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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…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
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…
By Owen Good Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
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…
By Owen Good Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
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…
By Owen Good Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
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…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
God Eater’s Brand Of Divine Hack ‘n’ Slash Action Coming To America
Namco Bandai’s Monster Hunter-like action adventure game for the PSP, God Eater, full of big guns, big swords and big deities, is coming to North America. And it’s doing so thanks to D3Publisher, not Namco Bandai. Thanks, D3Publisher! The action adventure game promises more than 100 “exciting missions” for God Eater players, with cooperative play…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Wiebe Reclaims Donkey Kong Jr. World Record
Steve Wiebe, featured in the acclaimed documentary “The King of Kong”, has reclaimed the world record high score for Donkey Kong Jr. after briefly surrendering it to an Oklahoma man. The international high score sanctioning authority Twin Galaxies today certified that Wiebe, of Washington state, is the new record holder with 1,190,400 points (screen at…
By Owen Good Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Ouch
To: Ash From: Crecente Have you ever had a video game give you a headache? Like a real headache? I have. :/ What you missed: Mile Marker 22: Rocketbirds: Revolution! Halo Legends DVD Review: Ring Around The Halo Universe “Demon King” Descendant and Strategy Game Namesake Figure Skates In the Olympics The Real StarCraft II…
By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
This Super Street Fighter IV Trailer Thinks Dudley, Ibuki, And Makoto Are Playable
While we’re waiting for Capcom to officially announce Ibuki, Dudley, and Makoto as new playable characters in Super Street Fighter IV, let’s watch them in this trailer depicting them as three new playable characters in Super Street Fighter IV. Between the Famitsu scans and the random mailings, it’s only a matter of time before Capcom…
By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
This Warcraft Player Will Not Go Quietly Into The Night
Authorities say this 27-year-old man, angered when his mother asked him to quiet down while playing Warcraft, choked her and rammed his head through a wall before his grandfather finally shot him. He wasn’t seriously wounded. Nerd rage’ll do that. James Swan (pictured) of Manatee, Fla. was drinking and playing World of Warcraft around 10…
By Owen Good Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
What Does The Final Fantasy Team Think Of The Last Story?
In January, developer Mistwalker announced it was making The Last Story with Nintendo, a “new form of RPG” bound for the Wii. That’s Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s newest game. What does the Final Fantasy team think about all this? Surely, The Last Story from the creator of Final Fantasy would perk up some ears…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Bioshock: The Toys
If people were apprehensive about Bioshock sequels, how about Bioshock statues/toys/figures? For true believers and skeptics, here are some pics and a video I shot at Toy Fair 2010 of NECA’s Bioshock line. Some of the Big Daddys are out. Some are coming soon. The hairy hand at the end of the video is a…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Assassin’s Creed II Lights The Bonfire Of The Vanities Tomorrow
Ubisoft has released the trailer for Bonfire of the Vanities, the second helping of downloadable content for Assassin’s Creed II, dropping tomorrow for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. With tomorrow’s release of the Bonfire of the Vanities downloadable content, Ezio’s memory sequence will finally be complete. At least until the next Assassin’s Creed game…
By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Barbie Doll Destroyer Will Wright Visits Toy Fair, Hints Toy Plans
Will Wright was on a recon mission on Tuesday in New York City. On a snowy day on Manhattan’s West Side, one of history’s top game developers was at his first Toy Fair, his wheels turning. Since April of last year, Wright has been in a new phase of his life. The recent era of…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Sony Gets Serious On Piracy, Used Game Sales With New PSP SOCOM
Your used (or torrented) copy of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3, the latest entry in the SOCOM series for the PlayStation Portable, may be missing something: online play. Sony is taking new measures against rampant piracy of PSP games and discouraging used purchases of the latest portable SOCOM by requiring players to register…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Speak-Up On Kotaku: Maxim Issues, Madden & Shoulders, DLC Hate, And Pokémon Love
In this week’s episode of Speak-Up on Kotaku, Ursus Veritas, RyderJ, Klip Twings, and For the Love of Games discuss Madden marketing tie-ins, the cost of DLC, Maxim, and all of that warm, fuzzy, Pokémon love. Don’t like the gallery layout? Click here to view everything on one page. About Speak-Up on Kotaku: Our readers…
By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
The StarCraft II Beta Test Has Officially Begun
Hell, it’s about time… to start playing some StarCraft II! Blizzard has announced that the closed beta test for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is officially a go, with invitations going out to “thousands of gamers.” Yeah, check your e-mail! Scratch that. Check your Battle.net account! That’s where you’ll find your StarCraft II closed beta…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010 - Uncategorized
Konami Sets N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights For Spring Stateside
The follow-up to Phantagram and Q Entertainment’s Ninety-Nine Nights for the Xbox 360, now in the hands of developer Feelplus, is coming to North America. Konami has loosely dated what it’s calling N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights for spring. That’s the same seasonal window for the Japanese release of the hack and slash Xbox 360 exclusive. Based…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2010