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Japan’s Pop Princess Wants to Give You Tales Loot
On August 31, Ayumi Hamasaki is releasing a new EP called Five. Since Hamasaki is singing the theme for upcoming role-playing game Tales of Xillia, a limited edition version of her new mini-album will come with a redeemable download code. The code can be entered into Tales of Xillia for an in-game, rabbit-eared “Song Princess”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011 - Uncategorized
Would You Play a Game Called Chad Ochocinco’s Barely Legal Thigh Master?
No? How about Scottie Pippen’s Battle Typing? Mormon Drop? Nurse Party? Those are just four of the combinations you’ll get when you waste minutes of your life clicking on the Video Game Name Generator, which throws together random celebrities, verbs and the word “Chronicles” to give us names that are only so absurd because they’re…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011 - Uncategorized
Like Shenmue? You Must Visit This Cafe.
Masaya Matsukaze has an impressive resume. He’s voiced Teru in Death Note, Morty in Pokémon and Blues in Mega Man NT Warrior. But that’s not his most famous role. Matsukaze voiced Ryo Hazuki in the original Japanese version of Shenmue and Shenmue II. Wouldn’t it be great if you could meet him? You probably can!…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2011 - Uncategorized
Hope You’re Ready For Some New PlanetSide
We already know Sony Online Entertainment is working on a new Planetside game. That’s…about all we know. We should know more come July 8, though, as that’s when a countdown clock on the series’ website expires. Yes, a countdown clock. I am truly sorry for drawing attention to the laziest and most frustrating marketing ploy…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011 -
UncategorizedDeus Ex Hackers Hit With Lawsuit (and Here’s how They Got the Game)
A preview build of Deus Ex Human Revolution, containing a rough version of the early sections of the upcoming game, was leaked onto torrent sites in late May While publishers Square Enix have publicly been cool with the release, even quietly encouraging of it, behind the scenes they’ve been hunting down those responsible. Now, believing…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011 -
CultureTotal Recall
When South Park Got an EA Sports Game Pulled off the Shelves
Long before golfer Tiger Woods thought it’d be a good idea to go sticking his dick in anything with a hole and a pulse, his video game franchise was embroiled in a scandal of a different kind. The harmless kind. Involving Jesus, Santa Claus and a cartoon. In 1998, a young Tiger Woods was bursting…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2011 - Uncategorized
Helpful chart explains the difference between “good” hacking and “bad” hacking
Hacking is a noble pursuit — it’s what tinkerers do to create cool new machines and innovate. But the media is obsessed with using the word “hacker” interchangeably with “criminal.” That’s why IEEE Spectrum magazine has created this helpful chart (click to enlarge), in which they try to separate out the good hacks from the…
By Annalee Newitz Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
Up In Smoke
Welcome back, Kotaku readers. Did you have a good/festive/drunken 4th of July? Or was it just another day to you, as you celebrate your independence on a different schedule? Well, we take all walks of life in our open thread, so… welcome. Mine was great, thanks for asking. I gorged on sliders, hot dogs, guacamole,…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
These Mystery Fighters Are Your Next Two Soulcalibur V Characters
At least two more souls will be revealed later this month at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, promises Soulcalibur V director Daishi Odashima. But since Comic-Con doesn’t hit San Diego for another fortnight, all we get now are silhouettes. Odashima tweeted the above teasers today, saying that the pair would be unveiled at the con.…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
EVO 2011 Tournament Schedule is Live
The EVO 2011 fighting tournament schedule is now live, with a breakdown of when the pools, semi-finals and finals occur. Things get started on July 29 and wrap up on July 31 with the EVO 2011 World Finals at 9 a.m. sharp!
By Brian Crecente Published July 5, 2011 -
UncategorizedDiscoverer Is An Unreal Engine Powered iPhone Game from the ex-Sonic Team at Prope
Former Sonic Team lead Yuji Naka and his Prope studio aren’t solely focused on bringing new fishing games to the Wii. They have plenty of iPhone and iPad projects under their belt, including the newly released, Unreal-powered Discoverer Prope’s Discoverer, released on iTunes last week, looks similar to the also Unreal Engine-powered tech demo Epic…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 5, 2011 -
UncategorizedMinecraft Users Build Multi-level Replica of Penn Station
This time-lapse video shows you just how diligently an entire server’s worth of Minecraft players worked for their art. After three days solid of non-stop building, this multi-level replica of New York’s Penn station is truly impressive. Not only did players create the above-ground portion of the transportation hub, but they dug deep below (as…
By Jen Schiller Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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. 😀
By Brian Crecente Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 5, 2011 -
UncategorizedSkymall 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…
By Jen Schiller Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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.…
By Brian Crecente Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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…
By Mike Fahey Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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…
By Sam Winstrom Published July 5, 2011 - Uncategorized
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 5, 2011