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UncategorizedWill the Next Star Wars: The Old Republic Update Make it the Game You Want to Play?
Today BioWare released a video outlining the sweeping changes coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic in game update 1.2. With the evolution of the game’s Legacy system and new Warzones, Flashpoints, and Operations in the pipes, is it sad that what I’m most excited about is new lightsaber colors? Yes, this is very sad,…
By Mike Fahey Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Thief Allegedly Steals Xbox 360, But Replaces It With His Own PS3
Sadly, it’s not uncommon to read about an Xbox stolen for drug money. Even used and resold under less-than-legal circumstances, the popular console is worth some cash. It is, however, uncommon to read about an Xbox and Wii stolen… and then replaced with a PlayStation 3. A young man in Michigan this week apparently did…
By Kate Cox Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Seven Game Reviewers Fail to Label Mass Effect 3 a Steaming Pile of Crap
You honestly expect me to believe that seven completely different individuals gave Mass Effect 3 generally positive to excellent review scores simply because it’s a good game? I suppose that’s reasonable. Here at Kotaku Frankenreview Central (the desk in my den) we’ve yet to play Mass Effect 3, so I have no first-hand knowledge of…
By Mike Fahey Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
All Those Video Games Might Be Kinda Good For You
Some people might try to convince you that video games are a waste of time. Here’s the perfect retort. Researchers at Simon Frasier University have concluded that games like StarCraft II improve players’ multi-tasking and cognitive skills, the Wall Street Journal reports. The researchers studied the behavior of 150,000 people who played Blizzard’s popular real-time…
By Jason Schreier Published March 6, 2012 -
UncategorizedWhy The Indie Game That Was Supposed to be the Next Braid Never Came Out
Back in 2011, innovative platformer Shadow Physics seemed poised to reap loads of love from the video game cognoscenti. The ambitious shadow adventure showcased impressive tech and was part of the freshman class of games getting money from Indie Fund. It looked like their path to success was set. So why did the game get…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is Trying to Feel A Lot Like The Original
When Firaxis announced its new XCOM strategy game, Enemy Unknown, most fans went through the following two stages: 1. “Holy shit!” 2. “I hope this feels like XCOM.” Don’t stress too much. According to project lead Jake Solomon, you’ll get that old-school strategy feeling from XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which will be out this year for…
By Jason Schreier Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Bastion Was Originally All About… Gardening
In a sense, Bastion was a game about growth—over the course of the game, The Kid would bring back items and characters to the Bastion, which allowed it to grow and flourish. In a metaphorical sense, the Bastion was a sort of garden, growing over time. As it turns out, the game’s planting parallels were…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Metacritic Says It Has Removed Rule-Violating Mass Effect 3 User Reviews
Aggregating website Metacritic says it has deleted some Mass Effect 3 user reviews and will “continue to monitor” what seems to be a unified effort to spam pages for BioWare’s action roleplaying game, which hit stores today. This morning, a large number of Metacritic users gave negative reviews to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and…
By Jason Schreier Published March 6, 2012 -
UncategorizedPittsburgh Organization Sticks Its Middle Finger At Gamers [UPDATE]
Ready to rage? Kotaku reader and Best Week Ever writer Dan Hopper sent over a link to this commercial, created by an organization called the Energy Alliance of Greater Pittsburgh. It will make you angry. Just listen to the way the disembodied announcer talks down to gamers, telling them they’d better do something useful with…
By Jason Schreier Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Street Fighter X Tekken Drops Game Critics with a One-Two Punch
Street Fighter. Tekken. Game titles followed by periods. These are the sort of weighty things on the minds of video game critics as they explore the fighting genre’s latest epic crossover. Epic. Crossover. Street Fighter X Tekken combines the great taste of Street Fighter with a creamy Tekken-flavored filling. It’s the first part of a…
By Mike Fahey Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Epic Mickey 2 Rumors Likely to Become Facts This Month
Disney fans have been waiting for news regarding still-rumored title Epic Mickey 2 since news first slipped around the first of the year. At that time, a Disney newsletter was sent out — and then immediately edited — that initially leaked information about the still-unannounced game. The newsletter claimed that Epic Mickey 2 would be…
By Kate Cox Published March 6, 2012 -
Uncategorized‘Ashley, Concussive Shot!’ And Other Voice Commands In Mass Effect 3
By now you’ve surely heard that Mass Effect 3, an action role-playing game and the conclusion to developer BioWare’s sci-fi trilogy, is out today for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. But you definitely haven’t heard Kotaku intern Nick Vannucci shouting voice commands to interact with the game on our office Kinect. Mass Effect 3…
By Jason Schreier Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Marketplace Listing Accidentally Reveals More Scantily Clad Girl Fighters
An Xbox marketplace listing tipped off gaming website XBLA Fans today to the unintentional release of 20 new scandalous screenshots showcasing the fighters in Majesco’s Girl Fight We’ve already met nobel prize-winning scientist Wrench, but what about the other scantily clad fighting geniuses? You can peruse this gallery for some in-action shots. XBLA Fans also…
By Tina Amini Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
GDC Notebook: Day 1: The PS4, Far Cry 3 and the Accidental Movie Star
A few of us are in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference this year. Thousands of people who make video games show up to this thing. Here are some observations and personal follies from Day 1… Just like last year, smack in the middle of the Moscone Center complex where they’re staging GDC, Apple…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Panel Discussion Returns Next Week
While Evan Narcisse is out and about on the Game Developers Conference showfloor, we’ll have to hold off our Panel Discussion until next week. Don’t worry, it will resume as usual next week, every Tuesday from 3pm-4pm EST.
By Tina Amini Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
BioWare Says It’s Working On Mass Effect 3 Face Import Errors
If you’ve tried to import your old Mass Effect character into Mass Effect 3, you might have noticed that his or her face is missing. Developer BioWare says it’s working on the problem. [BioWare]
By Jason Schreier Published March 6, 2012 -
UncategorizedFirst Medal of Honor: Warfighter Trailer is Kicking Terrorist Ass
The latest update from Medal of Honor: Warfighter is out. The first video to be released features the military operatives, and they’re as deadly as ever. They’ll come for you in the dark, water, and in between the trees. The game will be out later this year, reportedly in October, and will run on the…
By Tina Amini Published March 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Music Video Service VEVO Streams Onto Xbox Live
Microsoft today announced that the music video application, VEVO, is now available on Xbox Live featuring 11,000 artists and 45,000 music videos. The service is also compatible with Kinect voice controls. Find out more on Major Nelson’s blog
By Tina Amini Published March 6, 2012 - Tips & Guides
Before You Start… Tips for Playing Mass Effect 3 The Best Way
Mass Effect 3 has finally arrived (and with it, the reaper invasion). While the concluding chapter in the three-game space opera can be played in a number of ways —player choice is, after all, one of its driving forces — the reality is that some approaches are going to be more effective than others. So…
By Kate Cox Published March 6, 2012