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Wolfenstein PC Patch Fixes In-Game Breaking, Lets Players Finish Game
The PC version of id and Raven Software‘s Wolfenstein has graduated to version 1.11, fixing a small batch of errors that have plagued the Windows release and prevented some gamers from finishing the game at all. The game notably addresses the “gamex86.dll” error that may have shut your game down for good. The positive news…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 20, 2009 -
Reviews
Bakugan Battle Brawlers Review: Almost There
Part marbles, part Pokemon, anime and toy sensation Bakugan Battle Brawlers brings 2008’s Toy of the Year to the console in a game that drops players into the Bakugan world, battling transforming monsters in a race to save the planet. But can a video game capture the essence of a toy made popular by it’s…
By Brian Crecente Published October 20, 2009 -
Modern Warfare 2 PC’s IWNET An “Improvement” Over Dedicated Servers, Says IW
Infinity Ward’s revelation that Modern Warfare 2 for the PC would drop dedicated servers for online multiplayer in favor of the developer’s IWNET tech was met with the usual community grumbling. Now IW is trying to clear the air. Amid frantic petition signing and friendly sniping about the change from competitors, Infinity Ward’s Robert “FourZeroTwo”…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 20, 2009 -
Battle of the Music Games: The Beatles: Rock Band Vs. Guitar Hero 5
The NPD Group’s September hardware sales report fails to mention two other important platforms viciously battling for gamer’s attention—Rock Band and Guitar Hero, two games that saw big releases last month. So who won? According to a boastful official announcement from Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix, the winner of the monthly music game battle…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 19, 2009 -
Guitar Hero’s ‘Couples’ Cameo Profitable for Activision, Film
Ever met a Guitar Hero salesman? Me either. Vince Vaughn’s character in “Couples Retreat” was made one, however, because he and co-screenwriter John Favreau adore the series. And, how about that, it crowbared a few buxx out of Activision marketing. Activision joined an all-star list of brands such as Bud Light, Captain Morgan’s and Crunch…
By Owen Good Published October 18, 2009 -
DICE Makes Hay With Dedicated Server Controversy
Earlier this morning, the executive producer for the Battlefield franchise tweaked Call of Duty over Infinity Ward ending dedicated server support, “confirming” that, yes, dedicated server support is “a given” in Battlefield titles on the PC. “Dedicated servers FTW. What ever secures a better online experience is a given for us,” Tweeted DICE’s K.M. Troedsson.…
By Owen Good Published October 18, 2009 -
FourZeroTwo: Modern Warfare 2 is Not Delayed on PC
From Robert Bowling’s Twitter, good news for PC gamers – “No delay on PC for Modern Warfare 2,” says the Infinity Ward community manager, debunking earlier rumors that it was on hold for two weeks past its original drop date. Furthermore: “You’ll also have Prestige Mode in PC as well as lots of Steam support,”…
By Owen Good Published October 17, 2009 -
No-Fail DJ Hero Is Easier And Harder Than Expected
Failure is not possible in Activision’s turntable riff on Guitar Hero, but I saw last night how tough — and strategic — playing the game can be. DJ Hero was available to play in a SoHo Manhattan gallery as part of an Activision and Microsoft-backed evening event for this multi-platform game. After I arrived, I…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 16, 2009 -
Surprise Activision Dinosaur Game Coming In November
Activision has announced a November release date for Jurassic: The Hunted. If you just asked yourself, “What the hell is Jurassic: The Hunted,” rest assured I’m right there with you. This is the first I’ve heard of Jurassic: The Hunted, Activision’s budget dinosaur hunting game, outside of a brief mention as “Jurassic Hunter” in Nintendo’s…
By Mike Fahey Published October 16, 2009 -
DJ Hero Does NASCAR
Target and Activision have teamed up to plaster Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 1 Chevrolet with giant DJ Hero logos at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in North Carolina this Saturday. It’s DJ Hero day at North Carolina’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway this weekend, as Target and Activision bring together DJ Hero and NASCAR fans for…
By Mike Fahey Published October 15, 2009 -
A Little Bit Of Band Hero
If you’re interested in finding out what the difference is between Guitar Hero and Band Hero, now’s your chance, as a three-song demo for the game crops up on Xbox Live. Finger Eleven’s “Paralyzer,” Taylor Swift’s “Picture to Burn,” and Katrina & The Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” make up the three-song set included in the…
By Mike Fahey Published October 15, 2009 -
Wolfenstein PC Demo Now Available
Are you one of the millions of gamers who didn’t play Wolfenstein when it hit the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3? Perhaps you’d like to try the PC version on for size? Of course, you can also contribute to the game’s underperformance by downloading the Wolfenstein PC demo, yours for the sampling. It’s available wherever…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 14, 2009 -
Kurt Cobain Parody Vid Taken Down on Activision’s Request
Remember the video of Kurt Cobain singing Bon Jovi’s hits, and shrieking “yeah, boyeee!” in “Bring the Noize?” The compilation that hung the game with its own rope for its treatment of Cobain is gone from YouTube, on Activision’s demand. Sure, videos get taken down all the time. But search for “Guitar Hero” on YouTube…
By Owen Good Published October 13, 2009 -
DJ Hero’s Intro Slightly Larger-Than-Life
It’s only a couple of weeks until the release of DJ Hero, which judging by this intro video is a game about a dark future where truckers and punk kids destroy overpasses before partying. This is what you get when you give the developers of a music game a very large CG budget and let…
By Mike Fahey Published October 12, 2009 -
Eminem, Jay-Z Tracks Revealed for DJ Hero Renegade Edition
Activision gave Rolling Stone first dibs on the Renegade Edition tracklist for DJ Hero, featuring 12 cuts each from Jay-Z and Eminem – who recently endorsed the game by saying “the s—t is dope.” Jay-Z’s set is said to be the first best-of compilation of his career, Rolling Stone reports, although another is said to…
By Owen Good Published October 9, 2009 -
Madagascar Kartz Combines Madagascar, Kartz
Those funny animals in DreamWorks’ Madagascar movies are funny and all, but why can’t they be racing around in little cars? Oh thank goodness, it’s Activision’s Madagascar Kartz. Madagascar Kartz combines the whacky animals from Madagascar with over-the-top kart racing. So over the top that the Nintendo Wii version comes both with and without a…
By Mike Fahey Published October 9, 2009 -
Chat Live With the Man Behind Tony Hawk: Ride Next Week
Next week Robomodo president Josh Tsui joins us live on Kotaku Talk Radio to chat about his company’s upcoming game Tony Hawk: Ride. Before co-founding Robomodo in 2008, Tsui worked at Midway Games on the Mortal Kombat series. He went on to co-found Studio Gigante in 2000, which developed both Tao Feng: Fist of the…
By Brian Crecente Published October 9, 2009 -
Carnage Strikes Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Cletus Kasady, AKA Carnage, is making his way to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, and he’s much more than another Spider-Man clone. Carnage is what happened when comic book writers looked at one of Spider-Man’s most powerful foes, Venom, and decided he just wasn’t dangerous enough. Marvel describes Carnage as a total psychopath with no sense…
By Mike Fahey Published October 9, 2009 -
Activision Lays Off Shaba’s Ranks, Closes Studio [Update]
San Francisco-based developer Shaba Games is no more, according to a pair of Kotaku tipsters who wished to remain anonymous. The developer of Spider-man: Web of Shadows is said to have been shuttered by parent company Activision today. Sources claiming to have knowledge of the situation estimate that some 30 employees were laid off earlier…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 8, 2009 -
Christian Science Monitor Wrings Hands Over Modern Warfare 2’s D.C.
Over the weekend Infinity Ward unveiled a trailer for Modern Warfare 2 in the middle of the Steelers-Chargers football game. The two-minute ad gave a national audience a gander at a war-torn Washington, D.C. Too soon after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks? The Christian Science Monitor thinks so. Does the game go too far?…
By Brian Crecente Published October 7, 2009