-
Go Diving For Treasure in PopCap’s Latest Facebook game, Solitaire Blitz
PopCap’s latest Facebook Blitz game is Solitaire Blitz. Playable on Facebook, the treasure-diving solitaire game pits you against friends to win underwater treasures. You can learn more and play here
By Tina Amini Published March 7, 2012 -
Draw Something, Even If It Looks Like A Two-Year Old’s Work of Art
Do you want a challenge? I’m not talking about how well you can aim a headshot, or the dexterity of your fingers that speaks to how good a platform gamer you are. I’m talking about communication. OMGPOP’s Draw Something is a drawing game that challenges your ability to take a concept—like “dolphin”—and translate that into…
By Tina Amini Published March 7, 2012 -
The Glory Days of SquareSoft (*Not* Square Enix) Recaptured in Rap
Remember the glory days of SquareSoft, when the role-playing giant could seemingly do no wrong? Richie Branson does, and he’s got a little song about it. Want to hear it? Here goes. Branson’s letter to SquareSoft is riddled with suggestions on what franchises he wants to see resurrected, and what character crossovers would have fans…
By Mike Fahey Published March 7, 2012 -
Gamers Are Now Angry at BioWare Because of An Image in Mass Effect 3 (SPOILER)
Fans have expressed outrage at the apparent reveal that developer BioWare used a stock photo as the basis for one of Mass Effect 3‘s main characters. Angry gamers sent a barrage of e-mails to Kotaku‘s tips hotline last night with links to the stock photo and the spoilery reveal from the action-roleplaying game, which was…
By Jason Schreier Published March 7, 2012 -
From Final Fantasy IX to Cruis’n World: 10 Classic Designs That Need Revisiting
In today’s design-minded edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter DrZaius looks at design elements of ten gaming classics (well, nine and Madworld) that could help spice up some of today’s titles. This has been boiling up inside of me for some time. This is the top 10 list of game designs I’d like to…
By Mike Fahey Published March 7, 2012 -
GDC Notebook: Day 2: Al Gore in Deadwood, Super Mario What?
A second day of the Game Developers Conference ended sometime in the blurry evening several hours ago. The day had started pure of heart for me—a panel of game developers lobbying for the creation of romantic video games—and ended with the bang of corporate spectacles for massive and/or noisy new games. In the middle of…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 7, 2012 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Rush to the safe zone and stock up on video game discussion points with like-minded survivalists in Kotaku‘s official forum, Talk Amongst Yourselves. Reader Benevolence brings us today’s Left 4 Dead 2 TAYpic, along with these words of wisdom: “It ain’t right for a man to be ridden like that.” You too can mix video…
By Mike Fahey Published March 7, 2012 -
New Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy Games Could Be Headed to Vita [UPDATE]
British retailer Play.com has accidentally leaked the names of four upcoming PlayStation Vita titles, according to a news report published today. Update 2: In a statement to Eurogamer, Play.com confirmed that the above image is fake. Update: Some folks have questioned the validity of this image. More information below. A tipster sent gaming website Eurogamer…
By Jason Schreier Published March 7, 2012 -
World of Warcraft Lures Lapsed Players Back with Cataclysm Upgrades and High Level Characters
What does it take to lure a lapsed player back to World of Warcraft? With subscription numbers slowly-but-surely dropping, Blizzard launches the new Scroll of Resurrection program, granting returning players a free upgrade to the Cataclysm expansion and an instant jump to level 80 — they just need to be asked. Current World of Warcraft…
By Mike Fahey Published March 7, 2012 -
Obey Gabe Newell. Do It.
San Francisco’s 4th Street is covered in Gabe Newell. The Game Developer’s Conference is in full swing, and the iconic Valve boss’s mug is splashed on poles, garbage bins, and newspaper stands. It’s like gaming’s own version of the Obey sticker campaign, but Gabe’s either saying Half-Life 3 or Steam console. I can’t tell which.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012 -
Map Packs? Bah! Battlefield 3 Changes the Game with Three Themed Expansion Packs
Eschewing the normal practice of releasing intermittent “piecemeal” map packs, DICE intends to deliver three completely new experiences to Battlefield 3 players this year in the form of a trio of expansion packs, delivering new game modes, “innovative” gameplay, and unique environments with each release. It’s maps plus! Judging by the official descriptions, each of…
By Mike Fahey Published March 7, 2012 -
Peter Molyneux Is Leaving Lionhead Studios and Microsoft, Will Finish Kinect Fable
Peter Molyneux, one of the most respected video game developers in the world and one of the top creative minds on the Xbox team, is leaving Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, Kotaku has learned. “It is with mixed emotions that I made the decision to leave Microsoft and Lionhead Studios, the company that I co-founded in…
By Stephen Totilo Published March 7, 2012 -
Medal of Honor: Warfighter Leaves Afghanistan to Fight Pirates
So, the upcoming Medal of Honor is still trying to say it’s authentic while showing Call of Duty-esque blockbuster moments. Some things will never change, but some things do, like a lot of the trimmings and context of this reboot’s sequel. In a nice nod to the fact video games are enjoyed by people living…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012 -
You Won’t Believe the Scale of This Video Game World
Last year, we told you about the Outerra engine, an ambitious plan to build a system for video game developers (and other software applications) that could make use of entire worlds. The video we showed you then was impressive, but is now less so, because this new clip is even better. The first was from…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012 -
SimCity Already has Bonus Content, System Specs and 16-player Multiplayer, Apparently
EA has already launched an Origin page for its new SimCity, revealing that those picking up the Digital Deluxe Edition will be getting a range of content that includes supervillain lairs and European city packs. Those buying either the Digital Deluxe or Limited Edition sets will get access to a range of superhero content, including…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012 -
Brace Yourself, Mass Effect 3, a Giant Little Girl’s Got You
Mass Effect 3’s fancy cinematic trailer gets the “literal” treatment in this clip that, as often as it grates, manages to bring a smile to the face. The trailer was put together by YouTube users Tobuscus, who practically does this for a living these days
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012 -
Someone Has Already Made a Replica Assassin’s Creed III Tomahawk
Sometimes, the internet moves so fast it makes your head spin. Take this piece of fan art, for example. It’s been less than a week since we knew what Assassin’s Creed III’s hero looked like, yet in that time somebody has managed to already build a replica tomahawk that looks identical to the one he…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012 -
What if Video Games Were Old-Timey Movies?
Sacramento graphic artist Bao Nguyen has done these great title cards, depicting modern video game legends as classic film credits. His site is worth a look for more gaming stuff, including some explorations in Street Fighter typography and a different take on the Dead Space logo. Bao Office [Site, via Albotas]
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012 -
Assassin’s Creed III Features 4-Player Co-op?
According to a report on Eurogamer, a listing for Assassin’s Creed III briefly appeared last night on Xbox.com before being hurriedly taken down. Why? Maybe because it had a listing for “Online co-op 2-4 [players]”. Now, it could have been taken down because this information wasn’t supposed to go live yet. That happens all the…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012