-
Metal Gear Rising’s Developer Already Having to Placate Angry Fans
The man leading development on Metal Gear Rising, former Capcom star Atsushi Inaba, sounds like he was prepared for the fan backlash stemming from the game’s VGA trailer over the weekend Despite the production values and developer track record involved, a lot of Metal Gear fans aren’t happy with the insane action depicted in Rising’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 14, 2011 -
Mountain Dew Ingredient May Reduce Fertility, Make You Flame-Proof
If you’ve ever slammed a Mountain Dew or similar citrus-flavored soda during a marathon gaming session, you may want to step back and re-evaluate what you’re putting into your body. A new feature published at iwatchnews.org reveals the history and potential health risks of brominated vegetable oil, otherwise known as BVO, a banned-in-Europe emulsifier that…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 13, 2011 -
A Life In PC Gaming: My Shame
Republished from Rock, Paper Shotgun I’ve been playing games on computers for the vast bulk of my life. From BBC Micro to Spectrum to 486 to assorted Athlons to the quad-cored radiator I used today, I’ve rarely been far from a keyboard. I have seen much, I have played much, I have learned much. But…
Alec Meer | Rock Paper Shotgun Published December 13, 2011 -
Porno Version of Tomb Raider Is Actually Quite Well-Cast
Today, Exquisite Films emailed us to let us know that they’ve announced the full cast for Tomb Raider XXX, their upcoming porn parody of the Tomb Raider franchise. We already knew that Chanel Preston was slated to play Lara Croft herself—and given the look of her (safe-for-work) publicity photos, she’s actually a pretty great match…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 13, 2011 -
This Indie Musician’s Album Is Also a Video Game
We often talk about video game developers use music (in fact, just tonight we started listing the best music of 2011!), but it can be fun to look at how musicians incorporate video games into their work, as well. Synth-pop musician Or Zubalsky has created a very cool new album that is designed to be…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 13, 2011 -
Azealia Banks: “212”
My ears have been bubbling today with selections from “Best Music of the Year” lists like I’m taking a long bath in hydrogen peroxide. But more than one list curator has selected Harlem-based Azealia Banks the best artist of 2012, purely on the basis on this one track, released in September, called “212”. Before you…
By Joel Johnson Published December 13, 2011 -
Rumor: Zynga Preps Employees For Friday IPO As Analyst Says Company Will Be Overpriced
Farmville creator and king of casual games Zynga is in the midst of preparing employees for a Friday IPO, a source close to the company tells Kotaku. The timing wouldn’t be much of a surprise, with the company expected to price their shares this week, and Reuters and others speculating the IPO would hit on…
By Brian Crecente Published December 13, 2011 -
The Best Game Music of 2011: L.A. Noire
I figured I’d like the L.A. Noire soundtrack before I even heard it—here we had noir-style detective game set in the late 1940s, and so you just knew it was going to feature a bunch of great jazz. Rockstar is known for the licensed soundtracks of the Grand Theft Auto games, but with Bully and…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 13, 2011 -
YouTube Pulls Official The Last of Us Trailer Due to ‘Copyright Claim’
Earlier today I received an e-mail from the people at YouTube, who informed me that a seven-second video that I ran of Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto bobbing his head during a musical performance of the Spike VGAs was in violation of a Viacom copyright. YouTube, I learned will not jump to the conclusion that…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 13, 2011 -
The Wii is So Not Dead
The Wii is so not dead. Not when it’s got Rhythm Heaven on the way in February. This, folks, is a screenshot. An awesome screenshot. -Stephen Totilo The B3st and Worst Gam3s With a 3 In the Title Anyone who knows me knows that my second-favorite hobby (after making sure my fingernails have no white…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 13, 2011 -
The New Humble Indie Bundle Might Be The Best One Yet
We’ve seen our share of Humble Indie Bundles over the past year or two—independent developers who gather under the “Humble” brand and release a bunch of their games priced at whatever people want to pay. The latest one, Humble Bundle #4, might be the best one yet—for any price you want, you can get Super…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 13, 2011 -
From Portal to Smash Brothers The Video Game Music Choir Does Not Disappoint
The Video Game Music Choir is a Boston based group that exclusively sings video game music . With arrangements from Portal, Uncharted, and Sonic Adventure 2, they have a little bit of something for everybody. On December 14th at 7:30PM, they will be having a winter concert at Trinity Church in Boston, MA. It’s a…
By Chris Carolan Published December 13, 2011 -
The Giant Rainbow Super Mario in Just Dance 3 is Slightly Disturbing
The Just Dance series is the kind of red-hot gaming franchise that can pull in a guest character like Nintendo’s Super Mario. But who knew that such a combo would be so… colorful. Behold the sight of Mario dancing in the Wii version of Just Dance 3, last seen in the Japanese version of the…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 13, 2011 -
Naughty Dog Calls Out Video Games for Weak Stories, Promises to Blow Brains with The Last of Us
Sure, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series is a benchmark for narrative, cinematic gaming. But from the way Naughty Dog is talking up their new franchise to Eurogamer, the upcoming PlayStation-exclusive The Last of Us is going to have a lot to live up to—especially in a setting as well-trodden as the zombie apocalypse. Naughty Dog wants…
By Joel Johnson Published December 13, 2011 -
Microsoft’s Furry Kinect Mascots Take a Trip to Apple Land
Once the poster lovable wild animals for Microsoft’s motion-sensing Kinect peripheral, the Kinectimals now appear to be feline ambassadors of goodwill to the iPad and iPhone. How very odd. Released last month for the Windows Phone 7, Kinectimals for iOS devices retains all the functionality of that version, right down to the ability to transfer…
By Mike Fahey Published December 13, 2011 -
You Can Be Temporarily Banned from Modern Warfare 3 For 5000 Days
People are getting hit with 5000-day bands in Modern Warfare 3, and the people behind the game say it’s intentional. “Yes. If you see this message, it means you’ve been Permabanned (for something bad),” Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling Tweeted today in response to online news site MP1st wondering about the image atop this story We…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 13, 2011 -
Shigeru Miyamoto Knows Some Americans He’d Make a Zelda With
The Legend of Zelda is one the most successful video game franchises to ever come from Japan. It’s been mostly made by Nintendo studios in Kyoto, with some added efforts by Capcom, which is based in Osaka. Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s top game designer and lead creator of the 25-year-old Zelda series now sees a team…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 13, 2011 -
Law and Order: Legacies Brings Lennie Briscoe Back from the Dead
The best part of the Law and Order franchise died in 2004 with actor Jerry Orbach. In Telltale Games new episodic adventure series Law & Order: Legacies Orbach’s detective Lennie Bricoe character makes a slightly creepy return appearance. It wouldn’t be a Law and Order “dream team” without Lennie Briscoe, the silver-haired detective that carried…
By Mike Fahey Published December 13, 2011 -
Bringing Sesame Street to the Xbox Wasn’t As Easy as 1-2-3
When Microsoft announced earlier this year that Double Fine would be making a Kinect-based Sesame Street game, many wondered if the developer studio behind Psychonauts and Brutal Legend were leaving their own original ideas behind for a lucrative license. But Nathan Martz, project lead on Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster, says that it was…
By Evan Narcisse Published December 13, 2011 -
YouTube and More Video Services Hit the Xbox 360 Today
Get used to this kind of alert, Xbox 360 owners. After last week’s “Future of TV” dashboard update, Microsoft’s going to be partnering up with—and then letting everyone know about—content providers of every stripe all over the world. The newest bunch of content-centric apps are available today, with YouTube the most impactful of the bunch.…
By Evan Narcisse Published December 13, 2011