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MinecraftEdu Distributes the Building Blocks of Games-Based Education to Classrooms Everywhere
Joel Levin at the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School used popular indie block building game Minecraft as a learning tool for his second grade computer class. Now he’s a part of the newly-launched MinecraftEdu, a program dedicated to spreading Minecraft-based learning to classrooms around the world. Earlier this year Kotaku took a field trip to…
By Mike Fahey Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Gears of War 3 Creator Explains Why They’re Charging To Unlock Content that’s Already on the Disc
The $10 worth of new content that went on sale digitally for Gears of War 3 this week is mostly already included on the Gears of War 3 disc that gamers bought for $60. It’s fair to charge extra for content that is already on the game disc you bought, one of the game’s lead…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 4, 2011 -
UncategorizedHere’s How the Devil May Cry HD Collection Re-Introduces Dante’s Original Look
It’s inadvertently been a Devil May Cry week here at Kotaku. First we get the new screens of the DmC re-boot, then a spotlight on the series’ other half-demon bad-ass Vergil in an Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 video. Now comes a new trailer with snippets from the collection’s three games, all re-done in up-rezzed…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
What Video Games Could Learn From Comic Book Continuity
Batman has his own stories but now and then runs into Superman. In Today’s Speak Up on Kotaku commenter Aikage imagines a video game universe filled with countless games linked by a single continuity. What an Oddworld idea. Video games need to take a cue from comic books. It’d be great if instead of endless…
By Mike Fahey Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
This is the Pretty Facebook Game from People Who Made Age of Empires and Halo Wars
Once. Twice. Three times. The folks at Zynga kept telling me the same thing, because they want me to know it. And they want you to know it: The next big game from Zynga, the one that follows FarmVille, FrontierVille, and CityVille has been created by people who used to work at Ensemble Studios. They…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 4, 2011 -
UncategorizedVergil and Nova Get the Spotlight in a New Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Video
The Assist Me guys continue their in-depth looks at the new fighters coming to the Ultimate update to Capcom’s crossover, with the spotlight turning to the Devil May Cry series’s doppelganger half-demon Vergil and Nova, Marvel’s cosmic champion. You might think that Vergil would play just like Dante and that the Human Rocket is just…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Good morning, everyone! Good afternoon and night, too, depending on where you’re reading from! The week has nearly come to a close, and I hope there are days of gaming and rest ahead of you. I won’t be opening up any new games this weekend, because I have plenty to get through already. I bet…
By Matthew Buzzi Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Talking Companion Cubes, Zombie Rushes and An Australian Eating Raw Steak and Beating Up Hippies
Valve Presents: The Sacrifice And Other Steam-Powered Stories goes on sale later this month. The 208-page hardcover book will cost you $25 Presented below is a short excerpt from the book which collects Left 4 Dead: the Sacrifice, Team Fortress 2: War!, Mac, Loose Canon, Bidwell’s Big Plan, Meet the Director and associated materials; and…
By Brian Crecente Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Russian Dancing Men: Too Unforgiving to be Fun
Rhythm games are difficult to do well on a smart device without simply porting over the note-highway interface of Guitar Hero or Rock Band whose ship everyone has agreed sailed about three years ago. Russian Dancing Men (iTunes, universal app) delivers rhythm gameplay aided not necessarily by fast-twitch reflexes, but by truly listening carefully. The…
By Owen Good Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Playstation Network Cuts Down on Game Sharing Starting This Month
Later this month Sony will begin limiting the number of PS3s and PSPs that can share a game purchased through the Playstation Network, the UK and U.S. Playstation blogs said this morning. This appears to impact all regions. Starting with game content purchased after Nov. 18 a new policy will apply that limits the number…
By Brian Crecente Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Hungry? This Maid Has Omurice!
Rice | TOKYO, JAPAN: An Akihabara maid shows off omurice and drinks at a PSP game event. (Photo: 4Gamer) Borderlands Fan Passes Away, Honoured as Borderlands 2 Character Michael John Mamaril sadly passed away last month at the age of just 22. Being a big Borderlands fan, Michael’s friend Carlo thought a nice way to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2011 -
UncategorizedLink Journeys Through The Legend of Zelda’s Skyward Sword’s Dangerous Desert Area in This New Video
So far, we’ve seen Link make his way over the volcanic parts of the landscape in Skyward Sword. This new trailer opens introduces the arid Lanaryu Desert, where the series hero searches for a mining facility. You’ll also see glimpses of the new Zelda game’s combat in action and a boss battle against a giant…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Abusive Judge Said His Daughter Dropped Out, Had Video Game Store Job
Texas court-at-law judge William Adams was filmed (warning: graphic violence) beating his disabled daughter Hillary. The video appeared on YouTube, and the unsympathetic judge has admitted it was real—noting that it’s “not as bad as it looks on tape”. Hillary was apparently beaten for illegally downloading video games and music, and now the judge is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Would You Be Excited About a Dude in Jeans with a Boring Name?
Okay, I like the name “John”. It’s a good name, I think. “John Lennon” was named “John”, and he was a cool dude. Dizzy Gillespie was born “John”, but as good as “John” is, “Dizzy” is way better. What about “Nathan”? Is that better? Uncharted hero Nathan Drake started life as a John. The first…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
Call of Duty Elite Delayed on, Yes, PC
Call of Duty: Elite, the franchise’s new online “platform” may not be a game, but we’re still going to add it to the list of “stuff that launches on console but is delayed on PC” anyway. Beachhead Studio head Chacko Sonny has told Activision community man Dan Amrich that not only will be service not…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2011 -
UncategorizedRobots, Gunfights and the Unreal Engine, all on the iPhone
Epoch, a cover-based shooter developed by a bunch of former 2K Australia guys, will be out on the App Store on November 10. Amazing how far these little mobile games have come, no? You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2011 -
UncategorizedIs This Spoiler Modern Warfare 3‘s “No Russian” Moment?
This post has a spoiler in it. If you want a tiny part of Modern Warfare 3, which officially hits Nov. 8, spoiled, read on. If you don’t, this is a post (and comments section) you should skip. Okay? We all here? Let’s dive in. The above clip was sent to Kotaku, with the tipster…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2011 - Culture
Dota 2’s Character Art is Like Magic Candy for the Eyes
While the game’s not out yet, Valve’s sequel to the super-popular WarCraft mod already gets a thumbs up from this feature for its gorgeous character art. It’s being used once or twice a week to accompany the reveal of new characters and/or features for the game, and seeing as it hasn’t been plastered all over…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Games Industry’s Biggest Influence at the Moment is Apple, Apparently
At least, that’s what around 1,000 games industry employees reckon, as the results of a survey for the London Games Conference show. Attendees for the upcoming event were asked who they think the most influential people were, along with the most influential products. Note they’re not being asked their favourites, or the most important (whatever…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2011