Culture Archives - Page 1511 of 1552

You Won’t Sleep After Seeing Soft & Cuddly

Soft & Cuddly was a 1987 game for the ZX Spectrum. It was neither soft, nor cuddly. It was horrifying Strange and mildly disgusting in a way only British-developed game for personal computers in the 1980s could be – and I say that as a good thing – it tasks the player with collecting the…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

There’s Live-Action Diablo Footage…From Suburban America

This old Diablo II commercial, from around the time of the game’s launch in June 2000, is notable for two things. The first is that it’s a rare example of official live-action Diablo The second is the use of the word Macintosh in the closing splash. For all the credit companies like Valve get these…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 15, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Creator of Mario and Zelda Reveals his Secrets (in 1999)

In 1999, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto gave a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference. An address you can watch here in its entirety. Remember, this isn’t the quasi-executive, Wii Music Shigeru Miyamoto we know today. This is the designer at perhaps the height of his powers, with games like Super Mario 64 still fresh…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 14, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Fresh New Images of Tired Old Hardware

If you’re short on ideas for new wallpaper, and have a bit of a thing for old video game hardware, check out French artist Alan Cloiseau’s collection of vintage Sega, Sony and Nintendo systems and controllers. His personal site has plenty more great art.

By Luke Plunkett Published May 14, 2012

Culture

Maple Bacon Fudge: The Homemade Snacktaku Review

Give a man a snack, you keep him sated until dinner; teach a man to create a snack, and he’ll make it once, tell everyone about it, and then never make it again, no matter how excellent it is. This weekend I made maple bacon fudge. I may never make it again, but I am…

By Mike Fahey Published May 14, 2012

Culture

The Worlds of Batman and Lord of the Rings, Brought Together by Art

Stacey Clark is a senior concept artist at Warner Bros.’ Monolith Productions. In this gallery, you’ll find some of her work for games such as Lord of the Rings: War in the North and Gotham City Imposters. You’ll also find some personal pieces. Check out Stacey’s blog and sketchbook for more of her stuff! Fine…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 14, 2012

Culture

Choose Your Payne

Diablo III is this week’s long-anticipated release, but it is not the only one. Max Payne 3 also arrives on consoles, as does the Game of Thrones adaptation. It’s a busy mid-May for both physical releases and downloadable titles. Tuesday • Diablo III (PC, Mac) • Max Payne 3 (360, PS3) • Game of Thrones…

By Owen Good Published May 13, 2012

Culture

Sunday Comics: Simple Math

Welcome to your Sunday read of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic. Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published May 9.—Read more of Nerf NOW!! Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published May 7.—Read more of Awkward Zombie Penny Arcade by…

By Owen Good Published May 13, 2012

Culture

This Week in the Business: ‘Microsoft Could Launch a New Xbox Live Tier’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “Microsoft could launch a new Xbox Live tier.”—Veteran journalist Chris Morris talks about the implications of Microsoft’s subsidized $99 Xbox deal with Xbox Live two-year subscription. STAT | 32%—Amount US video game sales (for hardware and software combined) dropped in April…

Steve Peterson Published May 12, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

A Moment To Re-Experience The Amazing Intro To Full Throttle

Has it been a while since you last played Full Throttle? I’m guessing it has. Sit back, relax, and watch the intro movie from the game. I remember the gravel-voiced intro, the long shots of the road… but more than anything I remember that song that kicks in when Ben ramps his bike over that…

By Kirk Hamilton Published May 12, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Because Nothing Says “Exciting World War II Airplane Action” Like A Flying Baby

Most everyone has some memory or another of 1943, the top-down airplane bullet-hell shooter to which we all lost a good deal of quarters. When I think of 1943, I think of things like “Difficulty” and “Insane Difficulty.” I do not, however, think of a flying baby. But in the Japanese ad campaign for the…

By Kirk Hamilton Published May 11, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

A Red Dead Redemption Ghost Story to Chill Your Bones

They say Red Dead Redemption is haunted, you know. They’ve said it for years now—ghosts exist in the system, devils and spooks and specters and maybe even a class-5 full-roaming vapor or two. I’ve never encountered any ghosts in the game myself, but I’ve heard and read enough accounts that I’m willing to believe something…

By Kirk Hamilton Published May 11, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

What an Old Game Boy Can Teach us About Men’s Toilets

Via Vice mag’s tech site, Motherboard, we get a look at one of the best pieces of work ever done on a Game Boy. And it’s not even a game. In response to recent excitement over things like the iPhone’s Game Boy camera app, Michael Byrne shares this clip, made by some friends of his…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 10, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

The Japanese Game That Was Played in English, Based on Shakespeare

The Book of Watermarks is an adventure game released in Japan, and only in Japan, in 1999. Rare for a Japanese adventure game, it featured full-motion video acting and 3D visuals. Oh, and it also tipped its hat to the work of William Shakespeare. Though it’s of course heavily inspired by Myst, being a puzzle-based…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 10, 2012

Culture

From Dune to Dublin’s Wilderness to Zombies, This Art Has Seen it All

Mark Molnar is a concept artist and illustrator who has worked with of the biggest names in entertainment. People like WETA, Games Workshop, Time Warner and Square Enix. To see more of his work, check out his personal site Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 10, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Arcade Lights Made Michael J Fox’s Hair Look Magnificent

Of all the teen movies that crawled out of the 1980s, High School USA was far from the finest. And yet here we are, watching a scene of it, right here on Kotaku. Why? Because Michael J Fox is in it, looking divine. And because it reminds us Crispin Glover has always been a little…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

What Arcades Looked Like Before Video Games

The word “arcade” is these days synonymous with video games, but it wasn’t always that way. In 1968, there was no such thing as a consumer video game. So arcades had to make do the old-fashioned way. With pinball machines, novelty amusement machines and lightgun games. There was even room for a fortune teller. These…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012

Culture

The Concept Art Behind The Avengers

Pardon this brief interruption to our regular video game concept art schedule, but I figured a movie that’s on track to be one of the biggest of all time – and one starring a whole bunch of awesome superheroes – was worth the detour. This art is the work of Nathan Schroeder, for whom The…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Do Classic Sega Arcade Games Make you Want to Buy Burgers?

I’m not American, and I don’t live in America, so my familiarity with Sonic (apparently a drive-in burger chain) is limited. I am however very familiar with classic arcade racer OutRun, which Sonic is tapping into with this retro-infused commercial. Sonic Drive-Thru Guys / Out Run Commercial [PatrickScottPatterson]

By Luke Plunkett Published May 8, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Japanese Box Art vs Western Box Art

As a box art fetishist, this might be the best website I’ve ever seen. It’s called Box vs Box, and its purpose is to compare the box art of Japanese video games and their Western counterparts. Sometimes it’s a straight Japan vs US matchup, other times it’s a three-way royal rumble, with PAL games joining…

By Luke Plunkett Published May 8, 2012