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  Sega Aligns Western Markets Under Mike Hayes

  The departure of Sega of America COO Simon Jeffery has sparked worldwide leadership consolidation for the company, with Sega of Europe President and COO Mike Hayes now presiding over North America as well. Here’s how things are working now. Sega of America and Sega of Europe CEO Naoya Tsurumi is now responsible for Sega operations…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 18, 2009
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  Sgt. Johnson Reports For Halo 3: ODST Pre-Order Bonus Duty

  Who would you rather have at your side against in a Master Chief-less battle against increasingly difficult waves of enemies than Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson? Yes, grizzled UNSC hero Sgt. Johnson may not have fared so well in Halo 3, but Halo 3: ODST takes place before the final installment of the trilogy, meaning…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 18, 2009
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  Denver Teen Opens Retro Video Game Store

  Denver teen, and Kotaku reader, Elijah Taylor opened his own video game store this week in Denver. Taylor tells us that the store specializes in rare, old-school collectible video games like Earthbound, Mario RPG and Bubble Bobble 2. The store stocks games for the Genesis, N64, SNES, PS1, Dreamcast, NES, Saturn, Gamecube, PS2, Xbox, PS3,…

  By Brian Crecente Published June 18, 2009
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Got something to say about video games today? Don’t tell it to the person next to you. They don’t appreciate you. Tell it to your fellow members of the Kotaku community. Right here, please. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 18, 2009
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  I Think I Forgot Something Today…

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Flash Mob …but I can’t remember what it is. Don’t you just hate that? What you missed last night Konami Staffer Sues For “Discrimination” Koei Tecmo Working On Corporate Cross Over Game How You Might Kill Someone Important In Mass Effect 2 Microsoft Pulls Plug On Xbox Originals Harold Ramis…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  So, What Games Does Lemmy Play?

  Lemmy. Lemmy Kilmister. Lead singer, bass player and founder of Motörhead. The man is a living legend. But did you ever wonder, amongst the admiration for songs with names like “Killed By Death”, whether the man plays video games? Short answer is yes. Yes he does. Here’s Tim Schafer, telling GI.biz what it was like…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  Get Ready For The Next Generation Of PC Graphics

  PC gamers may want to have some extra cash on-hand in a few month’s time, because both AMD and Nvidia are expected to release the “next generation” of graphics chips later this year. A report over on VentureBeat says that the debut of this “next gen” tech will be so important to both companies that…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  Yes, Blizzard Is Still Aiming To Release StarCraft II This Year

  The release dates we’ve been hearing for StarCraft II have been fourth quarter 2009. In an interview with Swedish game site Press2play.TV, StarCraft II lead designer Chris Sigaty says… …that Blizzard is going to try to get the game out this year. “However,” he adds, “we’re not going to ship the game if it’s not…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  Stardock: Quick Everybody, Develop For Windows 7!

  When Vista was released, few developers really wanted to take advantage of it. Most customers preferred XP, so most developers did, too. But could Windows 7 be different? Stardock, the publishers behind Sins of a Solar Empire and Demigod, seem to think so. CEO Brad Wardell has told Gamasutra “it would be good if everybody…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  Relax! Modern Warfare 2 Won’t Have Multiplayer Fee

  According to an Activision survey, a paid Call of Duty service would “enhance the multiplayer experience and provide exclusive access to a group of gameplay enhancements”. Those enhancements include things like early access to betas and expansions, exclusive character skins, exclusive game modes, better stat tracking as well as competitive play support. Does that mean…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  Crazed Fan Brings Classic Treasure Shooter To US Genesis

  Treasure’s Alien Soldier is an absolute classic. It was also, for some reason, never released in its original form (ie on the Genesis) in the US. Until now! Bratwurst, from the Sega-16 forums, has made his own copy. With a box, box art, a manual (in authentic, faded black & white) and, most amazing of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  This Xbox 360 Game Trailer Is Too Damn Cute

  Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity is the latest Japanese visual novel to be slated for the Xbox 360 in Japan. Originally, the text heavy game was an adult PC game, but the 360 version will be “clean”. Dunno about you, but man, my teeth hurt.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  PSP Gets Another Macross Game

  In Japan, there’s already one Macross game for the PSP. And it’s pretty good! Soon, there will be two Macross games, with the announcement of Macross Ultimate Frontier. It’s much the same as Ace Frontier, only with a few new additions like a better warning system for incoming missiles, as well as a new wingman…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  What Tecmo Used To Do To Easy Games….

  Back in the day, games used to be hard — especially Tecmo’s games. Before difficulty options became standard, Tecmo was making the most impossible games it could. What did Tecmo do to easy titles it developed? “Tecmo had the philosophy that the user would throw a game away if it wasn’t hard enough,” says former…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  Konami Staffer Sues For “Discrimination”

  Konami Digital Entertainment employee Yoko Sekiguchi is suing the company for what she calls “discrimination”. The 36-year-old Sekiguchi negotiated soccer team and foreign player licensing for Konami’s Pro Evolution franchise. Last October, she took the company’s maternity leave, returning to work this past April. When she returned to work, she was demoted due to a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  This Is The Best Sackboy Beard, By Far

  While we’d like to see more pop culture and less national icons in our Sackboys, we can make an exception when we’re greeted with a Druid. Yes, to help celebrate summer solstice, the time when the ancient ones felt the sun’s power was at its greatest, Media Molecule will be releasing this little guy, doing…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  Thirteen Minutes of God of War III Gameplay

  When is thirteen minutes of direct feed gameplay footage not enough? When it’s God of War III, that’s when. God of War III is expected to be out March 2010 in North America.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  The Saboteur Is, Apparently, Not A WW2 Game

  The Saboteur is set in France. During the Second World War. You’re fighting Nazis. During the Second World War. But developers Pandemic would like you to know, this isn’t a game about the Second World War! Pandemic’s Thomas French says “…we don’t even really think of our game as a WWII game, it’s the backdrop…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 18, 2009
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  “Lots of Work” Still Needed For Heavy Rain

  Satisfied with how upcoming thriller Heavy Rain looks? Don’t be. Not one to be complacent, developer Quantum Dream says the eagerly awaited game still needs lots of work. “We’re still at the alpha stage and there’s a whole lot of work to be done,” said Quantic Dream’s David Cage. “There’s so much fine-tuning in the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  Let’s Watch A Tales of Vesperia Anime Trailer

  Here’s 90 second look at the Tales of Vesperia ~ The First Strike ~ film from anime studio Production I.G. Voice actors include Mamoru Miyano (who voiced Light in Death Note and Riku in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II) as Flynn Scifo, Mai Nakahara (who voiced Rena in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009