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This Game Cancellation Shoots Up My Heart’s Core
Back in 2005, Tokyo-based game maker Konami revealed it was working on a handful of titles for the then unreleased PS3. Games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gradius. MGS4 was released, but Gradius VI wasn’t. And according to the latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu, the shooter’s apparently been canned. As blog Andriasang points…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Stupidest News Report Ever?
There’s stupid, and there’s stupid. According to the country’s biggest newspaper, South Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation ran a segment that sounds rather “thick”. This might not be the dumbest TV news reporting on gaming ever, but it’s up there. MBC did a news story on “game violence”, focusing on how violent games can make children,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Nintendo 3DS Doesn’t Want Your Nintendo Point Cards, Sorry
Nintendo Points are Nintendo’s virtual currency for the Wii and the DSi. Players can purchase point cards or charge them on their credit card. You might have some left over prepaid point cards you’re hoping to use on the upcoming Nintendo 3DS. Tough crap. Current Nintendo Points cannot be used on the Nintendo 3DS. On…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2011 -
ReviewsI Just Used A $400 Joystick
For the price of a PlayStation 3, Saitek’s new X-65F Flight Control System for the PC had damn well better be the best video game peripheral ever made. The Basics The X-65F is a fully-featured “flight control system”, meaning the pack includes a joystick, throttle control and auxiliary instrument panel. Designed to work with every…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
German Cops And Cosplay Do Not Mix
In first-person shooter Killzone 3, the Helghast are the gas-mask wearing baddies. Cloaked in black and with glowing eyes, you wouldn’t want to meet one on the street. And in Munich, Germany, you won’t. To help promote Killzone 3 in the German city, a Helghast cosplayer roamed the streets, complete with mask, helmet and phony…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
God Of War Swaps “Furious” For “Beautiful”
Can’t afford the big, beautiful God of War III art book? Make do with these free internet pictures of the game, showing the concept art skills of Jung Park. For a game about anger and frowns and snarls and blood, he sure does manage to make everything look if not pretty, then at least beautiful.…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Who Will Conquer China?
China is now officially the second largest economy on the planet. And video game consoles are technically illegal. One day, that might change. “Consoles have been banned in China since the year 2000,” Lisa Hanson from market researcher Niko Partners previously told Kotaku. The government thought that was the best way to protect Chinese youth…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Some Handy, If Obvious Tips On Being A Better PC Gamer
You’ll want to skip to around five minutes into this video, but once you do, you’ll get some tips on how to play games that sound incredibly patronising and basic…until you realise you never actually use them. This is Sean “Day[9]” Plott, a star in the world of StarCraft II who last week devoted one…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Beautiful Hair And Big Swords Of Some New Final Fantasy Figures
Glimpsed by Stephen T at the Toy Fair in New York over the weekend, Square Enix’s Play Arts line is about to include three more Final Fantasy figures, all of them crowd favourites. Selling for around USD$50, and going on sale in Japan in June, the three figures are all in their Dissidia forms, being…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Pirates Are Not Thieves, They Are Fans
There’s a long-standing — and incorrect, I think — view amongst publishers that a game pirated is a game stolen It’s not (who says they’d ever have bought a copy anyway?), and in a great piece over on GameSetWatch, Irish designer Tadhg Kelly (formerly of Lionhead) argues an even better reason why this isn’t the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Osaka’s Geek District Turning Into Den Of Iniquity
Den-Den Town, Osaka’s “denkigai” or “electric town”, is known for its used game retailers like Super Potato and figure shops like Osaka Gundams. There are also the maid cafes, where folks can get a coffee and talk to a maid. Some, however, are serving way more than coffee. “Struggling arcades and video game shops are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
Why Sony’s New Handheld Has A New Way Of Interacting With You
As we saw when the product was first unveiled, Sony’s upcoming NGP won’t be using the company’s trademark “XMB” user interface. It’ll be using something new. Why is that, Sony? According to Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide studios boss Shuhei Yoshida, it’s partly because of “social networking”. “[A] fundamental point was our desire to make this…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
UncategorizedThis Is The Fighting Game Of Your Dreams
Wolverine. Ryu. Scorpion. Terry Bogard. Never before have these giants of the fighting game genre met in the one title before, but in Pixel Force: Head 2 Head, come together they shall. To kick ass Head 2 Head is the latest project from Eric Ruth, the guy behind the 8-bit renditions of Halo and Left…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallNintendo’s War On Blood, Nazis, Religion And Puppy Dogs
While these days it’s not that hard finding violent, mature titles on Nintendo consoles, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, that wasn’t the case. And when you did find them, well, some “changes” had been made. As anyone around in and gaming during the time can probably remember, it was a strange era for…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 - Uncategorized
What Are You Reading?
Welcome to tonight’s themed open thread, Kotaku readers. While your free to make conversation on any topic, video game related or otherwise, readers of novels, comic books and other forms of printed material are invited to share. Me? In addition to reading the Internet, I’m finally getting around to reading Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 15, 2011 - Uncategorized
Dreamcast Collection Coming To 12 Inches Of Vinyl
Sega is once again putting music to vinyl, following up on the bright blue Sega Genesis Collection soundtrack on LP with one for the Dreamcast fans out there. And by “there,” I regretfully mean “Australia.” Yes, like the last Sega vinyl record, this bonus item is strictly for our friends down under and only available…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 15, 2011 - Uncategorized
PlayStation Store Update: Tactics Ogre, Back to the Future & More
This week’s North American PlayStation Store update has arrived, bringing with it new games, old games and games based on old things from the future. Highlights include the PSP remake of Tactics Ogre: Lets Us Cling Together, the debut of Telltale’s Back to the Future on PlayStation Network and Acceleration of SUGURI X-Edition. And for…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 15, 2011 - Uncategorized
This Is What Diablo III Looked Like A Long Time Ago
There’s still a chance we’ll get to play the highly anticipated third Diablo game in 2011. Whenever we do get Blizzard’s next big action role-playing game, it will look like a very different beast from the canned 2005 version. The Diablo III we’ll eventually play on our PCs will be much more colorful—too vibrant for…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 15, 2011