- Uncategorized
Money Well Spent
To: Luke From: Owen This past week I got my taxes done – because I lived in three states last year, and other circumstances, I figured a professional was the best way to go. The bill wasn’t so bad. California got nothing. Considering how badly they screwed up my vehicle title transfer, and rejected my…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Natal Marketing Effort Targeting Women’s Magazines
You know those women’s magazines like Glamour and Cosmopolitan that promise BIG SEX NEWS every single month? Well, if a report’s to be believed, they’re going to be delivering BIG NATAL NEWS as the product nears release. MCV reports that Microsoft’s ramping up marketing plans for Natal that go after Nintendo’s top-of-mind awareness in nontraditional…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Mario 1Up Quilt, as Made by a Dude
Two years ago, longtime reader Jacob C. was expecting his first child, a daughter. “I wanted her to have a handmade video game quilt, unrivaled in awesomeness as only they can be.” Problem is, neither he nor his wife quilted. Jacob enlisted the help of four female friends (“Maija, Grace, Rebecca, and especially Carol) to…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Week in Games: Baseball’s Back
Pitchers and catchers reported last week. One week later we have opening day on the consoles, as MLB 2K10 and MLB 10 the Show release on Tuesday. Oh yeah, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is also out. This week’s count: Eleven for PC, 10 for Wii, nine for DS, six for PSP, five for Xbox 360,…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Kotaku’s Top 5 List of Top 10 Lists
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there. •Top 7 Least Irritating Quick Time Events [GamesRadar] Lazy bastard that I am, I love QTEs. They allow me to grab a swig of my…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Activision Terminates Fan-Made King’s Quest Extension
The team of King’s Quest enthusiasts who had, since 2002, been working on an unofficial continuation of the seminal adventure game, have complied with a demand by Activision to cease all development of their game. The Silver Lining has a long and unusual history, even for fan-built games. The final official installment of King’s Quest…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Heavy Rain Film Rights Optioned Long Ago
Heavy Rain was announced way, way back at E3 2006, which was the week of May 8. One week after the show, May 15, 2006, the U.S. Copyright Office recorded an option for the film rights to the game. The option, re-filed in 2007, is between Quantic Dream chief David de Gruttola and New Line…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Indoctrinating the Veterans of a Virtual War
In the past year, 70,000 men and women enlisted in the U.S. Army. Sixty-seven times that amount – 4.7 million – played Modern Warfare 2 on a console or PC, released one day before Veteran’s Day. In the latest edition of Foreign Policy, P.W. Singer examines the growing phenomenon of “militainment,” a type of game…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Next-Gen Cereal System Edition
Last week a box of 22-year-old cereal sold for more than $200 on eBay. Video game cereals died in the 8-bit era. Since then there have been four console generations – and zero cereal systems. That’s where you come in. This week’s assignment: Create a game-themed cereal box whose crossover is just as cynical, whose…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Final Fantasy XI to Get Three Expansions in 2010
At Vanafest 2010 in Tokyo, Hiromichi Tanaka, the lead developer of Final Fantasy XI, announced that game will get three new high level battle area additions this year: Vision of Abyssea, Scars of Abyssea, and Heroes of Abyssea. Vision of Abyssea will be the first release, this summer. The other two are not yet dated.…
By Owen Good -
- Culture
Sunday Comics
Penny Arcade published Feb. 24 PvPonline published Feb. 24 ActionTrip published Feb. 22 Digital Unrest published Feb. 22 EXTRALIFE published Feb. 24 GU Comics published Feb. 26 Dotgif published Feb. 22 Nerf NOW published Feb. 23 Rooster Teeth published Feb. 23 Monday Night Crew published Feb. 26 Virtual Shackles published Feb. 24 2P Start! published…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Kotaku Off-Topic: Packin’ Heat
In some parts of our fine country, a person can walk into a supermarket visibly strapped and no one bats an eye. I want to try that with a machete, or that replica of Glamdring that the SkyMall catalog sells. People of Walmart: (pictured, above). A study of the wildlife found in that uniquely American…
By Owen Good -
- Uncategorized
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Worst Sonic & Sega Cameos Edition Winners
This past week saw, by far, the most entries we’ve had in the young history of the Kotaku ‘Shop Contest. The gallery of 20 just doesn’t do it justice. I had three times as many worthy candidates, forcing hard choices. Ultimately, here is your 20-pack of fun. Everyone, though, please take a bow and if…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Teen Convicted of Crashing PlayStation Web Site Because He Was Banned for Cheating
In late 2008, a Pennsylvania teenager playing SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals got kicked out of a tournament for using a cheat mod. So he took revenge by crashing the PlayStation web site for 11 days. Sony got the last laugh, however, in the form of a federal grand jury investigation, which quickly led to the…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Dead or Alive: Paradise is a Game About Beautiful Characters, Y’See
Even though Tecmo Koei America seems happy to market the fact that Dead or Alive: Paradise is called “cheesy” and “creepy,” the game’s director says it isn’t softcore porn, but a game trying to show that women are “beautiful characters.” “From our perspective, we’re trying to make beautiful women, that has been the focus,” says…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
More Than Money, Licenses Give a League Control
Sometimes I wonder if, in the future, a sports commissioner raised among our generation will fire up NBA 2K37 at the end of a terrible week, and let his cares melt away in a league where nothing bad ever happens. Video games aren’t just an escapist fantasy for working-class fans or talk radio regulars who…
By Owen Good - Uncategorized
Sweepstakes Dates Brink for Sept. 7
A sweepstakes promotion by GameStop and Bethesda Softworks says the upcoming FPS Brink will be available Sept. 7. The promo also shows some box art for the game but it’s unlikely that’s the final version. Yesterday afternoon the Bethesda Blog posted a link to the Brink GameStop sweeps, which is pretty sweet on its own.…
By Owen Good