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PRESS ALL THE BUTTONS
Stock images, TV, movies, they all usually shows people playing video games doing one of either three things: boasting like madmen, staring at a screen like a zombie or smashing something in frustration. The first and last are extremes for extreme people, and the middle is what happens when you play by yourself. What they…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 - Uncategorized
Tell EA What You Really Think of Origin
Electronic Arts has run a surprisingly frank piece on the Origin blog, which basically amounts to “yeah, we know, this service isn’t that great, so tell us how we can fix things”. Which means we should all tell them how to fix things. But here’s the thing: let’s try and be adults about it, OK?…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 - Uncategorized
“Acclaimed Artist” Actually Just Stole Video Game Images, Printed Them Off
So an “artist” by the name of Iani Papadopol recently held an exhibition in Romania called “UpDate 3D Loading”. It was a local hit because the “paintings” he showed off were, for a guy nobody had ever heard of, amazing. Turns out there was a reason for that. He’d stolen them. The images turned out…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 4, 2012 - CultureTotal Recall
Cover Your Eyes, it’s the Horror of Third-Party N64 Contollers
I hated the N64 pad. Hated it. Didn’t like the button placement, didn’t like the ergonomics, really didin’t like the fact the little joystick was broken on half the controllers you ever picked up. But you know what? I could easily live with it if I had the choice between Nintendo’s official pad and those…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall“Celebrate” May 4th With Possibly the Worst Star Wars Video Game Ever Made
There are loads of terrible Star Wars games. We’ve talked about them here before. But there’s different reasons someone can say a game is terrible. They might not like the genre, or the platform, or the way the game has treated the Star Wars canon. One thing many will agree on, though, is that the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 3, 2012 - Uncategorized
Into Each Generation, A Slayer Is Born
Hello Kotaku. Welcome to your Thursday night open thread. Who’s this sitting next to me? Oh, that’s just Mr. Pointy. Say hello to the readers, Mr. Pointy! Here, from the internet, are some things to talk about. Man, I can’t believe this is official Obama merch – Also, I want one. If Aaron Sorkin had…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 3, 2012 - Uncategorized
Minecraft Creator Calls Electronic Arts a ‘Bunch of Cynical Bastards’
The hip, small-time boutique publishing label Electronic Arts revealed its “Indie Bundle” yesterday—curiously for sale over Steam and not Origin, and there was a passionate response from many observers of the video game artistic community. Including Markus “Notch” Persson, better known as the creator of uber-indie hit Minecraft “EA releases an ‘indie bundle’? That’s not…
By Owen Good Published May 3, 2012 - Uncategorized
No One is More Prepared to Play Diablo III Than This Guy
It’s less than two weeks before the release of the most eagerly anticipated PC (and Mac!) game of the year. Some of us are pretty excited about it. This guy is way beyond that. Diablo III forum-goer Scrambles shared his preparations with the game community yesterday, linking a few pictures of his new computer setup…
By Mike Fahey Published May 3, 2012 -
UncategorizedNo Instrumental Cover Has Ever Done Justice to Metroid’s “Brinstar”
We’ve heard all of the Super Mario Bros. themes performed by an orchestra. Simon Viklund’s blood-pumping update of the Bionic Commando soundtrack is still on my workout playlist. And this version of Tecmo Super Bowl‘s opening cinematic makes me eat lightning and crap thunder. The great NES chiptunes of the past have all had great…
By Owen Good Published May 3, 2012 -
UncategorizedFrom Uematsu to Lucasarts: A Kotaku Melodic Mix-Tape Roundup
Ever since we started Kotaku Melodic, our own video master Chris Person has been creating lovely Mixtapes featuring various themes, composers, genres and games. I’ve loved every one of them, and I thought this week would be a good time to share his first seven mixtapes in one place. Here now, the first seven volumes…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 3, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe Elder Scrolls Online‘s Massive Soundtrack Could Unite All of Tamriel
Today, Bethesda officially announced The Elder Scrolls Online, which will allow players to enter the vast land of Tamriel. I agree with the five things that Mike said he’d like to see in the game. But the moment I heard the announcement, I coudn’t help but imagine that the game might include the music of…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 3, 2012 -
Uncategorized
How A Video Game Rock Band Made Me Long for Winter in Toronto
I’ve only been to Toronto once, and it was in high school for a band trip. I think we went to “Medieval Times”? But the New York-based chiptune/rock band Anamanaguchi makes me want to go back. Not for any big event or anything, just to sort of slack off and wander around. Maybe get into…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 3, 2012 -
UncategorizedLet The Books Take You To “Tokyo”
The first time I heard DVA’s lovely soundtrack to Botanicula, I thought it sounded like The Books. Here’s “Tokyo,” one of the most famous tracks from their 2003 album The Lemon of Pink. Which, obviously, you should totally own.
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 3, 2012 - Uncategorized
Chiptunes, Schmiptunes: Embracing The Human Side of Video Game Audio
We’re living in something of a golden age of chiptune music. The last five or so years have seen a popularity explosion for the classic electronic sounds that most gamers associate with the games of their youths. The bleeps, bloops, and grinds of chiptune music have evolved from a technical necessity to an aesthetic choice.…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 3, 2012 - Uncategorized
These Are All of the Umpiring Crews—and the Parks They Work—in MLB 12 The Show
As is well known, the officiating in MLB 12 The Show can be set to a variable quality of accuracy. You can either have it perfect, or home plate umpires can have personal strike zones and tendencies, blow close plays and refuse to ring up hitters on a checked swing. Those who frequently play MLB…
By Owen Good Published May 3, 2012 - Uncategorized
Better Know an Umpire: Wally Hughes of MLB 12 The Show
Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements—deliberately programmed into a computer simulation—who have ultimate decision-making power over millions of games played in MLB 12 The Show on the PlayStation 3. Name: Wally Hughes Uniform number: 67 (crew chief) Age: 57 Height/weight: 6-foot-0, 210 pounds First year as…
By Owen Good Published May 3, 2012