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Chet Atkins: The Third Man Theme
Pull up a chair. It’s that time when Kotaku takes a break from it’s round the clock gaming news and how-is-this-news? and cozies up with some music. This is Soundtrack Tonight, we’ve got country music icon Chet Atkins playing “The Third Man Theme”, originally written and performed by Anton Karas for the 1949 film of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
These Game of Thrones Screenshots Are Dark and Full of Terror
Cyanide’s upcoming Game of Thrones RPG promises to let players explore the world of Westeros, rather than just be led around it by an author and/or a TV show. Since nobody has played the thing, or even knows that much about it, we can’t vouch for how good it is. We can vouch for how…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2011 -
A Tour of Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s World
Love it or hate it, Final Fantasy deals in big, stylized worlds. In this “environmental trailer”, Final Fantasy XIII-2, the sequel to FFXIII, shows it is no exception. Kotaku already posted the Final Fantasy XIII-2 battle trailer. You can watch it here Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released Jan. 31, 2012. Environmental Trailer [YouTube]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
StarCraft II Might be Better Than Chess (For Science!)
Researchers looking at cognitive science have long studied chess. But a story on Scientific American shows that chess’ days could soon be numbered, because a superior model is emerging: Blizzard’s StarCraft II Scientists are hailing the game for its ability to help them study “attention, multitasking, and learning”, the game’s quick speed and reliance on…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2011 -
Can You Walk And Look at Your Smartphone? And Not Get Hit by a Train?
Before there were smartphones, Japanese people simply carried clamshell mobile phones. They were a bit harder to walk and send email with due to a small screen. People—most infamously schoolgirls—did it. Reading emails and websites was more difficult, too. Smartphones, however, make it easier to do both. There appear to be more and more people…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
Ryu, Stop Humping the Car
In Street Fighter‘s famous bonus stage, the goal is to smash cars. That’s the same goal in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Ver. 2012—even if it looks like the goal of SF character is something else entirely. The glitch appears to happen after Ryu unleashes a shoryuken on the car. Even when time runs…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
Hope You’re Ready for a New Tony Hawk Game
Activision’s Tony Hawk franchise took its first ever year off in 2011 because it had been run into the ground. Too many games in too many years with not enough new ideas. With the Spike Video Game Awards coming up, it appears that one year off is all Activision felt it could afford. “I’ll be…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2011 -
Game-Breaking Skyward Sword Bug Confirmed. Here’s How to Avoid It.
Nintendo has admitted that, yes, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has a game breaking bug. What is this bug and how can you avoid it? Warning: Spoilers. The bug makes it impossible for players to complete the game’s “Song of the Hero” quest. The save file becomes corrupted meaning that players either have to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
Fifty Cops Don’t Make Shoplifting $600 Worth of Video Games Easy
On Saturday, twenty-two year-old Timothy Randall Clark was supposedly spotted in a Walmart back room stuffing video games in his clothes. The Walmart staffers didn’t have to call the cops. There were already 50 of them in the store. Like many American cities, Waldorf, Maryland has a “Shop with a Cop” program in which underprivileged…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
Now Microsoft Wants to Stop You Taking Them to Court [Update]
It’s one of 2011’s more troubling, if less sexy developments: that of major publishers and platform holders finding ways to stop customers taking them to court if something goes wrong with their product or service. Sony was the first company to introduce a “no sue” clause as part of its terms of service in September,…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2011 -
Xbox Live Service Buckling Under Weight of Finally Welcomes New Dashboard [Update]
After a slight delay, the new Xbox Dashboard has begun rolling out to 360 owners around the world. Or, well, it would be, if Xbox Live wasn’t down for many of them. So be patient! Those of us at Kotaku still awake can’t connect to Xbox Live at all, and Microsoft’s support website carries a…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2011 -
This Shitty Developer Has No Brains (Or Giant Balls)
Top Best Adult Entertainment. It’s not a name that springs to mind alongside the likes of Nintendo, Blizzard, Valve or BioWare, and there’s a reason for that. This is one of the worst developers in the world. Not because they put out bad games, though that certainly helps. It’s because of the lies they dress…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 7, 2011 -
Don’t Procrastinate… Procatinate!
Greetings, and a happy Tuesday to you. Welcome to another Kotaku open thread, where we come together to talk about games, life, the universe, and everything. Without further ado, a few conversation-starters and other bits and pieces from the Internet at large. Lots of cats today. Sorry, I don’t know what that’s about. The Best…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 6, 2011 -
Dragon Age II, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, DLC for Arkham City and Battlefield 3 New This Week on the PlayStation Store
This week on the PlayStation store, we’ve got new full-game downloads for Dragon Age II and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, as well as the PSN game Wanted Corp. Plenty of games get DLC content, including Batman: Arkham City, which gives purchasers all of the skins that were initially offered as various pre-order bonuses. (Including…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 6, 2011 -
Should You Buy Battlefield 3’s Back to Karkand? Yes.
Battlefield 3’s Back to Karkand map pack updates four of the most popular Battlefield 2 maps for DICE’s new shooter. The pack also includes four vehicles and ten weapons from Battlefield 2 as well as some new reward, achievements and some other tweaks. Back to Karkand is free to anyone who pre-ordered Battlefield 3, though…
By Brian Crecente Published December 6, 2011 -
Record 3D Movies on Your 3DS Starting Now
The new 3DS update just hit in North America bringing with, among other things, the ability to create your own 3D videos. The update that just hit gives the Nintendo 3DS the ability to shoot up to ten minutes of 3D footage with the camera. And to create your own stop-motion photography. Other additions include…
By Brian Crecente Published December 6, 2011 -
People Who Like Science and Other Thinky Pursuits
It can be a challenge to buy a gift for your brainy, science-obsessed friend. What kind of games might he or she like? The science brains among us can be so intimidating, partly because it’s always scary buying things for smart people, but partly because who knows what those science people even like? Do they…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 6, 2011 -
Gorgeous Indie Platformer Pid Warps Gravity In Cute, Retro Fashion
You’ve gotta love a game that makes a sly reference to 2010 indie darling Limbo. But, further perusal shows that Pid‘s not going to be like PlayDead’s hit game. It’s got color! Energy! Localized gravity fountains! The retro-styled release happens on a remote alien planet where you’ll need to jump, solve and float your way…
By Evan Narcisse Published December 6, 2011 -
An Older Guy Who Prefers Crosswords to Video Games
It’s not that they’re no fun, or have something against games, but we all know someone who seems to prefer the most analog means of interactive entertainment—a good old pencil and paper—over all of the modern media. Here are some gift ideas that will both cater to that preference and maybe nudge him to try…
By Owen Good Published December 6, 2011 -
Where is my Heart is a Disorienting, Confusing and Beautiful Platformer
Where is my Heart is an addictive platformer recently released on the Playstation Network. In this adorable PSP mini, you play as three little monsters trying to collect hearts and escape levels. Visually, the game is stunning, each level is made up of jumbled panels for you to navigate. Peaceful, charming and mind boggling, Where…
By Chris Carolan Published December 6, 2011