Modern Warfare 2 Guest Stars On Family Guy

This week’s episode of animated comedy series Family Guy ends with a special treat: a cameo appearance from Modern Warfare 2, complete with the game’s community manager. In case you miss it, the guy killing Peter straight away is FourZeroTwo, otherwise known as Robert Bowling, the “public face” of the Modern Warfare series and a…

Cashing In

To: Luke From: Owen Re: Don’t Panic As exultant as I was over hitting that five-way parlay in Vegas a few weeks ago, I had to wait until the cash was actually in my hands. The sports book had closed by the time we got back to the casino after dinner that last night I…

The Real Consequences of War Fought Virtually

The blowup this week over gun-camera footage showing an Army operation raised comparisons to “video game-like” behavior by the men pulling the triggers. NPR’s “On the Media” looked at this controversy and the relationships among games, tactics and weapons systems. “On the Media” spoke with Clive Thompson of Wired for 10 minutes. “I’m a little…

Mega Man Mosaic Made of Mega Man Screens

This mosaic, nearly 4 feet by 3.5 feet, depicts an 8-bit Mega Man using more than 1,500 screenshots of all the levels in Mega Man 1 through 6. Seen at Nintendo Everything (with more images and artist commentary)

Week in Games: The Courage of One’s Conviction

Sam Fisher goes rogue this week in Ubisoft’s anticipated Splinter Cell: Conviction, getting a two week head start on the 360 before hitting the PC. An eclectic gathering of DLC and add-ons rounds out the highlights. Beginning Tuesday, Grand Theft Auto IV‘s two extensions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony become…

Darksiders: Hellbook

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 Top 15 Video Game Religions [UGO] We just wrapped up Religion Week here at Kotaku, and UGO also got into the spirit with a…

There’s Nothing Wii Can’t Sell in the Classifieds

First salvation, now real estate. What’s next, used cars? A garage sale? Seen and sent in by reader Claremonster via Twitter

Bouts Booked for E3 Probably Mean Big EA Sports MMA Presence

The site MMAjunkie reports that mixed martial arts promoter Strikeforce has booked the Nokia Theatre for an event June 16, across the street from the L.A. Convention Center and smack dab in the middle of the E3 Expo. Strikeforce is the licensing partner of EA Sports MMA, due out in the fall; all the fighters…

Beta Invitations Going Out for Sims Creator’s Television Project [Update]

Emails sent by famed designer Will Wright’s Stupid Fun Club are now inviting members to participate in his experimental television project, which will engage viewers in the creation of the show’s storylines. An invitation sent Saturday morning tells its recipient they’ve been selected to participate in an unnamed project, but given recent news, and the…

Why Games Need More Than One Simple Word

No matter who is brought in to write a story or dialogue, the industry still treats the written word in such a utilitarian way that it has a second-class citizenship among the other art forms comprising a video game. That’s the argument Jamie Love makes in an essay for Gamesugar. Love notices that there are…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Metal Gear Solid Product Placement Edition

Product placement in video games is nothing new, but Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is definitely taking it to another level. You’re going to take it even further in this week’s Kotaku ‘Shop Contest. Konami had a big news conference this week to unveil the new … well, advertisements … it’ll be serving up in…

Sunday Comics

Penny Arcade published April 9. PvPonline published April 9. ActionTrip published April 5. Digital Unrest published April 5. EXTRALIFE published April 6. GU Comics published April 6. Dotgif published April 9. Ctrl+Alt+Del published April 7. Dueling Analogs published April 8. Nerf NOW published April 7. Rooster Teeth published April 8. Monday Night Crew published April…

Kotaku Off Topic: Denied

I have a penchant for making things worse. Last year I tweeted that I wanted a rubber stamp that said “DENIED.” Out of the blue a college pal had a print shop send me one, in red ink. Well, I got two parking tickets in Berkeley in January. So you see where this is headed.…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Easter Egg Edition Winners

Last week the Kotaku ‘Shop Contest got in the Easter spirit, offering up a white egg for everyone to color with a video-game theme. Some went further, hatching complicated game scenarios with the incredible edible in them. Boopadoo made the cut with Asshole Dog finding an egg instead of a duck. Many did Dr. Eggman,…

Another Patent Filing Speaks of Rumble-Enabled DS

A newly published patent application lends additional credence to what Nikkei reported last month, that Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS handheld will feature force feedback The application shows it working through a coin-sized motor. An earlier filing in February also hinted at force feedback without identifying how. Its illustrations also used a different configuration of the DS.…

Ubisoft Pledges to Improve Crappy Thing You Don’t Want

Good news, everyone! Ubisoft says it’s “constantly working to evolve and improve” its new “online services platform” for gamers. Awesome! What’s this “online services platform”? Why, it’s Orwellian b.s. for “DRM.” In other words, despite the utter fiasco its PC copy-protection scheme has been so far, that sucker is here to stay, so get used…

Batman: Arkham Asylum Getting Action Figures

Not that Batman has ever gone wanting for action figure exposure, but the Caped Crusader’s getting a new line based on last year’s Batman: Arkham Asylum game. It’ll be revealed in next month’s issue of Toyfare magazine. The line is from DC Direct. No other details are yet known, but if I had to guess,…

Netflix Disses Games-By-Mail, Old Games

Blockbuster’s been toying with games-by-mail in select markets for about a year now, but don’t expect Netflix to join the fun. Leaving aside the fact it’d be following the lead of a company it’s turned into a metaphor for dinosaur business models, Netflix just isn’t digging the idea of offering games. Said a company spokesman…

Taking Games’ Commentary Beyond Repeat Performances

Even if your wideout didn’t see that linebacker coiled up between the hashmarks in Madden, ready to hit him like a lifetime supply of bad news, anyone who’s played the game can quote from memory what comes next. It’s when Cris Collinsworth saunters up like your uncle with three or four in him before Thanksgiving…