-
Kinect’s 3D Ball Game is Like Something From the Future
Now, granted, this gimmick doesn’t just use Kinect. It uses a fancy clear display and Kinect to achieve the effect. But what an effect it is. This clip from Microsoft’s research wing shows a user gently fondling and cupping some balls in a 3D space. Even though he’s looking through a 2D screen and his…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 24, 2011 -
A Guide to Getting Batman’s Arkham City Many Downloadable Add-Ons
By our count, there are 14 alternate costumes or characters you may play as in Batman: Arkham City, through a variety of promotions, pre-order bonuses, and timed-exclusive downloadable content available now. The “good” news, I suppose, is that all of this stuff will be available at some point—for a price. So if you’re intent on…
By Owen Good Published October 23, 2011 -
Oct. 26 is the Invasion Date for The War of the Worlds
When I saw it at E3, The War of the Worlds didn’t wow me. On second thought, maybe I saw the wrong level. Arriving on Xbox Live Arcade next Wednesday, The War of the Worlds looks to be a serious platformer, not just something whose stylized presentation of 1953 London is pretty to look at.…
By Owen Good Published October 21, 2011 -
You’ll Probably Want to Avoid Battlefield 3’s “Standard-Def” Version
I thought the first screenshots of Battlefield 3 running on an Xbox 360 looked fine, but then, they were probably using the optional high-resolution texture pack Those who don’t use that pack, well…you may want to find a way to make it work. Because Battlefield 3 producer Patrick Bach has given the vanilla version of…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 20, 2011 -
Pinball FX2 Gets a Free Table for Halloween
Zen Studios, the master maker of pinball tables, will offer a free treat by Halloween for all Pinball FX2 owners. Anyone who picks up the free Pinball FX2 platform on Xbox Live can get the Paranormal table for free from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. Paranormal‘s setup involves “solving” a series of supernatural phenomena served…
By Owen Good Published October 19, 2011 -
Hype Video for NFL Blitz Doesn’t Show Off a Lot of Big Hits
Lost in the shuffle with the announcement of NFL Blitz‘s return is the fact the game is actually rated more strictly than its Madden counterpart. As the inaugural hype video for the game shows, it’s an E10+ for, among other things,”mild language.” Didn’t the original NFL Blitz have comically censored cussin’? Maybe that’s what the…
By Owen Good Published October 19, 2011 -
Here’s What Battlefield 3 Looks Like On the Xbox 360
Throughout its public relations cycle, DICE’s Battlefield 3 was shown only on PC and, later, PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 version was kept under the stairs, beaten weekly and fed fish heads and stale water. That led many to assume it was a hideous thing, but if these screenshots from the Korean version of the…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 19, 2011 -
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure Could Be the Most Expensive Game You Ever Buy
While at least two of us at Kotaku enjoy Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure enough to recommend a purchase, that doesn’t mean we’re oblivious to the costly downsides to a game that sells its downloadable content on toy store shelves. To experience everything Skylanders has to offer as of this writing would cost roughly $225. Merging physical…
By Mike Fahey Published October 18, 2011 -
47 Billion Shots Were Fired In the Battlefield 3 Beta
Time for some fun with numbers! With the open beta for Battlefield 3 now over, developers DICE and publishers EA have shared some stats from the slaughterthon. It’s the really big ones that grab you first, like 47 billion shots being fired, 1.5 billion kills being recorded or over 8 million players taking part. But…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 18, 2011 -
Should You Buy Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure? Yes.
Mixing together video games and collectible toys, Activision? How very Captain Power of you. As many will no doubt remember, the good captain and his soldiers of the future wound up defending clearance aisles from evil until fading into obscurity. Should a simillar fate befall Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure? It’s time for a Gut Check. Evan…
By Mike Fahey Published October 17, 2011 -
How to Play With Your Skylanders Toys on Console, 3DS, and the Web
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure hit game and toy store shelves, resulting in thousands of children and adults learning a new way to play together. There are many different ways to squeeze fun out of these shiny lumps of plastic; let’s take a look at three of them. There’s the game console version of Skylanders, in which…
By Mike Fahey Published October 17, 2011 -
I Can Like the New SSX, Which Is Already Better Than The Last Two
I like SSX games so much that I know that the person who created the screenshot atop this story named it wrong. Someone at SSX publisher EA called our boarder here Koari. Her name is Kaori. I know this because no video game took over my house quite the way SSX 3 did several years…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 17, 2011 -
It’s Modern Sonic’s Turn in the Sonic Generations Demo Spotlight
Classic Sonic got his chance to sell folks on Sonic Generations with his demo back in June. Tomorrow it’s modern Sonic’s time to shine, and he’s a lean, mean, generally screwing things up in 3D machine! Oh, and classic Sonic is coming along for the ride too. Back in June Sega treated fans to a…
By Mike Fahey Published October 17, 2011 -
There is a Devil May Cry HD Collection in the Works, and This is What It Looks Like
Having long been the subject of rumors, speculation, and ESRB ratings, the Devil May Cry HD Collection is now a real snow-haired, demon-slaying boy, and we’ve got the comparison shots to prove it. The collection brings together remastered versions of the first three titles in the Devil May Cry series, from Dante’s big debut to…
By Mike Fahey Published October 17, 2011 -
Arkham City’s Launch Trailer Shows Batman Has a lot on his Plate
This is the launch trailer for Batman: Arkham City, out this week on 360 and PS3. It shows most of the people you fight with, and against, in the game. I actually finished the game yesterday. The reason I bring this up is that I didn’t see some of the content in this trailer, meaning…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 17, 2011 -
Throw Grenades by Voice with Halo: Anniversary‘s Kinect Functionality
You can shout “grenade!” and see Master Chief sling one with the Kinect functionality 343 Industries has added to Halo: Anniversary, the high-definition remake coming Nov. 15. Other voice commands include “reload!” the studio revealed yesterday at Comic-Con. Kinect will also support the spoken command “analyze,” which allows players to capture specific items from the…
By Owen Good Published October 16, 2011 -
Holiday Ads Bootstrap Microsoft’s Unsexy Products to Xbox and Kinect
This Sunday, Microsoft will launch an ad campaign that tout its “family” of consumer products together, rather than individual campaigns for each. What that really means is the company is ramping up the sex appeal for products like Microsoft Office by including the Xbox 360 and Kinect in the picture. The company’s chief marketing strategist…
By Owen Good Published October 15, 2011 -
Marvel Pinball Brings the X-Men and Magneto to Its Newest Table
Today Zen Studios revealed that X-Men will be the latest entry in its Vengeance & Virtue series of Marvel-themed tables for Pinball FX2, joining Ghost Rider Pinball wizards will be tasked with assembling the X-Men, teaching them their powers, and overcoming the threat posed by Magneto—who tears up the floor of the machine, destroys ramps…
By Owen Good Published October 15, 2011 -
You Didn’t Think Battlefield 3 Wouldn’t Require the Online Pass, Did You?
DICE confirmed, via designer Alan Kertz on Twitter, that Battlefield 3 on Xbox 360 and PS3 would require the one-use “Online Pass” code included free in retail copies, but costs $10 for those who have a copy of the game without a code—i.e. those who buy it used. Multiplayer for all EA Sports games have…
By Owen Good Published October 15, 2011