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Relax, The Xbox 360 Probably Isn’t Going to be Banned
International Trade Commission judge David Shaw has recommended that the import and sale of Xbox 360 consoles in the US be halted immediately. Sounds drastic, I know, but maybe it’s not as bad as it sounds. Speaking with GI.biz, patent expert Florian Mueller says “I’ve never seen an ITC judge make any other recommendation than…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 24, 2012 -
Leaked Copernicus Screens Look Like a Futuristic World of Warcraft
Most likely spilled by a disgruntled current/former employee of developer 38 Studios, which isn’t exactly having the best time of it at the moment, a Kingdoms of Amalur fansite has what sure look like the first screens from Copernicus, the codename for 38’s upcoming MMO. While we recently got to see a trailer for the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 24, 2012 -
Increase Loyalty To Your Government In This Game. Or Else.
Like something out of the book 1984, The Republia Times is a small flash game that forces the player to become complicit in a government’s attempt to increase public loyalty. You are a news editor tasked with choosing stories that best function as propaganda. You need to assure the world that Everything Is Okay in…
By Patricia Hernandez Published May 24, 2012 -
The Secret Behind the Success of DayZ, the Most Interesting PC “Game” of 2012
You can keep your Diablos, the most interesting thing to happen to PC gaming this year has easily been DayZ, a zombie survival mod for military shooter ArmA II What’s even more impressive than the experience itself, though, is the fact it was created by a single man, New Zealander Dean Hall. So earlier this…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 24, 2012 -
Chocolate Cake for Breakfast!
Hello there, Kotaku. We had a crazy day today, and I haven’t been able to accumulate links for you. So instead, here, have one of my favorite stand-up routines ever. When I was a kid, my parents would play us Bill Cosby tapes when we were in the car, and this bit in particular has…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 23, 2012 -
Too Human is Worth, Oh, a Few Bucks, Says Judge
The great Silicon Knights-Epic Games slapfight is at last underway in a courtroom, but already a judge has suggested that even if the maker of Too Human wins, it could lose. He’s said that the damages up for grabs are $1. That’s because Silicon Knights failed to provide him with a timely, or acceptable, itemization…
By Owen Good Published May 23, 2012 -
Why Yes, I Will Play a Music/Fighting Vita Game That Lets Me Import My Own Tunes
I know I’m not alone in thinking that the best fighting games have their own rhythm—you get in the zone of a Street Fighter, BlazBlue or even Mortal Kombat and it’s a lot like drumming. So it seemed like it was only a matter of time before we got an actual full-on music/fighting game. (As…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 23, 2012 -
How Diablo III‘s Always-On Internet Requirement Makes It a Better Game
Last week’s rough launch of Diablo III neatly illustrated the biggest problem with the game’s ‘always-on’ internet requirement. It was a reminder that consumers have lost a portion of their ownership of the game, that we no longer have complete control even over whether or not our game will start. That’s as true this week…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 23, 2012 -
Need to Go Nuts Building an Online Shooter? ShootMania Might Be For You.
The first official trailer for Ubisoft first-person shooter Shootmania has arrived. ShootMania: Storm comes from French team Nadeo, who were behind the TrackMania games. They share a premise of heavy player modification, letting players design levels and maps. The heavily customizable, multiplayer online shooter is a PC exclusive scheduled for a release later this year.…
By Kate Cox Published May 23, 2012 -
Full Tony Hawk HD Soundtrack Announced, Listen To The Whole Thing Here
It was the first question I and many others asked when we first heard about Tony Hawk HD: Okay, but what about the soundtrack? Yes, we’re all happy to hear that the game feels both sharp and smooth, and that they’re putting a lot of work into making the game play well. But what about…
By Kirk Hamilton Published May 23, 2012 -
Shadow of the Colossus Film Adaptation Gets a Director
Sony Pictures has signed writer/director Josh Trank (Chronicle) to direct the long-in-development-hell adaptation of 2005 fan-favorite game Shadow of the Colossus movie. No word yet on casting for Wander… or the horse. [Deadline]
By Kate Cox Published May 23, 2012 -
Here’s Tebow Tebowing—and Victor Cruz Salsa Dancing—in Madden NFL 13
On Friday, Mike Young, the creative director for Madden NFL 13 revealed that the game would feature the notorious “Tebowing” posture, whose namesake drops to one knee in a solemn and evidently religious celebration. Operation Sports today published the first screenshot of what that would look like. In fact, they said it came on a…
By Owen Good Published May 23, 2012 -
A Terrible Decision Created MLB 2K—But It Also Brought Us BioShock
The mythology built up around Major League Baseball 2K is that the game could not do anything right. Eight-figure losses and terrible review scores every year are, yes, terminal deficiencies. But its pitching and hitting mechanisms forced the dominant MLB The Show to respond with weak revisions to its controls, and MLB Today—when it worked—was…
By Owen Good Published May 23, 2012 -
Ask a Video Game Developer Anything … Call for Questions
We did it twice (this time and this time). We’re doing it again: Ask a video game developer anything…preferably about the world of game-making! Put your questions in the comments section, please. In a week or so, Jeremiah Slaczka (5TH Cell creative director! Scribblenauts! Hybrid! Kotaku columnist!) will answer the very best ones in the…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 23, 2012 -
Renting? Pfft. GameFly’s Going to Publish Games Now
GameFly’s made some interesting moves in the last few months. They jumped into the digital distribution space last year, offering games for streaming in addition to their physical mail rentals. While that moved GameFly’s overall offering closer to that of Steam, they still relied on publishers to supply their pipelines with games. That’s going to…
By Evan Narcisse Published May 23, 2012 -
Activision-Bungie Contract Has Rules About Everything, Even Easter Eggs
The ongoing legal saga between Activision and former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vincent Zampella continues to bring all sorts of once-secret documents to light. We already learned that Bungie’s 2010 contract with Activision guarantees the delivery of four “sci-fantasy” shooter games, called Destiny. But what other details are hiding in that 27-page contract?…
By Kate Cox Published May 23, 2012