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Sorry, South Alabama, You’re Not in the Game
A couple years ago, Cullen Loeffler was sore at EA Sports because they had deliberately left the Minnesota Vikings’ long snapper out of Madden NFL, for years, because of roster space restrictions. It was an amusing kerfuffle, mostly because who the hell is really looking to play as a long snapper on special teams, anyway.…
By Owen Good Published June 14, 2012 -
Running Backs Should Deliver the Most Enjoyable Reaction Time in NCAA 13
Robert Griffin III may be the cover athlete for NCAA Football 13 but the former Baylor quarterback is not an optimal superstar headlining the game’s demo, which released last week. He’s skilled enough, but the new “Reaction Time”—the signal feature of NCAA 13‘s Heisman and Road to Glory modes—is really showcased when you’re running the…
By Owen Good Published June 14, 2012 -
Hey, Natural Selection 2 Players: Visit The Bar In This Fancy New Map
It’s dark, it’s light, it’s green, it’s red. It’s full of aliens that want to eat you (or marines that need to be eaten). And there’s a bar where you can go to wash away your woes of losses in liquid happiness. Meet the reveal of the new Docking map. You can play it as…
By Tina Amini Published June 14, 2012 -
Papo & Yo Is One Designer’s Reaction to Corporate Video Games’ “Culture of Fear”
Not many games look and feel like Papo & Yo. If you need to categorize it, you can call the upcoming PS3 exclusive a magical realism puzzle platformer. It’s a game where you put cardboard boxes on your head to get hints and move houses to get across gaps. But, from what I played over…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 14, 2012 -
Tyrion Lannister’s Greatest Moment, In Video Game Form
A couple of weeks ago, Chris made some gifs of the best ultraviolence from Game of Thrones‘ “Blackwater” episode. Yesterday, he put together these fantastic gifs of Mad Men reimagined as a video game. On something of a dare from one of our lovely Kotaku commenters, Chris has now combined the two ideas, rendering Tyrion…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Why “Jungle” Is A Verb, And Other Things I Learned About League of Legends
The last thing I did at E3 last week, before going to LAX and heading home, was to meet with some gentlemen from Riot Games. They greeted me warmly and offered me a seat on the sofa and some coffee, then asked: “So, what do you know about League of Legends?” “Honestly?” I blurted the…
By Kate Cox Published June 14, 2012 -
A Mother’s Inferno Makes Players Fight Through Grotesque Stages of Grief
Having recently become a parent, I can say that the loss of my child is one of the most terrible things I can imagine. I don’t know if I’d want to play that tapping into the emotions surrounding such an event. But, at E3 last week, our own Chris Person took a look at the…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 14, 2012 -
Is This a Screenshot from Limbo 2 or Just The View From My San Francisco Window
I live out in the western part of San Francisco, and some mornings we get a lot of fog. “A lot” of fog to a San Franciscan is more fog than most people would even know what to do with. In the summer, there’s often a sort of “burn-off” in the morning hours, when the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Breathes New Life Into Classic Characters
Transformers is not just about giant robots shooting other giant robots. It’s about giant robots shooting other giant robots with character. During a presentation of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron last week, High Moon Studios showed me a fast-paced action game filled with rich characters that never came across as robotic. I mean, who cares if…
By Mike Fahey Published June 14, 2012 -
You Must Watch This Hilarious Video Game Web Series
Over the past few weeks, the funny folks over at Dorkly have been running a great web series called Best Friends! Videogame Club. I won’t waste your time with an in-depth description: all you need to know is that there are a bunch of best friends and they like to play video games together. Here’s…
By Jason Schreier Published June 14, 2012 -
Pettington Park Is Not Doom for Doggies and Kitties, Even Though John Romero’s Involved
The latest game from one of the architects of the first-person-shooter genre probably isn’t what you expect. There are no BFGs, no demons and no space marines. There is conflict of a furry nature, though. John Romero’s Loot Drop studio—founded along with fellow designer and academic Brenda Brathwaite—has partnered with Zynga to release Pettington Park…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 14, 2012 -
Spider-Man, Mega Man X2, Mad Dog McCree… Nintendo Download, are You Trying to Seduce Me?
Your lackluster performance at E3 2012 is completely forgotten, Nintendo, for you have brought the glory of Mad Dog McCree upon the 3DS, given Wii owners Mega Man X2 , and given portable players an early taste of The Amazing Spider-Man Yes, I realize Nintendo has nothing to do with the creation or development of…
By Mike Fahey Published June 14, 2012 -
With Metal Gear‘s Splendid Vita Version, I Finally ‘Get’ Portable Console Gaming
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a true gaming classic, held up by many as not just the best game in the Metal Gear series, but one of the best games ever made, period. In just the past six months, I’ve had several different opportunities to finally play the game. There was the PS3…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Songlines Makes Creating a Beautiful Video Game World As Easy As Waving Your Arms
The best-looking Kinect game at this year’s E3 wasn’t at Microsoft’s massive booth. Instead you had to go to the IndieCade area to see the kaleidoscopically beautiful Songlines. It’s a game based on the Australian indigenous myth of the dreamtime and lets you create unique colorful landscapes. In a year when Microsoft didn’t emphasize its…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 14, 2012 -
This is What It Looks Like to Lose Your Level 60 Diablo III Character Forever
Aw, man. This is rough. Diablo III‘s hardcore mode is not for the weak-willed or the unfocused. It’s not for the casual or the stoned. It’s a winner-take-all, loser-take-it-on-the-chin setup where a single death kills your character forever, no matter how far you’d made it in the game. And so it’s all the more heartbreaking…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 14, 2012 -
Nintendo’s Top People Are Discussing Ways To Make Their New Games More Like Their Old Ones
There was something magical about Nintendo’s earliest Mario and Zelda games. Something simple. Something pure. Something Nintendo has gotten away from. Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who led the creation of those first games and is still the chief game design force at Nintendo knows this. He’s noticed that Nintendo’s big games have been slow-starters, that…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 14, 2012