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Here, Have Some Kickass Kotaku Wallpaper
Artist Michael Myers, whose work we’ve featured once or twice here previously, is the man to thank for this wonderful Kotaku banner image, which in the gallery you’ll find in a variety of wallpaper-ish sizes, both for desktops as well as phones. You can see more of Michael’s work at his personal site. You can…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 16, 2012 -
This is how You Make a Street Fighter Music Video
This snappy little video, put together by MikeDiva as a promo for Street Fighter X Tekken, does just about everything you want from a live-action Street Fighter sequence. Which is include proper face-kicking, and include Vega.
By Luke Plunkett Published March 16, 2012 -
Wind Waker Reimagined is a Wonderful Thing
Dave Rapoza’s Crimson Daggers (who we last saw taking on Gauntlet) has held another redesign competition, this time tasking artists with drawing alternate cover art for The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Some of it stays with the cartoon theme. Some of it goes for a more realistic tone. Some of them are good. Some…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 16, 2012 -
Abed Nadir Knows What Time It Is
Hey there, Kotaku and welcome to Thursday night’s open thread. Did you enjoy tonight’s Kotaku Melodic? I hope so. I’m having a really good time putting those together each Thursday. Here, taken from around the internet, are some things you might want to talk about. James Brown… the Japanese version – Man, the drummer in…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Capcom Built Four-Way Multiplayer into Street Fighter X Tekken‘s PS3 Version, Then Gave Up on the 360
Street Fighter X Tekken has just been a post-release comedy of errors, whether we’re talking about on-disc DLC and the apologies for it, or bizarre character endings (that also highlight the on-disc DLC scandal.) Many have noticed that four-man cooperative play is supported on PlayStation 3 but not Xbox 360. Why is that, Capcom man?…
By Owen Good Published March 15, 2012 -
This PS3 Game Feels Like A Hallucinogenic Drug Trip
I’ve never done hard drugs. But I’ve heard that they’re supposed to make you feel invulnerable, ecstatic and connected to the universe. Y’know, the things video games aspire to but with none of the messy addiction. Mostly. The upcoming PS3 game Datura gets its name from an innocuous white flower that’s a powerful and potentially…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 15, 2012 -
Elder Scrolls MMO to be Unveiled in May?
Tom’s Guide is reporting that, based on word from an “industry source”, Bethesda will very soon be giving the world its first look at an Elder Scrolls MMO Called Elder Scrolls Online, and apparently set “several hundred years before” any previous game in the franchise that includes blockbusters like Skyrim and Oblivion, Tom’s says it…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 15, 2012 -
The “New” Neo Geo Handheld Goes on Sale Very Soon
The new Neo Geo handheld gaming system, which we first told you about in January, will be going on sale worldwide in Q2 2012. Which is very, very soon! The system has been licensed by Blaze, kinda-famous for similar handhelds that play old Genesis and SNES games, etc, and will be called the NEOGEO X.…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 15, 2012 -
Beat Sneak Bandit’s Wicked Grooves Make You 1000% More Hep Than You Already Are
Video games should use jazz more. Not just for soundtracks, though that would be nice too. Jazz encompasses much more than sound. It’s a flavor. It’s also a ruleset. Or a philosophy. The genius of one of the best things to come from America—yeah, really—is that the musical artform embodies a flexible set of colors,…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 15, 2012 -
Portal 2 Goes Techno
Valve’s Portal 2 was easily one of the most musically enjoyable games of 2011. Not just for its soundtrack, but for the awesome ways that it implemented music into the background of its levels. Youthful electronic musician BonJob agrees, putting together a very cool techno joint that incorporates sound effects from Portal 2 over a…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Sound Shapes is the Vita Game I Want Most
I have grown to really like my PlayStation Vita. That’s not to say I didn’t like it when I first started using it, but over the last couple of weeks, my respect for the system has grown into a real fondness. With that said, the system hasn’t really had a game that feels “Must Have”…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
You May Never Have Heard of the Braid Creator’s Favorite Band
I hadn’t, anyway. Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid and the upcoming puzzle-symphony The Witness, is a very cool dude. Chatting with him last week, I had this realization about what he was doing with his upcoming game—the way that his carefully crafted puzzles locked together like the motives and themes of a symphony. So,…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Jonathan Blow’s The Witness is an Exercise in Symphonic Game Design
A symphony is a long-form composition, a collection of musical ideas tied together by shared themes and motifs. The composer weaves melodies and harmonies over the span of several movements, knitting them into a sprawling, cohesive whole. That vision is then realized by an orchestra, led by a conductor. In a lot of ways, Jonathan…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
All The Rad Mega Man X Remixes You Will Ever Need For The Rest Of Your Life
The generous and good-spirited people over at OverClock ReMix have released another remix collection, and it’s a whopper—a 4-disc set of tunes from Mega Man X titled Maverick Rising. I’ve always enjoyed their work, most recently this great baroque-style duet from Mega Man 9, so this should be a real treat. You can download the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Good Lord, Computer Gaming World Had Some Hip Menu Music
If you bought a copy of the magazine Computer Gaming World in the early 2000’s, chances are you heard a track by Tomas Diablo. The magazine was one of several PC-centric gaming mags that would come with a bundled CD each month. One of my fondest gaming memories was the PC Gamer CD, upon which…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Now You Can Get Free Sheet Music for Bastion‘s Best Tunes
I (and everyone else on the planet basically) loved the music to Bastion. Now, SuperGiant is sharing sheet music for four of the songs from the game. Best of all they’re free, not for sale like I originally thought. Awesome. These tunes are simple enough that just about anyone could learn them, yet iconic and…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
The Kotaku Mixtape Vol 2: Yuzo Koshiro
Few composers have defined game music the way Yuzo Koshiro has. A prolific musician spanning many genres, his soundtracks for games like Streets of Rage and Actraiser are almost required listening to game music nerds everywhere. Today on the Kotaku Mix Tape, we’re giving you a tiny sample of Yuzo Koshiro’s works. In the video…
By Chris Person Published March 15, 2012 -
Persona 3‘s Awesome Music Breaks The Mold (And Our Faces)
When I think of epic JRPG battle music, I usually think of driving guitars, pulsing drums, and soaring melodies. I do not, generally, think of weird funky hip-hop and a lady singing “Baby, baby, baby, baby” over and over again. And yet that’s exactly what Persona 3‘s battle music is, and damned if it isn’t…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Kotaku Melodic Starts Here
Greetings one and all, and welcome to Kotaku Melodic. We had a week off last week, but we’re back with two hours of the very best stuff from the worlds of music, video games, and music in video games. We got a whole bunch of posts planned, so turn up your speakers, grab some headphones,…
By Kirk Hamilton Published March 15, 2012 -
Vegas Now Taking Bets on Madden‘s Cover Contest
News and notes from around the world of sports video gaming: • Madden‘s play-in round of voting lasts until next Wednesday. Right now, last year’s finalist Michael Vick is losing to teammate LeSean McCoy; two guys (Brandon Lloyd, Brandon Marshall) who won’t be on their teams when the game releases next year, look to advance,…
By Owen Good Published March 15, 2012