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  Japan Chalks Up 5 Million PSN Accounts

  Japan has reached 5 million PSN accounts. Congrats, because that’s a lot

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2010
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  Guess Who Hated “Combat Evolved”?

  The title of the original Halo game is “Halo: Combat Evolved”. That’s not the title that the game’s developer wanted. Bungie wanted the game to be simply called “Halo”. Microsoft, who published the game, pushed the “Combat Evolved” subtitle onto the game. “Oh, man… the subtitle,” Halo designer Jaime Griesemer told Edge Magazine. “At the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2010
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  Nobody Leaves Nintendo, Nobody!

  If you think working as a designer for Nintendo sounds like a sweet job…you’re probably right. Speaking with Edge, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto says “One particular difference I should point out with Nintendo is that I am in charge of the EAD division and very few people have ever left that division. Very few people…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2010
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  Enjoy Your Massage! No, Really. Enjoy It!

  Has shovelware ever felt this good? Enjoy Your Massage! is an upcoming Wii title in which players get virtual massages on virtual backs for virtual relaxation. Here is the description from the Entertainment Software Rating Board: This is a massage simulation game in which players match patterns in order to perform back massages on clients.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2010
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  Kotaku: The Famicom Game

  Kotaku is not a Famicom game from the 1980s. Kotaku is a website. If we were, though, we’d probably look a little something like this. Thanks Lord Toon!

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2010
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  Very Important Work Has Commenced

  The most important building project of this year has gotten underway in Shizuoka, Japan. Construction on the life-sized Gundam statue is underway, reports Japan Today. The 18-meter mecha will carry a Beam Saber and be erected near JR Higashishizuoka Station. It will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of Gundam plastic models. It will…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2010
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  Company Of Heroes Is Back! (Sort Of)

  Company of Heroes Online – the free-to-play version of the classic PC real-time strategy game that’s previously only been available in Asia – is going to be released in the West, publisher THQ said today. Having tinkered with the game in overseas markets, first with a Shanda-developed title in China and then an in-house THQ…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2010
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  The Average PC Gamer’s Computer Looks Like…This

  It’s time to check in and see, courtesy of Valve’s hardware surveys, what the average PC gamer’s rig looks like. Hmm. Uh huh, uh huh. Yeah, I’m still average. Great? There have been some changes in critical categories since the last time we took a good look at the results (I know, they’re published every…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2010
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  New Total War Coming, Has A Taste For The Orient

  Deciding that E3 was simply too far away to wait, Creative Assembly today took the wraps off the latest game in the Total War series: Shogun 2: Total War. Or, going by this video, Okami: Total War. Returning to the setting that got the series its start, Shogun 2 is just like the recent-ish Medieval…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2010
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  Rumor: Sonic Free Riders Is Sega’s Natal Mascot Racer

  Sonic the Hedgehog will be a busy mascot in 2010, with Sonic Colors and Sonic the Hedgehog 4 coming to consoles. Sega may have another Sonic-starring game in store, Sonic Free Riders for Microsoft’s Project Natal. Joystiq cites an anonymous source in naming Sonic Free Riders as an Xbox Live Arcade game that’s played with…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 2, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: Thundercats Are Ho!

  Along with today’s announcement that Warner Bros. is bringing back Thundercats, we’d like to announce that we’re bringing back Kotaku Off Topic, the open thread post that you fondly remember from Tuesday. Ho!!! I watched quite a bit of Thundercats in my day, along with He-Man, Silverhawks, C.O.P.S. and Robotech, but it didn’t have a…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 2, 2010
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  Oh, BTW, EA Sports Confirms NBA Live’s Name Change

  EA Sports picked one hell of a day to confirm its NBA title’s name change. Not like anyone will remember today for Michael Jordan returning to video games, Ken Griffey Jr. retiring, or the worst umpiring mistake in baseball history. Anyway, it’s official: NBA Live is no more, it will be replaced by NBA Elite…

  By Owen Good Published June 2, 2010
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  How Two Fake Bands From ‘Lost’ Wound Up In Rock Band

  Lost is over. But Lost devotees can still experience the drug-addled, pop rock thrills of its fictional band Drive Shaft and the show’s in-joke act Geronimo Jackson, thanks to Rock Band and the efforts of a dedicated Harmonix employee. G4 chronicles the efforts of Harmonix manager of communications John Drake to bring Drive Shaft’s “You…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 2, 2010
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  And the Bleacher Shadows Behind Him …

  After a 22-season career that saw 630 home runs in real life, and thousands more as one of the greatest video game athletes ever, Ken Griffey, Jr., outfielder, Seattle A.L., retired tonight.

  By Owen Good Published June 2, 2010
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  Brits Get Their Free Dr. Who Adventures Early

  The first episode of BBC’s Dr. Who adventure games is out and already being enjoyed by our British sci-fi-loving nerd brethren overseas. Apparently “it rocks,” or so says Kotaku tipster Dan2593. Doctor Who: The Adventure Games kicks off with “City Of The Daleks” today, a few days earlier than expected, a free download for PC…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 2, 2010
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  NBA 2K Was Trying to Get Jordan In-Game ‘For Years’

  The greatest NBA basketball player ever hasn’t appeared in a video game since 2003. But over the years since, 2K Sports’ NBA 2K team built a contingency plan to bring back Michael Jordan, and will see it realized in October. “With our development team, the reality is Michael Jordan has been a part of the…

  By Owen Good Published June 2, 2010
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  The Video Game Solution To The BP Oil Spill

  Link, Mario and Sam Fisher team up to tackle the ongoing BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, as seen at Virtual Shackles, via Reddit. Finally, a better use for the FLUDD!

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 2, 2010
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  First Look At The Captain America Coming To Theaters, Consoles Near You

  We’re still more than a year away from the big screen adaptation of Captain America, but today we get our first look at how the first Avenger will look on celluloid and, eventually, in the Sega-published video game. Ain’t It Cool News gives us our first glimpse at Steve Rogers in full Cap gear, a…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 2, 2010
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  Pre-Game Pageantry Returns to NCAA 11

  Seven new screens from EA Sports show pregame animations, similar to those last seen in last-gen versions of NCAA Football, returning to this year’s game. Team-specific presentations, like Ohio State and Florida charging onto the field here, will be a part of the game. I’m wondering, though, if you’re 5-6 midway through a 10-year contract…

  By Owen Good Published June 2, 2010
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  Quincy

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: The Shortest Night Note Ever? Man, I forgot how wonderful Quincy was. It was a pretty fucking deep, pretty amazing show back in its day. I spent the day watching old shows and answering a surprising number of questions from readers about my hair What you missed: You Say Apocalypse,…

  By Brian Crecente Published June 2, 2010