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Ninja Gaiden 3 Was A ‘Japanese Hamburger,’ Creators Say
The folks behind poorly received action game Ninja Gaiden 3 tried too hard to make it appeal to Western tastes, says Yosuke Hayashi, head of developer Team Ninja, the studio behind the game. In a new interview posted by Gamasutra yesterday, Hayashi talks a bit about what he thinks went wrong, calling the game a…
By Jason Schreier Published June 21, 2012 -
From Skyrim to Mario, No Video Game is Safe From Conan O’Brien
Conan O’Brien and crew debuted a fresh batch of new video games last night, and I’m not sure which ones I should pick up first. Which sounds better, Super Diabetic Mario Brothers or The Elder Scrolls: Skymall? I’m all about Grand Theft Auto: Texting While Driving Edition myself, but only because the feature Conan’s writers…
By Mike Fahey Published June 21, 2012 -
The Best Games You Should Play, on Any Platform… Updated!
We’ve updated our lists of the best games you can play on just about any machine that plays games. These are our our top picks for everything from Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to Nintendo 3DS and Android. You can see all the updates at their respective categories, all listed below. We’ve made the most…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 21, 2012 -
How Was Metro: Last Light‘s Gut-Wrenching Live Action Trailer Made? In the Cold.
Completely bereft of gameplay footage, the stunning live action “Enter the Metro” trailer for THQ’s Metro: Last Light generated more interest in the game than any amount of rendered shooting would have. Let’s see how it all came together. The video is even more chilling once you realize the cast of more than 150 were…
By Mike Fahey Published June 21, 2012 -
New Nintendo Webcast Tonight Will be Company’s First Hype-Fest Since 15 Days Ago
It’s been too long since Nintendo addressed its fans, but the company is breaking its two-week info drought with a new Nintendo Direct webcast focusing on Wii, DS and 3DS, tonight at midnight Eastern here. We’ll cover the top news.
By Stephen Totilo Published June 21, 2012 -
If One of America’s Great Artists Painted One of America’s Great Video Games
Norman Rockwell, one of America’s truly great artists, didn’t live to see Valve’s Portal released. Dying in 1978, he didn’t come close. But let’s imagine, just for a moment, that he had He just might have come up with something like this. Jesse Rubenfeld’s painting, called This Was a Triumph, is based on Rockwell’s famous…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
Are You a Bad Enough Dude to Watch Abraham Lincoln Kill Vampires?
New movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is about as self-explanatory as it comes. As is this clip, 8-Bitham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which imagines the flick as a retro side-scroller. Think Konami’s old TMNT or Simpsons games. Only, with the 16th President of the United States, doing what he does best. No, not free slaves, or…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
This Fancy Soundwave Figure is Probably the Coolest Transformer of 2012
The Transformers Masterpiece line of figures exists for one reason: so cashed-up adults can buy giant, expensive versions of toys that finally look like they should have back in the 1980s. They’ve been a little hit-and-miss of late, some wonderful figures (like Grimlock) balanced out by some lazy repaints (ie every Decepticon jet), but this…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
How to Find Out Just How Many Hours You’ve Spent Playing Games on Steam
While Steam tracks the time you’ve spent playing individual titles, it doesn’t keep track of how much time you’ve spent on the service overall. For some, that’s probably for the best, but just in case you actually want to see that tally, now there’s a way. This handy site lets you enter a Steam ID…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
Video Game Companies Really Shouldn’t Send Abusive Text Messages
Maybe they’ve been drinking. Maybe they’re just assholes. Whichever it is, these abusive text messages from major video game companies can at times be painfully unfunny, but at others – ahem, Capcom – be heart-breakingly on the money. These were put together by IGN. We’ve got some of the better ones here, but the full…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
This Isn’t How I Imagine a Star Wars / Rogue Squadron Pilot to Look
When I think “Rebel Alliance” (or “New Republic”) pilots, I think of people like Wedge. Biggs. Porkins. Maybe even poor old Dack. But that’s a close-minded view based on a decades-old film trilogy! As regular Kotaku readers may already know, in Star Wars’ expandiverse, Jaina Solo – daughter of Han and Leia – ends up…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
Game of Thrones Totally Needs These Spin-Off TV Series
Like Cheers, Family Guy and, uh, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones is so wildly popular that the idea of a spin-off TV series isn’t as crazy as you might think. Especially when you remember the franchise already kind of has a spin-off already. Getting in ahead of the TV executives, professional writers and fanfic authors,…
Jason Schreier & Luke Plunkett Published June 21, 2012 -
The Lies McDonald’s Tells Us
Greetings, Kotaku, and welcome to the mid-week open thread. Maybe you’ve seen this video, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at how McDonald’s spruces up its normally ugly food to look good in commercials. Or perhaps not, in which case, check it out. The (maybe?) wild thing here is that McDonald’s themselves made this video. I…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 20, 2012 -
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Trades Its Massive Controller for Really Low Review Scores
In 2002 Capcom released Steel Battalion for the Xbox, a mech game so complex it was bundled for $200 with a massive proprietary controller. It didn’t sell particularly well, but Capcom didn’t let that stop them from creating a sequel that will probably sell worse. By combining the Xbox 360 controller with Microsoft’s motion-sensing Kinect…
By Mike Fahey Published June 20, 2012 -
NHL 13 Crowns Its Cover Star at the League’s Awards Night
Claude Giroux, a pivotal figure in the Philadelphia Flyers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010, was named the star of the cover of NHL 13 at the league’s annual awards banquet on Wednesday night, prevailing over Pekka Rinne, the Nashville goalie, in a fan-voted contest. Giroux won out after an extremely long—March 29…
By Owen Good Published June 20, 2012 -
If Minecraft Had a High-Tech Physics Engine
One of the charming (and most would say, integral) things about Minecraft is the game’s floaty, particular physics engine. But what if it had a “proper” next-gen physics engine? This video, made in Blender 3D, seeks to show that very thing. It also wonders “What would happen if a couple hundred Minecraft dudes all tumbled…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 20, 2012 -
Syndicate Developers Knew They Wouldn’t Please Everyone, Or Possibly Anyone
Early this year, Starbreeze Studios and EA launched Syndicate, an FPS reboot of a 1990s tactical classic. The game met with decidedly mixed reviews, and although some players enjoyed it, in terms of sales it’s mostly gone down as a flop. Speaking with Edge, Starbreeze CEO Mikael Nermark said he and his studio were proud…
By Kate Cox Published June 20, 2012 -
Why Do We Love StarCraft II More Than Diablo III?
For this week’s Burning Questions, Kirk and Jason talk about Blizzard games, specifically Diablo III and StarCraft II. Which game do they like better? Do the two games compliment one another? Why is pro-level StarCraft so fun to watch? What would it be like to live in a house made by Blizzard? Is “Eight Legged…
Jason Schreier & Kirk Hamilton Published June 20, 2012 -
Parks and Recreation‘s Manliest Man Honored With His Own Classic NES Cartridge
There may well be no better dude on TV than Parks & Recreation‘s Ron Swanson. The man simply knows what time it is—he understands the value of a glass of scotch and a steak, he’s got a thriving career as a smooth-jazz saxophonist, and he’s a master woodworker. He might not be the kind of…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 20, 2012