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  Activision, Gibson Guitar Settle Claims

  Sometime last week, Activision and Gibson Guitar decided to end their legal wrangling over a patent infringement claim made against the Guitar Hero franchise. Terms ain’t disclosed. Gamasutra dug up the docs, which indicate only that Gibson and Activision shook hands on April 17 and a federal judge in California terminated the case. A federal…

  By Owen Good Published April 25, 2009
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  Kotaku Originals: If It Ain’t Broken, We Break It

  Let’s recap a week slam-slap full of breaking news that got the gamer gums a-flappin’. Fallout Vegas? We was there. Lego Rock Band? Done tole you about it. The biggie? Stephen Totilo, newly minted editor-mans. Sony had a couple attention-snappers, too – the existence of Uncharted multiplayer (and its beta), and Arkham Asylum’s exclusive play-as-Joker…

  By Owen Good Published April 25, 2009
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  Portable NES Gets Extravagant Add-Ons

  The FC Mobile, which was essentially a portable Nintendo Entertainment System, was impressive when it launched last year. Now, though, with the addition of new peripherals, it’s really impressive. The system’s successor, the FC Mobile II, not only shrinks down the handheld’s dimensions with a classier casing, but allows you to output its signal to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 25, 2009
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  Are You Sick Of Sequels?

  Friday, Friday, Friday. It’s Friday. You know what that 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 know…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 25, 2009
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  Link Is, Yes, On A Boat

  Be warned: this is not suitable for work. Or for small children. If you’re neither of those, and are also Wind Waker fan, well, it’s suitable! [via Offworld]

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 25, 2009
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  Famitsu Hands Out The 2008 Famitsu Awards

  Japanese game publication Famitsu has awarded its “Famitsu Awards 2008” for games released between January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. The winners are… *Drumroll please* Game Of The Year Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Most Valuable Person Hideo Kojima Game Character of The Year Snake Game Company of They Year Capcom Special Awards Rookie…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 25, 2009
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  FlatOut Publishers Headed For A Crash

  British publishing house Empire Interactive – best known for the FlatOut series – look set to be the latest victims of the global economic crisis, with MCV claiming the studio’s closure is imminent. The trade site say that “all staff at the firm’s London offices were sent home this week”, and that Empire “is in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 24, 2009
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  The Room With Red Walls

  Reader Key loves red and has sent this entry to prove it! “Red is my favorite color..,” Key tells us, “and perhaps a bit more.” What’s happening? We’re giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here’s how you can win it: Take a picture of red things –…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 24, 2009
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  Zeno Clash To Get DLC, Editor

  Crazy Chilean first-person-brawler Zeno Clash has been making people happy on Steam all week, but the happiness is short-lived, as the game is, well, short. So the developers are releasing DLC and an editing suite. In an interview with LagZero, ACE Team‘s Andres Bordeu says that the team “definitely…want to do” more Tower challenges, along…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 24, 2009
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  Universal Puts BioShock Movie On Hold Citing Budget Concerns

  Universal and 2K Games’ big budget, big screen adaptation of BioShock may have gotten a little too big for its budget, as the film is now in a holding pattern as cost concessions are made. The BioShock film, currently in pre-production, was announced last May by Universal and 2K, with Pirates of the Caribbean director…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 24, 2009
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  A Week In Comments

  Harmonix Announces LEGO Rock Band Comment by: Curse_Lily I guess this is The Final Countdown to Harmonix ideas. Sony: Wii Own The Closet Comment by: Toasticus Nominated by: SiDCrAzY If the Wii owns the closet, the PS3 owns the store shelf. Nintenducation – A New Take On Edutainment Comment by: bluetom00 Nominated by: doubtful I’m…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 24, 2009
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  What AJ Learned About Machinima Law Today

  Today kicks off Stanford University‘s Play Machinima Law Conference with panels of machinima artists, copyright lawyers and legal representatives from Blizzard, EA and Microsoft. Machinima is one of those hazy areas of artistic expression not quite covered by copyright law and not quite insignificant given how many people have jumped on the bandwagon. Kotaku first…

  By AJ Glasser Published April 24, 2009
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  Empire: Total War Gets First “Major” Upgrade Next Week

  If everything goes according to plan, Creative Assembly will next week release an update for Empire: Total War that will address a number of AI flaws and critical bugs. While this isn’t the first update the brilliant yet technically “eccentric” game has received, it’s certainly the biggest (with “over 70 bug fixes”) and most wide-ranging.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 24, 2009
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  Edge Explores The Genesis Of The PlayStation

  The history of Sony’s original PlayStation is largely well known to gamers, born of a disagreement with Nintendo, who it once partnered with to provide a CD-ROM drive for the Super Nintendo. That disagreement, which reportedly infuriated Sony president Norio Ohga, let to a transition in power. Edge explores the birth of the console that…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 24, 2009
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  GameFly Pays First Class Postage For Second Class Treatment

  GameFly, the enormously successful rent-video-games-by-mail service, filed an official complaint yesterday with the Postal Regulatory Commission over the treatment of the games it ships, saying its costing them a fortune in broken discs. The Los Angeles-based company says that the United States Postal Service is responsible for breaking between one and two percent of 590,000…

  By AJ Glasser Published April 24, 2009
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  Atlus Site Hacked, May Have Infected Users With Virus

  The official Atlus USA web site was reportedly compromised by a “third-party entity” today, inserting malicious software into the company’s site. According to Atlus, this may have led to visitors being infected by malware. Atlus.com is currently down, as the company says it is working to “repair and restore” the web site, asking visitors to…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 24, 2009
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  Midway May Not Be Finished Yet, Thanks To Warner Bros.

  Bankrupt Midway may have a financial savior in Warner Bros., as the media giant—which happens to have a game division in Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment—is reported to be readying a bid for the ailing publisher. According to a report from MCV, Warner Bros. is “keen to acquire Midway’s flagship Mortal Kombat and Stranglehold franchises” as…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 24, 2009
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  It’s Been A Year Already?

  To: Ashcraft From: Faheycraft Re: Who Said Packing Was Fun? You? How Dare You…craft. I’ve been reminded three times in the past week that I have a birthday a week from today, and each time I’ve managed to forget the fact completely moments after. Didn’t birthdays used to be fun? Remember back when you were…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 24, 2009
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  Bit.Trip Devs Tease Next Game

  Gaijin Games‘ retro-styled music game Bit.Trip Beat was only just released on Nintendo’s WiiWare service last month, but already the developer has begun teasing its next Bit.Trip game. Who’s up for some mystery? While Bit.Trip Beat was beautifully low-res in its presentation, the follow up to that game looks like it may be a bit…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 24, 2009
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  Rumor: GTA IV Getting Xbox 360 Elite Bundle Treatment

  Microsoft looks like it may be prepping yet another Xbox 360 Elite bundle for later this year, according to retail sources, bundling its higher-end console with Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV. Listings for the Xbox 360 Elite GTA IV Limited Edition bundle were sent to Kotaku earlier this week—alongside information on the recently revealed…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 24, 2009