-
A Bone-Chilling Run Through The Deadliest Road in Colorado
Despite living in Colorado for ten years I never drove through Independence Pass. Not in bad weather. Certainly not with snow on the mountain pass. Climbing to 12,095 feet as it winds its way through the Rocky Mountains from the town of Granite to Glenwood Springs, passing right through the heart of Aspen, state highway…
By Brian Crecente Published August 31, 2011 -
Final Fantasy Versus XIII Versus Not at TGS
In early August, I asked where the hell Final Fantasy Versus XIII was. This could change, but it’s apparently not at this year’s Tokyo Game Show! Final Fantasy XIII-2, among other FF games, will be there too. [TGS2011]
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011 -
The Pizza of Fortune Will Be the Key to Burnout Crash‘s Success
When I first saw the top-down arcade game Criterion Games is trying to pass off as a Burnout title, like many fans I was somewhat upset, but how can I stay angry at a game that features the Pizza of Fortune? Between some promising previews and these latest screens, I think I’m finally ready to…
By Mike Fahey Published August 31, 2011 -
“Fired for Planking” Is More Complicated Than You Think
About a month ago, we got an email from our reader John Mazzocchi who found himself recently unemployed. He had apparently been fired for planking while on the job at the Gamestop where he had worked for almost four years. Mazzocchi posted two pictures of himself planking inside what looks like an otherwise empty Gamestop…
By Jen Schiller Published August 31, 2011 -
Have You Considered a Career In Morally Questionable Pharmaceuticals?
Looking for a new line of work? Do you know anything about the potential harmful effects of shady experimental drugs and mad scientist-level bioengineering? No? Then you sound perfect for the Umbrella Corporation. That’s right, the fictional pharmaceutical giant and antagonist of many a Resident Evil game is kicking off a big recruitment drive today,…
By Mike Fahey Published August 31, 2011 -
A PC Gamer Dragged Kicking and Screaming Into the Digital Age
In today’s digital-only edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter TaylorEatWorld tries to find a physical copy of a hit PC game, not knowing what a monumental challenge that is these days. I’m an absolutely furious gamer right now. Not only that, I’m of a dying breed of PC gamer.. one who likes physical copies…
By Mike Fahey Published August 31, 2011 -
An Exclusive Tour of Valve Software, the Place Where Portal, Half-Life, and Team Fortress Come to Life
Valve Software’s Chet Faliszek recently gave me a tour of his company’s Belleveue headquarters, a final act of kindness during a visit in which Chet also let me play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and eat catered tacos. We went for a playfully confrontational mood for our tour, as we passed by hallway displays for Portal 2,…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 31, 2011 -
The Last Dead Island Trailer Before Everyone Dies
With a musical cue taken from the heartbreaking trailer that started all of this Dead Island excitement in the first place, here’s the final trailer for Techland’s tropical zombie apocalypse, hitting stores next week. You can contact Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and…
By Mike Fahey Published August 31, 2011 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Believe it or not, August is over. For a lot of you, that means school starts again. Good thing TAY is here to satisfy your video game needs. Thanks to Brian H. May for the last Jester-themed TAY. September begins tomorrow, and we’ll need a new image. Don’t forget to choose a painting in the…
By Jen Schiller Published August 31, 2011 -
An Open Letter to Team Pottermore
After almost fifteen years of waiting, I finally got my Hogwarts letter. At least, that’s what early registration to Pottermore, the new online extension of the Harry Potter world, should feel like, shouldn’t it? When Pottermore opened for early registration three weeks ago, I “tracked down the magical quill”. I validated my account. I registered…
By Jen Schiller Published August 31, 2011 -
Winning Eleven Online Is Made for Korea
For Kicks | SEOUL, KOREA – Konami and South Korea’s NHN Corp. are co-developing an online version of the popular soccer series. (Photo: Game Impress Watch) Meet the Craziest Sony Product of 2011 It’s the early 1990s all over again! Sony revealed today that it is launching a new head-mounted display, able to screen both…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011 -
The First Look at the Call of Duty Convention
It’s not a good look. But it is a look. From Sept. 2 to Sept. 3, one of the world’s most famous games, Call of Duty, is holding its own convention, Call of Duty XP In the photos, there are Xbox 360 consoles and monitors. And there are large displays and lights. Tickets are $150…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011 -
Duke Nukem Sounds Best on the Dukulele
“Tiny Bubbles”, this ain’t. YouTube people Johnny Streets and Mike Martinez played the Duke Nukem theme on ukuleles. The result is fantastic. “Yes, the only reason I did this was for the pun,” wrote Johnny. That, and the lulz. The sweet sounding lulz. Pretty good for somebody who learned the ukulele a day before this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011 -
When Bayonetta‘s Designer Trolls the Internet
With a hair body suit and pistol heels, Bayonetta was one of the most interesting games of 2010. Wouldn’t it be great if Platinum Games made another? Sure it would. When asked on Twitter about Bayonetta 2, Hideki Kamiya replied, “In this weeks game magazine…” The game magazine he’s apparently referring to is Famitsu, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011 -
Toppled Libyan Palace Reveals…Prince of Persia Art?
Watching a supposed mobile camera capture from the ruins of the ousted Gaddafi regime in Libya, Dutch site InsideGamer spotted something strange. Seems Colonel Gaddafi’s fifth son, Moatassem-Billah Gaddafi, might be the world’s biggest Prince of Persia fan. Skip to around 1:35 in the video above and you’ll see Mutassim – the country’s national security…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2011 -
Why Can’t You Shoot Women or Children In Battlefield 3?
Battlefield games take place in urban environments, and even in the most war-torn regions on earth, those places are still usually full of people. Ever wonder why none of them are around while you’re capturing command points? It’s not a technological limitation. It’s a design decision based, and I think this is the right call,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2011 -
Finally, a Star Wars Game Where Everybody Dies
In the Star Wars universe, nobody ever really wins anything. When good “wins” evil remains, and when evil remains, good goes into hiding to repeat the cycle. That won’t be the case when MMO Star Wars Galaxies ends, though. When it ends, it’ll end. With the game being shut down on December 15, the developers…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2011 -
Everybody’s Favorite Bikini Cowboy Hat Lady Getting New Game
Onechanbara. You know, those hack-and-slash games with bikini cowboy hat lady. According to the latest issue of Japanese game mag Famitsu, the latest Onechanbara, Onechanbara Z Kagura, will be released this winter in Japan on the Xbox 360. [ゲーム情報！ゲームのはなし]
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011 -
Take-Two Accused of Treating Some Testers Like Crap
A former tester at Visual Concepts, the developers behind 2K’s NBA and MLB games, is trying to take the pair’s parent company Take-Two Interactive to court, accusing them of a number of workplace violations. The suit is being put together by former “temporary employee” Aaron Martinez and his legal team, alleging that Quality Assurance (QA,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2011