• CultureTotal Recall

  Namco: Maker Of Games, Builder Of ROBOTS

  During the early 1980s, Namco wasn’t only conquering arcades with games like Pac-Man. The company was doing something else. Something important. It was building robots. Namco made a handful of bots for the Japanese Science Foundation Musuem, including “Largo” the stamp robot. Kids would press Largo’s red nose and the robot would then stamp their…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 6, 2010
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  Adult Game Gets Twitter Service

  Micro-blogging service Twitter allows people to share what they are doing with others. That might include playing erotic computer games. Game developer Moonstone is shoehorning Twitter functions into its adult title AngelRing. Those functions will allow players to tweet, reply, tweet about the scene they are currently playing, collect tweets about the game and the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 6, 2010
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  Kid Icarus’ Pit “Feels Like A New Character”

  Masahiro Sakurai of Smash Bros. fame is currently hard at work on a 3D version of Kid Icarus. His version of Kid Icarus’s protagonist Pit, he says, “feels like a new character”. Here’s why. “One thing I can talk about is that Pit uses a lot of weapons and this is a very important aspect…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 6, 2010
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  Is This How Microsoft Will Fix Kinect’s Couch Problem?

  Microsoft’s forthcoming Kinect camera controller for the Xbox 360 plays better with standing humans than it does with couch potatoes. Microsoft says it’s still “calibrating” Kinect for seated players and may accomplish that with a little help from Amazon.com. The Xbox 360 maker may have turned to Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service to make Kinect’s depth-sensing…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 6, 2010
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  The Alderaan Trail Is Littered With Imperial Entanglements, Bad Motivators

  Dysentery may be a thing of the past, but bad R2 motivators and fully operational Imperial space stations are a real threat on The Alderaan Trail. Part of Matt Marchini’s brilliant Star Wars homage, as seen on Picasa, via BoingBoing

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  Better Red Than Dead

  As Kotaku transforms into Kotaku After Dark, let’s enjoy the transition with a little off-topic conversation. Though, when the conversation may touch on The Matrix Online, the line may begin to blur. Stay with me! See, this weekend, I opted to watch portions of The Matrix Revolutions, an entry in the Wachowski… siblings trilogy that…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  Gamer With Stolen Credit Card Leads Cops To Parents’ Pot

  A kid in suburban Chicago boosted a credit card and bought some games and virtual currency online. When the cops showed up to ask some questions, they found his folks, uh, “Victory Garden.” This news comes out of Buffalo Grove, which you might remember is where some kid called the cops after his parents took…

  By Owen Good Published August 5, 2010
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  Reviews

  Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review: Share In The Despair

  The heroes of a handful of 2D Castlevania games come together to tackle old foes in a new way in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Can the normally solitary, exploratory experience of recent “Metroidvania” games make the double-jump leap to multiplayer? Castlevania: Harmony of Despair borrows five vampire-slaying heroes—Alucard, Shanoa, Soma Cruz, Jonathan Morris, and Charlotte…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  We Might’ve Called It Montana NFL 11

  In 1990, Electronic Arts reverse-engineered the Sega Genesis to begin development of a game for it, fully aware that if the project became known, they were in for a major lawsuit. The game was John Madden Football. Even when Sega learned of the gambit, EA still faced up the console maker and acknowledged its right…

  By Owen Good Published August 5, 2010
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  New Vanquish Trailer Likes To Play Gruff

  Do you like your action heroes gravel-voiced from chain-smoking, battle-worn and gruff? Do you dream of shooting rebellious Russian robots in space? Platinum Games’ Vanquish, even without its robo-dog, might be your cup of tea. Shinji Mikami, creator of Resident Evil, God Hand and more, is trying his hand at a third-person shooter with Vanquish,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  First Tuning Update Arrives For NCAA Football 11

  We seem to have gotten things out of order. The first gameplay tuning file for NCAA Football 11 went live this morning, so it was not dependent on a mid-August patch. The adjustments will be incorporated into existing dynasties. Tuning is a way to address game adjustments without going through a certification period or deal…

  By Owen Good Published August 5, 2010
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  New Deus Ex: Human Revolution Screens Black, Gold & A Little Old

  The next Deus Ex game, now in development at Eidos Montreal, will be dark, glowing with gold light and, occasionally, feature a hint of seafoam green. We know this by looking at “new” screen shots of Deus Ex: Human Revolution These purportedly new shots of the Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 game due next…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  The 8-bit Version of DJ Hero Comes Complete With Chiptune Mashups

  The man responsible for the 8-bit version of zombie shooter Left 4 Dead has turned his “de-make” skills to another recent franchise—Activision’s DJ Hero. Pixel Force: DJ Hero, as it’s known, is musically true to its 80s roots. The chiptune mash up you hear in the first trailer for Eric Ruth’s latest retro creation blends…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  NFL Player Returns From Games Addiction

  Quinn Pitcock was an all-America defensive lineman at Ohio State, and a third-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts. But he quit the NFL in 2008, at age 24. The reason? Video games addiction. That remarkable admission is in today’s Tacoma News-Tribune, covering the Seattle Seahawks training camp, where Pitcock has returned to restart his…

  By Owen Good Published August 5, 2010
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  The Big Apple

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Is Pretty Good I’m off again for a little less than a week. This time Trish and I are flying to New York to do check out some homes in New York and Connecticut. I’ll be back next Thursday, just in time to prepare and pack for…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 5, 2010
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  The Next Borderlands Add-on May Have Just Been Seriously Spoiled

  Gearbox Software’s loot-centric first-person shooter Borderlands recently got an update, one that added Steam achievements and new hardware support. That update also may have laid out, in extreme, spoiler-filled detail, the next downloadable expansion for Borderlands. According to contributors to Gearbox’s online forums, that new Borderlands patch featured a folder chock full of potential details…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010
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  Kaka Is FIFA 11’s Worldwide Cover Athlete

  Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite will be the global cover star for EA Sports’ FIFA 11. You might know him better as Kaka, the 28-year-old Brazilian star for Real Madrid. FIFA’s covers shift from region to region, accommodating the global nature of the sport, but Kaka will be the unifying player for all of them.…

  By Owen Good Published August 5, 2010
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  Watch Us Play With Our Privates

  Get ready to have sex ruined for you forever, as we take a trip deep inside an infected vagina in the first level of Zombie Cow Studios’ Privates. The day we’ve been dreading since May has come, and the first shooter to take place inside (and outside) of simulated sexual organs is now at hand.…

  Mike Fahey Published August 5, 2010
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  ‘I’m a game designer’

  People always ask me what I do. I guess I look like the kind of guy who you’d be curious what I do. I’m pretty sure that this isn’t a desire I project on purpose. I “ended up” this way. If I were wearing an Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt (after years of “Abercrombie” being the…

  Tim Rogers Published August 5, 2010
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  A Pink, Cat-Like Medallion?

  The Mail Online calls it a “pink cat-like medallion,” and X17 Online calls it a “flashy, piggy-bank necklace,” but we know R&B singer Chris Brown is just spreading the Kirby love.

  By Mike Fahey Published August 5, 2010