Kotaku Robot Wars Round 2: The Quickening

The first round of Kotaku’s Robot Wars have left four U.S. cities in ruins and four video game robots nothing more than mounds of melted plastic and metal. Who survived to fight again? Well that all depends on who you ask. As we mentioned yesterday, we’re doing this three ways. The actual outcomes have been…

Our Missing Video Game Robot Hero

Osamu Tezuka’s beloved boy robot, Astro Boy, defined an art form, inspired a nation, and is a cultural icon worthy of the Robot Hall of Fame. So why doesn’t he get more video games? Not counting his first Japan-only forays on the Famicom and Superfamicom, Astro Boy has only appeared in one PlayStation 2 game…

Unknown Worlds Triumphantly Teases Natural Selection 2

The developers of popular Half-Life mod Natural Selection are preparing to release standalone sequel Natural Selection 2 this year via Steam, and we’ve got the exclusive teaser trailer to prove it. Last we heard, the development of the standalone sequel to one of the most played Half-Life 2 mods had hit a financial snag, with…

Bionic Commando Review: Grabbing Hands Grab All They Can

Capcom and GRIN spring Nathan “RAD” Spencer from prison, dust off his shiny metal arm, and turn him loose against the forces of evil in Bionic Commando, the sequel to the original NES classic. Much has changed since Nathan Spencer first took on imperialist Nazi forces on a mission to rescue Super Joe. Ten years…

Ubisoft Made Less Money Last Year, Had Some Huge Franchises

Profits were up, income was down and the Imagine games sold tons in the last 12 months, according to year-end financial results released by Ubisoft today. The company took in $890.2 million in the 12 month period ending on March 31, 2009. Up from $852.8 million the year before. But operating income was down from…

Avatar, New Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed To Get DLC

Speaking to analysts earlier today, Ubisoft representatives said that several of their upcoming triple-A titles will be getting downloadable content. Assassin’s Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction and James Cameron’s Avatar will all have downloadable content when they hit. All three games are expected to be released by this December, according to Ubisoft’s investor call today.

Robots We Love: Clank

Even endangered furry space creatures are enamored with our mechanical pals, as evidenced by the latest robot we love, Clank. Insomniac’s little robot buddy is the co-star of one of the most consistently excellent platforming game series ever to grace a PlayStation console. Clank manages to kick ass in any situation, whether he’s transformed into…

Ubisoft CEO Predicts New Apple Gaming Hardware

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot predicted today not just a coming generation of consoles and a gaming revolution in set-top boxes, but a bigger gaming play by Apple than just the iPhone. Yves Guillemot crossed his name off the list of people who have yet to predict that Apple will become a bigger player in gaming…

That post down there labeled “From Bloodcopy” should be labeled “Paid Advertising.”

Ubisoft Believes In Price Drops And Fitness Games

During Ubisoft’s financial earnings call today, CEO Yves Guillemot highlighted the importance of fitness games, suggesting that coming console price drops could drive the growing genre to even greater heights. Responding to a question on growing trends in the games industry, Guillemot singled out both fitness games and lowered console prices before expertly tying the…

InFamous Guide to Empire City

When InFamous arrived on my doorstep last week it came with a nifty comic book guide to the game’s ins and outs. What with all of the E3 planning and news shaking loose these past couple of weeks, I haven’t had a chance to really dig that much into the game, so I’ve had to…

Shaun White Rides On The World Stage

Skateboarding Wii owners get another excuse to break out their Balance Boards this holiday season, as Ubisoft announces Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage. Following up on the success of last year’s Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip, World Stage is another Wii exclusive snowboarding title featuring cartoony characters. This time around, players will find themselves following…

Ubisoft Narrows Release Dates For Splinter Cell, Red Steel, Rest Of Year’s Line-Up

As part of the company’s announcement of financial results for its just-concluded fiscal year, Ubisoft has announced release windows for its full line-up through the end of March 2010. Highlights on the list include Q3 (November 2009 to December2009) releases for Assassin’s Creed 2, which Ubi prez Yves Guillemot says will cost 20 percent more…

Brutal Legend Dev Answers Your Questions During E3

Jack Black voiced Brutal Legend is prepping for E3 this week, unveiling a website dedicated to the game and the big show with promises of contests, interviews and a new trailer. e3.brutallegend.com will premiere a new trailer for teh game, a new installment of Brutal Thoughts with Jack Black, the chance to win a Tenacious…

Coldplay Ushers In Lips: Number One Hits

Microsoft has revealed the second iteration of their Xbox 360 karaoke franchise Lips, with Coldplay’s "Viva La Vida" accompanying the official announcement of Lips: Number One Hits. Perhaps the Lips: Uno listing on the Royalty Network was merely a code name for Lips: Number One Hits, the second installment of the singing game, due in…

More Pics Of The Scratch DJ Controller

We’ve received some new shots of the official Scratch: The Ultimate DJ turntable controller, now in delicious PlayStation 3 flavor. Crafted by real turntable manufacturers Numark, the Scratch controller for the PlayStation 3 is very much like its Xbox 360 counterpart, though slightly more attractive thanks to the darker coloration. The official name for the…

Konami’s E3 Press Conference Promises “Revolutionary” News

With all of the rumblings of news coming from Hideo Kojima’s drip-fed tease for his next project it’s probably no surprise that Konami’s E3 press conference is promising revolutionary announcements. Set for Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the LA Convention Center, Konami’s presser will feature a “variety of high-profile speakers for all major platforms,” according…

38 Studios Saves Big Huge Games

Troubled real-time strategy and role-playing developer Big Huge Games lives on, with Curt Schilling‘s 38 Studios stepping up at the last moment for a late game save. 38 Studios has purchased Big Huge Games from THQ, adding a huge chunk of quality real-time strategy and role-playing talent to their roster and saving the developer from…

How’s Final Fantasy Versus XIII Coming Along?

With the Final Fantasy XIII hype machine in full gear, we haven’t heard about that other Final Fantasy PS3 game, Final Fantasy Versus XIII. In the latest issue of Japanese magazine Dengeki, Tetsuya Nomura provides an update. “The progress of developing Final Fantasy Versus XIII is going well,” he says. Nomura is surrounded with much…