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Apparently I’m Not Allowed to Sell My Children for Online Gaming Money Either
The internet is abuzz with the story of a Chinese couple that’s gotten in trouble for selling their three children for money to spend on online games. As it turns out, that’s not the sort of thing people take kindly to no matter where you live. According to Sanxiang City News, young couple Li Lin…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
How to Join Kotaku’s Next, Civilized Game Club
Welcome everyone to the next edition of the Kotaku Game Club. We’re going to do a little experiment this month, playing CivWorld, the sophisticated social version of Sid Meier’s Civilization In case you’re new to the group, our mission is to play video games together as a group, discussing the narrative, mechanical and human aspects…
By Mike Epstein Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
What is Japan’s Fetish This Week? S&M
Games of leather and rubber. Not video games, but real games with impossible heels and spankings. Those might be the trappings of S&M, but in Japan, S&M isn’t only about trappings or artifice. It’s something deeper. Take this week’s news that Kansai’s JR West punished train drivers and staff by forcing them to clean toilets…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
GameStop Brings the Convenience of Digital PC Game Delivery to Retail
Not everyone that purchases downloadable PC games does it because they prefer shopping at home. Some of them just hate discs and boxes. Maybe it’s an environmental thing. Perhaps their father was killed by a DVD. Whatever the case, GameStop’s in-store digital PC game purchase method is perfect for those types. It makes sense, I…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedMario Kart 7 is the Ninth Mario Kart
We learned the name of the new Mario Kart today. And it’s…(pause for effect)…Mario Kart 7 But there have been, in fact, nine Mario Kart games- come along, count with us— and take a look at some of the commercials made for them too! Super Mario Kart (1992) — Super Nintendo The first. The grandaddy.…
By Joshua Rivera Published July 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedMagic: The Gathering Creator’s New Kard Combat Won’t Kill Your Wallet
As the father of Magic: The Gathering, Richard Garfield is the man responsible for countless crazed gamers spending their savings on tiny bits of colorful card stock. With Kard Combat Garfield and Hothead Games deliver card-based strategy as deep as Magic, and it doesn’t cost players one penny (unless they want it to). Originally conceived…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Battlefield 3 Isn’t Competing With Modern Warfare 3, But it Still Wants to Win
The way I see it, Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 aren’t really competitors. They’re just two modern shooters that happen to be coming out two weeks apart from each other. When I suggest this to Kevin O’Leary, brand manager for Battlefield 3, he’s quick to agree. But he’s also quick to…
By Brian Crecente Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
The New York Yankees of First-Person Shooters Welcomes the Negative Feedback
I couldn’t get Robert Bowling to use the words Battlefield 3 in a sentence. He’s an Infinity Ward guy, which means he’s a Call of Duty and Modern Warfare guy. And I guess that means that, in public, he’s not going to try to talk about Battlefield 3, the latest taste-test challenge to the mighty…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3 Creators Sound Off on 2011’s Biggest Rivalry
EA’s Battlefield 3 and Activision’s Modern Warfare 3 are on a collision course this fall. They have legions of fans, many of whom have strongly worded opinions about the rival games. But what do the people behind the games have to say about the competition? Brian Crecente and I met with both sides and tried…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedNobody Shoots Things Quite Like Ratchet & Clank
Once you get past the irresistible Lombax /robot dynamic, the most appealing aspect of any Ratchet & Clank game is the creative ways Insomniac Games comes up with for blasting enemies into their component nuts and bolts. Let’s look at four fancy new weapons coming in Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Insomniac capitalizes on…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Now That We Feel Bad About Our Early 3DS Purchase, Let’s Golf!
So you spent an extra $80 on the 3DS than folks picking it up next month. You’ll be getting 20 free games eventually, and you can play Let’s Golf 3D right now. Who’s the winner now? I’d say it’s still the folks that waited, but Let’s Golf 3D does look rather fetching, what with its…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Resistance 3 Beta Starts August 4
The early access part of the beta for Sony’s biggest exclusive first-person shooter of the holiday, Resistance 3, kicks off a week from today, on August 4. It will include two maps and two of the game’s five muliplayer modes, according to the PlayStation Blog, which has details about how to get in it.
By Stephen Totilo Published July 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedRage Enemies Have Personality, At Least Until You Kill Them
In the latest behind-the-scenes video for Rage, the folks at id Software explain how they created hordes of lifelike, realistic, thinking and feeling enemies for you to tear into little pieces. That’s why they build them up, buttercup. You can contact Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Dear Crytek, Something Has Gone Terribly Wrong
In today’s laser-targeted edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Petey 2 Kold has an issue with Crysis 2 on the PlayStation 3, and would like to make developer Crytek aware of it. Have at them, Petey 2. Dear Crytek: As you read this, I am conducting an experiment. I’ll tell you about it at…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 -
Uncategorized3DS In Crisis, Nintendo Must Execute a Drastic Plan B
The historic price drop of the 3DS announced overnight by Nintendo is a transparent acknowledgement by the most successful company to ever make video games that it is struggling. Nintendo cut the price of its flagship gaming handheld by an extraordinary 32%, while making some dramatic turns. It appears to be pivoting to deemphasize 3D…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Whenever Well-Endowed Anime Women Trap People in Their Cleavage, Catherine Fan Art Will Be There
The box art for the newly-released Catherine is sexy, striking, and apparently easy to replicate using whatever large-chested anime woman you happen to have lying about. It’s not copying, it’s a tribute! Kayris from 8BitFix has gathered together some of the better Catherine cover inspired works from around the internet, representing everything from Hellsing‘s Seras…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Let’s take a minute and reflect on the pleasure of the company of others. Isn’t it nice to have other people to talk about video games with? I humbly suggest you do so. But first thank kaploy9 for today’s TAYpic. As you can see, we’ve entered into a joint business agreement for licensed breakfast cereal.…
By Joshua Rivera Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Dunk It in Water. Do It.
Water | TOKYO, JAPAN: The Windows Phone 7 is waterproof. (Photo: Game Impress Watch) Nintendo 3DS Gets Sudden, Massive Price Drop Boy, those 3DS sales sure fell off a cliff. So much so that Nintendo has instituted one of the swiftest and deepest price cuts for a handheld in recent memory. Nintendo’s Hardware Sales Aren’t…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Japanese PS3 Game Pulled for Inappropriate Rating
Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland 3 is a role-playing game. It’s supposed to be rated CERO A, which is the equivalent of the ESRB E. It was supposed to. According to the Japanese rating board, the CERO A is not suitable for the title, and thus, it will be pulled. The game went on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Crazy Shooter Studio Making Windows Phone 7 Exclusive
Cave, known for its bullet hell arcade shooters, has been moving gracefully into iOS games. The studio is currently working on a Windows Phone 7 original shooter. It’s currently 20 to 30 percent done. [Cave]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 28, 2011