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Man Shitting on Dead Hedgehog is Not Necessarily a Video Game Metaphor
Hi there, smart guy. Yes, this is not germane to video games. That said, a dude pulling down his pants and squatting in the middle of the road over a deceased hedgehog, maybe spreading his butt cheeks a little and squeezing out a fudge dragon on its carcass, is something we can argumentatively link to…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2011 -
Welcome to the Start of the Real Tokyo Game Show
Today is Saturday here in Japan, and it’s technically the third day of the 2011 Tokyo Game Show. But the first two days are business and press only. So they don’t count. Saturday is when the gates are thrown open to the sweaty masses, and with sticky humidity and tens of thousands of people ready…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 16, 2011 -
Sony: The PlayStation Vita Is Region-Free
We’re one step closer to world peace and universal harmony, thanks to Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss and recent Tokyo Game Show keynoter Shuhei Yoshida. Asked if Sony’s new PlayStation Vita handheld would be region-free and capable of playing software from any region, Shuhei said “Yes.” Well, that about clears that up. Yoshida would…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 16, 2011 -
Shadow Complex 2 Has Been Designed. Can We Just Play It Already?
Man, I still don’t quite know what it was about Shadow Complex. I loved that game so much. So when Cliff Bleszinski told me that its sequel has already been designed, it just about made my day. Shadow Complex came out of nowhere for me—it was 2009, and I was totally wrapped up in Batman:…
By Kirk Hamilton Published September 16, 2011 -
Halo: Anniversary‘s Kinect Support Involves Voice-Switching the Graphics
When word spread this summer that Halo: Anniversary would include Kinect support, gamers fidgeted nervously, wondering just what the hell 343 Industries had in mind for the franchise. Calm down, they’re not introducing motion control to the HD remake. They’re letting you switch between the game’s high-definition and standard-definition graphics using your voice. 343 was…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2011 -
The PC and Xbox 360 Battlefield 3 Trailers, Head-to-Head
We’ve recently seen two trailers for Battlefield 3, one with footage from the Xbox 360 version, one from the PC version, both showing gameplay from “Operation Guillotine.” While watching the recently released 360 trailer, I was struck by how much better the PC version looked, despite the fact that the clips in the 360 version…
By Kirk Hamilton Published September 16, 2011 -
NBA 2K12 Demo Arrives Next Week
2K Sports just announced on the Facebook page for NBA 2K12 that the game’s demo will arrive on Tuesday, for both PS3 and Xbox 360, two weeks before its Oct. 4 release. The post offered no details about which teams would be featured but typically they involve last year’s NBA Finals participants, which would be…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2011 -
Stand Back Everyone, It’s the Week in Gaming Apps
Five games in five days! After several weeks of four or less, we’ve finally made it back to five whole days of condo-eating, caterpillar-tilting, war-waging mobile goodness. Huzzah! And of course our first week back is a week filled with iPhone apps; I’ll say it so you don’t have to. It wasn’t for lack of…
By Mike Fahey Published September 16, 2011 -
Put Da NFL Preview on My No One’s Back: Chargers vs. Patriots, Week Two
Bit of a speed bump here in just the second week of what I’d hoped would be a regular feature. Our commentator is AWOL. I’m still uploading the video so you can see what Madden NFL 12 predicts for this week’s marquee matchup between New England and San Diego. Where’s Demetry? Well, life is what…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2011 -
Lord of Souls
The Elder… Novel? – This Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion novel landed on my doorstep today. I’ll have to read it after I finish up that StarCraft: Ghost book I’m chugging through now. Tokyo Game Explosion Day 2: Faux Fights, Real Hostesses, Monster Hunter and Testicular Fortitude The Tokyo Game Show rolled on today. There were…
By Brian Crecente Published September 16, 2011 -
First Xbox 360 Footage of Battlefield 3 Will Still Blow You Away
You’ve seen DICE’s visually stunning war game Battlefield 3 on the PC. You’ve seen it on the PlayStation 3. Now see—with EA’s official blessing this time—what the Xbox 360 is capable in the second trailer for Battlefield 3‘s “Operation Guillotine.” (You can watch the previous “Operation Guillotine” trailer right here.) From what we can pick…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 16, 2011 -
Smash Bros. PC Demake Super Smash Land is Out, Free
Super Smash Land, the PC ‘demake’ of the beloved Super Smash Bros. series is here in full, free of charge and looking faithfully Game Boy-esque. Last December, we showed the game’s demo release. Now, the complete version of the game is live and, as the statement on the site guarantees, it will always be free.…
By Matthew Buzzi Published September 16, 2011 -
Steam Knocks Half Off Its Entire Star Wars Collection
From now until mid-Monday, all Star Wars titles on Steam can be had for a $49.99 package price, half off the normal package deal, and more than half off if you bought them individually. Four individual titles—Battefront II, Republic Commando, Knights of the Old Republic and Empire at War: Gold Pack—are also discounted 50 percent,…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2011 -
The Best, Brightest, Sexiest, and Strangest Selected as IndieCade 2011 Finalists
From a bowling game controlled by kissing to a four-year-old’s Ponycorn epic, every one of IndieCade 2011’s 36 finalist fully deserves their moment in the spotlight, except for maybe The Bridge Next month from October 6 through October 9 the annual IndieCade festival transforms downtown Culver City, California into the mecca of indie game development,…
By Mike Fahey Published September 16, 2011 -
Study on Effects of Violent Games: Blame the Player, Not the Game
A study by Villanova University psychologist Patrick Markey suggests that the personality of the person playing a video game is more likely the cause of violent behavior than the actual content of the game. “If you’re worried about a video game turning your son or daughter into a killer, don’t worry about that. But is…
By Matthew Buzzi Published September 16, 2011 -
Watch Ten Minutes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss for PS Vita
You know, that PlayStation Vita is capable of some lovely looking video games. Uncharted: Golden Abyss, for example, is one of the lovelier ones and not just because that Nathan Drake is so damn dashing. Golden Abyss is more than just a pretty face, however, as Bend Studios’ John Garvin kindly explains in this narrated…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 16, 2011 -
Ah, So That’s What’s Happening in Anarchy Reigns
The Tokyo Game Show trailer for Platinum Games’ Anarchy Reigns neatly summarizes the game’s story before jumping back into footage of people beating each other up. I’m guessing that’s exactly how players will approach the game as well, skimming over the story and getting right on with the kicking and the punching. It’s like it’s…
By Mike Fahey Published September 16, 2011 -
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition is Fun For One but Built For Four
At the end of my visit with Nintendo this week, we were given some DSiXLs and set loose on The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition. (Good god, that title is a mouthful.) For those who haven’t heard, it’s an upgraded take on the classic GBA game, which was itself a portable version of…
By Kirk Hamilton Published September 16, 2011 -
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
The PlayStation 3 at Kotaku HQ Los Angeles will be working overtime this weekend, thanks to a little bit more time spent with Resistance 3 multiplayer and another title that, well, I can’t talk about just yet. Anyone want to take a guess what that title might be? If you’re at all familiar with my…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 16, 2011 -
6 Minutes of Kirby’s Surprisingly Insane Nintendo DS Swan Song
Silly me. I thought the main draw of Kirby Mass Attack would be Kirby Mass Attack. Nope. The main mode of what I assume is Kirby’s final game on the sunsetting Nintendo DS—the mode that gave this game its name—is a decent experiment in controlling 10 pink puffballs at once in a side-scrolling adventure. The…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 16, 2011