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EA Sports Pioneers the In-Game Hair Transplant
While it might be too late to shoot a new box cover for the UK version of FIFA 12, Electronic Arts managed to give Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney’s in-game model a quick makeover to reflect his recently transplanted hairline. As one of the most skilled footballers in the world, Wayne Rooney’s skills stem from…
By Mike Fahey Published August 9, 2011 -
See the Minimal Human, Haptic Gaming Chair and Robot Moles in Action
A floating avatar head that can look, listen and speak in the real world, a desk-embedded robot mole, high-tech tops, express-changing “minimal humans”, phantom haptic gaming chairs. The 38th International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques sounds like a place of wild dreams and nightmares. Kinda wish I went. You can contact…
By Brian Crecente Published August 9, 2011 -
Babies are Already Angry, Might As Well Put Birds on Them
As we approach the point of total global Angry Birds saturation, one important demographic has been left out of the fowl-flinging sensation: Babies. Rovio’s new partnership with baby product company SwaddleDesigns might stop infants from crying over lack of spilled pork. As the proud father of 9-week-old twin boys, I can safely say there’s nothing…
By Mike Fahey Published August 9, 2011 -
They Will Rip Your Head Off With Their Tiny Little Hands
We got our grubby little hands on the latest Halo Minimate sets that hit Toys R Us this month. Each $20 Diamond Select Toys set comes with three Noble Team members and a Warthog. One set comes with Jun, Carter and Kat and a standard Warthog. The other comes with Jorge, Emile and Noble-6 and…
By Brian Crecente Published August 9, 2011 -
Dead Island Gets the Gang Together To Be Torn Apart
“We hang together, or we fucked.” Truer words have never been spoken, in or out of a co-op trailer for Dead Island Whenever you see a ragtag group of survivors banding together to try and survive a zombie apocalypse, comparisons to Valve’s Left 4 Dead series are inevitable. So I won’t make any. You folks…
By Mike Fahey Published August 9, 2011 -
When Does a Game Console Go Retro?
Commenter GiantBoyDetective wonders when video games and their consoles make the transition from recent to retro in today’s nostalgic installment of Speak Up on Kotaku. How old does a game have to be to be considered “retro”? I would definitely consider anything Super Nintendo or older as retro…at least in my eyes. I suppose the…
By Mike Fahey Published August 9, 2011 -
One Day Games Will Caress, Smack You
Imagine playing a game that can caress you, run its finger down your back, make you feel as if you’re flying, falling, crashing, or bugs are crawling over your face. The folks at Disney Research Pittsburgh (DRP. Yes, really.) are showing off a surround haptics system that relies on traditional tactile actuators and phantom sensation…
By Brian Crecente Published August 9, 2011 -
GameFly Sweetens the Pot with PC Game Downloads
For nearly a decade GameFly has been the Netflix of video games, delivering console and handheld titles to eager gamers across the United States, but where’s the PC gaming love? It’s coming later this year, when GameFly rolls out an online client featuring more than 100 free PC game downloads. Launching next month in closed…
By Mike Fahey Published August 9, 2011 -
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Stop doing what you’re doing. Start talking here about video games. Thanks to reader kyosen for today’s TAYpic. To quote our interns: “We could always use some new TAYpics, so if you think you’ve got what it takes, here’s what to do: submit your images to #TAYpics, and please keep submitting until you’re out of…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 9, 2011 -
Space Combat Goes A Little Appleseed: Ex Machina, Steel Battalion
The folks behind Burn Zombie Burn are working on a new space shooter that features a transforming fighter designed by the man behind the mechs of Appleseed: Ex Machina and Steel Battalion In Strike Suit Zero, due for a download release on the PC and game consoles early next year, players take control of the…
By Brian Crecente Published August 9, 2011 -
Gesundheit! Blew My Pants Off. With Snot.
It ain’t easy being green, and it’s harder being a green, mucus filled piggy. Your fellow pigs want nothing to do with you. But when monsters invade your homeland, it’s up to you (and your nose) to save the day. In Gesundheit!, the goal is to lead the monsters into traps, which are monster-eating sandworms…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011 -
Sony on Fire
Destroyed | LONDON, UK: Firefighters rush to put out a burning Sony building. (Photo: BBC) If You Want to Stay Up Playing Xbox Games, Don’t Snort Ritalin A teenager from The Hutt Valley, New Zealand, was last week trying to stay up late playing his Xbox 360. Instead of doing what normal people do, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011 -
Want to Play Final Fantasy XIII-2 Early at Square Enix HQ in Tokyo?
On September 10, Square Enix is letting 40 fans play some of FFXIII-2 before the Tokyo Game Show. Register over at Square Enix Members, and winners are picked via raffle. The catch? Registration is in Japanese. Good luck! [Square Enix]
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011 -
This Year’s Sexiest Game Gets One Sexy Statue
PS3 title Catherine is saucy. It inspires saucy cosplay and fan art. And next year, the game is getting a hot figurine. Figure maker Max Factory is offering this 1/7 scale PVC figure. It is slated for release next fall. Price is not yet revealed. Catherine was released this February in Japan and this July…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011 -
A Nice Thank You for Portal 2
According to YouTube user Khaff 3, “This is my own way to make my thanks to the creators of Portal 2 for making such a WONDERFUL videogame!” For game creators, it must be nice making games that people like—and even nicer when players make something of their own as a humble way to say thanks.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011 -
The Best Moments from the World’s Biggest Fighting Game Tournament
Now that EVO 2011—the world’s biggest and best fighting game tournament—has come to a close, it’s time to look back at the best moments. Many of which have been thoughtfully compiled into this lovely video. Shot by Richard Li, who spent all weekend with a camera attached to his face, this video captures 3:36 of…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 9, 2011 -
Want Your 3DS to Look Stupid?
The 3DS and its three-layer cake motif look beautiful. It’s a stunning piece of hardware, and one of Nintendo’s most interesting designs. So why not totally fuck that up? Linx Products is releasing the “Handy Grip” for the 3DS. It supposedly provides better grip for the glossy 3DS. There are even webbed handles to prevent…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011 -
If You Want to Stay Up Playing Xbox Games, Don’t Snort Ritalin
A teenager from The Hutt Valley, New Zealand, was last week trying to stay up late playing his Xbox 360. Instead of doing what normal people do, and drink a ton of coffee, he got smart and tried to snort some Ritalin. Bad idea. The boy, 15, was rushed to hospital “white as a sheet…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 9, 2011 -
Battlefield 3, Meet a Supersonic Jet
At this year’s Gamescom gaming expo in Germany, EA and DICE are bringing a Mig-21 to the Battlefield 3 booth. They used a red semi-truck! Battlefield 3 is facing off with rival title Modern Warfare 3, and unless the Activision booth has, I dunno, more impressive military hardware, chalk up a Battlefield 3 win in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2011