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Cortana is Dying, Multiplayer Sounds Very Interesting, and Other Pieces of Halo 4 News
Game Informer’s Halo 4 issue is now out, and inside are details not just on the game’s singleplayer campaign, but what new developers 343 studios are doing with the series’ multiplayer as well. Which is blah blah bullet points whatever. More interesting, to me at least, is that a big part of the fourth main…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 10, 2012 -
Skullgirls, The Pinball Arcade New This Week on the PlayStation Store
We’ve got some good downloadable stuff on the PlayStation store, including the cross-play compatible The Pinball Arcade for both Vita and PS3, and Skullgirls for the PS3. Austin Wintory’s amazing Journey soundtrack is available for download (it’s also available on iTunes), and Persona 3: FES is now available as a PS2 classic. Which I’d be…
By Kirk Hamilton Published April 10, 2012 -
Party Game Inspires Man to “Go Bonkers,” Smash Room
Cards Against Humanity was a popular late-night diversion at PAX East last weekend, making appearances at gaming tables after midnight and after a few adult beverages. The game, it seems, is indeed as antagonistic as advertised, and can be dangerous to a player’s health under the wrong circumstances. A group of friends in River Falls,…
By Kate Cox Published April 10, 2012 -
We Need More Kinect Games Like Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor, Please.
We’ve been subjected to some bad Kinect games this past year and a half. Maybe it’s time for a really good one? I’m stepping on board the fully-mechanized Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor bandwagon, because here is a Kinect game that looks fun and—this is key—appears to use the Kinect sensor sparingly. Have From Software and…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 10, 2012 -
An Illuminating Conversation On Games Writing (And Kotaku‘s Secrets)
Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo sat down with Michael “Brainy Gamer” Abbott the other day to give out all of our trade secrets talk about the past, present, and future of the site you’re reading now. It’s a really interesting conversation that is worth a listen if you’re at all interested in games writing or the…
By Jason Schreier Published April 10, 2012 -
Gamers Are Excited About Sequels, Says Weird Poll
The research group Nielsen has released a poll under the headline “Video Gamers Eager for New Titles from Familiar Franchises this Year.” They combined “eight key consumer metrics, including awareness and purchase interest” into one score for each game, ranked out of 100. Here are the full (weird) findings, in order: Xbox 360 Halo 4…
By Kirk Hamilton Published April 10, 2012 -
Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC Cracks Joke About Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC
Here’s Gilgamesh, the newest piece of downloadable content for Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII-2 You might recognize Gilgamesh from his appearances in Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VIII, among other games in the longrunning RPG series. You might also recognize his ridiculous, fourth-wall-breaking sense of humor. Gilgamesh is out now for 320 Microsoft Points…
By Jason Schreier Published April 10, 2012 -
This Homemade Hidden Blade From Assassin’s Creed Looks Really Dangerous
I found this guy on the show floor at PAX East, dressed up like Altair from Assassin’s Creed and boasting his very own homemade hidden blade. I shot this video of the weapon in action, then ran away as quickly as possible. You never know at these conference things.
By Jason Schreier Published April 10, 2012 -
Free Mass Effect 3 DLC Accidentally Goes On Sale For $4
Today’s new Mass Effect 3 Resurgence Pack expansion is supposed to be free, so don’t accidentally buy the 320 Microsoft Point version. The official BioWare Twitter feed delivered that warning this afternoon: Please DO NOT purchase the 320 pt. ‘Resurgence Pack’ consumable on XBL dash. This was erronously uploaded & we are working to take…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 10, 2012 -
BioWare Developers Discuss Ideas and Share Concept Art For the “Hypothetical” Next Dragon Age Game
Some fine folks from BioWare held a Dragon Age panel at PAX East this weekend in which they emphatically did not talk about still-unannounced Dragon Age 3 Creative Director Mike Laidlaw, Executive Producer Mike Darrah, Lead Writer David Gaider, and Assistant Art Director Shane Hawco presented an array of slides, displaying and responding to fan…
By Kate Cox Published April 10, 2012 -
This Is What ‘reddit in Real Life’ Looks Like
Why in the world was there a reddit booth at a video game convention this past weekend? A) To sell reddit swag. (They did.) B) To draw lines of people. (They did.) C) To let reddit workers meet real-life redditors in the flesh. (They did.) D) To run a low-tech Reddit-in-real-life using magic markers and…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 10, 2012 -
Guitar Apprentice Makers Sue Ubisoft Over Rocksmith Patent-Infringement
The British rock band Rocksmith aren’t the only ones suing Ubisoft over the French publisher’s guitar game Rocksmith. Now, the folks who make the instructional guitar game Guitar Apprentice have filed claimed patent infringement against Ubisoft over tech similarities to their own game. Both Guitar Apprentice and Rocksmith use a real guitar, plugged into a…
By Kirk Hamilton Published April 10, 2012 -
Nine Comics That Will Magically Extend Your Life This Week
If you’re here in the Panel Discussion programming block, you might be a lapsed comics reader, trying to find a way back to the JLA Satellite. Or you might someone killing time until you pick up your weekly Wednesday pull list. Or maybe you’ve said goodbye to dozens of longboxes to embrace the promise of…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 10, 2012 -
Drawing Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Means David Marquez’s Girlfriend Has A Bigger Gamerscore Than He Does
Part of Panel Discussion’s mission is to look at the ways and places where comics and video games intersect and here in Crossover, we’ll be talking to game creators about the comics stories and creators who’ve shaped their sensibilities. So far in Crossover, we’ve spoken to game creators about comics. This time, we’re talking to…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 10, 2012 -
Mad Magazine Declares iPhones One of “The 50 Worst Things in America”
You know how some jokes make you laugh because they feel like they’re hitting on some essential truth? That’s how Mad Magazine’s skewering of Siri and Apple’s recent labor woes comes across in these fake ads from the comedy institution’s upcoming issue. The Foxconn scandals degraded some of Apple’s vaunted invulnerability and these faux advertisements…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 10, 2012 -
Panel Discussion Is The Strongest One There Is!
Are we still pretending that comics and video games don’t have anything to do with each other? Not anymore, we’re not. Welcome to Panel Discussion, where the focus will be on comic books and sequential art, whether they connect directly to video games or not. Confused? Read this
By Evan Narcisse Published April 10, 2012 -
California GameStops Now Have To Put DLC Warnings On Used Games
GameStop stores in California will now have to warn you when their used games come with one-time-use online passes or additional fees for downloadable content. For the next two years, GameStop will be forced to put up signs both online and in California retail stores to warn that customers who buy used versions of games…
By Jason Schreier Published April 10, 2012 -
The BioShock Party Was Stuffed With Cool BioShock Cosplay
Mass Effect cosplay? Sure! BioShock cosplay? I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise. People love dressing up in all sorts of Steampunk garb, some of which intersects with the aesthetic of the BioShock games. But I didn’t expect to see much BioShock cosplay at PAX East this past weekend. There was, in fact, plenty… at…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 10, 2012