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Mass Effect 2 Hands On: Shepard Strikes Back
The extent of my own experience with the original Mass Effect has totaled no more than an hour. After having played Mass Effect 2 at Gamescom, I now feel obligated to remedy that and revisit BioWare’s sci-fi RPG. The Mass Effect 2 demo at Gamescom began with a dialogue tree, a conversation between Commander Shepard…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Analysts Get to Speculating on 360 Slim
This is like U.S. presidential elections. No sooner do we have a conclusion to a two-year orgy of rumor and speculation than another immediately begins. But a sampling of analysts turn up some who believe that, sure, Microsoft will follow suit with an Xbox 360 slimline design. The pros for such a move: If the…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Aussie Prof Connects a Lot of Dots Between Games and Gamblin’
A study of young people who are also pathological gamers, sooprise, turns up a connection to video games, in a report on Australia’s ABC News. Notably, however, another researcher knocks down the suggestion of a causal link. Paul Delfabbro of the University of Adelaide led a team studying more than 2,500 Australian teens, more than…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gran Turismo 5 Hands-On: Doin’ Damage Ain’t Easy
Sony had a playable version of Gran Turismo 5 at Gamescom, a brief and very limited demo that offered a look at one feature fans have been requesting for years—car damage. Well, we certainly damaged that Subaru Impreza. My technique for soliciting that damage was simply “drive as normal.” That meant running into walls and…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Weekend Reader: Questions Asked by a Virtual Jihadi
Typically, the controversy over “Virtual Jihadi” – a mod of a skin of 2003’s budget-bin jingoist shooter Quest for Saddam – deals more with free speech and abuse of authority rather than what the game asks its players to consider. Even without the actions of Troy, N.Y. officials against the mod’s creator, and those hosting…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Why Blizzard Can’t Just Sell More BlizzCon Tickets
With BlizzCon tickets selling out within minutes again this year, fans wonder why the company doesn’t just sell more tickets. After yesterday’s opening ceremonies, the reason become abundantly clear. The picture above was taken holding my camera high amidst the press of bodies trying to either get in or out of the main hall. Some…
By Mike Fahey Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
World at War Map Pack 3 Surpasses … One Million Downloads
And that’s in its first weekend of availability. Activision announced yesterday that Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 3 registered more than a million paid downloads through Xbox Live and PSN from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9. The seven-figure weekend brings to 6.5 million the worldwide downloads of World at War map packs,…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Guys Wanna Have Fun Too
E3 may be the first big show of the year and Tokyo Game Show may have the attraction of Japan and Otaku, but Germany is the only wacky video game show on the planet. Want proof? Press play and enjoy a little Just Dance gameplay footage.
By Brian Crecente Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
In a League of Your Own, Where Your Word is Law
For widely divergent reasons, a lot of people think neither Brett Favre nor Michael Vick should be playing in the National Football League this year. There’s only one place where they can do anything about it though. Their game console. If you find Favre’s narcissism, serial retirements and scheming against his former team offensive, you…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Weekend Coupons: Rent to Own
There are about 48 hours left on a big GameFly sale. Also, Fallout’s PC catalog (pre FO3) arrived on Steam in a package deal. These lovely prizes and more can be yours, if the price is right. • GameFly subscribers, there’s a large sale going on for games no one wants console classics, through Monday.…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Kotaku Originals: Slim Goodbody
No doubt about it, this was Sony’s week, as the PS3 Slim’s arrival dominated the news out of Gamescom – one of three expositions on two continents where we have or had writers in the past week. Totilo went to QuakeCon, Fahey’s now at BlizzCon, and though Gamescom is wrapping up in Cologne, by no…
By Owen Good Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game Impressions Of Mass Slaughter
James Cameron’s Avatar is getting a video game adaptation courtesy of Ubisoft, complete with movie appropriate stereoscopic 3D, should you have a TV that supports such a thing. For those without, expect stock third-person shooter action meets alien genocide. In Avatar, you’ll play as an RDA soldier, essentially tasked with killing every indigenous life form…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gallery: Gamescom’s Sony Hall
It’s not really Sony’s hall, it just feels that way. If you want to check out all of the things that Sony has set up at their mammoth Gamescom booth here in Cologne, hit up this gallery. Otherwise check-out everything else stuffed into the hall, from Ubisoft and Nerf to Def Jam Rapstar.
By Brian Crecente Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Halo ODST’s Firefight Rally Point
The almost pit-like Rally Point map of Halo 3: ODST‘s firefight mode fills the smallish level with a never-ending stream of enemies and at least one Wraith tank. The level had its first outing at Cologne’s Gamescom this week, drawing crowds to Microsoft’s booth to spend ten minutes each with the game in a four-person…
By Brian Crecente Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Def Jam Rapstar Takes The Street Corner Battle Online
The core gameplay most Def Jam Rapstar owners will experience isn’t much different from what Singstar or Lips offers. It’s the community aspects of Rapstar that could change the way the rap game is played. At Gamescom today, we got our second demo of Def Jam Rapstar, with 4mm Games‘ Jamie King and Def Jam‘s…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gallery: The Wonders of Gamescom’s Hall 6
This week’s Gamescom is still going strong in Cologne, Germany with the massive Kolnmesse opening its doors to shoulder-to-shoulder crowds Saturday morning. The show is actually spread out over four massive public halls, each packed with booths from a number of game developers. Here’s a look at Hall 6, home of Blizzard, Activision, Electronic Arts,…
By Brian Crecente Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
BlizzCon 2009 Day One Ends
The first day of BlizzCon 2009 comes to an end, and the flamethrowing space marines are heading to sleep, but the action continues tomorrow! Join us (err, me) tomorrow for more from BlizzCon 2009, including highlights from the costume contest, cosplay, some more cosplay, people in costumes, people dressed as other things, and I’m pretty…
By Mike Fahey Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gran Turismo 5 Gameplay Footage
Say what you will about Gran Turismo’s sterility, its punishing difficulty, nobody can argue that the games always look rather nice. Gran Turismo 5 looks set to continue this tradition. Click to view Gran Turismo 5 at IGN.com
By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Week In Comments
If The PS3 Is A Formula 1 Racer, What Is Xbox 360? The Wii? Comment by: Spritz Nominated by: Curse_Lily Who wants to drive a Ferrari that has a 50/50 chance of its brakes failing? Gamescom Booth Blitz: The Old Republic Comment by: Yossarian Nominated by: Showmeyomoves! [Gamescon opens to a wild mob of Star…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 22, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sega Park Opens In Dubai
The SEGA Republic – a nine-ride, 150-game amusement park – has officially been opened in Dubai Mall, roughly 18 months after it was first announced. The rides – with names like Spin Gear, Sonic Hopper, Halfpipe Canyon, Storm-G and Initial D4 Limited – are all just standard fun park fare, only with Sega characters stuck…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 22, 2009