If There’s Only One Team on the Field, Is It Still a Winner?

Earlier this week, we learned that Madden NFL 11 had created a new player attribute, but then sold the naming rights to a deodorant maker. And a million knees jerked in unison. So this is what passes for innovation at EA Sports! Am I also getting a discount on the price? And, this old saw:…

Box Scores: Holy Crap, We Have a Box Score

Bristol Rovers aren’t a good side. They finished in the middle of League One this past season. But in HatchC2’s FIFA 10 universe, they’re in their third English Premier League season, and first Champions League finals appearance, facing Bayern Munich. More than that, the Pirates have dispatched AC Milan and Barcelona getting to this stage.…

The Moneysaver: Freedom Isn’t Free

If you don’t throw in your buck o’five who will? Freedom costs $1.05. With free shipping from Newegg. Hardware • The Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Bundle is $249.99 after a $100 coupon from NewEgg. Normally $349.99. Use coupon code XBOX625B. [LogicBUY] • An Xbox 360 12-month Gold Subscription Card is $29.99 (normally…

Programming Note

In observation of the U.S. Independence Day weekend, Kotaku is on an abbreviated posting schedule today and tomorrow. Posts will be filed every two hours. All weekend standing features will still publish. To everyone in America, enjoy the Fourth of July; and to everyone not in America, you enjoy it too. Or else!

The Week in Review: Conflict Consoles

To be told you paid money for a games console whose unseen components ended or ruined lives a world away is more than uncomfortable. It’s angering. That much was clear in the discussion of two of Kotaku’s top stories this week, concerning what console makers are, can, and could reasonably do about the use of…

This Might Be The Best Transformer Ever

I don’t mean the greatest Transformers character ever. That would be an exercise in folly. No, I mean the greatest Transformers toy ever. Autobot powerhouse Omega Supreme was already on the top shelf of Transformers figures, thanks to his scale and triple transforming threat (he could break into three separate things), but this new custom…

What Is The Definitive Video Game?

Let’s talk, it’s Tell Us Dammit. Tell. Us. Dammit. Here’s how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn’t some marketing survey or whatever. It’s an emotional investment in you. Yes, we’re interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know oodles about us – more…

Playing Tetris On A 3D Display Made Of Water

We’re at a stage in human scientific advancement where Tetris in 3D isn’t that mind-blowing. But Tetris in 3D using water, that’s impressive. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found a way to create three-dimensional images using a projector and layers of water droplets. The water drops in curtains, while the projector switches up what’s…

3DS Games Could Look Better If They Ditch The 3D

According to “developers working on the system”, games running on the Nintendo 3DS can look (and perform) even better than those we’ve seen on one condition: they lose the 3D. That’s what a report on IGN says, as developers “could theoretically use the extra processing power for additional texture passes and more complex object and…

Warning: Little Mac Now Shoots Flaming Balls

Punch-Out!! hero Little Mac now floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee and can blow your fingers clean off with his flaming balls. As seen by Kotaku reader ChillyBilly at an unnamed fireworks vendor.

Kotaku Off Topic: Happy America

Man, who could use a little independence? Good thing this pre-Fourth of July edition of Kotaku Off Topic is now serving up all you can eat American pride! Let’s fatten up on some patriotism! Hey, when did Captain America start carrying a gun? Nevermind. That’s kind of a silly question. A better question is: what…

Super Mario Bros. Finally, Faithfully Ported To Sega Genesis

With Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario enjoying a comfortable friendship these days, a port of Super Mario Bros. to its 16-bit rival console doesn’t seem that strange anymore. What’s somewhat more surprising is how solid of a port it is. It looks and almost sounds exactly like the NES original Super Mario Bros., a game…

Madden NFL Shows Us Eight from the AFC

The annual screenshotapalooza for the upcoming Madden commenced today with 42 images of the eight teams in the AFC East and West. That’s the Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, Bills, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and, of course, the Raida Organization. The overall team ratings for each division are: AFC East New York Jets – 89 (4th overall) New…

Madden NFL 11: AFC East and West

Dead Rising 2 Gets Hassle-Free Australian Certification

Last time a zombie game put in for classification down under, it was refused, appealed and, finally, spitefully whitewashed of violence just to be approved for sale. Dead Rising 2 faced no such difficulties this year. Gamespot reports that Capcom’s zombie chop-shop got an MA15+ from the country’s Classification Board. It’s the toughest handed out…

Ratchet & Clank Creators Won’t Work On HD Update Of PS2 Games, But…

The Ratchet & Clank and Resistance developer is moving on to greener, multiplatform pastures, perhaps the reason Insomniac Games doesn’t appear too interested in developing an HD remake of its PlayStation 2 games for the PS3. But that doesn’t mean it’s not interested in seeing it happen. The Burbank-based dev said on its Twitter account…

Gears of War 2, Now With Octuple The XP

Still not sure what to play this weekend? Epic might make it easier on you, making Gears of War 2 multiplayer into an experience orgy this weekend. Yep, eight times the normal XP until Tuesday, July 6.

Unintentional Immortality for the NBA’s Gentle Giant

Manute Bol may have had an NBA career remembered more out of curiosity or as a trivia answer, but the man lived an honorable life that, sadly, is now getting recognition mostly because he died on June 19. Bol’s inclusion in NBA Jam for the Wii probably isn’t intentional to his untimely passing. The folks…

Team Fortress 2’s Engineer Goes Golden, May Build Not-Dyin’ Machine

Brace yourself for the long awaited, sure to be slowly deployed Engineer update for Team Fortress 2. Valve’s kicking anticipation off for the final (for now) class update by giving the sentry-buildin’ Engie a golden wrench and… something else. What clues await us in the newest TF2 comic? More information about the long running BLU…

Transformers: Cybertron Adventures Review: Robots In Disgrace

Remember that really great Transformers: War for Cybertron game we reviewed last week? This isn’t it. This is Transformers: Cybertron Adventures, and it is not the Wii version of War for Cybertron. While the story may cover similar ground and contain many of the same characters, Next Level Games’ Cybertron Adventures trades the third-person shooting…