Nothing Happened. Jerks.

Those bastards After the emotional rollercoaster Frito-Lay has put me through, introducing me to wondrous flavors and then tearing them away, there is no way in hell I am buying these again — not even my beloved Chicken & Waffles. The four bags I negotiated for on Twitter last week do not count, of course.…

Wow, There Was A Daytona USA That Was Also A Little Bit…RPG

It wasn’t made by Sega, sadly, but whatever: around 2003-04, there was an arcade version of Daytona USA going around that added RPG elements to the famous racer. Put together by modders, it was called Daytona USA : GTX 2004, and featured a range of little changes and improvements to the original like upgraded visuals. The…

The Week in Games: Onward to August

Interceptor Entertainment’s revival of Rise of the Triad highlights this week as video games close out a slow July and look to a hotter August. Other releases include Cloudberry Kingdom and a collector’s edition for Terraria Tuesday • Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (PC) • Terraria: Collector’s Edition (360, PS3) • Cities in Motion…

Sunday Comics: Extreme Makeover

Welcome to Kotaku‘s Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics, chosen by our readership. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner. Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich. Published July 22. Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Published July…

This Week in the Business: Used Games Put Consumers in ‘Awkward Spot’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “We need to curb [used games] on the retail side. We’re putting the consumers in an awkward spot and we shouldn’t have to.”—Ready at Dawn boss Ru Weerasuriya, saying that GameStop and other outlets exploit developers and consumers QUOTE | “Publishers…