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UncategorizedThe Many Melodies of the Nintendo 3DS
Welcome back to “Menu Music,” a regular Kotaku Melodic feature in which we’ll be listening to the best and worst menu music in video gaming. Last week, we listened to the mind-numbing music of the PlayStation Vita, so it seemed only fair that this week we should listen to the music of its competitor, the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedMusic To Creep Through the Jungle To
Last week, I had some fun sharing a bunch of jokey dubstep videos inspired by the new trailer for Far Cry 3. In doing so, I remembered how much I loved the music from Far Cry 2, and so I’m sharing some of it here. This music, composed by Marc Canham, stands apart from the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedVideo Games are the New Best Way to Make a Living Composing Music
You may have heard that it’s tough to make a living as a musician. You heard right! It’s a tough world out there, and very few people get paid a good living to make music. But while it may seem daunting from the outside, there is actually a greater demand for music than ever—there is…
By Kirk Hamilton Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life (Until Now)
Like anyone with a brain and ears, I seriously love Frank Zappa. Certainly one of the most brilliant, idiosyncratic composers of the 21st century, Zappa’s amazing orchestral compositions, unhinged harmonic freakouts, and hilarious lyrics have long been a musical inspiration. As great as many of his more well-known albums are, the first album that truly…
By Kirk Hamilton Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe Grindy Grooves of Danny Baranowsky
I’ve written in the past about how much I like Danny Baranowsky’s work, but tonight during Kotaku melodic, we’ll be running a more in-depth feature about him, so I thought it would be cool to share some of his non- Binding of Isaac work. You can download most all of this stuff at his Bandcamp…
By Kirk Hamilton Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedIn The Hall of the Gaming King
I’ve been playing a bit of Escape Plan on the Vita; it’s a charming puzzle game that places you in a series of incredibly dangerous rooms and tasks you with helping the two hapless, goofy main characters survive. It’s got a neat, clean black & white art style, and a humorously mournful style. It’s also…
By Kirk Hamilton Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe Many Samples and Sound-Alikes of Earthbound
Few games boast soundtracks as bizarre and innovative as Earthbound‘s, but perhaps the most innovative (and legally troubling) aspect of all is its use of sampling and sound-alikes. Click the video above to see what we mean. Over the years, Earthbound‘s devoted fan base has picked apart every aspect of the SNES cult classic, tracking…
By Chris Person Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
Yes, the Next Medal of Honor Game is Called Warfighter
Between this official art (released by EA alongside confirmation of reports from earlier today) and the name, which isn’t just funny but is also part of an existing, competing series, we’re getting dangerously close to self-parody land here.
By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2012 -
Uncategorized
Madden 13 Focusing on More Fun Defense, Says EA
News and notes from around the world of sports video gaming: • EA Sports is aiming to create “a better defense that’s more fun to play” in Madden NFL, according to Richard Hilleman, Electronic Arts’ chief creative officer. The game’s design team, which came under new management in the past year, “haven’t accepted any of…
By Owen Good Published February 23, 2012 -
Culture
The Ultimate Jeremy Lin Highlight Reel Arrives in the Nick of Time
Of all the tributes to the Knicks phenomenon Jeremy Lin, the best one on video might be stitched together from highlights in NBA 2K12, where Lin is currently rated a 75 and, who knows, may see the mid-80s before the end of the month. This video was cut by Operation Sports’ Shady 00018. Last night…
By Owen Good Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
EA Sports Keeps NBA Live in the Game, but Can It Compete?
At the time I asked about its readiness, EA Sports’ next NBA game didn’t even have a name. Peter Moore, then the label’s boss, avoided my question and told me was doing so. “It’s in the shape you would expect it to be for a title that’s a year and four months away,” Moore said…
By Owen Good Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
Towns, Blocks, and Treasure Hunters Round Out This Indie Royale Bundle
You can now download the “Indie Royale Alpha Collection,” one of those lovely cheap indie bundles that gets you a bunch of games at a decent price. This one features three games: Towns, a city-building game in the vein of Dungeon Keeper or Dwarf Fortress; 3079, a sci-fi first-person “lovechild of Minecraft and Fallout; and…
By Jason Schreier Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
How Much Better Does Max Payne 3 Look on PC?
Today’s Rockstar released the first images of Max Payne 3 running on PC, and while no exact comparison shots are available, taking a look at similar screens for the console version reveals substantial differences. Just look at the image above. On the left we’ve got two of the three PC shots released today. On the…
By Mike Fahey Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
Google Glasses To Augment Gamers’ Reality
Google is in the news this week not so much for their software and search offerings, but for their hardware, and whispers of an item yet to come. According to the New York Times, Google is developing a type of Android-based glasses that will, in some way, project content immediately into the wearer’s field of…
By Kate Cox Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
Gamer’s Last Name Deemed Obscene by Xbox Live Cops [UPDATE]
A gamer says his handle has been censored by Xbox Live because it seems too much like a slang word — even though it’s his last name. Christopher Gooche uses his surname as his gamertag on Microsoft’s online service. He says he’s been using “Gooche” as a name since the days of the original Xbox…
By Jason Schreier Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
DC’s Animated Young Justice is Old Enough for Its Own Video Game
Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Aqualad, and Artemis are about to enter their second season as one of Cartoon Network’s most popular animated series, Young Justice. That calls for a video game, don’t you think? Little Orbit certainly thinks so. The small developer is hard-at-work on Young Justice: Legacy, the interactive entertainment tie-in to…
By Mike Fahey Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
The Next Medal of Honor Gets a Name and a Date, Won’t Have Multiplayer by Battlefield 3 Developers
Your return to the role of a Tier 1 Operator will be in a game called Medal of Honor: Warfighter, which will reportedly be out this October. Game Informer‘s website, citing the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, is reporting that the heavily hinted-at sequel will once again be made by EA’s Danger Close studio.…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 23, 2012 -
UncategorizedTake a Look at One of Ghost Recon Future Soldier‘s Missions in This Trailer
Listen, I’m looking forward to the amped-up tech-of-tomorrow in the next Ghost Recon as much as anybody. But the upcoming installment of the tactical action game is currently sporting one of the stupidest tag lines in recent memory: “Only the Dead Fight Fair.” Worse yet, Ubisoft gets a former Navy SEAL to utter it in…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 23, 2012 - Uncategorized
EA Sports Confirms the Return of NBA Live
Kyrie Irving, the NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick for 2011, appears to have outed EA Sports’ intention to return to the NBA Live name when it publishes a simulation basketball title this fall for the first time in three years. “In Orlando for #AllStar checking out the #FutureOfBasketball with @EASPORTSNBA. Get to see the…
By Owen Good Published February 23, 2012