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Tokyo Game Show
To: Bash From: Crecente Re: With Penny Arcade Expo wrapped up, and our stories from the show wrapping up this week, it’s on to Tokyo Game Show planning. We should probably talk tomorrow to see how the schhhhhhheduling is going. Don’t tell the TGS folks that PAX had a touch of Swine Flu, I don’t…
By Brian Crecente Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Axel & Pixel Preview: It Looks Like Nothing Else
We’ve got a guy. A dog. An art style I’ve never seen on an Xbox 360. A point-and-click adventure. And side-scrolling driving. What Is It? At the Penny Arcade Expo, about halfway between where you could buy nachos or watch a comics artist sketch on his DS, there was a kiosk running two forthcoming Xbox…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Report: Nigerian Gov’t Upset Over New PlayStation Ads [Update]
While news of the PlayStation 3 price drop to $299 USD appeared to have been met with universal praise, it appears that one group isn’t so thrilled with Sony. That would be the entire country of Nigeria, apparently. According to reports citing a statement from Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili, the…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Someone At Square-Enix Likes Star Trek?
Not being a font expert, but having a memory that stretches back to the 80s, I saw something on this very site today that made me think of the font you can see in the image on the left. In the midst of Brian Ashcraft’s superb coverage of all things Final Fantasy XIII, I saw…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Contra Rebirth, Super Return of the Jedi Scroll Onto Nintendo Weekly Downloads
This week’s batch of newly downloadable titles for WiiWare, DSiWare and Nintendo’s Virtual Console is a 16-bit paradise, as Konami’s Contra Rebirth and LucasArts’ Super Return of the Jedi overload the Wii with side-scrolling action. Other less spritely items are also available, including the colorful arcade shooter ColorZ for WiiWare and the bite-size DSiWare offering…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
How And Why Halo 3: ODST Was Made In 14 Months
Is your Peter Jackson Halo project not coming together on schedule? Got a year to make something else Halo-ish? Then construct a creative plan B, spelled ODST. During my visit to Bungie last week I got a chance to learn more about the origins of Halo 3: ODST a game that has all the makings…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Enter to Win a Copy of Darkest of Days
What historical military leader would you bring back from history a la Bill & Ted to play backup keyboards in your Wyld Stallyns tribute band? Agamemnon? Mussolini? The best choice wins a copy of Darkest of Days. Send your entry to [email protected] and register to win a chance to alter the course of history. Well,…
By Chrissie Lamond Published September 8, 2009 -
UncategorizedSony’s High-Res Image Enlargement Tech Could Make PlayStation Store Awesome
Sony’s “High-Resolution Image Enlargement Technology” may not have the coolest name, but the PlayStation 3 and PSP software could make for a much more interesting, zoom-tastic PlayStation Store. Shown at the recent CEDEC conference in Tokyo, the high-res image tech makes for a sweet looking calendar, smoothly scaled images and embedded web pages, but not…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Reward For Doing Good Xbox Work
Here is the Xbox “Playmaker Award”/Lamp as seen by Koaku at the Microsoft Xbox offices in Redmond, Washington. You can’t buy this. It’ll be passed around to exceptional employees. There were other oddities that I saw during my quick tour of the offices. The lamp was one of my favorites. The Playmaker Award is kind…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
PAX Organizers Report “Confirmed Swine Flu Case” From Show
Communication from official PAX sources indicate that the show may have been home to an infestation of the H1N1 flu virus, more commonly known as the Swine Flu, with Penny Arcade reps urging attendees to monitor symptoms. The official PAX Twitter account wrote today “Just heard of our first test-confirmed swine flu case at the…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Commodore 64, No Longer On iPhone
iPhone owners with a retro enthusiast streak got some good news this weekend — an approved Commodore 64 emulator was now available for the Apple platform via the iTunes Store. Today, the bad news hits. That C64 app has since been removed, due to the accessibility of the emulator’s built-in BASIC system, according to Pocket…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 8, 2009 - Reviews
Defense Grid Micro-Review: Mmmmm… Raspberries
Defense Grid: The Awakening is now out on Xbox Live Arcade. But it’s been out for a while on PC, where it’s got a reputation as, well, the best tower defense game there is. Like most tower defense games, Defense Grid asks the player to strategically place defensive towers to prevent something bad from happening.…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
The Beatles: Rock Band Frankenreview
What happens when what many consider to be the ultimate band game teams up with what many consider to be the ultimate band? The Beatles: Rock Band. While several bands have gotten their own standalone music titles, none have gotten nearly the sort of treatment Harmonix has given The Beatles: Rock Band. Not only is…
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Tony Hawk Ride Impressions: Tony’s Way
Forgive me if I get some skateboarding terminology wrong in this post. I’ll do my best to relate what happened when I turned my board sideways and hit the Vert ramp in Tony Hawk: Ride last week. I’m the kind of person who has to double-check what “Vert ramp” means before I type it, to…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
The News And Impressions Of The Final Fantasy XIII Premiere Party
Last night in Tokyo, Square Enix hosted a Final Fantasy XIII Premiere and our own Brian Ashcraft was on hand to liveblog, break news, watch videos and play demos. Here’s a break down of everything you may have missed if you weren’t surfing Kotaku at 4 a.m. Square Enix FFXIII Event Liveblog Incoming Final Fantasy…
By Brian Crecente Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Justify Your Game PAX Edition: Uncharted 2
It’s back! Justify your game returns with a slightly altered PAX Edition. That means we are giving our unsuspecting victims a little bit more time, fifteen seconds more to be exact. First up is Naughty Dog‘s very own Arne Meyer and Sam Thompson. Can they justify their Uncharted 2?
By Adam Barenblat Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Chat With Ken Levine Wednesday on Kotaku Talk Radio
Tomorrow, Ken Levine, the man behind BioShock and future secrety projects, joins us on Kotaku Talk Radio to chat about gaming and take your calls. If you’ve ever had a burning question for Levine, now is the time to get it answered. We expect a high volume of calls during this show, so it’s probably…
By Brian Crecente Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Buy A Custom Beatles’ Xbox 360, Help Doctors Without Borders
Harmonix is kicking off today a series of eBay charity auctions for Xbox 360s painted with an illustration from the amazing introduction to The Beatles: Rock Band. Proceeds from the numbered consoles will go to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. The first console, already up on eBay, is currently at $20.50 with the auction ending…
By Brian Crecente Published September 8, 2009 - Uncategorized
Ron Gilbert On DeathSpank: Why Play Two Games?
Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert was at PAX 2009 to talk about his upcoming action RPG meets adventure game DeathSpank, discussing melding the two genres and accusing me of witchcraft. Before we could talk about DeathSpank, we had to get past the subject of my magical pen. I use a Livescribe pen…
By Mike Fahey Published September 8, 2009