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Something Old, Something New
GameStop’s running another used-games blowout, giving you three for the price of two this weekend. New games at the retailer also can take advantage of coupon codes if you’re buying two at full price. Sonic also found his discount savings not at Progressive Insurance, but on Steam. These and more than 50 deals are inside…
By Owen Good Published January 21, 2012 -
Twisted Metal Will Require an Online Pass After All
The creator of venerable car-combat series Twisted Metal had hoped that the game’s upcoming PlayStation 3 reawakening would not be subjected to an “Online Pass,” that single-use code unlocking online multiplayer access to the game. David Jaffe admitted it wasn’t his decision though, and Sony proved him right. Twisted Metal will indeed know the code.…
By Owen Good Published January 20, 2012 -
PS Vita Now Selling Less than PSP in Japan, Says Report
The PlayStation Vita debuted to strong sales in mid-December. New devices usually do, and a falloff after that is likewise to be expected. But for the week ending Jan. 15—a month after its Japan release—the PS Vita had fallen to 18,361 units sold. Not only is that far less than the 325,000 sold in its…
By Owen Good Published January 20, 2012 -
MLB 2K12 Reaches Down Deep for What Might Be Its Final Pitch
Major League Baseball 2K12 is widely expected to be in its walk year, the final season of a fat contract going back to 2005. Unlike a superstar in the big leagues, this is not a cause for optimism that fans will see an above-average performance. Not when the performer is the one paying the contract,…
By Owen Good Published January 20, 2012 -
Oh, to Sleep on a Pillow of Cake
Mmmm… cake. Wait, what am I doing? Oh, right! Hello, Clan Kotaku, and welcome to our Friday night open-thread. Did you have a good week? I sure did. It started raining in San Francisco but who even cares! Suck it, rain! Here, as usual, are some conversation-starters. “This had Oscar Buzz” – A reminder that…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 20, 2012 -
The Week in Unbelievably Gorgeous Screenshots: Dear Esther and Mass Effect 2
Since we ran a feature on Duncan Harris, the groovy “video game photographer” behind the website DeadEndThrills, I’ve been sharing some of his work each week here. This week has some great stuff, focusing largely on Mass Effect 2 and the Half-Life 2 mod/ghost story Dear Esther. Let’s get to it! First up, at top,…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 20, 2012 -
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Last week when I was on vacation I picked up an original Xbox from a friend (some of you may have seen me Tweeting about that.) Considering the new-release doldrums we’re in, this has been as good a time as any to reacquaint myself with some games I loved on that console but haven’t seen…
By Owen Good Published January 20, 2012 -
It’s a Pixel Zombie Motorcycle Empire Invasion This Week in Gaming Apps
It’s not always easy to work in all five of our Gaming App of the Day game titles into the weekly gaming app round-up, but I’d like to think this week I was particularly inspired. Notice how I just strung a bunch of words together? So good. From large and colorful blocks to semi-realistic (looking)…
By Mike Fahey Published January 20, 2012 -
Snow Day
Frosty, The Snow-Men | Employees from Halo studio 343 Industries took a snow day yesterday in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood. This Week in the Business: ‘PlayStation 4 Must Look Beyond Games’ What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “PlayStation 4 must look beyond games.”-Chris Morris, veteran game journalist, on…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 20, 2012 -
3DS Box Art Hints at ‘Nintendo Network’ [Update]
“Found something on the right,” said this Twitter user from Japan, and indeed he has: A logo for the “Nintendo Network,” on the box art for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, due to release on February 12. If it’s a new online service from Nintendo, or at least a rebranding of the old Wi-Fi Connection, color us…
By Owen Good Published January 20, 2012 -
This May Be The Perfect Video Game for a First Date
You’re on a first date. It’s going pretty well. You’ve had a good time talking, you’re both laughing a lot. You’re feeling the vibe. Ordinarily, video games probably wouldn’t enter into the equation here. But Fingle, an IGF-nominated iPad game from Game Oven, is the exception. Seen in the trailer above, Fingle is a flirty,…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 20, 2012 -
There’s a Little Bit of Infinity Blade In Dynasty Warriors Next
Tecmo Koei PS Vita launch title Dynasty Warriors Next plays like a standard Dynasty Warriors title for the most part, but when certain officers clash it’s time for a little Infinity Blade style touch screen dueling. Using the touch screen to slash, block, and otherwise decimate powerful opponents is nothing new, at least for iPhone…
By Mike Fahey Published January 20, 2012 -
ESA Drops SOPA Support, Video Game Lobby Laments Bill’s ‘Unintended Consequences’
The Entertainment Software Association no longer supports the Stop Online Piracy Act, the controversial anti-piracy bill that was shelved earlier today in the House of Representatives after a week of fierce online protests. The people who bring us E3 simply don’t want to bring us SOPA anymore. The bill’s got problems, they say. “From the…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 20, 2012 -
Report: BioWare Wanted to Make a Marvel Comics MMO, But Made a Star Wars One Instead
A fascinating report in the Los Angeles Times about Star Wars: The Old Republic ought to get some attention for pegging the cost of making the massively multiplayer game at $200 million. But for fans of the game’s developers at BioWare—and for fans of some of the cooler pieces of pop fiction around—there’s another detail…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 20, 2012 -
Want to Know What’s Going to Happen In Sonic 4, Episode 2? Then You Should Pick Up Archie Comics’ Sonic Super Special #3
Could it be possible that Sonic the Hedgehog—after years of underwhelming games—is enjoying a bit of a resurgence? Both the re-release of Sonic CD and the debut of the all-new Sonic Generations have been reminding people how fun it is to play as Sega’s mascot. But, as opposed to his game appearances, Sonic’s been running…
By Evan Narcisse Published January 20, 2012 -
Grudging Admission: Syndicate‘s Co-Op Trailer Channels a Bit of the Original Game
I’ll go ahead and call this a glimmer of hope. When we first got a glimpse of the FPS reboot of the PC strategy classic Syndicate, I was dispirited. The original Syndicate was a isometric strategy game with a cold, still-iconic art style and a generally groovy vibe. The action sequences I saw in the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 20, 2012 -
In Which the Lord of Hell Accidentally Takes a Bus to Michigan
In the first of a series of live-action videos promoting Square Enix’s PlayStation Vita launch game, Army Corps of Hell, the lord of hell takes a bus to Hell, Michigan. Honest mistake, really. I don’t know, Hell, Michigan seems like a lovely little place to settle down and raise an army of the damned. I…
By Mike Fahey Published January 20, 2012 -
Fluid Has Never Been Quite as Dynamic as It Is in Puddle
Coming later this month to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, Puddle is a fluid dynamics platformer that follows various fluids as they travel through a garden hose, a rocket engine, the human body, and more. Born from a project by six students from the French video game school ENJMIN and recipient of a…
By Mike Fahey Published January 20, 2012 -
The Pentagon Wants You To Play Video Games That Will Improve Their Weapons
The military has a problem. Its weapon systems run on computer code that could have up to five bugs per thousand lines of code and it does not think there are enough experts in America to test their code sufficiently. And robots? They can’t get the job done either. But you could help. The Pentagon…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 20, 2012