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On Death and Gaming
One of my earliest memories of videogames is also one of the last clear memories I have of my aunt, my father’s sister, Donna. It was cold out, but not quite the holidays. We were sitting on the shag carpet in my grandparents’ house, where she lived, playing Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle. The ColecoVision…
Stu Horvath | Unwinnable Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Hello, NBC
Spotted | NBC News folks were in our offices today for a piece about Gawker Media (our parent company). The reporter said she’d only ever played Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, but I trumped her wacky fact by telling her that there are two Kotaku staffers with Masters in journalism. —Stephen (Image by Gizmodo editor Joe…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
To-Do In New York: Be Part of a 200-Person Sci-Fi Video Game in a Planetarium
What are you doing on Thursday evening? If you’re in New York City or the surrounding area, consider going to Cosmic Cocktails and Space Arcade, an event at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space. To put it another way: Go play a 200-person video game inside a planetarium! Here’s…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
QuakeCon 2012 Dated for Early August
Id’s annual celebration of virtual people shooting other virtual people will take place August 2 – 5 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. If you start studying up for John Carmack’s annual keynote right now you should be able to understand it by then! [QuakeCon]
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 -
UncategorizedNine Inch Nails Adds Background Noise to The Darkness II Launch Trailer
Remember back in 1996 when Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame did the music for Quake? His music in the launch trailer for The Darkness II sounds pretty much just like that. I don’t think it’s that Trent Reznor hasn’t grown significantly as an artist in the past 16 years. Knowing Reznor is a…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Miles “Tails” Prowler Finally Gets His Due as a First 4 Figures Sonic Statue
Now that the collectible crafters at First 4 Figures have gotten Sonic, Super Sonic, Metal Sonic, and Knuckles out of the way they can finally focus on producing a $200 statue based on the real hero of the Sonic franchise: That mutant fox thing. Racing through Mushroom Hill Zone at whatever speed necessary to catch…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 -
The BestsThe 12 Best Games on the Wii
The Wii’s in a weird spot in its life cycle. Nintendo’s announced a successor and fans of the new eagerly await more details of the inbound system. But someone gave you the current system. Maybe that someone was you. What do you do once the parties are all over and Wii Sports has worn out…
By Evan Narcisse Published January 24, 2012 -
UncategorizedThe 6 Best Games on Web Browsers
Consoles. Handhelds. Who needs them?! That there computer you’re looking at is perfectly capable of playing game with no added tweaking. What kinds of games, you ask? The kind listed below. Here’s a half-dozen sharp experiences you can play inside the same browser you use to come to this very site. Enjoy! Bastion Supergiant Games…
By Evan Narcisse Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Jak and Daxter Bring More Than 100 Trophies to the PlayStation 3 February 7
Trophy hunters and platforming fans take heed! The HD-remastered Jak and Daxter Collection is coming to a store near you in a few short weeks, packed with a trio of platforming masterpieces and more trophies than you can shake a ottsel at. Ah, for the ottsel, lombax, and raccoonus-filled days of platforming paradise on the…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Is This a Handcrafted Skyrim Replica Dagger I See Before Me?
Video game replica master Bill Doran of PunishedProps turns his attentions from the stars of Mass Effect to the cold steel of Skyrim with this gorgeous PVC replica of Daedric artifact Mehrunes’ Razor. Weakened somewhat in its trip from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to Skyrim, Mehrunes’ Razor is still one pretty piece of pointy…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 -
UncategorizedRob Riggle Shows You Today’s New Modern Warfare 3 Maps, Yells a Lot
The Daily Show‘s Rob Riggle continues his testosteronetastic bid to become gaming’s most ridiculous/funny/obnoxious spokesman. This tim, he’s walking viewers through Liberation and Piazza, two downloadable maps for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that were released today. “Aaaagh! Guns! Bombs!” He shouts. “Haaaagh! Noobs! Explosions! Kickass!” It’s all kind of confusing, just like the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
At Least the Games Scene is Cooler Than Hollywood
Indie developer Phil Fish, maker of Fez, opined today that after spending a lot of time with Hollywood types (no doubt in promotion of the critically lauded Indie Game: The Movie, in which he and his game play a central role), he’s realized how cool the game scene is by comparison. Considering that the film…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
EA Advises Battlefield 3 Players Caught Up In Bogus Banning To Play On Non-Punkbuster Servers For Now
Responding to news this morning about hackers claiming to have found a way to ban innocent Battlefield 3 PC players, a rep for the game’s publisher, Electronic Arts, says a “permanent solution” is coming soon. Those whose accounts seemingly were hacked through an exploit in the Punkbuster anti-cheat tool should play on non-Punkbuster servers for…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
There Will Be Official Minecraft Lego Sets
The most popular Lego-like video game ever is getting official Legos. We’re getting Minecraft Lego sets, people. Back in December, the people who make Minecraft petitioned LegoCuusoo, an official branch of the Lego company, to make some Minecraft Lego. That’s what the Cuusoo people are there for. You ask. They count the amount of people…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Where Have all the Skylanders Gone, Uncle Activision?
Activision’s action figure-driven Skylanders: Sypro’s Adventure was a huge holiday hit last year, with parents buying up starter kits in droves. Now, with hundreds of thousands of children demanding additional figures, empty Skylanders displays have become an all-too-frequent frustration for haggard parents. Yes, all is going according to Activision’s evil plan. The first game to…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
What Was the Most Surprisingly Good Game of 2011?
Did you buy, rent, or steal a game last year expecting the worst only to be pleasantly surprised? Commenter DerpiestShazbot wants to know, and you’ll tell him in today’s Speak Up on Kotaku. Heyo Kotakuites! So which game(s) from 2011 ended up being better than you expected? Not asking which games you thought were good…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012 -
UncategorizedDeath Brings Nimble Platforming and Speedy Combat to Darksiders II
In Vigil games’ upcoming Darksiders II, players assume the mantle of Death, who is pretty much the only “personified supernatural force” more badass than War, the protagonist of the first game. The video above demonstrates gameplay from the early chapters of the game, showcasing Death’s lighter move-set and quicker combat abilities. Our intern Pierre saw…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Hackers Brag That They’re Banning Innocent Battlefield 3 Users [UPDATE 5]
The people at the game-hacking site Artificial Aiming can’t stand the anti-cheat service Punkbuster. One of their members is going on the offensive today—aggressively. One junior member says he and his anonymous hacking team are banning innocent Battlefield 3 users—”framing” them, as they put it—to show their disdain for Punkbuster, a service that PC players…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 24, 2012 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Square off against your favorite cheetah-headed foe and talk about video games in Kotaku‘s official forum, Talk Amongst Yourselves. Pan1da7 continues to dominate the January TAYpics with this…this…I have no idea what I am looking at. Thanks? Join in the fun and submit your own TAYpic. Please do your best—or your worst—and share your own…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2012