• Uncategorized

  Soon Your Kinect Space Requirement Woes Will Be a Thing of the Past

  Come August 23 I will no longer need to move my couch in order to get my Just Dance on, thanks to Nyko’s Kinect clip-on Zoom device. How much would you pay to cut your Kinect’s space requirements by 40 percent? I’ll tell you how much you’ll pay. You’ll pay $29.99 and you’ll love it.…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  Gods & Heroes Looks Just As Exciting As It Did In 2005

  Heatwave Interactive recently released Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, a massively multiplayer online game that’s been in development since at least 2005, and it looks just as good as it looked back then. Unfortunately it’s 2011 now. Some of my earliest posts on Kotaku were about Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, a promising massively multiplayer…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Drinking And Gaming Can Kill a High Score

  In this alcohol-soaked edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Ducce wonders how many of you break out the booze when it’s time to get your game on. Today during my lunch break I read this article in a magazine claiming that males between the ages 15-30 has been drinking less and less amounts (volumes…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Can CivWorld Save Facebook Gaming From Itself?

  I’m not sure Facebook can handle CivWorld, the brand new version of Civilization that launches on America’s favorite social network today. I’m not sure if Facebook is ready for Civilization, though I hope it is. What we’ve got today on Facebook is a free game that’s more cluttered and clunky than the likes of the…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  The Secret World Reveals New England’s Dirty Little Secret

  Funcom’s upcoming supernatural MMO The Secret World reveals the dark truth New Englanders have tried in vain to hide behind their colorful leaves and inexpensive lobster dishes: The place is brimming with evil. As far as secrets go, it’s not a very well-kept one. Stephen King has been tapping that evil New England ass for…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Wednesday? Again? Let’s make this day go by faster by chatting about video games, shall we? Today we’ve got a newcomer to the TAYpic gallery! Welcome Po5TMAN to the crew, and a big thanks for your fantastic first efforts! To get your TAYpic featured here, be sure to submit your images to #TAYpics, and please…

  By Jen Schiller Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Nintendo Nixes Future iPhone, Android Games Despite Pokemon Title

  The decision to bring a Pokemon game to the iPhone doesn’t mean that Nintendo has softened its views on Apple’s gaming phone. Speaking with Bloomberg, a spokesman said that Nintendo’s decision to only develop games for its own hardware “hasn’t changed and won’t change.” While Pokemon is typically only published on Nintendo game systems, it…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Tiny Ships, Tiny Aliens, Tiny Galaga 30th Collection

  It’s been nearly 30 years since Galaga stormed onto the arcade scene, delivering to fans of fixed shooters an arguably better version of Galaxian Galaga 30th Collection is a celebration of that upcoming anniversary, which hits on July 23, bringing a free version of Galaxian to iPhone owners and a chance to pick up Galaga,…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Where Are You From?

  Mavericky | DALLAS, TEXAS: The skyline of downtown Dallas. (Photo: Mike Ehrmann | Getty) Are China’s Days of Cockblocking Console Makers Numbered? Game consoles are made in China. But they cannot be legally sold in China. Game consoles are banned. This year, Lenovo is launching a game console in China. Funny, that. The Fantastic Character…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  In Japan, the PSN Store Returns

  Finally! After being online since late April, the PSN Store is up and running in Japan. [Kotaku Japan]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Microsoft Doubles Down in Japan

  Okay, in Japan, people don’t really buy the Xbox 360. That isn’t to say Japanese people don’t like foreign things. They love foreign things. They just don’t love the Xbox 360. Microsoft isn’t giving up! Today, the company revealed　an internal reshuffling, putting Takashi Sensui, who heads up the Home & Entertainment division, in charge of…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  Japan and the West Duke It Out in This Fighting Game Documentary

  Here’s a look at Finalroundbats, a Tokyo-based fighting game tournament. If you’ve ever wondered what the fighting game scene looks like in Japan, this is a window in. It looks kind of murky and moody! Scott Popular hosts the events. More about him and money games here

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Are China’s Days of Cockblocking Console Makers Numbered?

  Game consoles are made in China. But they cannot be legally sold in China. Game consoles are banned. This year, Lenovo is launching a game console in China. Funny, that. The iSec, previously called eBox, is slated for a September or October release. The console, which features Kinect-style controls, was supposed to be out earlier…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• Culture

  The Fantastic Character Art of Akihiko Yoshida

  Akihiko Yoshida has been at Final Fantasy developers Square Enix since 1995, when he joined Squaresoft, one of the companies (along with Enix) that merged to create the RPG powerhouse. In that time he’s worked on a ton of Final Fantasy games, the most prominent of them being Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  A Man Did Not Make This Beautiful World. A Computer Did.

  Procedurally-generated worlds, in which the computer is able to randomly design an entire area on the fly, are the future of game development. They already exist in the games of today, of course. Minecraft, for example, procedurally-generates a new game world every time you begin a new game. But Minecraft doesn’t look as pretty as…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  The Sweet Little Music Video Made With a Nintendo DSi

  Artist Justin Wallis has taken Gecko’s chiptune track 1988 and made his own music video for it, using little but his drawing skills and a Nintendo DSi. The video, about a “small talk with a girl”, uses his illustrations laid over a series of photos taken with the DSi’s crummy little camera. Which, in this…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Final Fantasy. The Music Game.

  Never mind that the music game fad has passed, Square Enix is releasing a Final Fantasy music game. The title is a mouthful. Called Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (ungh), the game features music from the popular role-playing series. Characters from past FF games also make an appearance. Gameplay is divided between field or dungeon sections and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  Duke Nukem Forever is Suddenly All About the Rainbows

  Nyan Cat, which is either the best or worst thing to happen to the internet in 2011, is certainly the best thing to happen to Duke Nukem Forever in this clip from the game’s opening stage. Having seen (and, admittedly, drawn) a dick or two on that whiteboard in my time, it’s great seeing somebody…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011
• Uncategorized

  Not Your Typical PSP Memory Stick

  If Photo Kano is all the creepy picture taking you could ever want, then you’re going to need a new Memory Stick. Good thing Sony is releasing just that! Going on sale September 29, the Photo Kano 4GB Memory Stick is priced at ¥3,280 (US$40). It comes with a redeemable code for Photo Kano PSP…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011
• 

  Uncategorized

  And Just Like That, Oblivion Looks Amazing all over Again

  It’s aged a little now, but when Oblivion was first released, it was breath-taking. This new mod, Andoran, restores a lot of the game’s swagger. Andoran is a complete overhaul of Elder Scrolls IV. Conceived as a prologue to events in the core series, and true to the canon, it’s basically an entire new game,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011