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UncategorizedThere Was An Angry Birds Championship. It Was Held In A Shopping Mall.
Finland’s two biggest exports are Nokia phones and casual game Angry Birds. Here, the two combine for a popular-as-hell live tournament that brings this shopping mall to a stand-still. Seriously, if you ever needed proof of just how popular this game is with regular folk, look at the crowds being pulled here. And yes, it’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 -
UncategorizedDon’t Wait For Samuel Beckett’s Lawyers, They’re Already Here
Mike Rosenthal made an absurdist game based on the absurdist play Waiting for Godot. It’s a parody, a send-up of Samuel Beckett’s famous work. But you know what’s really absurd? How Beckett’s estate reacted to the game. Rosenthal says he was inspired by Beckett’s work, because Waiting for Godot asks the audience to interpret the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2011 - Uncategorized
EA’s Founder Needs To Pay His Taxes
Trip Hawkins, who not only founded EA but was the driving force behind the 3DO, is often described as a “colourful” figure in video game history. Part of that is because he’s been so important, but it’s also because he’s in a world of trouble. Over the decades, Hawkins amassed enormous profits from his stake…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 - Uncategorized
How Otaku Annoy Other Otaku
Are you a nerd or a geek? If calculations are correct, I’ve probably pissed off oodles of others, who have also pissed off their fair share of fellow nerds. It’s a vicious cycle: otaku (loosely “geek” or “nerd”) pissing off other otaku. But it exists and, otaku being otaku, there’s not much one can do…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe Real Voice Of Halo Is Not Who You’d Expect
This is veteran actor Jeff Steitzer. He’s done Broadway. Law & Order. Oh, and if you’ve ever played Halo, chances are you’ve heard his voice more than Master Chief’s, Sgt. Johnson’s and Cortana’s combined. Why? Because he’s the voice of the game’s multiplayer announcer, meaning any time you’ve heard a gravelly, distant voice grunt “DOUBLE…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 -
UncategorizedHow To Tear A 3DS Apart With Your Bare Hands
These days it seems breathing on your gaming hardware is enough to void your warranty, so there’s something cathartic about watching a man turn a 3DS from a single unit into hundreds of tiny, tiny pieces. What’s so great about this is how thorough they’re being. This is no repair job or simple how-to on…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallThe Joys Of A Console’s First Moments
Know what I tend to remember consoles by? Not their games, or controllers, or even hardware casings. I usually remember them for their boot-up jingles. As silly as that sounds, those first few seconds of animation and music really set the tone for what the platform holder hopes is to come, and more than any…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 -
UncategorizedYou Will Wish That Gnome Chompski: The Game Is Real
The pint-sized ceramic co-star of Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2 may be deserving of his own video game, as evidenced by the trailer for the sadly nonexistent Gnome Chompski: The Game. Expertly crafted in Garry’s Mod by the folk(s) at Fine Leather Jackets, Gnome Chompski: The Game has everything we now demand of our video…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
I Have Had It With These Monkey Fighting Snakes
Wow, today has been a busy one! Not only did a Nintendo 3DS show up at Kotaku Towers West—as promised by Amazon.com—we booked a ton of video game previews for the next few weeks. (Oh, this is an open thread, by the way. Not sure if the video game talk distracted you.) There’s a lot…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Pretty Sure Someone’s About To Get Whacked With A Dildo Bat In New Saints Row: The Third Screens
The third Saints Row video game clearly won’t take itself too seriously, judging by newly released media from Saints Row: The Third. The evidence? Screen shots featuring streetwalkers in bikinis fleeing from exploding cop cars and luchadore mask-wearing thugs on the business end of a huge purple phallus. Game Informer has our first online look…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedNintendo Suggests You Send Them Your Frozen, Your Locked Up 3DS Systems
System freezes are starting to crop up on an unknown number of Nintendo’s new 3DS portables. While we don’t know how frequent the problem is, it’s happening enough for Nintendo to include the issue on their official troubleshooting site. According to Nintendo.com, System freezes that result in a white screen, black screen or inability to…
By Brian Crecente Published March 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Sony Scraps Launch Of Its PlayStation Rewards Program
Sony’s plans to reward its most devoted video game-loving customers with the PlayStation Rewards program appear to have changed. According to an e-mail sent to participants in the PlayStation Rewards beta, the customer loyalty program won’t launch next month as planned. And, suggested by the wording of that e-mail, it may not launch ever. PlayStation…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Post Quake, Japanese Game Maker Cancels All Disaster Report Titles
In the wake of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, publisher Irem canceled its catastrophe survival adventure Disaster Report 4, a game that was due to hit Japanese PlayStation 3s this Spring. Now it’s halting production of every other Disaster Report game. Andriasang, citing Japanese retailer Famicom Plaza, reports that the PlayStation 2 and PSP releases…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe Brothers Mario 2 Commits Grand Theft Auto In Donkey Kong Country
The amazing mash up that blended Grand Theft Auto’s cinematic violence with Super Mario Bros. lore, The Brothers Mario, has spawned a sequel. This time, in The Brothers Mario 2, the fight goes to Donkey Kong Country. The Brothers Mario 2: Kong Country pits a more streetwise and strapped Mario, Luigi, Toad and Yoshi against…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Launch Was a Go
Launch | Actress Clare Grant (L) attends Nintendo 3DS exclusive launch event at Siren Studios on March 26, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Nintendo) Bedtime Stories The Pros and Cons of Early 3DS Ownership Being a fan of technology and gee-whiz gadgets can take its toll on your bank account…
By Brian Crecente Published March 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedPrepare For Mass Effect 2‘s ‘Arrival’ With This Hype Video
Tomorrow, March 29 brings Mass Effect 2‘s final batch of downloadable content, Arrival, for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Whip yourself into an anticipation lather by watching its launch trailer right here, right now. Arrival is said to set the stage for BioWare’s next big role-playing game, Mass Effect 3, slated for release…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 - Uncategorized
Summon Some Scribblenauts Toys For Your Collection
5th Cell’s inventive puzzle-platformer Scribblenauts will be coming to vinyl toy and plushie form later this year, thanks to bobblehead and action figure experts Funko. Maxwell in fabric and vinyl form is now available for pre-order at fine toy resellers. Funko also has plans to release superdeformed versions of characters from Halo: Reach and Mortal…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 28, 2011 -
UncategorizedFinal Fantasy III Is The Best And Most Expensive Final Fantasy On The iPhone
Square Enix has finally made the third game in the Final Fantasy series available on the iPhone, and it’s pretty damn good. Is it $15.99 worth of good? Final Fantasy III was released in 1990 in Japan for the Famicom, not to be confused with North America’s Final Fantasy III, which was actually Final Fantasy…
By Mike Fahey Published March 28, 2011