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Ten Years of Civ II Lock The World in Perpetual War
This is kind of amazing: one gamer, over on Reddit, has been playing the same save game of Civilization II off and on for the last decade. That, itself, is not the amazing part. The amazing part is how it’s played out. The first two thousand years of his reign went more or less like…
By Kate Cox Published June 12, 2012 -
ReviewsLollipop Chainsaw: The Kotaku Review
You could pick Suda51’s work—like Killer7 or the more recent No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned—out of a line-up. The art style is cartoonish, as are the characters. Memorable protagonists like the vulgar-mouthed tough guy Garcia “Fucking” Hotspur or the lascivious Travis Touchdown turned juvenile humor into compelling, tongue-in-cheek delight. And the combat…
By Tina Amini Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
Microsoft and Sony Dodge Questions About the Next Xbox and PlayStation in the Most Amusing Ways
As you read this, people are making video games for the next PlayStation and the next Xbox. They have been for many, many weeks. But last week, at E3, where the biggest video game companies were ostensibly talking about the biggest video games on the horizon, not a single soul would officially discuss the PlayStation…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 12, 2012 -
UncategorizedGauge Your Endurance Under the Pressure of Dancey Music and Psychedelic Visuals
The music starts slow and rhythmic as you tap delicately on your iPad. Your eyes are glued to either end of the bar on screen, ensuring that your taps never linger long enough to push the bar’s limit. You occasionally glance at an appearing second gauge whose new color grows as you maintain a balance…
By Tina Amini Published June 12, 2012 -
UncategorizedMax Payne Knows How To Chill Out
In the midst of all the shoot-outs, drinking, and pill-popping, Max Payne is just another guy, you know? He wants to lounge on a pool chair and kick his feet up on the table. Except he does it in slow, bullet-time motion. Max Payne 3: Dramatic Chilling Simulator [YouTube via Reddit]
By Tina Amini Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
Shigeru Miyamoto Thinks He’s Right About Pikmin 3, But, if Not… Uh-Oh
After years of being badgered about making a new Pikmin game, Nintendo is finally making a new Pikmin game. It took the company a while, Nintendo’s head of game development, Shigeru Miyamoto, told me in Los Angeles last week, because the company was experimenting with how to get Pikmin right. They’ve finally settled on an…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
Splinter Cell: Blacklist Ushers in a Faster, Bossier Sam Fisher
Sam Fisher’s always been like what Liam Neeson is now. He’s the exemplar of the old-dude badass in the video game pantheon. Even in the first few Splinter Cell games, you’d hear Michael Ironside’s distinct growl in Ubisoft’s stealth action series and think, “This guy’s been around the block a few times…” If Sam was…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 12, 2012 -
UncategorizedA Guided Tour of Mists of Pandaria‘s Faction-Divided Capital City
What better way to get to know the Alliance side of Mists of Pandaria‘s Asian-themed capital city than through the eyes of a delightful Serbian guide? The Blizzard Serbian Community walks us through the expansion pack’s unique answer to a sanctuary city. Previous World of Warcraft expansion packs have all included some sort of dual-faction…
By Mike Fahey Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Welcome to Kotaku’s official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves. This is the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Want to talk about new games, old games, games that aren’t even out yet? Knock yourselves out! Anybody can play fighting games, even Italian Renaissance…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
Ten More Things About Dishonored You Should Know
Maybe you’ve already seen Totilo’s breakdown of 18 things you should know about Dishonored, the upcoming stealth-action game by Arkane Studios. And maybe you’re still wondering why you should care. I don’t blame you: in an industry stuffed with marketing schemes and false promises, it’s hard to get really excited about a video game until…
By Jason Schreier Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
I Can’t Believe Skylanders Giants Still Won’t Let Me Jump
I love Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. I love the toys. I love the colorful world and quirky characters. I love having characters that store their progress and can be transferred from PC to 3DS to console. The only thing I hated was the inability for the characters to jump. Some of these characters have wings, mind…
By Mike Fahey Published June 12, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe Clever-Cute Gravity Ghost Game Makes Exploring Tiny Planets a Gorgeous Experience
You could call game designer Erin Robinson a triple threat , except that doesn’t adequately encompass all the things she does well. Robinson draws with impressive skill, creates spirited animation, comes up with clever mechanics and breaks down game design theory and practice with inviting ease. Most of that gets displayed in the demo of…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 12, 2012 - Uncategorized
This Transforming Stick Wants to Change the Way You Play Fighting Games
While other hardware manufacturers focus on releasing high-quality arcade fight sticks that follow the same basic formula, Nyko allows players to change everything with the Free Fighter, a $179.999 programmable fighting game controller with a singular look and a unique modular design. Though it features the same Sanwa Denshi parts all the arcade stick kids…
By Mike Fahey Published June 12, 2012 -
Kotaku EastHere’s Why Japanese Gaming Is Not Dead
At the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man, Onimusha, and Dead Rising uttered the following: “Man, Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished.” I hope Inafune was watching E3 this year. It’s true that over the past half-decade Japanese and Western gaming markets have gone in different directions.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published June 12, 2012 - Kotaku East
In Korea, People Are So Pissed about Diablo III Server Woes, They Might Sue Blizzard
While many Korean gamers might be excited about Diablo III, Korean net cafe owners aren’t exactly thrilled. Sure, the game is a big boost to the country’s net cafe industry. That is, when it can get online. Website Daily Game reports the PC bang (net cafe) owners could file a class action lawsuit with Blizzard…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012 - Kotaku East
Rip-Off the Art of Others, Get Axed
Artist Sou Miyata was probably best known for his work on Muv-Luv, the PC game turned manga and anime. That is until this week. After this week, he’ll be known as the artist who got axed after being accused of tracing the work of others. To promote the upcoming Muv-Luv summer anime, which is dubbed…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012 - Kotaku East
Insensitive Jerkwad Connects Stabbings with Japanese Geek Culture
This Sunday, two individuals tragically lost their lives in a senseless attack. And yesterday, a well-known Japanese journalist tried to connect the stabbings to otaku (geek) culture. Well, that didn’t take long. On TV Asahi’s Super J Channel, freelance journalist Akihiro Otani said, “The location where the stabbing happened is close to a known otaku…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012 - Kotaku East
Tokyo Jungle‘s Twisted Take on the Lion King
Playing the story mode of Tokyo Jungle, I took control of a lot of different animals: deer, cats, and dogs, just to name a few. I helped a lonely Pomeranian survive in this new human-less world and played both sides of a war between Beagles and Pit Bulls. One mission even had me as a…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published June 12, 2012 - Kotaku East
This Summer, Nintendo Is Cutting Bonus Pay
More and more Japanese companies are feeling the pinch—Nintendo included. After posting its first annual loss in donkey’s yonks, the Kyoto-based game company is reducing its employee summer bonuses by 20 percent. #firstworldproblems Last year, full-time Nintendo staff got the average of approximately 4.4 months worth of their salary as summer bonus. This year, it’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012