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Microsoft Investigating Claim That Used Xbox 360s Contain Credit Card Info
Microsoft has addressed yesterday’s Kotaku report that hackers could access credit card information in used and refurbished Xbox 360 units In a statement to Kotaku today, Microsoft’s Jim Alkove, General Manager of Security of Interactive Entertainment Business, said they are investigating the Drexel University study: We are conducting a thorough investigation into the researchers’ claims.…
By Jason Schreier Published March 30, 2012 -
The Reasons So Many Japanese RPGs Never Make It To The United States
Feeling screwed? If you’re an American fan of Japanese games, you certainly should be. Publishers in the East have not treated us very well over the past few decades. They’ve given us rushed and incomplete localizations. Often they don’t send us North American ports at all. Sometimes, it feels like Japanese game makers just don’t…
By Jason Schreier Published March 30, 2012 -
Why SoulCalibur V Only Had One-Fourth of a Full Story Mode
Seeing where the plotlines for your favorite characters go. The shiny CGI ending sequences. These have traditionally been the reasons a person slogs through the cheap-ass boss fights in the story mode of a 3D fighting game. SoulCalibur V gave you neither and many fans of Namo’s fighting franchise—including me—were pissed at their absence. What…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 30, 2012 -
Long Lost Emulation Easter Egg Discovered in GoldenEye
GoldenEye, for the Nintendo 64, is one of the all-time classics of gaming. Recently, a fan uncovered an Easter egg Rare had buried in GoldenEye‘s code: a fully functional emlulator for the ZX Spectrum system, complete with ten games. Rare, the developer behind GoldenEye, developed a number of games in the early 1980s for the…
By Kate Cox Published March 30, 2012 -
Nominate This Week’s Best Comment
Hello everyone, and happy Friday. Before we reveal this week’s best content, we’d like to enlist in the community to see whose comment deserves a gold star and top placement in tomorrow’s The Best Of Kotaku Last week’s Best Of winner was invadingduck with a suggestion for a positive end of the world scenario Post…
By Tina Amini Published March 30, 2012 -
Maxim Has a Weird ‘Gamer Girl’ Fetish
This week, Maxim launched a contest to find its very own Maxim Gamer Girl. Like a pig hunting truffles in the wild, Maxim will scour the streets of America for the perfect “video game vixen.” Wear your “hottest outfit,” the magazine commands. “First come, first serve.” Clearly the magazine doesn’t realize that this is 2012.…
By Jason Schreier Published March 30, 2012 -
Obsidian Will Help Develop Wasteland 2 If It Raises Enough Money
If Brian Fargo’s Kickstarter-funded project reaches $2.1 million, it will be co-developed by Chris Avellone and the team behind games like Fallout: New Vegas and Alpha Protocol. [Rock Paper Shotgun]
By Jason Schreier Published March 30, 2012 -
An Eloquent Rap That Explains Why Downloadable Content Sucks
We’re no stranger to Dan Bull’s rapping skills. He’s covered some of the most popular games with his clever lyrics, but he now turns to a popular issue amongst the gaming community. Downloadable content has been met with a lot of hostility in the past. But no one has summed up the situation so elegantly…
By Tina Amini Published March 30, 2012 -
Use the Power of Physics to Bounce Through the House in Fibble
Developer Crytek, best known for the system-punishing Crysis PC games, surprised many when they announced their mobile project, Fibble Fibble, which became available for iOS devices yesterday, is a bouncy, cartoonish, colorful casual game. My immediate impression, on playing through the first few levels, was that this is what happens when Angry Birds meets mini…
By Kate Cox Published March 30, 2012 -
The Battle of the Portal-Singing Lasers is Joined By Two Amazing Versions of “Want You Gone”
Last week I posted Chris DePrisco’s fiber laser rendition of Jonathan Coulton’s “Still Alive”, the ending theme from Portal, with an implied suggestion that Portal 2‘s “Want You Gone” receive similar treatment. Well it did. Twice. From two completely different types of lasers. Late last night one David Grossman shared with me a different sort…
By Mike Fahey Published March 30, 2012 -
The Best Summary of Pokémon I’ve Ever Seen
A decade and a half after Pokémon first launched, we finally see the one-minute summary that this series deserves. Bravo, The Game Station. Next time I play Pokémon, I’m totally naming the rival Asshat. Pokémon Lore in a Minute [YouTube]
By Jason Schreier Published March 30, 2012 -
The Hunger Games Facebook Game Finally Steps Into the Arena
The Hunger Games came out in theaters one week ago, setting new box-office records and drawing millions of eager fans. The film had two tie-in games announced, one on iOS and one on Facebook. The Facebook game didn’t materialize on March 23 as expected, instead launching as a closed beta. With no public word from…
By Kate Cox Published March 30, 2012 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
All aboard the Friday train. Next stop, the weekend! Welcome, wanderers, 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, game where you solve mysteries? Knock yourselves…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 30, 2012 -
Three Killer Problems That Threaten Windows 8
Brad Wardell, president and CEO of software company Stardock, recently said that the upcoming Windows 8 operating system is so severely flawed that it will hurt the PC experience and, therefore, PC gaming. How bad does he think Windows 8 is? Since he’s using the preview version and runs a successful PC software company that…
Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock Published March 30, 2012 -
Tales of Graces F Brings Out the Responsible Parent In Me
I knew becoming the father of twin boys would impact the amount of time I had to play video games. I didn’t realize it would also affect the way I perceive them. As I played through the early hours of Namco Bandai’s Tales of Graces F I came to a startling realization: I’m not merely…
By Mike Fahey Published March 30, 2012 -
How the Human-Hunting Robots in This TweedPunk Shooter Will Find and Kill You
Everybody complains about artificial intelligence. It’s too dumb. It’s too all-knowing. What it really is is too opaque. AI design remains one of the most mysterious disciplines of video game creation. Well, if you’ve ever wondered about how the rules governing the allies and opponents in a video game, then a blog post regarding Sir,…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 30, 2012 -
My Favorite Aspect of Mass Effect 3 is the Hideous Plastic Party People
There is such a thing as too much pretty. One can only stare into the face of Commander Shepard and friends so long before becoming overwhelmed. Perhaps that’s why BioWare left us this tiny slice of ugly—to keep us grounded. I love the little shortcuts that go into developing a game on the scale of…
By Mike Fahey Published March 30, 2012