In The Xbox Future, Your TV Will Know If You Are Yelling, Booing

Why have been people yelling at professional athletes who fumble and fall and anger them when those athletes are on their TVs and can’t hear them? Because these people have been getting ready for the Xbox 360’s Project Natal. From an interview with Xbox 360 project manager Marc Whitten, who discusses some non-gaming applications of…

The Narrow Definition of Experimental

One of the major perceived advantages of being an indie developer is the freedom to be experimental with one’s games. As opposed to their mainstream brethren, indie developers do not need to deal with the pressures of making multimillion dollar AAA titles that necessitate huge sales and thus need to appeal to the widest possible…

Kotaku Off-Topic: Ruh Roh, Mom’s on Facebook

Well, the party’s over. Mom joined Facebook this week, which means I officially have to dial it back and be nice, also sit up straight, ask to be excused, and not clack my teeth on the tines of my fork. Mom did so reluctantly and only because a group she’s involved in set up a…

“I Told You, Ho, Do Not Expect Much Wisdom From Him”

Some video game voice-acting isn’t very good. Thank goodness there’s a website that records the worst of it. The excellent site Audio Atrocities has some wretchedly great clips from role-playing game Two Worlds. Here’s one: Click to view Itoldyouho sound bite Odd use of “ho,” if I do say so myself. Go to Audio Atrocities’…

Danica Patrick Enlightens Us on the Concept of ‘Power-Ups’

Indy’s It-girl Danica Patrick has a role in Activision’s Blur, which I didn’t know before today, and Danica’s giving interviews to highlight the fact gamers now race online “against people in different places,” which she didn’t know before today either. What’s more, “It’s not just cars against cars,” Patrick told USA Today. “It’s cars against…

The Not-So-Real Dangers Of Power-Leveling

Aion developer NCsoft and Rooster Teeth have teamed up to educate massively-multiplayer online game players about the dangers of mafia-run power-leveling operations that probably don’t exist. Yes, power-leveling services are a bad idea. You have to hand your username and password over to strangers, who then have access to all of your personal information, or…

Dead Rising 2 Examines the Power of Multinational Pharmaceuticals

Dead Rising 2 is a zombie game with bite – a darkly humorous exploration of the ultimate power wielded by multinational pharmaceuticals and the corruption that creates. This time around Dead Rising will have a more involved, and in-depth story than the original game, said Capcom’s Keiji Inafune. “One of the things I’m proud of…

Drew Brees — To No One’s Surprise — Looks Like Madden 11‘s Cover Man

Drew Brees, quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, has a couple of TV talk show appearances booked for Thursday and Friday. Know what else happens Thursday? EA Sports announces its Madden NFL 11 cover athlete. Pasta Padre earlier today noted that Brees was scheduled for a Friday appearance on Live with…

There’s Far Too Much Crotch In This ModNation Racers Ad

Remember your old gym teacher, with the pedo moustache and the too-tight shorts, who’d always prop up one leg on things, giving you an uncomfortably good view of his crotch? PlayStation spokesman Kevin Butler will never forget. When Sony first launched the Kevin Butler-fueled ads for the PlayStation 3 and its games, I thought I’d…

New Way To Love A Band Like Linkin Park: Play Their Video Game

When the concert ticket, the downloaded album and the official t-shirt aren’t enough, there is the official video game of the band. Why play Linkin Park’s video game? It is for the fans. The trailer for Linkin Park: 8-Bit Rebellion title shows a side-scroller, a throwback to the run-right-and-punch-the-guy brawlers of Double Dragon and River…

Must Get Zombrex

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: What Time Is Your Bedtime? With about 15 stories filed from last week’s Captivate and another 20 or so to go, I’m starting to think I might need a zombie-prevention shot of Zombrex myself. It doesn’t help that the busier I get the harder it is for me to go…

While Pokemon Come and Go, The Healing Center Stays the Same

There’s the Nike Swoosh. The Target Bullseye. And now, the Pokémon Center. As of yet-to-be-released Pokémon Black/White, the game’s healing hub has undergone eight different redesigns. Although graphics have evolved since Pokemon was first released in 1996, the building has maintained one iconic look. The bright building has become so recognizable that its original “Poké”…

The Mighty Marvel Kotaku Podcast Takes To The Internet

Our latest podcast heroically takes to the internet, its team of downloadable links leading you directly towards an extensive chat with Marvel’s Chris Baker regarding Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Our heroes brave the airwaves and battle their way through your calls in the name of truth, justice, and catch phrases for comic book characters from…

Speak-Up On Kotaku: Pokémon Thrills, Searching For Donkey Kong, Capcom PC, And Action Obama

In today’s action-packed episode of Speak-Up on Kotaku, Jayntampa, Rear Admiral Meatwad, T-DoggIsTheLick, and Doomsaber talk dirty Pokémon jokes, Donkey Kong’s unfeeling nature, Capcom’s PC games, and the buffest president ever. Don’t like the gallery layout? Click here to view everything on one page. About Speak-Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say,…

Mafia Wars to Weaponize Animals

Getting a little tired of simply gunning down your enemies in Mafia Wars? You’re in luck. Beginning next week, you’ll have a literal menagerie of new weapons. Namely, the animal kingdom. Mafia Wars, a Facebook game by Zynga with over 25 million current players, posted news on their blog stating, “Animals are soon going to…

Something Is Missing From The New Left 4 Dead 2 The Passing Poster

Here’s the original poster for Left 4 Dead 2’s new downloadable content, The Passing. Below you’ll find the new version Valve has just released, which is missing one key element. Potential spoilers ahead! Keen-eyed Kotakuite M.u.s.o.u.k.a noticed a change between the original poster and the new one that’s appeared on the official Left 4 Dead…

Dead Rising character art

A Look At Super Mario Galaxy 2’s Cosmic Guide and Cloud Mario

See the recently-revealed Cloud Mario in action, check out the cosmic version of New Super Mario Bros. hand-holding Super Guide, and see who you’ll be controlling as player two in this latest trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2. The new trailer opens with a bit of two-player action, with player one controlling Mario and player…

The Real History Behind 2010’s Big Western

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption sells itself as a Western. But did you know it’s not really a Western at all? Yes, I know, the trailers have featured cowboys. Wrangling. Gunfights. Dirty Mexicans. Even old coots. All of them trademark images of the wild, wild west. But the game is actually set in the year 1908.…

Microsoft Confirms Downloaded Halo 3 May Load More Slowly, Won’t Hurt Gameplay

A day after making Halo 3 available to Xbox 360 owners as a downloadable game, Microsoft let Kotaku know that while loading times may be impacted in this version, gameplay should run as well as it always did. Recall that Halo 3 creators Bungie Studios had advised gamers to play Halo 3 from a game…