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  This Early Copy of Dragon Quest IX Is So Not Real

  Dragon Quest IX might be out until March, but someone on the Japanese internet claims to have obtained an early copy. Thing is, it’s totally fake for two reasons. They are: • The cover art illustration has already been released by Square Enix as previous promotional material. • The package’s barcode is the same as…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  Puzzle Quest Patch On the Way

  TransGaming has gotten back to us with a response to our story last week about Puzzle Quest iPhone randomly deleting heroes. According to Paul Nowosad, Marketing Director at TransGaming, an update is being submitted to the Apple Store this week. This “version 1.1” will fix the bug “as well as address some graphical issues.” Hit…

  By AJ Glasser Published January 5, 2009
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  Microsoft: We’ve Sold 28 Million Xbox 360s

  The Redmond giant and relative newcomer to the console wars revealed that it has sold over 28 million Xbox 360s since launch. Yes, that’s much more than the originals Xbox’s lifetime sales. In anticipation of next week’s NPD sales figures for the month of December, Microsoft’s director of product management Aaron Greenberg told the Los…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  So How Long Do People Play Wii Games For?

  MTV decided to find out. Using the Wii’s Nintendo Channel – which tracks the playing habits of 1.6 million Americans – they’ve yanked out some data on what games you’re playing, and for how long. The most-played game on the console (at least among those 1.6 million)? That one’s easy. It’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Fallout 3 On The Cheap At Amazon.com

  The deal of the day hasn’t much life left in it, but the non-standard editions of Fallout 3 are wicked cheap at online retailer Amazon right now. Collector’s Edition, just $49.98 USD. The Amazon.com Exclusive Survival Edition, as low as $99.98 USD. Hurry!

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  U.S. Army Testing Out Recruitment “Arcades”

  The U.S. Army wants you, gamers. It’s testing a new kind of recruitment center, one the New York Times is calling a “model for recruitment in urban areas,” one that smacks of old-school arcades. The first, a $13 million facility built in the Franklin Mills mall in Philadelphia, PA, was designed to lure in shoppers…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  Have Video Games Gotten More Violent?

  This article on GamesRadar has me wondering if violence in video games has gotten more intense – or is it just more vivid as a result of technology making blood brighter and guts more realistic. The question matters to me because I just got done playing Fallout 3, a particularly gore-splattered entry in 2008’s blood-saturated…

  By AJ Glasser Published January 5, 2009
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  Madballs Added To Game That Was About Angry Balls Anyway

  As an impassioned Madball fan, seeing Oculus Orbus appear in a video game, no matter what the quality, is cause for celebration. Even if the personally enduring 80s fad is simply being slapped on. That’s the case with Madballs In Babo: Invasion, it seems, formerly known as just Babo: Invasion from Playbrains. With guest appearances…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  Sony Looking Forward To PS3 Exclusives In 2009, PSP Not So Much

  What are Sony’s top brass looking forward to from the PlayStation family in 2009? Console exclusives, naturally. And “making money.” While the PS3 gets ’em all hot and bothered, the PSP is, at best, remembered. Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios, teases “new titles and innovations that will connect and expand the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  The Long Trip Home

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Has 2009 Hit You Yet? We drove back from El Paso Saturday, speeding under clear blue skies until we hit Pueblo. Than we hit a snow storm. And another. And another. We spent a good hour going 20 miles an hour before things cleared up a bit. I do love…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 5, 2009
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  Microsoft Denies It’s Using PlayStation Home To Virtually Hang Out

  Despite reports to the contrary, Microsoft says that it won’t be using the PlayStation Home service to hold virtual meetings. It has all the virtual meeting solutions it needs, thank you very much, Sony. Microsoft reps tell CVG that a report from GAAP Web isn’t exactly accurate, plugging away that it has “fantastic Microsoft-developed products…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  Who’s Going To CES? Kotaku!

  It’s that time of year! Time for the Consumer Electronics Show to touch down in Las Vegas, bringing with it sights, sounds, spectacle and exactly one Kotaku editor. That’s right, we’re going back to CES! As I’ve done for the past two years, I’ll be crawling the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor, bringing you…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  New Street Fighter Movie Poster Lacking in Chun Li Thigh

  Nothing sells tickets to a movie about fighting, sexy fighting, better than faces. And that’s why I know Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is going to kill. Just look at all of those faces. [ComingSoon]

  By Brian Crecente Published January 5, 2009
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  More Fallout 3 Custom Figures Mean More Awesome

  You have another shot at scoring a custom Fallout 3 power armor action figure, if your pockets are deep enough. Jin Saotome, creator of all things custom and articulated strikes again, post apocalyptic-ly. His latest is a second take on the Fallout 3 power armor, now on the Marvel Legends scale — if that means…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  Eduardo The Samurai Toaster Officially Journeys To WiiWare

  After being outed by an ESRB rating late last month, indie developer Semnat Studios officially announces the development of a WiiWare version of Eduardo the Samurai Toaster. Yes – Samurai Toaster. Eduardo the Samurai Toaster is a side scrolling 2D shooter featuring frantic, hand-drawn graphics that put the power of toast at your fingertips. It’s…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2009
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  Kotaku’s 2008 Judges’ Choice Awards

  Earlier today we posted our annual Game of the Year awards. The deserving winners were the results of group thought, discussion and vote. The Judge’s Awards, though, are all about one person’s choice. When we went through the process of picking our annual games of the year, I also asked each writer to nominate a…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 5, 2009
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  The First Killzone 2 Review Is In

  The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine touts the “world exclusive review” of Killzone 2 for the PlayStation 3. What did the officially sanctioned mag think of Guerrilla Games’ highly anticipated first-person shooter? Unsurprisingly, the official mag liked it. A lot. Killzone 2 was handed the maximum score, five stars out of five, calling…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009
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  Chrono Trigger, Shenmue, Mega Man, and More Coming To VGL

  Tommy Tallarico looks to freshen up the Video Games Live experience a bit in 2009, with plans to add several new games to the concert’s line up, including Mega Man, Shenmue, and Chrono Trigger. Portuguese gaming blog RumblePack got an exclusive from Tallarico during a recent Video Games Live performance, with the diminutive composer spilled…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2009
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  Kotaku’s 2008 Games of the Year Awards

  This year we decided to try something different with our Game of the Year awards: The GOTYS. We came up with categories that exemplify the areas of gaming that we think should be highlighted. Instead of awards meant to serve as a shopping list for gamers, we hope to create something that pinpoints what we…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 5, 2009
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  The Secrets Of Left 4 Dead’s Lighting Design

  Valve’s Randy Lundeen updates the official Left 4 Dead blog with an inside look at the zombie shooters lighting design. The most amazing reveal? That Left 4 Dead‘s lighting is really fascinating. Call me a Left 4 Dead fanboy if you must — I did stay up until 1:30 AM last night plugging through “No…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 5, 2009