Naughty Dog Helping Naughty Dogs

Reader Christopher was down at his local animal shelter in Long Beach, California recently when he noticed something a little odd. The kennels there are mostly sponsored by companies to help keep things running, and most of those companies are pet-related. Dog food, cat grooming, that sort of thing. Except this one, which is sponsored…

How Australia Rates Video Games

The Classification Board is the body responsible for rating video games (and other stuff!) in Australia, and as such, is often blamed for the mess our system currently finds itself in. Thing is, it’s not their fault. The Board’s job is to look at a game, assess its content, then award it a rating. That’s…

Capcom Wrestles With Xbox 360 Disc Restrictions

The PS3’s Blu-ray format offers developers plenty of space to fill. But the Xbox 360 doesn’t use Blu-ray, it uses DVD. That makes things tricky if a studio is planning to release a multi-platform title like Lost Planet 2. In a recent interview, Lost Planet 2 producer Jun Takeuchi said Capcom had to cut a…

Marvel vs Capcom vs…Disney’s Lady Villains?

As seen on deviantArt, via GameSetWatch.

Metal Gear Arcade Is So Not Dead, 3D Goggles Are…Interesting

When Konami announced what games it would be bringing to the arcade AOU expo, there was one glaring omission: Metal Gear Arcade. That looks like it will change. The original list of games Konami announced for AOU were largely bemani, mahjong and card-type arcade games. Metal Gear Arcade was announced at last year’s E3 in…

Meet The Voices, And Faces, Behind Heavy Rain

Rather than hire Nolan North, or the three guys that do all of Bethesda’s voice work, Heavy Rain did the smart thing and went and got some proper actors. Best part is, they didn’t stop at using just their voices. Like Half-Life 2 and Mass Effect 2 have done previously with great success, Quanitc Dream…

Video Game Namesake Wins Olympic Gold

“Shaun White” isn’t just some name on some snowboarding game called Shaun White Snowboarding. He’s an actual person! And he’s won Olympic gold. Again. After taking Olympic gold for halfpipe at the 2006 Torino competition, White has won gold yet again at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. White did so well on his first run…

Dante’s Inferno’s Japanese Marketing Includes a Racial Twist

“Look how EA is promoting its game Dante’s Inferno in Japan,” a tipster wrote. If only it was that simple. The gentleman in the Dante outfit is named…Dante. Dante Carver, actually. EA Japan roping in Dante Carver, a well known TV “talent”, to appear at this promotional event for Dante’s Inferno is quite clever. In…

Final Fantasy XIII – Xbox 360 Screens

Star Wars Comes To PlayStation Home

Everyone loves Star Wars, right? And Indiana Jones? But do you love them so much you’d sign into PlayStation Home and pay money for some virtual cosplay? Sony announced earlier today that Lucasarts will soon be going for the hip-pockets of fans of its two most treasured (and long-suffering) franchises, with a range of gear…

Nintendo Goes To Court Again, This Time Over DS Piracy

Nintendo has won its second legal victory of the month in Australia, with a seller of R4 flash cartridges in the country ordered to pay the Japanese company over AUD$500,000 in fines. Local tech distributors RSJ. IT Solutions, which had been selling the cartridges – which allow for the use of both legally-acquired homebrew and…

Sarah Silverman’s Ideal Valentine’s Day Is…

Chocolate. Hearts. Smooching. How was your Valentine’s Day? Good, we hope. Comedian Sarah Silverman describes the perfect Valentine’s Day with her new guy: “We like the same things,” she says about her beau, “Order in, watch TV, play Modern Warfare.” Silverman is also a fan of the James Bond shooter GoldenEye. That, and grabbing her…

Thank Kingdom Hearts For Epic Mickey

No, the head of Disney’s gaming division wasn’t taking the bait and announcing Kingdom Hearts 3 here at the annual DICE convention near Las Vegas. But he did tell Kotaku that franchise paved the way for another big Disney game. “It forced us to challenge assumptions,” Disney’s game studio chief Graham Hopper said of the…

New Starcraft II Screens, With That Beta-Fresh Smell

Earlier today, I became one of the first people in the world to fire up Starcraft II’s beta. And while it’s too soon to share my impressions of the game with you, it’s not too early to share some screenshots. I’ve tried to get a nice balance of races and terrain here, to give you…

Kotaku Off Topic: The After School Special

Welcome to a time traveling edition of Kotaku Off Topic, a little late due to an appointment at Electronic Arts Los Angeles, where strategy games are made. Do you want to talk about strategy games? How about illicit drugs? Because I can’t talk about strategy games just yet. But I can tell you I was…

Homeless RPG Comes to America

Europe’s browser-based hit homeless simulation that challenges you to “rise to become king of the bums,” has made its United States launch. Yep, get ready for 2010’s first giant wildass video game outrage … In Bumrise, players advance by pickpocketing, attacking other bums and ripping off vending machines. They can learn to play an instrument…

MLB 2K10’s Cover Man Selects His Walk-Up Music

I’d heard about this during my preview with the game last month – MLB 2K10 cover athlete Evan Longoria asked for Tantric’s “Down and Out” to be included on the game’s official soundtrack, and 2K Sports obliged. It’s there with 15 other tracks 2K Sports announced today, including another I recognized in January, “Judas” by…

Assassin’s Creed II PC’s DRM Sounds As Pleasant As A Stab In The Neck

We’ve known for sometime that Ubisoft’s plans to curb piracy on the PC will include a required internet connection to play the publisher’s games, including the upcoming release of Assassin’s Creed II. But we didn’t know it was this unsavory. We’ve known that there is no “off-line” option, as clearly specified in Ubisoft’s online services…

Someone’s Gonna Make That Mortal Kombat Movie, Even If They Have To Sue

A Hollywood production company has filed suit against Warner Bros., claiming the media giant has frozen it out of developing a Mortal Kombat movie after buying up the franchise in last year’s sell off of Midway. Hollywood news site The Wrap reports that Threshold Entertainment filed the suit on Tuesday in Los Angeles. It was…

Our Weekly Podcast Is Now Ready To Download In Full 360

Did you miss the live version of today’s Kotaku Talk Radio call-in podcast? Download it now to hear what Xbox 360 product manager Aaron Greenberg has to say, then subscribe so that you don’t ever miss it again. Me? I’m downloading it right now, as I missed today’s episode of Kotaku Talk Radio, in which…