The Fiery, Nose-less Images of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

With part two of the one-part Harry Potter book finale making its way to theaters, it’s time to take a look at the video game based on the movie based on the book… and the portable based on that. Confused? Just look at the pictures for the console versions and the DS version. 😀

A Beautiful New Perspective on Grand Theft Auto‘s Liberty City

Thanks to PC mods, people can still impress us with the beauty of 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV. Lighting and weather effects can go a long, long way in making Rockstar Games’ crime epic very, very pretty. It’s even prettier as a postcard. The screenshot-snapping artistry that is Dead End Thrills—previously featured on Kotaku—recently refocused…

Skymall Inspires Classroom Computer Games

Scott Laidlaw is slowing down the pace on educational math games. Laidlaw, who is CEO and co-owner of Imagine Education, created Ko’s Journey to help teach math to middle schoolers using a rite-of-passage story he heard while traveling in Peru. Now, with a $500,000 grant, he’s taking the computer game across the country and helping…

Death Number 13

Rockets’ Red Glare | It’s crazy how elaborate home fireworks are getting. (Photo: Brian Crecente) The Archbishop of Denver Tells You about Violent Video Games and the Rights of Parents In this essay originally penned for First Things, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput discusses the recent Supreme Court decision that granted video games First Amendment protection.…

Ms. Splosion Man Priced Reasonably, Maybe Coming to Steam

Two things we’re quite sure of regarding Ms. Splosion Man, the next game from Twisted Pixel and semi-sequel to Xbox Live Arcade game ‘Splosion Man: it is coming to Xbox 360 this Wednesday, July 13 for 800 Microsoft Points. That’s straight from the developer’s press release on the matter. The other thing we’re not so…

Try Catherine Before You Buy, Just Like Vincent

In Catherine, Vincent tries to get a little something something for nothing, cheating on his long-time girlfriend Katherine with the evil slutcake Catherine. Atlus gives fans a little something for nothing on July 12 with a downloadable Catherine demo for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Atlus has put quite a lot of effort into…

Chinese Consoles Invade India

Video games are hot in India right now, but don’t expect to see many of these gamers on Xbox Live or Playstation Network anytime soon. According to The Economic Times, Indian gamers are buying Chinese consoles over their branded counterparts. Honey Singh, owner of an electronic shop in south Delhi’s Nehru Place said “We manage…

PlayStation Store Update: Apes on the Move and An Idyllic Price For Burnout Paradise

What new digital goods await North American PlayStation 3 owners The downloadable PlayStation Move Ape Escape, for one, offering monkey-snatching motion control fun. But that’s not all. A new opportunity to play Uncharted 3 or a cheaper way to play Burnout Paradise are also here. The Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer beta goes wide via…

Professional Gaming on the Downturn, Cheesy TV to Blame

Professional Gamer David Treacy, or “Zaccubus” to his—erm—fans, recently spoke to Alienware about the changing face of professional gaming. Based on his interview, however, there’s not much to talk about. While Treacy compares the world of pro gaming to the economy (“It grew rapidly over the last decade, then almost imploded on itself.”) he also…

Maybe Al Gore Should Play a Video Game

I have not confirmed this, but I believe that you would not be allowed to keynote a climate change conference if you hadn’t sweated in the past 25 years. But a couple of weeks ago, former Vice President Al Gore keynoted the Games For Change conference—a conference about the potential for video games to improve…

Cath Gall

Rumor: Sony To Introduce ‘PSN Pass’ for PlayStation Network, May Hit With Resistance 3

Is Sony following the trail blazed by Electronic Arts and other third-party publishers by limiting who has access to its online multiplayer? That’s our best guess for what the new, still-unannounced PSN Pass is, a feature rumored to have made its first appearance on the Resistance 3 PS3 bundle. The unconfirmed PSN Pass was spotted…

Now Four Eyes Can Look Cool In 8-Bit Glasses

For the glasses wearer looking to lower the resolution of their frames, designer Dzmitry Samal offers pairs of retro-futuristic pixelated glasses, inspired by late ’80s video games and “society’s fascination with an ‘informational aesthetic.'” Samal is selling two styles of 8-bit frames, the 6dpi and 5dpi, each hand-made pair running a cool 198 euro (about…

Real Life Flipping is Much More Colorful Than Video Game Flipping

Jumping enthusiast Robert Souris recently broke the world record for distance flipping, hurling himself nearly 20 feet through the air while dressed as a superhero of his own creation, all in the name of showing children how much more fun real jumping around is than virtual jumping around. Dressed as Zero G, his own super…

Do They Make Cakes In Cubes?

Which Swedish indie superstar developer just popped the question to his sweetheart? One clue: His game is such a hit he specifically mentioned he won’t be having a wedding crafted in that theme.

The Archbishop of Denver Tells You about Violent Video Games and the Rights of Parents

In this essay originally penned for First Things, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput discusses the recent Supreme Court decision that granted video games First Amendment protection. Opening with his memories of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Chaput is clearly against the decision. Twelve years have passed, but very few Coloradans have forgotten the name of…

SOCOM Mobile HQ Challenges Players Via Android Phones

Is every moment spent away from SOCOM 4 on the PlayStation 3 a lesson in agony and anxiety? Now available on the Android Market, the SOCOM Mobile HQ app is the free cure to what ails you, as long as you’re up for a little challenge. The SOCOM Mobile HQ puts access to the SOCOM…

Researchers are Using Achievements to Read Your Mind

World of Warcraft players be wary. Big Brother may be watching. Game developers may start paying closer attention to your gameplay in order to predict your next move. Researchers from North Carolina State University have come up with a new procedure to predict the actions of players in massively multiplayer online role playing games. Testing…

Can You Resist Amazon’s Buy One Get One Free Game Sale?

Through July 9 Amazon.com is holding a massive buy one get one free sale on video games and accessories. Sure there’s a lot of crap, but one man’s crap is another man’s delicious sandwich. Ew. Thanks, Cheap College Gamers!

EVE Online Virtual Goods Dispute Ends Peacefully Following Trip to Iceland

Last week the universal community of EVE Online exploded into rage over the release of high-priced virtual goods and a leaked internal memo that suggested developer CCP planned to monetize the hell out of everything they could put a price tag on in the popular space MMO. Thanks to a brilliant plan that involved flying…