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Another Glimpse at the Future of Video Game Graphics
First there was Square’s new next-gen engine. Then Epic’s Unreal Engine 4. Now we’re getting another look at what the graphics of tomorrow may/will look like, thanks to the latest benchmark trailer from the folks at 3DMark. Used to, well, benchmark a system, 3DMark’s clips are always big on effects and fancy visuals, so as…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 22, 2012 -
Just How Much of the New Smash Bros. Is Namco? A Lot, Apparently.
So there’s a new Super Smash Bros. game in development, and Namco Bandai is the game’s lead developer. But, what does that mean? Listen to what Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai said about the upcoming game: Currently, the prototype prepared by Namco Bandai Games and Namco Bandai Studios’ special team looks pretty good, and it’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2012 -
Your PC Can Probably Run Dark Souls
So, Dark Souls on PC isn’t exactly shaping up as the greatest port of all time. Not to matter, so long as the game is playable, you can play it, and still squeeze drops of enjoyment from all that death and frustration that the series is famous for. Only thing is, can you play it?…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 22, 2012 -
Nintendo is Releasing Mario DLC. That You Pay For.
Hi, Nintendo. Welcome to the DLC era. Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed today that, when New Super Mario Bros. 2 is released on 3DS on August 19, it’ll be supported post-release by new, paid downloadable content. After making very sure he promised that this wouldn’t be affecting development on the core title, Fils-Aime…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 22, 2012 -
Professor Layton Is Coming To Your 3DS in November [UPDATE]
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle is coming to the U.S. this November, Nintendo said today. Released in Japan for 3DS last year, this is the fifth installment in the puzzle-heavy Layton series. It will be out in November. Nintendo will release new puzzles for the game, once per day for 365 days. Update…
By Jason Schreier Published June 22, 2012 -
If Nintendo Made a 3DS That Looked Like a NES…
Dutch designer Bjørn van der Linden is the man to thank for this Nintendo 3DS mock-up, which goes that extra ten miles by placing the thing in lifestyle images and website snaps that look just like ones Nintendo would actually use. It’s got a retro NES theme, similar to Nintendo’s own older (and amazing) Game…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 22, 2012 -
Nintendo Announces a New, Bigger 3DS. Meet the 3DS XL.
The screen is 90 percent bigger, with larger bottom and top screens. It’s called the Nintendo 3DS LL in Japan and the Nintendo 3DS XL in the West. The top screen measures at 4.88 inches and is 90 percent bigger, while the bottom screen is 4.18 inches and is also 90 percent bigger. For the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 21, 2012 -
Namco Bandai Is Making the New Smash Bros.
Today, Nintendo announced that thew new Smash Bros. for the Wii U and the 3DS will be developed by Namco Bandai Games and Namco Bandai Studio. Masahiro Sakurai is helming the project. Of course, Sakurai’s studio, Sora, will be assisting in development. Namco’s Masaya Kobayashi, who’s worked on Ridge Racer, and Yoshito Higuchi of the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 21, 2012 -
Blizard Explains Why New Diablo Games Are Locked For Up To Three Days
Blizzard recently introduced a new “feature” whereby people buying digital copies of Diablo III for the first time would, for up to three days, be locked out of the full game. If you were wondering why, well, here’s their explanation. In a statement released to Kotaku, Blizzard says: For security reasons and to help ensure…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
I Wonder If They’ll Ever Get Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Right
Hi there Kotaku! It’s 10:30 on Thursday, and so it must be time for the open thread. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I wasn’t alone—I think pretty much every kid went through a Turtles phase. Thing is, I wasn’t into the cartoon or the live-action movies. (I…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 21, 2012 -
Here’s How You Bring Superman and Batman into World of Warcraft
You might think that, with all the magically empowered warriors running around Azeroth, World of Warcraft doesn’t need any appearances from the heroes from DC Comics. But damn if they don’t look awesome. Over at WoW Insider, there’s a comprehensive guide to creating avatars that look a whole lot like the Man of Steel, the…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 21, 2012 -
Minecraft Ban Leads to SWAT Team Assault
Last year, the Washington state legislature was said to be considering stronger laws and punishments against “SWATting,” which is trolls’ cute way to take revenge when something displeases them in an online game. They phone a fake call to your local cops and next thing you know, armed deputies are crawling around the backyard. I’d…
By Owen Good Published June 21, 2012 -
The Case for Video Games as Music
If you’re a regular Kotaku Melodic reader, you’re no stranger to the idea that despite many developers’ cinematic aspirations, video games have more in common with music than they do with film. It’s an idea that I’ve been pushing at Kotaku for a while now, starting with my first article as a Kotaku columnist last…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 21, 2012 -
The Band That Made the Scott Pilgrim Movie Like 300% Better
It’s not like Edgar Wright’s cinematic adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s excellent Scott Pilgrim books wasn’t good on its own. But there was a moment for me in this film when it went from “Okay, this is fun” to “Holy shit, this is awesome,” and it happened because of a band, and because of a…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 21, 2012 -
From Dark Souls to Valkyrie Profile: The Motoi Sakuraba Mixtape
Some game composers are absolute workhorses. They’ll be so prolific in such a short span of time, that you’ll almost forget that they did entire soundtracks. Motoi Sakuraba is just such a composer. The Valkyrie Profile Series, Dark Souls, the Baten Kaitos Games, the Star Ocean Games and every freakin’ Tales Game: That’s a pretty…
By Chris Person Published June 21, 2012 -
Check Out This Unbelievable Performance of the Mario Theme on Wineglasses. Wineglasses.
This one has been out in the ether for a little while now, but somehow I hadn’t seen it. Which means that I hadn’t lived, because damn. Thankfully, Journey composer Austin Wintory linked to a similar video of another person performing the Harry Potter theme (equally impressive, so I’ll embed it below), and I went…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 21, 2012 -
May The Incredible Music of Final Fantasy Live On Forever
No matter how you feel about the current state of Final Fantasy—and if you’re a fan of role-playing games at all, you likely have some sort of unshakeable conviction about which was the best, which was the worst, and how Square Enix has ruined everything—there’s one fact you can’t deny: It’s got some awesome jams.…
By Jason Schreier Published June 21, 2012 -
Welcome to the New Kotaku Melodic!
If you’ve been following along this week, you may have noticed that we’ve trimmed up our programming blocks throughout the week. And so, Kotaku Melodic is down to a svelte 1 hour, which has a few benefits, chief of which means that we’ll be more focused, with less filler and higher standards for what gets…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 21, 2012