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Grand Slam Tennis 2 Swings Both Ways (DualShock and Move, That Is)
Tennis games and I have a weird relationship. It was an ancient, LCD handheld tennis game that taught me the fundamentals of tennis scoring. Numbers? Then words? Then words that are numbers? Huh? Then, when I started playing video games, tennis became my favorite sport to play in digital form. The combination of reflexes, response…
By Evan Narcisse Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Lessons Learned with a New York Comic-Con Press Badge
Disclaimer: This was not, by any stretch of the imagination, my first ever convention. NYCC 2011 was, however, my first convention as a member of the press. As it turns out, there isn’t much difference between a badge that says “4-day” and a badge that says “press”—unless the person wearing said badge makes that difference.…
By Jen Schiller Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Valve Tinkering With an Excellent Portal 2 Feature That Talks Back
The people who made Portal 2 want to make it easier for you to make more Portal 2, according to a new report about the making of the game’s Peer Review expansion written by GTTV host Geoff Keighley. In a free expansion to his PC, Mac and iOS behind-the-scenes article/app The Final Hours of Portal…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 18, 2011 -
UncategorizedWatch Kinect Power the Future of Touch-Based Interface
The whole deal with Kinect is that it’s supposed to free you from touching things. But a new implementation might have you being more in touch with the physical world than before. What you’re looking at is an experimental prototype created by Microsoft Research labs designed to make any surface a touch surface. It uses…
By Evan Narcisse Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Surely the First Console Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Wasn’t This Bad
Dorkly’s rewritten the theme song to Konami’s 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for the NES to reflect the overall quality of the title. Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad, was it? This was the first game I bought (or had my parents buy) based solely on the licensed property represented, and if I…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2011 -
UncategorizedThis Secret of Mana Rap Will Make You Wistful
There’s nothing like old-school JRPGs to make you nostalgic, and this rap about the plucky lads from Potos tuugsa at the old heartstrings. But, what this really needs is a video. Can’t be too hard to mock up SNES-era graphics along with this track, right? [Thanks, tipster Larry] You can contact Evan Narcisse, the author…
By Evan Narcisse Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters’ Club Is Your Ticket to Discounted DLC
Eschewing the generic Season Pass label many games are using to package together downloadable content, Sony and Naughty Dog opt for the much classier Fortune Hunters’ Club to give Uncharted 3 fans a discounted price on upcoming DLC. Available now for preorder on the PlayStation Store and at select video game retailers, the Uncharted 3…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2011 -
UncategorizedAssassin’s Creed Line Dancing Adds a Little Shake to New York’s Comic-Con
New York Comic-Con’s Just Dance 3 stage was always filled with an interesting mix of cosplayers, but these are my favorite: A dozen assassins from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed line dancing to Sugarhill Gang’s Jump On It with the help of Ubisoft’s other major hit… Just Dance It’s a tad long, but you should probably skip…
By Brian Crecente Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Playing with Fire Wants to Crowdsource the (First?) Good Video Game Movie
Even though many directors clearly play video games-Zack Snyder, Guillermo Del Toro and Christopher Nolan come to mind—and acknowledge them as a creative enrterprise, there still hasn’t been a film that compellingly channels the appeal of the medium. Author/critic Harold Goldberg, animator Bill Plympton and artist Dave Lowery thinks it’s because gamers themselves are missing…
By Evan Narcisse Published October 18, 2011 -
UncategorizedA Prime Example of an Exciting New Massively Multiplayer Sci-Fi Epic
Three races vie for control over the one planet in the universe that contains an abundant supply of the element necessary to further technological advancement in Prime: Battle for Dominusm an upcoming science fiction MMO I really should have told you about sooner. What we’re looking at here is actual beta footage of Prime, a…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2011 - Tips & Guides
Before You Start… Tips for Playing Batman: Arkham City The Best Way
The excellent Batman: Arkham City is now on sale for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and we want you to have the best possible time with it. So, before you start, here are some tips from us about how to get the most out of the game, right from the start. No spoilers here,…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Which Game Is the Best Match for This Steampunk Xbox 360 Controller?
As a trend, steampunk may be yesterday’s fad. And, while this custom controller—created by the folks at MorbidStix— apparently been around for a while, it just popped up into view again. I love the combination of a real-life mechanical act—unlocking the controller with the key-to open up digital worlds. It’s a nice metaphor, almost like…
By Evan Narcisse Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
You Know What Video Games Need? More Wise, Witty, and Lecherous Old Men
Commenter Paradox Me believes there’s plenty of room in video games for more wise, experienced, and humorously nostalgic old men, leading the charge or just kicking back and telling us all about how Speak Up on Kotaku was better when they were kids. Video games need more old-timers, like the three gentlemen you see to…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
I Wonder What the Skyrim Lawyers Think of This
The movie Immortal will arrive in movie theaters on 11/11/11, according to a poster I saw at my local subway stop in Brooklyn. I associate that date with another upcoming release: the video game Skyrim I may have made the connection because effective marketing has ingrained the 11/11/11 release date in my brain as the…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves: Off the Record
Today’s Talk Amongst Yourselves is the same as last year’s TAY, except for one thing. This is still our daily forum where you can talk about games. But last year, Chuck Greene was welcome. Not this time. No, this time, we welcome Frank West. Thanks to reader Pan1da7 for today’s image (and who also did…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Should You Buy Rocksmith? No.
Today marks the release of Ubisoft’s Rocksmith, a music game that may seem a bit on the late end of the Great Music Game Craze of 2009. All the same, it comes with a tantalizing promise: it allows players to plug a real guitar into their game console via a 1/4 inch-to-USB cable and play…
By Kirk Hamilton Published October 18, 2011 -
UncategorizedMooncraft is Like Minecraft. On the Moon.
There’s a point that a shameless rip-off of a more well-known, established game can be not quite shameless enough to be barred from Apple’s App Store. And Mooncraft knows the point well. The game is a shameless rip-off of indie smash hit Minecraft. Utterly shameless. From the world design to your inventory management to your…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
Real Cars Versus Virtual Ones
The Benz | TOKYO, JAPAN: Sony held a GT5 event in Roppongi. (Photo: Game Watch Impress) Don’t Get Mad at Need for Speed: The Run‘s Biggest Star Mad Men star Christina Hendricks’ latest role? Need for Speed: The Run According to PopWatch, the actress will play a character by the name of Sam Harper. More »…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 18, 2011 - Uncategorized
China’s First Game Console Dated and Priced
The iSec, Lenovo’s home game console, was supposed to be out this fall. According to Chinese reports, it will get a limited release this December in the Mainland. Previously called the eBox, the iSec has Kinect-style controls and will cost 3,000 yuan (US$470). How iSec’s release will factor into China’s ban on game consoles, we…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 18, 2011