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What Came First, The XCOM Or The Game?
I paid a visit to 2K Marin’s Canberra offices last week to have a chat with the developers of the upcoming XCOM reboot for the 360 and PC. And there was really only one question I wanted to ask. As a big fan of the old series, and someone more than a little disappointed to…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 16, 2010 - Uncategorized
Lemonade Tycoon
To: Luke From: Owen Re: Gamescom Spectacular Days Away My neighbor’s kids visit him every other weekend. Today they set up a lemonade stand. We’re not on a high traffic street. I just know I’m gonna buy two cups of lemonade when I go to the gym and when I come back, pay them $1…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 -
UncategorizedA Few Notes of Elton John in Mega Man 2’s Soundtrack
Reader Andrew G. has, since he was six, always thought that the theme for Dr. Wily’s Castle from Mega Man 2 sounded like Elton John’s “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That.” Both were released in 1988. So, this is what it’s come to this weekend. Alright. Well, enjoy watching Mega Man rock…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Hey — Why Aren’t There Any Ladders In Fallout?
Answer: “We’re game development pussies,” Bethesda’s Todd Howard said at a QuakeCon panel on Friday. No really, the engine in Fallout and Elder Scrolls runs into AI problems if ladders are introduced, and the developer just works around them. “One day, we tried to figure out why we wanted ladders so bad because we don’t…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
The Week in Games: The Dog Days of August
Square Enix owns the week as Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days releases on Tuesday, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light coming to Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday. Sunday, Aug. 15 Battle vs. Chess (PC) House M.D. (Mac, PC) Tuesday, Aug. 17 Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (PC, PS3, 360) – In…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Kotaku’s Top Five List of Top 10 Lists
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there. •The 50 Greatest Video Game Race Tracks [Breakdown Cover] With 50 tracks and videos for all of them, they’ve really done their homework on this…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Medal of Honor’s Singleplayer Will Present ‘Two Different Sides’
Perhaps I spoke too soon about Medal of Honor’s singleplayer. In this look at the campaign, executive producer Greg Goodrich says the story will be told “from two different sides.” This video shows two singleplayer missions, including one in which players head into town to gather intel on al Qaida. It seems unlikely the singleplayer…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Inevitably, Someone’s Mad That You Can Be The Taliban In Medal of Honor
I must be inside the bubble, because the idea of playing as the Taliban in Medal of Honor multiplayer didn’t hit me as particularly controversial. Fox News noticed. Though it did treat the subject reasonably, the woman they interviewed doesn’t. This segment aired on Fox & Friends yesterday and, despite the network’s poor rep with…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 -
UncategorizedThree Minutes of Zealotry in Halo: Reach
Three maps, not part of the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta, were recently confirmed. We saw Reflection on Friday. Here’s Zealot, which has low-gravity features that seem very useful for … jumping right into a melee to the face. There’s a gravity lift at the center of the map (should be a popular camping spot, hm?)…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Bored to Death
This piece of original art, which appeared in Gizmodo this past week, is our exploitable inspiration for the latest Kotaku ‘Shop Contest. Big thanks to Sam Spratt for his permission for you to use this original drawing to make a witty, visual one-liner about … what? A boring game? Vaporware? Load times? Or maybe you…
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Culture
Sunday Comics
Penny Arcade published Aug. 11. PvPonline published Aug. 9. ActionTrip published Aug. 9. EXTRALIFE published Aug. 11. Ctrl+Alt+Del published Aug. 11. Dueling Analogs published Aug. 9. Nerf NOW published Aug. 10. Rooster Teeth published Aug. 10. Monday Night Crew published Aug. 9. Virtual Shackles published Aug. 11.
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
You know, that guy breaking the big news does look a little like McWhertor. Today’s winner in the #taypics derby is TERROR-HORROR. Enjoy, while you talk about video games! Submit your TAY pic to #TAYpics Want to know more about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ
By Owen Good Published August 15, 2010 - Uncategorized
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: The Munchies Winners
We were so Pringles with last week’s ‘Shop challenge – give the world a new game-themed snack food to rival the Madden-flavored Doritos. We have 20 winners in side – get them a curly mustache! Yep, the7k, drawing on a bit of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 lingo, did up some nice cans of “potato crisps”…
By Owen Good Published August 14, 2010 - Uncategorized
Is “Red Factions: Battlegrounds” The Series’ Arcade-Size Title?
THQ, publisher of the Red Faction series, recently registered a domain for Red Faction Battlegrounds. That, plus word the publisher is working on a Red Faction game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, equals a rumor. The series’ next title, Red Faction: Armageddon, is due out next year, and reports have the publisher cranking…
By Owen Good Published August 14, 2010 -
UncategorizedLiteral Lyrics For The Halo: Reach Trailer
This goof would seem to be played out by now, but Tobuscus is back at it again, singing it like he sees it in the Halo: Reach Trailer. Why wasn’t the gun already turned forward? Now you’re dead. Halo: Reach LITERAL Trailer [Thanks, Brent!]
By Owen Good Published August 14, 2010 - Uncategorized
H.A.W.X. 2 Gets a D.E.M.O. Next W.E.E.K.
Hey, if you like your warfighting served up with jetflying and jargonspeaking, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 will drop a demo on Monday and Tuesday. Xbox 360 gets the demo on Aug. 16; PS3 gets it on Aug. 17. It’ll pack two singleplayer missions. Interception Course: Take to the air as a Russian pilot sent to…
By Owen Good Published August 14, 2010 -
UncategorizedThis Is John Carmack’s Next Rocket
Doom co-creator John Carmack also helps create rockets. At QuakeCon 2010 in Dallas, Carmack was displaying his latest, which he hopes to launch this month. It’s designed to go up 100,000 feet and then come straight back down. Theoretically. During a Thursday night “rocket talk” at the con, Carmack talked about the history of his…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 14, 2010 - Uncategorized
Go Back, Patch, And Do It Again
Patching and fixing games are not new concepts, nor are they exclusive to sports games. But sports gamers are increasingly calling for a do-over, and studios are responding. Three huge developments over the past two weeks, all coming in football titles, show that sports communities have pull far beyond suggesting some player’s ratings get a…
By Owen Good Published August 14, 2010