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Here’s A Friendly Tease For All You RPG Fans
If you’ve kept up with my regular column about Japanese role-playing games, you likely know that one of my favorite games of the past few years is a charming RPG called Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky The problem with Trails in the Sky, released last year for PSP, is that it ends on…
By Jason Schreier Published June 15, 2012 -
The Elder Scrolls Online is Not as World of Warcraft as You Might Fear
About a month ago, on the top floor of a seven-story hotel whose elevators were temporarily out of service, I saw the massively multiplayer online version of The Elder Scrolls. (You know, the Skyrim series.) Two of the top people who have been creating this game in secrecy for the last couple of years played…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 15, 2012 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Today is the best sort of days. It’s a summer Friday. Let us all rejoice! Welcome to Kotaku’s official forum, known affectionately as Talk Amongst Yourselves. This is the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Want to talk about new games, old games, games that…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 15, 2012 -
BioWare is ‘Looking at Free-to-Play’ for Star Wars: The Old Republic
Back in December BioWare’s dueling doctors told us they couldn’t see their newly-launched massively multiplayer online Star Wars role-playing game going free-to-play in the foreseeable future. Then BioWare botched several free game updates and lost a good chunk of the game’s subscribers. Suddenly free-to-play isn’t looking so bad. In an interview with Games(TM), lead designer…
By Mike Fahey Published June 15, 2012 -
Dead or Alive 5 Developers Would Love If Their Game Was in Fighting Tournaments But…
These days, it’s impossible to make a fighting game without the awareness that the community surrounding those games is going to put it through its paces. The fact that there’s a dedicated group of players who’ll be picking apart movesets and stun durations isn’t daunting to fighting game creators, though. For some, it’s inspiring, When…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 15, 2012 -
A Terrifying First Look at the Sequel to the Scariest PC Game Ever
In case you don’t want to watch the first teaser trailer for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, let me summarize it for you: Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, oh god what is that? What the hell is that?! There’s a terrifying monster pig creature out there, and the truffles he’s rooting for are your soul. If…
By Mike Fahey Published June 15, 2012 -
Getting the Grand Theft Auto Band Back Together
Only rarely do they ever see each other in a game, so it’s nice to see the stars of every Grand Theft Auto title (at least the ones that had a star) find the time to catch up. Swap stories, talk about beatings, car chases and unfair checkpoint structures. If you’re wondering who the brooding…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 15, 2012 -
Journey Cosplay is Tough, Because Humans Have Arms
While it’s not as cute as the feline edition, this round of cosplay featuring humans dressed as the characters from PS3 game Journey is just as impressive. True, I’m pretty sure the game is set in a fantasy universe, and not a beach in New Jersey, but when you cosplay, sometimes compromises need to be…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 15, 2012 -
Modern Video Game Heroes as Traditional Japanese Paintings
Those with a fancy for traditional Japanese art and popular video game heroes, this gallery is just. For. You. Artist Jed Henry has been doing this series – called Ukiyo Heroes – for a while now, but he’s finally got enough of them together to run them as a collection. The name derives from Ukiyo-e,…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 15, 2012 -
Every Single Excellent Movie Death Ever, More or Less
The world of film has seen so, so many gruesome deaths. Some are funny, some are terrifying, some are nauseating. Some are all three. The delightful, all-over-the-place blog “My New Plaid Pants” has long been my go-to place for movie deaths. Every Thursday, Jason Adams posts the very best movie deaths under the tag “Thursday’s…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
DayZ‘s Caretakers Thwart ‘Sustained and Constant’ Hacking
Rocket, of the development team behind the Arma II mod DayZ tweeted moments ago that “due to sustained and constant hacking, the central database is being dropped until further notice. You will not be able to connect.” Kotaku has emailed Rocket for clarification and additional details. Update: That didn’t last long. All functionality was quickly…
By Owen Good Published June 14, 2012 -
Okay, But What About All Those Tropes vs. Orcs in Video Games?
Sure, the many problematic sexist tropes used to depict women in games are worth exploring. So too, apparently, are tropes vs men in games (enough to merit a bona-fide indidgogo fundraiser.) But what about Orcs? Some jokers (or maybe actual Orcs!) have put together this draft kickstarter page to raise money for a film about…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Facebook Woes? Perhaps You Need More Facebook Foes.
Sometimes a frenemy just isn’t enough. Sometimes it’s not enough to smile when you run into each other on a mutual friend’s Wall, or to make nice to someone in public and then complain about them to your partner in private. No. Sometimes you just need a foe. Perhaps, even, a nemesis. Epic’s Tim Sweeney…
By Kate Cox Published June 14, 2012 -
I Bet You Can’t Remember All The Lyrics to “Call Me Maybe”
Finally, Call Me Maybe has been gamified. This Sporcle game challenges you to name every single word to Carly Rae Jepsen’s masterful pop song. Can you do it? Don’t cheat. (In case you’re wondering: yes, I got 231/231 answers in less than eight minutes. Don’t judge me.) Can you name the lyrics to Carly Rae…
By Jason Schreier Published June 14, 2012 -
Girl’s Generation Returns To Japan With A Trail Of Cameras Behind Them
In defiance of the sudden onslaught of flashing lights comes Girl’s Generation’s latest single, “Paparazzi.” The nine-woman supergroup from South Korea, known for their charming personalities and perfect legs (and covered plenty in the past here at Kotaku), released music videos for the song today. Paparrazi is the lead single for the girl’s upcoming Japanese…
By Patricia Hernandez Published June 14, 2012 -
Now This Is How You Start Out A Video Game
Kirk was like “yo Jason write me something for Kotaku Melodic” and I was like “yo okay.” So immediately I went to YouTube and found the opening video to Suikoden II, aka the greatest intro to the greatest video game of all time. Just watch. Watch the way it opens, setting the stage with an…
By Jason Schreier Published June 14, 2012 -
The Best (And Worst) TV Show Opening-Credit Anthems
I love music, and I love television. And you know what I really love? When a show has a great opening credits sequence, with a perfectly picked piece of music set against a rockin montage. And hey, what do you know? It’s Kotaku Melodic time, a.k.a. the time when we talk about music. Maybe next…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Quest for Glory‘s Unsung Keytar Hero
I loved all of the Quest for Glory games, but Quest for Glory IV was easily my favorite. I re-installed it recently due to that great sale at GOG.Com, and so I’m once again making my way through Moravia. This game was great not only because it was one of Jennifer Hale’s first video game…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Forget Gotye, Kimbra Is The Most Exciting Singer I’ve Heard in Ages
Kimbra’s first album may have been out for a year, but most of the people I talk to have only heard her singing with Gotye on his great (though overplayed) tune “Somebody That I Used To Know.” I was one of those people, until I listened to some of her debut album and realized that…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
The Dizzy, Delightfully Grand Music of Gravity Rush
This week saw the Western release of one of the very best games yet for the PlayStation Vita—the freewheeling, fantasy superhero game Gravity Rush. This game has so much of what I want in a video game—it combines the exploration and collection-obsession of Crackdown and Infamous with a uniquely fresh-feeling gravity shifting mechanic. And best…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012