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  BlizzCon: Where Are Diablo III’s Runes?

  At last year’s BlizzCon, the Diablo II team made a big deal about the power-customizing rune system, but this year it was strangely absent. We asked game director Jay Wilson where the runes went. Diablo III’s rune system, as we explained last year, is an ambitious feature in which every skill for every character can…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 24, 2009
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  Video Gamers Get Their Woodstock

  Cologne, Germany – There were plenty of reason to go to Cologne’s convention center last week: Jet pack flights, beach volleyball, ATV races, motorcycle stunts, performances by skateboarder Tony Hawk and German band Die Toten Hosen. But what really brought in the crowds were the video games. Nearly a quarter of a million people, almost…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 24, 2009
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  Tony Hawk: Ride Trips Real Skaters Out

  Pro skater Ryan Scheckler is totally tripped out by how precise the movements are in Tony Hawk: Ride. If a pro is tripped out, do amateur skaters stand a chance of escaping the trippage? I seriously doubt it. I also seriously doubt that skateboard controller is going to support my weight. My skateboarding days were…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 24, 2009
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  Sony’s Interest in Augmented Reality Gaming Expands

  Sony’s interest in augmented reality gaming shows no signs of fading. The console company has already brought a number of titles to their console that blend video game graphics with real images streamed from a camera to your television. And the publisher has high hopes for games that will put an interactive, 3D digital pet…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 24, 2009
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Here’s TAY to make your day more fun. Dive in and chat about video games. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 24, 2009
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  Has Anyone Seen Inglourious Basterds or District 9?

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft The worst thing about living in Japan is that we usually get foreign movies late, way wait. We do get Japanese movies earlier than everywhere else, which is great when there’s a fantastic film out. Interested in seeing Inglourious Basterds and District 9, but they’re not out here. Anyone see ’em?…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  Mass Effect 2 Won’t Be Late On PC*

  Like previous 360 “exclusives”, the PC port of Mass Effect came late. Real late. For Mass Effect 2, however, things may be different. BioWare’s Jesse Houston has told VG247 that both the 360 and PC versions of the sci-fi RPG will be shipping at the same time. “This time round, doing it at the same…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  You’re Wondering: How Many People Went To Gamescom?

  Gamescom came, it did, it went. Seemed like a success from where we were sitting! But as a public event, the show’s success depended not only on media coverage, but on the number of punters through the door. Last year’s big German games show, the Games Convention in the city of Leipzig, attracted 203,000 people…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  Valkyria Chronicles 2 Gets Very Short TV Commercial

  And this is it. Wowzers! SEGA’s bringing its fictional WWII game Valkyria Chronicles to the PSP. The game is set in 1937, two years after the first game. Cadets from the Gallia Royal Military Academy are sent to suppress an insurrection in the southern part of in-game country Gallia. The game’s central concept is contrasting…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  Commandos Series To Make A Return [Update]

  Pyro Studios‘ classic Commando series is on the way back, with the developers announcing that once work on their current project is done, they’ll be returning to the WW2 strategy franchise. The studio revealed to Gamer.nl that, once they’re done with the Planet 51 movie tie-in they’re currently working on, we’ll be treated to an…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  Get Married With Giant Gundam!

  The most romantic day of your life. A next chapter. A new family. What better way to mark that occasion than with a giant mecha? Japanese wedding planner T&G are, well, planning a wedding ceremony for one lucky couple this Tuesday. The soon-to-be-wed couple were selected from 548 entries last month. A 18-meter-tall (59-foot-tall) RX-78…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  DJ Hero, Game & Watch Edition

  As seen on on Hobby Blog.

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  Japanese Retailers Making Peanuts Off PS3 Slim

  A Japanese retailer claims to its shop will only be making ¥700 (US$7.40) on each PS3 Slim sold. The reason for this, it seems, is buying the consoles from Sony and then selling the console at sticker price. We don’t have any data other than this and do not know how the PS3 Slim compares…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  PSP Minis Documents Leaked: Sony Learning From Apple’s Mistakes

  Pocket Gamer have got their hands on some developer documents for Sony’s PSP Minis program, which reveal that – in one key area at least – lessons have been learned from the way Apple have done business on the iPhone. While Apple’s App Store has been lauded for its variety and scope, it’s often criticised…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  Asking Dragon Quest Creator A Rude Question For Laughs

  Yuji Horii has a spectacular comb-over. Something not lost on comedy program G-Tech when it had the Dragon Quest creator on to discuss DQIX. You ready for the what the Japanese internet is called an “unbelievable” question? G-Tech asked Horii, “Do you know what the bald-headed dance is?” To which the game designer replied, “I…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  Tatsunoko vs Capcom Gets Four New Characters

  Capcom’s Wii fighter Tatsunoko vs Capcom will, when it reaches Western shores, make the journey with some new content previously unseen in the Japanese edition. Like what? Like, maybe, online multiplayer. Along with four new characters. Yup. Four. Two from Capcom, two from Tatsunoko. There’s no word on who they’ll be, but you’re free to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  Bullet Hell Developer Is Considering Your Requests

  Cave, known for fantastic, frantic shooters like Muchi Muchi Pork and DoDonPachi, has posted an email account where folks can, among other things, send requests for games they want on home consoles. Keep in mind, that Cave is asking Japanese users to send in Japanese emails for which games they want on Japanese Xbox 360s.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  New Avatar Trailer

  Here’s a new trailer for Avatar, the game based on the movie James Cameron has spent the last, oh, fifteen million years tinkering with.

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009
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  Persona 3 Portable Opening Looks Like This

  This fall, Japanese game maker Atlus is churning out a PSP port of its popular PlayStation 2 role-playing-game Persona 3. The PSP version, dubbed Persona 3 Portable, will feature a female lead character.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2009
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  BioShock Movie Gets A New Director

  Last we’d heard, the BioShock movie had been put on hold while studio execs looked for a cheaper place to film, along with a new director. Looks like they’ve found the latter. According to SlashFilm, Spaniard Juan Carlos Fresnadillo will replace Gore Verbinski in the director’s chair (though Verbinski will remain as a “producer”). Never…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 24, 2009