Star Trek Online Preview: Ignoring Regulation

Let me get this out of the way: I’m not a Trekkie. I was a loyal Star Wars fan until the prequels and thereafter switched my science fiction allegiance to Neal Stephenson. So forgive me if I can’t come up with enough Star Trek quips or effectively weigh in on the Kirk vs. Picard debate.…

ESRB On Assassin’s Creed II’s “Seduction Mini-Game,” “Strong Sexual Overtones”

Just when you think that Assassin’s Creed II is going to feature throat-slitting violence and fountains of blood in a family friendly manner, Ubisoft crosses the line by putting “strong sexual overtones,” as thoroughly described by the ESRB. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has issued the Assassin’s Creed sequel a “Mature” rating, pointing out the…

Bring Me Link’s Head On A Platter… Lots Of ‘Em

A morbid scene from First4Figures’ Zora and Goron Tunic Link assembly line.

PR For Noobs

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Alrighty, Who Has Modern Warfare 2? Little known fact: When I was in college I interned very briefly for a marketing and public relations company in Washington, D.C. I hated the job. It was the worst of the worst. Most of what they had me doing was driving all over…

Valve Asks “Dude, Where’s My Thumb?” Again

Left 4 Dead 2 fans with two or more fingers and access to a camera will be delighted to learn that Valve is issuing a sequel to the Left 4 Dead-themed contest it ran last year, now with improved prizes. The “Dude, Where’s My Thumb 2” contest rules are pretty simple. Take a photo of…

Homeland Security Seizes Fake Frogger, Donkey Kong Machines

In a change of pace from the many video game piracy stories we run about games being downloaded illegally, here’s news of a seizure of 168 coin-op machines that played some very old games. A press release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection indicates that the machines were valued…

Bright Eyes: MW2 Night Vision Goggle Impressions

Modern Warfare 2 garnered an absurd amount of attention from not just this site, but seemingly everyone with its buzz-building release. So the game’s over the top $150 night vision-goggle-including Prestige Edition seemed fitting when it was announced. But is the game’s ultimate collector’s edition worth the extra $90? And what about those goggles, why…

BlazBlue PSP Screens Reveal The Lower Res Rebel

Arc System Works’ BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is getting downsized for a release on the PSP next year and Famitsu.com has first shots of game in lower resolution action. Dubbed BlazBlue Portable, the PSP edition of the 2D fighting game runs mostly feature-for-feature with its arcade and console counterparts, but adds a few new modes to…

World’s Loneliest Rock Band Ad?

Ad for unofficial OnRockBand.com in Brooklyn, almost as nondescript as the official Rock Band HQ.

Nintendo Gives Japan’s Club Nintendo Members An Ultrahand

Club Nintendo of Japan is offering a new present to its Nintendo-loving fan base, announcing Wii de Ultrahand for WiiWare. The two-player Wii game is based on the Ultrahand toy released by Nintendo in 1966. The Club Nintendo present, currently announced only for Japanese customers, will set members back a mere 50 points. What they’ll…

Something To Make Up For The DOA Gears’ Snuggie

Hearts were broken, gift lists shattered when Epic confirmed to Kotaku that while there was a Gears of War Snuggie in the works, it wasn’t going to be sold. Good news then, to gamers with cold arms and a need to snuggle: Street Fighter IV Snuggie is real and for sale. After seeing a pic…

Kotick: Unemployment Likely To Affect Industry Sales

Appearing on the Fox Business network on Friday, the same day U.S. unemployment passed 10%, the head of Activision acknowledged that high jobless numbers will challenge the gaming business, but vouched for the value of playing games in tough times. After chatting about the company’s recent earnings, Fox Business guest host Charles Payne and Activision…

Dragon Box V1 – The Way It Was Meant To Be Seen!

The Dragon Box—the essential edition for Dragon Ball Z purists—is here. This set isn’t an addition to your archive. It is your archive. After a frame-by-frame restoration from the Dragon Ball Z masters (in the original 4:3 aspect ratio), the first volume of the Dragon Box includes the first 42 episodes on 6 discs. Get…

Modern Warfare 2 Steam Release Bumped Back & Forth

PC gamers choosing to get their Modern Warfare 2 fix through Steam were expecting to have to wait until November the 12th to fight the global virtual war on terror. As of right now, they’ll wait a little less. While the Steam release of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is bizarrely being held…

Mega Man And Mega Bear Hit The Bricks

Medicom combines their Kubrick and Bearbrick lines into one adorable set of Mega Man figures, coming in January 2010 to a dusty shelf near you. The Kubrick/Bearbrick Mega Man set is actually a Rockman set, but I figured our North American readers might know him better by his bastardized name. Rockman looks vaguely pissed to…

I picked up Modern Warfare 2 for the 360 – The Madcatz Controller, not the game – And not for my 360 either, but for my PC. Apparently a majority of the “Games for Windows” line is exclusively compatible with the 360 gamepads, as I’ve found none of my other perfectly functioning non-360 gamepads work.…

Reminder: Modern Warfare 2 Kotaku Game Club Starts Tomorrow

As promised/threatened, Kotaku’s Game Club returns tomorrow. And now I can put a time on that: 2pm Kotaku Time (Mountain time), which is 1pm in Los Angeles, 4pm in New York, and 8am in Luke-land. A few reminders… -The first day of this Game Club will cover only the first three levels of the game,…

Rumor: EA’s Cuts Include C&C Team, Pandemic, Maxis & More

Electronic Arts announced yesterday it would be eliminating 1,500 jobs, cutting a dozen in-development games and closing “several facilities.” According to multiple sources, those cutbacks include studios like Pandemic, Maxis and nearly the entire Command & Conquer team. Sources tell Kotaku that the team working on Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight was warned of…

ESA Founder Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award

Today the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences announced that Entertainment Software Association founder Doug Lowenstein will be the third recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. What makes old Doug worthy of standing alongside Sony’s Ken Kutaragi and Nintendo of America founders Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa? Lowenstein founded the ESA, the industry’s most important…

Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 Combat Controller Review: Plugged In

Among the bounty of Modern Warfare 2-themed Mad Catz accessories are new controllers for the Xbox 360. The wired Xbox 360 controllers include assignable macro buttons, LED lighting and a digital camo design, but are they worth picking up? Loved Triggers: The controllers buttons are snappier and the d-pad feels a bit more responsive, but…