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Spec Ops: The Line Screens Don’t Paint A Pretty Picture
Call me a pessimist, but post-apocalyptic Dubai doesn’t look like the sort of place you’d want to vacation in. And look! They’ve even hung the flag wrong. All things considered I’d probably not want to visit pre-apocalyptic Dubai, but if I dwell on that I’ll start adding pre-apocalyptic in front of every place name for…
By Mike Fahey Published January 8, 2010 -
Tiger Woods Xbox Game, Broken Hand Converts Boxer To Golfer
The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel reports that an amateur boxer has become a promising golfer, and he owes some of that to a Tiger Woods‘ video game. Usually, stories about people getting inspired by video games aren’t this… positive. The newspaper tells the story of Joshua Anglin, who went 115-15 as an amateur boxer, but…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 4, 2010 -
Xbox Live’s Major Nelson Takes Your Calls During This Week’s Podcast
Microsoft’s Xbox Live director of programming, Major Nelson, will be our guest host on the Kotaku call-in podcast this week, filling in for … me. The good Major joins Crecente live, Wednesday, ready to field your live calls. Major Nelson will talk about anything Live-related that you can dream of. Such as: Why is there…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 28, 2009 -
Drunk Scot Woman Stabs Teen in Xbox Argument
Whoa, whoa, whoa, lady. When I said, “try safe, effective, fast-acting kick his ass,” for video game-playing kids who won’t listen, I did not mean “ventilate his abdomen with a kitchen knife.” Authorities say a 13-year-old Scottish boy was stabbed by his 55-year-old babysitter after he refused to stop playing his Xbox (original or 360,…
By Owen Good Published December 23, 2009 -
Microsoft: Hardcore Games “Sell Themselves”
It’s been a constant criticism of both Xbox consoles: that Microsoft can only sell shooters to the hardcore gaming market. So what does it say about Microsoft’s marketing power when the company admits those games “sell themselves”? In an interview with GI.biz, Microsoft’s David Dennis has said that marketing games towards a casual audience –…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009 -
Digital Re-Releases Deal Damage to Collections’ Value
Who doesn’t love it when golden oldies get a re-release over the PlayStation Network or Virtual Console? Game collector, that’s who. MTV Multiplayer examined collectible game values and saw many nosediving after getting a reboot on the current generation. Some highlights or lowlights – really, you should go see the whole thing – Marvel vs.…
By Owen Good Published December 16, 2009 -
Making Room for Baby Means Saying Goodbye to Old Friends
Parting with one’s treasured game collection can be an unthinkable proposition for many. But having a baby absolutely transforms your life, as one long-tenured Kotaku commenter writes. And that makes such decisions not only possible, but downright necessary. You might know longtime commenter Spoony Bard here—he was also our comment ombudsman last year. He’s currently…
By Owen Good Published December 12, 2009 -
Aliens Vs. Predator Impressions: This Time, As An Alien
Violent in a way that would displease the genteel and the members of an Australian ratings board, Aliens Vs. Predator is all about stabbing heads and bursting chests. Not surprisingly, this game’s playable Alien is no diplomat. Kotaku has witnessed the human and Predator sides of the game. Now Aliens. The Aliens campaign, like those…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 11, 2009 -
Rock Band Next Week: Slipknot And Garfunkel
After three tracks from America’s masked metal group, you might be ready for the sound of silence. Slipknot and Simon & Garfunkel both make their Rock Band debut in next week’s update. It’s two great tastes that taste odd together! The combination of Slipknot and Simon & Garfunkel is very much how I’d imagine a…
By Mike Fahey Published December 4, 2009 -
Detroit Shopper Gets Cray-Cray When He Can’t Return a Console
The ancient Chinese curse reads, “May you live in interesting times.” So when a GameStopper says “It was an interesting day here,” you know he’s not talking about big sales. Four cops in a Detroit suburb overpowered a 43-year-old man who tried to return an Xbox without a receipt and, once rebuffed, got so PO’d…
By Owen Good Published December 2, 2009 -
Which Console Gets The Dante’s Inferno Demo First?
The demo for Dante’s Inferno is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this month, but one console is getting it two weeks ahead of the other. Who gets it first? Hint – it’s not the Xbox 360. I suppose that was a rather large hint, but I just couldn’t keep our readers in…
By Mike Fahey Published December 1, 2009 -
Left 4 Dead 2 Sells 2 Million In 2 Weeks
Despite early concerns that it was too soon for a sequel, Left 4 Dead 2 has sold more than 2 million copies at retail, doubling the sales to date of the original game. Gamers made noise when the sequel to last year’s cooperative survival horror title was announced earlier this year, but the quick follow-up…
By Mike Fahey Published December 1, 2009 -
Magic Planeswalkers Duels Spill Over To PC, PS3
Wizards of the Coast are bringing Xbox Live card-battler Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers to the PlayStation Network and PC, with two new Xbox 360 expansions in the works. Possibly the purest Magic: The Gathering experience ever to grace a game console, Wizards of the Coast is keen to bring Duels of…
By Mike Fahey Published November 9, 2009 -
Next Week On Rock Band: How Much Grohl Would You Like?
It doesn’t matter if you prefer your Dave Grohl with or without Kurt Cobain, next week’s Rock Band Music Store update has you covered. Three shots of Nirvana and a four-pack of Foo Fighters grace the Rock Band Music Store next week, with Joan Jett and the Blackheart’s “Fake Friends” this week’s sole non Nirvana-related…
By Mike Fahey Published October 30, 2009 -
LEGO Rock Band Ships With 45 Songs, Music Censorship
LEGO Rock Band will ship with 45 songs including tunes from Queen, Vampire Weekend, Katrina & The Waves and, of course, Bon Jovi. But you will only be able to purchase family friendly music from the Rock Band store. LEGO Rock Band’s support of Rock Band store purchases is limited to only those songs “identified…
By Brian Crecente Published October 12, 2009 -
An Ironic Japanese Post Office Sticker
One Japanese gamer sent his busted Xbox 360 off to get fixed. When got it back, Japan Post had slapped a red label reading “kowaremono” — “breakable”, “broken item” or better yet “fragile”. As seen on Hatena Entry List.
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 5, 2009 -
Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition Coming to Xbox Live
Zeno Clash is on the way to Xbox Live Arcade, says Atlus, who promises new content, a new cooperative mode and gameplay fine-tuned to gamer feedback. Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition will is scheduled to release in March 2010. The first-person brawler will include a new cooperative mode in the game’s Tower Challenges, Atlus said in…
By Owen Good Published September 30, 2009 -
Obama Namechecks Xbox Once Again In Speech To Kids
President Barack Obama is once again tossing the old Xbox under the bus, naming Microsoft’s console in a speech to schoolchildren today, implying it might interfere with their education. Or maybe this is just smart product placement… In a peppy speech that focused on promoting education and personal responsibility, Obama made brief mention of Microsoft’s…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 8, 2009 -
Guy Busted for Stealing WiFi at NYC Library — to Play Halo
In a public library, a dude sitting at a monitor with his hands in his lap, covered by a newspaper, implicitly means bad things. Fear not, he’s only sneaked in an Xbox to steal the free WiFi and play Halo. The tumbelog teendrama picked this up – the writer’s pal spied the multiplayer shenanigans in…
By Owen Good Published August 26, 2009