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  Remember, There’s A New Driver Game Coming!

  It’s been 18 months since we first heard that Ubisoft’s studio in Newcastle, England was working on a new game in the Driver series. Today, Ubisoft reminded us that, despite this silence, the game is still in development. It’s a while off, though, with the publisher pegging the game for a fiscal year 2011 release,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  Nintendo Not Ready To Ditch The DS Lite

  The DS Lite is now two hardware iterations old. It launched back in 2006, and was a major redesign *of the original DS, from 2004. In 2010, Nintendo says it’s not quite ready to part ways with the Lite. “Our current plans are to continue manufacturing Nintendo DS Lite globally”, a Nintendo spokesperson told website…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  Where Has I Am Alive Got To?

  Been a while since we heard anything about I Am Alive, and with good reason; the game is still years away from release, with Ubisoft today leaving the survival title off its 2010-2011 release schedule. The game was originally due to appear in March 2010, but in 2009 was pushed back to Ubisoft’s 2010-2011 fiscal…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  The SEGA Genesis, It Moves!

  SEGA references and in-jokes aside, let’s cut to the chase: This is SEGA Genesis. And it has been modded. Skip ahead to around the 1:50 minute mark. Just watch the console sorta peel out and crash into the wall. It’s just like those little robots in Star Wars that Chewbacca screams at.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  Now This Is A Professor Layton Figure

  We’re sorry we showed you that Professor Layton figure last year. It may have led some of you to try and buy one. We’re sorry about that because you should probably check out this one instead. It’s much better. This baby is made by masters of the posable action figure, Kaiyodo, and is part of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  How Xbox Could Have Helped The Dreamcast Survive

  There have been rumors for years that Microsoft planned to buy Japanese game maker SEGA. But did you know SEGA hoped to make the original Xbox compatible with Dreamcast games? The SEGA Dreamcast was launched in late 1998 to great fanfare. The console — featuring dial-up online — was years ahead of its time. Then…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  Assassin’s Creed II Sneaks Past 6 Million Sold

  During Ubisoft’s fiscal report from earlier today, it was disclosed that sales of Assassin’s Creed II – 2009’s little engine that could – are now very healthy indeed. I say “little engine” because while Modern Warfare 2 spent the latter half of 2009 dominating all talk of game sales, to date Assassin’s Creed II has…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  250GB PlayStation 3 Dated For Japan

  Sony has just announced that the PS3 with a 250GB hard disk drive will launch in Japan next month. Releasing on February 18, the console will be priced at ¥34,980 (US$381). A 250GB PlayStation 3 has already been released in Japan as part of the white and pink PS3 bundle Sony released for the PS3.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  Digital Recording Comes To The PS3 (Again)

  Sony Computer Entertainment today brings word that it is now possible to digitally record terrestrial broadcasts with a new dedicated peripheral called “torne”. The torne is a terrestrial digital tuner that connects to the PS3 via USB cable. Torne offers players an easy and colorful interface that lists programs. It’s possible to look up programs…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  DSi XL Gets European Release Date

  The new Nintendo DSi XL – already out in Japan, where it’s known as the DSi LL – will be released in Europe in March, Nintendo has announced. It will be available on March 5, on both the continent and in the UK, in red and dark brown. The Nintendo DSi XL is essentially a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  Design A Team Fortress 2 Weapon, See It Appear In The Game

  Deciding that all that talent was going to waste on mere “art”, Valve are going to put Team Fortress 2’s fanbase to work, giving them the chance to craft their own in-game items, weapons and avatars. It’s part of the new “Contribute” site, which will allow TF2 fans to submit their own ideas for things…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  These Armored Core 5 Screens Are So Not Blurry

  Yesterday, mecha game Armored Core 5 was leaked by blurry Famitsu scans. Today, it gets its official reveal. Like clockwork! As we previously posted, the game’s concept is “mayhem” mechanical action. The game will feature new weapons, more robust and dramatic mission stories and stages that are more detailed and complex than the previous titles.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  Street Fighter Was Officially The Worst Movie Of 2009

  There were plenty of terrible movies in 2009, but only one can be the terriblest. And, according to popular movie review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, that honour goes to Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Yes, the Capcom/Kristin Kreuk disaster beat out other hopefuls like Old Dogs and Dragonball to claim the prize as the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2010
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  “Overseas” Version of Final Fantasy XIII Finished

  Final Fantasy XIII has been released on the PS3 in Japan, but the multi-platform version won’t be out in the West until March. Square Enix has, however, announced that development on this “overseas version” is now complete. In an online letter to European gamers, FFXIII game director Motomu Toriyam writes, “FINAL FANTASY XIII overseas version…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2010
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  Are These The Final Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Characters?

  The reveal of Space Channel 5’s Ulala and Crazy Taxi’s B.D. Joe in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing may not be the final reveal that Sega has planned. Four more additions may have been discovered today. Buckle in for obscurity! According to some digging by the folks at TSSZ News, it appears that Akira (and…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 13, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: Bustin’

  It’s a special hump day edition of Kotaku Off Topic, meaning we’ll take some time to talk about things that aren’t video game related. Hey, that’s just like every other edition of Kotaku Off Topic! What’s on my mind is that lone beer that’s currently chilling in my refrigerator. It’s a Yards Brewing Company Philadelphia…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 13, 2010
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  Three-Day Symposium will Examine the Art of Games

  “The Art History of Games,” a three day public symposium devoted to investigating games as an art form, will be held in Atlanta in early February, followed by the monthlong display of three commissioned art games. Participants at the Feb. 4-Feb. 6 symposium will include John Romero, a designer of the original Doom and a…

  By Owen Good Published January 13, 2010
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  Sony Plans Less Awful Heavy Rain Box Art Option For America

  If you have a discriminating eye for fine video game box art and were rendered inconsolable by the visual blight that is Heavy Rain’s North American box art, Sony has good news for you. In response to a request for the PlayStation 3 game’s “EU boxart available as a pre formated PDF to print out,”…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 13, 2010
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  Irrational Pitch for a Zombie Shooter was Well Ahead of Its Time

  Irrational Games had this idea for – hang with me here – a zombie shooter. Only thing was, it was back in 2005, and the studio’s creative director said its pitches were met with the sound of crickets. “I remember going around pitching it and the person would be ‘Zombies? Who wants to play a…

  By Owen Good Published January 13, 2010
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  SCEA: December Was PS3 And PSN’s Best Month Ever

  The holidays were kind to the PlayStation Family, with the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Network bringing in more sales than ever before. The previously announced 1.7 million PS3s sold during the holidays aren’t the only holiday milestone Sony’s bragging about.. A statement from Patrick Seybold, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s senior director of corporate communications and…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 13, 2010