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Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
Years ago someone said to me, “You look like a person who drinks flavored coffee.” I imagined that people were shot in Dodge City a century ago for similar slander. Anyway, while I pour some hazelnut breakfast blend, y’all get to talkin’ ‘mongst your own selves in this here Kotaku Official Open Thread. Confused about…
By Owen Good Published December 13, 2009 - Uncategorized
VGAs Offer First Look At Medal Of Honor, Arkham Asylum 2 & More
Tonight’s Spike TV VGAs offered new video reveals that were part expected, part surprise. From the expected camp was EA’s revitalized Medal of Honor, a modern day Middle Eastern shoot ’em up, seen in trailer form for the first time. EA LA and DICE’s new Medal of Honor may look somewhat familiar, but with higher…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 13, 2009 -
UncategorizedThe New Mass Effect 2 Cinematic Trailer [Corrected]
Correction: I misidentified this as a trailer from the 2009 Video Game Awards. While it is new, it is from the IGN Ultimate Video Game Gift Guide, which aired on Fox before the VGAs. Mass Effect 2 [IGN]
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
From the VGAs: Sequels Announced for Force Unleashed, True Crime
At the Video Game Awards, Samuel L. Jackson just took the stage (describing himself as a “bad ass motherf—-er”) to announce Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. The trailer featured a Vader vs. Yoda voice over, Starkiller fighting a beast muuuuch larger than a Rancor, but no gameplay, and no release date. Earlier in the…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
From the VGAs Mark Hamill Hints at Arkham 2 [Updated]
Kotaku’s Michael McWhertor is in L.A. for tonight’s video game awards, where Mark Hamill told him he was asked to do a trailer for a sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Update: Looks like that game has been announced. That really didn’t take long. The show opened with the announcement of Batman: Arkham Asylum 2. A…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 -
UncategorizedChristmas Lights Hero 100 Percents the Holidays
Ric Turner, a former special effects specialist with Disney Imagineering built this, a 21,268-bulb Guitar Hero holiday display that plays “Cliffs of Dover” by Eric Johnson. According to Turner: When you play, you watch only the Christmas lights, but the audio you hear is from the Wii, so your flubs are broadcast for all to…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Early Video Outs ‘Green Day: Rock Band’
Not sure if this is the “biggest surprise premiere in VGA history” we’ve been promised, but MTV put up a “Green Day: Rock Band” video dated three days into the future, then pulled it. Embed code still works, though. As you can see, the band’s rocking out to “American Idiot” with note highways, band shots,…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Win a Blu-Ray Dragon’s Lair Signed by the Game’s Creators
Dragon’s Lair is out on the iTunes App Store for five bucks, but if you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, the good folks at EA Mobile are providing an autographed, playable Blu-Ray copy that we’re giving away. Here’s the lowdown on the swag up for grabs: It’s a Blu-Ray version of the game,…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Hey, Looky That. UFC Undisputed 2010’s Dated
Big ups to reader Philip C. for spotting something my sandy eyes missed this morning when I was doing Weekend Coupons. UFC Undisputed 2010 has a release date of May 25, according to the latest Gamestop ad. Of course, the game itself will get a debut trailer at tonight’s Video Game Awards on Spike. But…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Atari Now on its Fourth CEO in Three Years
I half imagine Atari’s board of directors has a sticker on its windshield reminding it to change CEOs every 5,000 miles. Sure enough, it’s happened again. Former chief operating officer Jeff Lapin is now in the top job. The publisher of Star Trek Online gave no reasoning for the switch, only saying outgoing CEO David…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
VGAs Promise ‘Biggest Surprise Premiere’ in First Five Minutes Tonight
Geoff Keighley’s stoking buzz for tonight’s Video Game Awards on Spike (8 p.m. U.S. Eastern). Since we already know of Halo: Reach, the new Medal of Honor and others, it sounds like a total wildcard will open the show. “Do not miss the first five minutes of the VGAs for our biggest surprise premiere in…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Making Room for Baby Means Saying Goodbye to Old Friends
Parting with one’s treasured game collection can be an unthinkable proposition for many. But having a baby absolutely transforms your life, as one long-tenured Kotaku commenter writes. And that makes such decisions not only possible, but downright necessary. You might know longtime commenter Spoony Bard here—he was also our comment ombudsman last year. He’s currently…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Performance and Mastery: Changing One’s Motivation as a Gamer
Faced with a challenge, people are largely motivated by one of two processes – either the opportunity to demonstrate their talent, or the opportunity to improve it. Game genres also appeal to these processes. Doctor Professor, the nom de plume of the writer behind Pixel Poppers, assessed his sense of satisfaction in playing RPGs and…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Back Pay is Hell, and Utah Devs Still Aren’t Getting Any
When we last left Sensory Sweep, the Utah studio that just stopped paying employees, it cut a deal with the government to pay back nearly $1 million by September. That hasn’t happened, and its founder is facing tax evasion charges. The Salt Lake City Weekly has a comprehensive roundup of the Sensory Sweep fiasco, and…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Not the Bottom of the Ninth, but a Big At-Bat Coming for MLB 2K10
Scapegoated by its ownership and sandbagged by both declining sales and declining reviews, MLB 2K is a seriously troubled franchise. Flawed though it is, the title’s biggest problems going into 2010 are not entirely of its own making. Let’s recap. In a conference call with investors and analysts last week, Take-Two Interactive said its quarterly…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Weekend Coupons: Sweet Sixteen
Sixteen shopping days are left until Christmas, dragging out more deals this week on games, hardware and bundles. See inside for the latest inducements and enticements, or see what otther readers are touting in the comments. Hardware • Amazon is bundling the Xbox 360 Arcade with free Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Star Wars:…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Kotaku Originals: Chunk of Funk
Bravely revisiting his childhood typecasting, Jeff B. Cohen – “Chunk” from 1985’s the Goonies, and now a high powered Hollywood lawyer-mans – dispensed solid legal advice to the gaming community, going far deeper than the usual can-you-trademark-edge questions. Totilo also took a look at EA’s claims it put out the best reviewed games, we inked…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gran Turismo 5 Shooting For “Summer 2010”
Gran Turismo 5 is out in Japan next March. In the West? Sometime later, Sony yet to nail down even a firm release window, let alone a date. Recent comments from SCEA suggest, however, it won’t be any time soon. Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Chris Hinojosa-Miranda has told Destructoid that the game is currently –…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 12, 2009 - Uncategorized
Why Do You Game?
Greetings reader person! It’s Friday. Know what that means? It means it’s Friday. Let’s talk. Here’s how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn’t some marketing survey or whatever. It’s an emotional investment in you. Yes, we’re interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 12, 2009