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Science Finds Some People Can’t Tell the Video Game World From the Real World
Research carried out by Nottingham Trent University, and which is soon to be published in the International Journal of Cyber Behaviour, Psychology and Learning, says that hardcore video gamers are having trouble distinguishing the real world from the virtual one. Having polled an astounding 42 gamers aged between 15-21, some of the most extreme cases…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
This Particular Geth is Ready for Mass Effect 3
Patryk Olejniczak used to make incredible Mass Effect fan art. Now he actually works for the series’ developers Bioware, so this is less fan art and more…work art? It’s a portrait of Legion, and if you don’t know who Legion is, you really need to finish Mass Effect 2 Mass Effect – Legion [Patryk Olejniczak]
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
Forza 4 Demo Overtaking You In Early October
Microsoft has announced that a demo for upcoming racer Forza 4 will be released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on October 3. The actual game is out just over a week later, on October 11 (Oct 14 for Europe).
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
Kotaku Japan Looking for a Mascot
While Kotaku.com has that Kotaku-tan Meat Bun and Jason Chan dreamt up or Brian Crecente’s hair, Kotaku Japan does not. This month, our sister site is hunting for a mascot. Here are some of the Kotaku-tans that were uploaded on Japanese illustration site Pixiv. It’s now asking KJ readers to pick their favorite. The mascot…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
Sony Hoping to Make Firmware Updates Less Torturous On Vita
The bane of Sony’s current systems is the way in which they update their firmware. They’re updated often, and tie the system up while they do it, meaning impulsive gaming sessions sometimes become boring installation sessions instead. It’s a problem the company is looking to fix with the release of the upcoming PlayStation Vita. Speaking…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
A Gears of War 3 Figure to Close out the Trilogy With
It’s been a long road – five years long, if you can believe it – but the Gears of War franchise can finally take a breather with the end of the third game in the series. To celebrate, toy company NECA is releasing this “Journey’s End” version of Marcus Fenix. If Marcus ever got an…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 -
UncategorizedDo Not Object to this Game Trailer!
Level-5’s Professor Layton and Capcom’s Ace Attorney are joining forces for a puzzle lawyer game, complete with witches and big swords. It looks great. The art style for both games looks totally different, but it all works somehow. The game’s tagline notes that all the puzzles this time are “filled with contradictions”. Professor Layton vs.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
This Indie Game is Giving me Flashbacks of, Well, Flashback
Gunpoint is a game where you’re a secret agent-type guy, who has to break into high security facilities by either jumping around and sticking to walls, shooting at people and, most importantly, rewiring the entire place and its security system. It’s an indie title that’s the work of games writer Tom Francis, along with artists…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
So How Does That Crazy Steel Battalion Kinect Game Work?
Capcom is bringing Steel Battalion to Kinect, minus the enormous controller. In its place, Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor uses a combination of Kinect controls and the Xbox controller. During my Tokyo Game Show eyes-on, I was able to observe the game in action. When the demo started, Kinect scanned the player sitting in a chair…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
Get a Little Half-Life, Day of the Tentacle in Your Magicka
There’s a new piece of downloadable content for PC co-op shooter (spellcaster?) Magicka called the “Gamer Bundle”. Normally I don’t look twice at a pack offering mere player skins, but these are no mere player skins. The three new robes for your wizards are heavily inspired by three of the best PC games ever made.…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
What If You Want To View Porn Sites on Your Japanese PS Vita?
And what if you have the 3G version? Well, things might get embarrassing. Docomo is the PS Vita’s official 3G carrier in Japan, offering two plans: a prepaid 20 hour plan and a 100 hour plan. To protect underage gamers, the PS Vita’s default settings do not allow access to “unsuitable sites” through the 3G…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
See Arkham City’s Batman Without his Mask On
Maybe this is a spoiler for the game, I don’t know, but DC is releasing three more Batman: Arkham City action figures later this year, and one of them features the game’s hero looking a lot more Bruce Wayne than Dark Knight. Joining the two figures revealed earlier this year, these three —Bruce Wayne, Robin…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
When Cops Fight Crime with Cute
Not everything in Japan is kawaii, or “cute”. Some things are downright ugly, such as the crimes people read about in the newspaper. Instead of fighting fire with fire, one Japanese city is killing crime with cuteness. Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture is launching a series of posters, designed to appeal to young people. And…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 21, 2011 -
UncategorizedCapcom Kills Off Resident Evil’s Blind Bimbo
Earlier this month, Capcom surprised a lot of long-time Resident Evil fans by including a character in a trailer for the upcoming Revelations who didn’t really fit the aesthetic of the universe. And by that I mean she had a stupid haircut and ridiculous cleavage Dislike for the character was almost unanimous, but it turns…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
There Will be no Female Shepard, Seth Green or Video Game Stories In the Mass Effect Movie
Answering questions that they didn’t have time to answer during Comic-Con a few months back, the producers of the upcoming Mass Effect movie have posted a few bits of extra info on the project on the website of film company Legendary Pictures. While dating back to last month, the blog was updated in silence, so…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 -
UncategorizedRed Orchestra 2 is a Fitting Tribute to the Battle of Stalingrad
I’ve been playing Red Orchestra 2 for the past few days, and every time I boot it up, I get a strange feeling. Like I’m playing through the ghosts of video games past. Which, considering the game takes place on a virtual representation of a battlefield where nearly one million men lost their lives, is…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 21, 2011 - Uncategorized
Death Over Easy
Kotaku people! Now that Tuesday is coming to a close, we’d better send it off formally with some off topic conversation. That’s what tonight’s open thread is for, you know? That and delicious, deadly eggs. That pic of fried egg skull comes courtesy of PopCap Games, or so I’m told, and has made me astonishingly…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 20, 2011 -
UncategorizedI, For One, Welcome Our New Final Fantasy Rhythm Game for 3DS
While some of my colleagues may not be fans of the first Final Fantasy-based rhythm game for the Nintendo 3DS, I continue to hold out hope for Square Enix’s Theatrhythm Final Fantasy It’s not that I’m a Final Fantasy fan or obsessive about its music. It’s that I just love a good touchscreen-based rhythm game,…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 20, 2011 - Uncategorized
Steam Gets The “WiiWare Where People Can Find It” Bundle
The “Indie 2D Bundle” has gone on a super-Steam-sale: you can grab Bit.Trip Runner, NightSky, NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, Swords and Soldiers HD, and World of Goo for just $9.99 total. Each game normally costs $9.99 (discounted to $39.99 for all five), so it’s basically five for the price of one. When Kotaku chatted with NightSky…
By Kirk Hamilton Published September 20, 2011