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  When Can We Expect Rival Schools On PSN or XBLA? “Never”

  That’s a long time, never. When asked when school yard fighting game Rival Schools would be appearing on the PlayStation Network, Capcom spokesperson Chris Svensson replied. “There are IP clearances and rights we no longer have (particularly pertaining to voicework/soundtrack I believe) so our IP management group has told us it can’t be re-released,” Svensson…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 11, 2009
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  Another Awesome Day Note

  To: Someone, anyone! From: Totilo Re: Two Big Santa Differences Just received a last minute whisper of an assignment to write a Day Note. Assignment came from Down Under from a B. Crecente, a former newspaperman who has been battling the inferior Australia-U.S. Skype pipelines all week. This far-flung adventurer has found himself indisposed, unable…

  By Stephen Totilo Published December 11, 2009
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  Nintendo: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Sells 2 Million In U.S. Since Launch

  Easing concerns that New Super Mario Bros. Wii selling 1.39 million copies in its first two weeks on U.S. store shelves might somehow not be impressive enough, Nintendo has announced that the game has since crossed the 2 million mark. Nintendo’s follow-up to yesterday’s sales figures says that the Wii game has racked up at…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  Shoot 1UP Brings Manic Shmup Action To Xbox Live Indie Games

  Xbox 360 owners will get a rare opportunity to play a manic top-down shoot ’em up next month with the release of Shoot 1UP, a shmup with all the bullet-hell trimmings mixed with a clever mechanic. The self-described “manic-yet-playable shooter” is from Mommy’s Best Games, the developer of indie efforts Weapon of Choice and the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  Notebook Dump: 2010 Games, 17 For The IGF, And Where 1943 Leads EA

  There comes a time in the week to reflect on what got into my reporter’s notebook but didn’t turn into Kotaku blog posts. Shall we? I wasn’t able to do a dump (not that kind) last week, because Brian Crecente was on vacation and I was doing the Day Note to end my shift each…

  By Stephen Totilo Published December 11, 2009
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  Final Fantasy XIII Summons Epic Soundtrack

  Square Enix has revealed its plans to drain even more hard-earned yen from the Final Fantasy fanatic, announcing the official Final Fantasy XIII original soundtrack. It comes in two pricey flavors, one more deluxe and limited than the other. The standard edition of composer Masashi Hamauzu’s score to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  No Non-Gamers Allowed

  There may not be any special handshakes or furtive high signs for it, but make no mistake: Video gamers are part of a secret society. Sure, nowadays billions of people from all walks of life enjoy the occasional video game. They play Farmville on their lunch break, Hearts while working on a term paper. Celebrities…

  By Brian Crecente Published December 11, 2009
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  Blizzard Gets Into The Holiday Spirit, ‘Craft Style

  Warcraft and StarCraft collide for holiday greetings, as seen in our Kotaku.com e-mail inboxes.

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  SweetRobot Pits Pets Against Monsters

  Here’s a closer look at the kid-friendly Pets vs. Monsters, the first game from Funcom’s new casual studio, SweetRobot, heading for open beta testing before the month is out. Pets vs. Monsters is a free-to-play MMO targeted at children between the ages of 8 and 12. Kids create an avatar, select between dogs, cats, and…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2009
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  Aliens Vs. Predator Impressions: This Time, As An Alien

  Violent in a way that would displease the genteel and the members of an Australian ratings board, Aliens Vs. Predator is all about stabbing heads and bursting chests. Not surprisingly, this game’s playable Alien is no diplomat. Kotaku has witnessed the human and Predator sides of the game. Now Aliens. The Aliens campaign, like those…

  By Stephen Totilo Published December 11, 2009
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  Borderlands Update Fixes Many A Bothersome Bug

  While Gearbox Software has been busy readying at least two batches of downloadable content for shooter-RPG Borderlands, it’s also gotten around to addressing many of the game’s long-standing quirks, bugs and sources of player frustration. Perhaps most notable are fixes focused on the loss of skill points and character data. Equally as welcome are changes…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  Fans Are Shearing For Mega Man 10’s Sheep Man

  Only two days after his big debut, Mega Man 10’s Sheep Man has already generated more fan art than you can shake a shepard’s crook at. We’ve only known about Capcom’s retro-riffic Mega Man 10 since Nintendo Power revealed the WiiWare title on Wednesday, introducing the world to the glory of Sheep Man, Rock’s latest…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2009
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  Couple Chucks Cable Box, Settles For PC And Xbox

  The most popular story on the New York Times website chronicles the tale of a couple doing something I don’t think I could do. This is one brave couple that you can read about on the Times. They have canceled their cable service. They have decided that they will still watch TV, still watch movies,…

  By Stephen Totilo Published December 11, 2009
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  New Super Mario Bros. Helps Wii Reclaim Top Spot In Japan

  After months of so-so weekly sales in Japan, the Wii returns to the top of the country’s hardware sales charts, its best weekly tally since the release of Monster Hunter 3. Thank New Super Mario Bros. Wii for that! Japanese Wii sales more than doubled on the release—and massive sales—of the new four-player Mario game,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  Frankenreview: The Saboteur

  The Saboteur is the story of an Irishman living in the back of a burlesque house helping liberate World War II Paris from the Nazis. Nothing could possible go wrong with this scenario. Pandemic Studios set about making a different sort of World War II game with The Saboteur, and it is decidedly different. Whether…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2009
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  What Are You Playing This Weekend?

  After the blissful torment of 30-plus hours spent in the world of Demon’s Souls this past week, I’m going to need something a little more cheerful for my weekend. And New Super Mario Bros. Wii isn’t too hard, right? Truth be told, I’ve yet to actually dabble in the Wii game, despite intentions to do…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 11, 2009
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  Peek Into Dante’s Inferno Gates Of Hell Demo

  The Dante’s Inferno Gates of Hell demo is now available for download on the PlayStation Network. Here’s a glimpse of what Xbox 360 owners will be missing until the 24th. Yes, I tend to harp on the fact that Xbox 360 owners have to wait two weeks for the demo, but it just seems so…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2009
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  Who Put Out The Most Good Video Games In 2009? [UPDATE]

  On Wednesday, EA CEO John Riccitiello provided evidence — in chart form — that his company published the most well-reviewed games of 2009. Wanting to test his assertions, I dug into the data and found some surprises. The EA chart was shown at an investor’s conference, designed to appeal to people who EA hopes will…

  By Stephen Totilo Published December 11, 2009
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  Happy Holidays From The Sims 3

  EA’s Top 10 Reasons to Give The Sims 3 this Holiday video shows that its much easier to get away with arson, peeping, murder, and sleeping with your friends mom in The Sims 3. How festive! The video does make a good point, however, especially to those of us who begin playing The Sims games…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 11, 2009
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  Team Bondi… But Nobody’s Home

  Much of the LA Noire team is in LA filming, we were told, when we stopped by for a surprise visit.

  By Brian Crecente Published December 11, 2009