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Report: Microsoft *Finally* Has Sold 1.5 Million Xbox 360s in Japan
According to Japanese site Wazap, the Xbox 360 has finally crossed the 1.5 million sold mark in Japan. The Xbox 360 launched in Japan in 2005, but didn’t sell a million consoles until 2009. Now it’s 2011, and apparently Microsoft has sold another 500,000 in Japan. [はちま起稿]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe Problem With Releasing Duke Nukem Forever After All These Years…
I’ve finished Duke Nukem Forever. There are a lot of things wrong with it, which I’ll get to next week in my review. One thing I want to talk about today, though, has as much to do with the game as it has the game’s publishers. You may have read this elsewhere already, or seen…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 -
UncategorizedAn Old Building Becomes a Battleground For Old Games
How exciting can you make a drab old apartment building in the Czech Republic look? Turns out, with some video game effects, pretty damn exciting. Pavel Novák made this video, called 8-bit invader, showing a building being turned into a retro video game extravaganza. It’s not an actual projection, as it’s all computer work, but…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
The iPhone, Not the 3DS, Brings These Kiddy Cards to Life
Bandai’s Carddas series of kiddy card games is going AR. Its newest One Piece and Kamen Rider cards are AR enabled and can be played with an iPhone. AR is the holy shit moment for the 3DS; however, these cards apparently do not work with Nintendo’s handheld. Here’s how it works: scanning a card causes…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Cutest Link You Ever Did See
Wait a minute. There are no monsters here. Or convention centre staircases. What is this, cosplay, or a fashion shoot? It’s a bit of both, as we bring you the full range of pics from Ryan and Abigail’s Legend of Zelda afternoon we featured briefly last month. Be sure to click on “expand” to see…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Japanese Earthquake’s Unexpected Impact on Pokémon
March 11’s earthquake has impacted car companies and electronics makers. That’s expected. But it’s also had an unforeseen effect on Pocket Monsters, namely Pokémon branded noodles. Coming in flavors like soy sauce and seafood, Pokémon Noodles feature small slices of kamaboko with characters faces on it, such as Pikachu. The earthquake and tsunami wrecked havoc…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe Very Worst of E3 2011
You’ve seen the best E3 2011 had to offer. Now see the worst. The very worst. Oh good Lord is some of this bad. From Ubisoft’s Mr. Caffeine to the travesty that is Star Wars: Kinect, take four minutes out of your life to remind yourself that for all the pomp and pageantry surrounding the…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
A Gallery of Bad-Ass Helmets
When Bandai Namco isn’t making video games, it’s making Gundam toys. And when it’s not making Gundam toys, it’s making Super Sentai toys. Super Sentai are totally awesome. At this year’s Tokyo Toy Show, the Bandai booth had a full line-up of life-sized Red Super Sentai characters throughout the ages. To those who don’t follow…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2011 -
UncategorizedBattlefield 3 Looks Just Fine On Console, Thanks
To date, every single thing we’ve seen on Battlefield 3 has been of the PC version. And yet, the game is coming out on Xbox 360 and PS3. Tonight, we got our first look at one of those console versions. On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon earlier tonight, as part of the show’s week-long focus…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 -
UncategorizedPlay as a Six Year-Old Boy. Then Kill People.
Lucius is an upcoming PC game that sounds a lot like Hitman. You get assignments to kill people, you sneak around, you kill them. Only, you’re not a skilled international assassin. You’re a six year-old boy. Oh, and you’re also the son of the devil. Whereas Hitman is an action game at heart, though, Lucius…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 -
UncategorizedWhen Xbox Japan Meets Schoolgirls
At the Tokyo Game Show, booth companions wear skimpy outfits. Some say it’s degrading, some like it. Microsoft’s booth companion outfits are cute and designed to show off each woman’s best feature, giving them more confidence and making them comfortable. None of this is awkward per se. But the moves Xbox Japan has made on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Gears of War Movie is In “Development Hell”
There’s been a Gears of War movie in development since 2008. It was supposed to be released in 2010 which, yeah, never happened. We’ve even had a chance to read a version of the screenplay. So where is this supposed movie? Like most Hollywood projects, it’s having a lot of trouble getting off the ground.…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
Nintendo Has Crushed Your Dreams of a Zelda 25th Anniversary Compilation
This being the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo of America thought it’d be an awesome idea to celebrate with the release of a special compilation of the series. Nintendo Japan said, um, nothankyou.jpg. Yes, as insane as that may sound, while the idea of throwing a bunch of old Zelda games on…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 - CultureTotal Recall
Happy 100th Birthday, IBM!
As amazing as it may seem for a company we associate with something as modern as computers, IBM was founded on this day, June 16, all the way back in 1911 It’s had some ups and downs since then – from helping the Nazis to helping put a man on the moon – but we’re…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2011 - Uncategorized
Longtime Madden Producer Leaves the Team
Phil Frazier, a 13-year veteran of EA Sports and the executive producer for the label’s flagship Madden NFL title, is leaving the company, Kotaku has learned. Frazier’s departure follows by two months that of Ian Cummings, the series’ former creative director and himself a 10-year veteran of the project. Madden NFL 12 is due for…
By Owen Good Published June 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Why Nintendo Went Back to White for the Wii U
Launching in a white case five years ago, the Wii has seen a special edition release in red, and currently is available in black. Its successor, Wii U, goes back to white. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto says the design choice is so people won’t think the console is kid’s stuff. Miyamoto, speaking to Game Informer said…
By Owen Good Published June 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Once More Into A Trial Subscription, Dear Friends
Kotaku! Happy Thursday to you. Let’s celebrate it by chatting in our semi-nightly open thread, where video games, comic books, rap music, movies, YouTube videos and rioting Canadians are on the table for discussion. I’m about to (very nervously) sign up for a Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited trial, just to see how I like it.…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Awesome LEGO BioShock Playset We Wish We Had When We Were Kids
This is, basically, a multistage BioShock playset, in LEGO spanning the game’s opening plane crash, to the lighthouse and to the Medical Pavilion and beyond. It is fantastic, the work of Imagine Rigney at MOCpages, built for Chicago’s Brickworld 2011 expo and noticed today by the gang at Irrational Games. There are many, many more…
By Owen Good Published June 16, 2011 -
UncategorizedMeet Final Combat, China’s Shameless Team Fortress 2 Rip-off
The game makers of China, not content to let the Koreans corner the market on Team Fortress 2 clones, have created their own in Final Combat, only this one is way, way more blatant than previous efforts. Meet “the Rocket,” part Team Fortress 2 soldier, part Chinese fireman, all unoriginal. He’s just one of nine…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Nicktoons MLB is More Than The Bigs for Little Kids
At E3, I visited the 2K Games booth every day of the show. Every day I went there, I saw these two guys from High Voltage Software in the 2K “Sports Bar,” sitting in easy chairs, playing Nicktoons MLB. As far as I know, it was all they did all day. After playing it with…
By Owen Good Published June 16, 2011