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Sony’s Thoughts On Insomniac Going Multi-Platform
Game studio Insomniac Games has created a slew of exclusive titles for the PlayStation platform. Franchises like Ratchet & Clank and Resistance are PlayStation hallmarks. The day of Insomniac making only PS games are over. Earlier this year, Insomniac struck a partnership with Electronic Arts to make a new franchise for both the PS3 and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Studio Ghibli’s Game Getting A Western Release
Ni no Kuni, a joint project being worked on by Level 5 and animation legends Studio Ghibli, will be released in Western markets, Level 5’s CEO has confirmed. Speaking with Nintendo Power, Akihiro Hino says that his company is looking at increasing the number of games released in the US and Europe, with specific examples…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Reviews
Review: New Super Mario Bros. Wii…Shampoo
It’s not everyday that you must get totally naked to review something. Today was one of those days. New Super Mario Bros. Wii Shampoo is not *just* shampoo, it is “rinse in shampoo”. It says so right on the bottle. This shampoo, no rinse in shampoo, has been officially licensed by Nintendo. But does it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Not All Pirates Were As Nice As Guybrush Threepwood
The release this week of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition has many people revisiting the lighter side of piracy in the Caribbean. If only real pirates had been that funny! Like Vikings, Pirates have always held a curiously romantic position in popular consciousness, people idolising the men (and women) involved and their exploits despite a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Go On Vacation With Konami’s Virtual Girlfriends
This summer, Konami is offering fans of its Nintendo DS love simulator Love Plus the chance to do something very special: Pay lots of money to go on vacation with their virtual girlfriend. For ¥39,800 (US$451), you can go on a two-day, one-night Love Plus bus tour of Atami, a city in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Is Korean Law The Influence For Blizzard’s “Real Name” Policy?
World of Warcraft developer Blizzard’s decision to force users to use their real names on the game’s forum has some people in an uproar. Maybe those upset by the move should take it up with Korean lawmakers. That’s a theory put forward by Harvard student and former online security consultant Oliver Day, who points out…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Rockstar Re-Releasing The Greatest Grand Theft Auto Of Them All? [Update]
Curiously, a new rating turned up yesterday on Australia’s Classification Board website for a game that was first released nearly eight years ago. Wonder why that would be? As you can see below, the rating is fresh as of yesterday, for what’s tagged as a “modified” version of the classic Grand Theft Auto title Vice…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
The Last Story’s First Trailer With Gameplay
Upcoming Wii game The Last Story is being designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man responsible for Final Fantasy. No, he is not a nihilist, and from the looks of this trailer, neither is The Last Story. The game is set on an island that is a strategic sport for defense and transportation for an an…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Here’s What Inspired Vanquish
Nope, not Halo. Not Gears of War. Third-person action-shooter Vanquish is drawing from something else. In a recent blog post, game designer Shinji Mikami describes how he “spent a year and a half staring out of a window” after he finished 2006 brawler God Hand for the PS2 and no longer had a team to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Screw English, It’s All About C
This month, Japanese online retailer Rakuten.com decided the language that was used internally by the company would no longer be Japanese. By 2012, the company’s official in-house language will be English. That would mean all meetings would be conducted in English and all internal documents would be in English. English, English, English! Rakuten has been…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Ex-Age Of Empires Devs Working On Microsoft Strategy Game [Update]
Microsoft’s “Project S”, a secret strategy game that we uncovered earlier today, isn’t a Halo title. It is, however, being worked on by former Age of Empires developers. Robot Entertainment, a studio that was formed by ex-Ensemble staffers following the closure of the venerable PC developers, appears to be the team responsible for “Project S”,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 -
UncategorizedCentaurian Shows How To Make A Game Trailer
Flash game Centaurian already has one great trailer under its belt. But I think this “live @ E3” one is even better There’s just something about it. The horror, the bombed jokes, the furry cape, the vapid endorsements…it’s the anti-video game trailer, and for that, I love it. As a bonus, the game – which…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
OnLive’s Lag Tested With SCIENCE
OnLive, a streaming service that hopes to replace both PCs and consoles as the gaming setup of the future, has its sceptics, who say it’s too laggy to work. Why listen to them, when you can listen to science? The boffins at DigitalFoundry have rigged up a PC and some testing units to see just…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
The Action Figures Of Halo: Reach
New Halo game? That can mean only one thing. New Halo action figures. These guys are the first line of McFarlane’s Halo: Reach action figure series, and feature some of the Spartans making up the main cast of the game (except the lady one with the tiny arm). They’re the same size as the company’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2010 - Uncategorized
Microsoft Seeks Testers For Secret ‘Project S’ Strategy Game [Updated]
The people who publish Age of Empires and Halo Wars have a secret real-time strategy title in the works for Games For Windows Live, which Microsoft Games Studios is calling “Project S.” Other people are alpha testing it now. Microsoft is seeking more alpha testers for what it describes as a “groundbreaking,” “giant, revolutionary step…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 7, 2010 - Uncategorized
Life, The Universe, Beavis & Butthead
We interrupt our regularly on-topic conversation for something a little less so. Though, really, anything is fair game on Kotaku. But in this post, the game is even fairer! Join us, won’t you, for some random chatter. As exciting as today is, I’m not yet ready to believe that Beavis & Butthead is making a…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 7, 2010 - Uncategorized
Greatest of All-Time? These Cover Stars Belong, Too
This morning, NBA 2K11 revealed its box art featuring Michael Jordan, billed as “the greatest cover of all time.” But there are many others also among the greatest in their respective sports who’ve graced a game’s cover. Here’s a sampling. Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson Fight Night Round 4 (2008) Let’s not forget who has…
By Owen Good Published July 7, 2010 - Uncategorized
Madden Demo Possible on July 23?
An EA Sports spokesman has said that a week from tomorrow, through an unnamed media outlet, the final word on the Madden NFL 11 demo’s release date will be given. The smart money has it arriving July 23. That’s unconfirmed through EA Sports, but it would conform to past practice. Last year, EA Sports rolled…
By Owen Good Published July 7, 2010