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How One of Gaming’s Coolest Studios Helped a Dude Get Married
There have been gamers who’ve hacked games to ask their special someone to take the plunge, but how many game studios have decided to lend a hand in popping the question? Q-Games is the Kyoto-based studio behind a whole host of wonderful titles, such as the PixelJunk series. It doesn’t only make video games, it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2011 -
Why the Hell Does DirectX Install Every Time I Buy a Game off Steam?
It’s a trivial question most PC gamers will have pondered at one time or another, as upon booting up a new (or, more importantly, old) game bought from Steam, they have to wait while DirectX installs. Again. For, like, the 100th time Turns out it’s not a Steam error. It’s just the price you pay…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2011 -
Twenty-Five Years of Dragon Quest Deserves an Exhibition
To mark Dragon Quest‘s big anniversary, Square Enix is holding an exhibit of 25 years of DQ at the Mori Arts Center in Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills from October 8 to December 4. If you’re in Tokyo, check it out. 勇者の数だけ冒険がある！ ”誕生25周年記念 ドラゴンクエスト展”開催決定 [ファミ通.com] You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2011 -
Ocarina of Time Is a Beautiful Children’s Story
Well, the game is, I guess, in a fairy tale kind of sense, but this wonderful art from Vikki Chu is as children’s story as you can get. Done a couple of years ago as a project, it doesn’t try and tell the entire story of the classic Nintendo adventure, instead recreating the earlier section…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2011 -
The Far Cry Games We Never Got
Far Cry 2 is a high-powered shooter for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. That’s not all, apparently! According to the resume of Ubisoft’s Philippe Baude, there was a version of Far Cry 2 in the works for the PSP and the Wii in late 2006 and early 2007, but the games were cancelled. Far…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2011 -
Is World of Warcraft Taking Giant Man-Pandas a Little More Seriously?
With Blizzcon only a few months away, a trademark filing has surfaced hinting at what could be one of the last big hurrahs for the ageing MMO. Dated from last week in the US, it’s for something called Mists of Pandaria, and in one of two “class status” descriptions is listed as: Computer game software;…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2011 -
PS3 and PSP Versions of Japanese Adult Game Canned
First released on the PC in 2008, Fortune Arterial is an 18-years-old-and-up visual novel. There’s been anime and manga versions, and there was supposed to be a PS3 and PSP port. Supposed to be. The game’s PS3 and PSP versions, which would not have been adults only, have been cancelled. Visual novel studio August is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2011 -
Just How Many Game Studios Does Sony Own, Anyway?
The company doesn’t often get much credit for this, but one of the biggest reasons for Sony’s success in the video game industry is not its hardware, but in the breadth and scope of its first-party studios. Neither Microsoft nor Nintendo, or most third party publishers for that matter, have managed to establish successful studios…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2011 -
Neon Genesis Fried Chicken
Colonel Sanders gives Neon Genesis Evangelion a makeover to the bewilderment and delight of Japanese netizens. Neon Genesis Evangelion is a Japanese staple that encompasses an array of mediums, perhaps most notably anime Kentucky Fried Chicken is also a Japanese staple that has been synonymous with Christmas since the early 1970s (more here). Turkey is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2011 -
Inside Cosplay Photography Events (And a Fancy Shinjuku Apartment)
For years, armchair photographers have made do with crappy convention center backdrops while taking cosplay photos. That’s changing. In Japan, you can rent studio space and hire cosplayers at speciality studios like PhotoPlus and Cutie Factory, by the day or hour. The studios are often converted apartments with cute bedrooms and moody parlors that provide…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 3, 2011 -
Sony Looking to Win Big at the 2011 Hacking Awards
The BlackHat USA security conference kicks off later today in Las Vegas, and will be attracting some of the world’s top hackers and online security experts. As part of the festivities, every year an awards night is held called the “Pwnies”. They exist to celebrate and publicly ridicule “the achievements and failures of security researchers…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2011 -
The Voice of GlaDOS Is Back for More Portal Work
The very talented Ellen McLain, a singer by trade but best-known to you lot for her voice-acting work in Valve games, is apparently returning this week to her most famous role: that of bitchy artificial intelligence GlaDOS from the Portal series. A tweet from McLain’s husband, John Lowrie, reads “Ellen is going in Tuesday for…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2011 -
Where Have You Been?
Greetings, Kotaku readers. Would you like to engage in some talk that’s not about video games? What if it’s only very loosely related to video games? Good. You’re in the right place then. While you’re free to discuss anything and everything you like, I’d like to cash in on a Themed Tuesday Open Thread, the…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 2, 2011 -
Look, Single-Player People Are Just Better
I’m not denying this is territory I’ve covered before. There’s no disguising that I’m a fan of single-playing gaming over multiplayer. Finally it’s time to just say it. We need to stop avoiding the matter, stop not saying what everyone’s thinking. I’m the man brave enough to do this. I am a valiant man, and…
By Sam Winstrom Published August 2, 2011 -
The Many Faces of Commander Shepard, Kickass Space-Lady
Yesterday, I wrote a piece about the process by which BioWare is choosing an official female Commander Shepard for Mass Effect. In this piece, I went on a flight of fancy about an imagined commercial that would feature a constantly shifting montage of various Shepards, highlighting the customizability that makes Mass Effect so cool. As…
By Kirk Hamilton Published August 2, 2011 -
Minecraft Creator Calls Bullshit on ‘Unlimited Detail’ Graphics Hype
Euclideon, a Brisbane, Australia-based tech company, claims it can stuff 100,000 times the amount of visual data into a 3D world with its Unlimited Detail rendering software. It’s visually stunning stuff. But one prominent game developer calls it “a scam.” Minecraft creator Marcus “Notch” Persson accuses the Euclideon team of being “snake oil salesmen,” writing…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 2, 2011 -
Why Would Anyone Watch YouTube Videos of Leaked Gears 3 Footage?
It’s something I’ve wondered about. When a game like Gears of War 3 is leaked ahead of its release date, I can understand wanting to play it, but why on earth would someone go out of his or her way to spoil themselves by watching videos of it on YouTube? In a lengthy interview with…
By Kirk Hamilton Published August 2, 2011 -
Shoot Ninjas, Pirates, Viruses, and Gorillas in Our Newest Xbox Live Indie Favorites
Every couple of weeks, we recommend some of the best games on the Xbox Live Indie channel. These are the games on the fringe of the Xbox 360 platform, made by average Joes and indie dreamers. They’re peer-reviewed, not Microsoft-approved and thankfully they’re not all about posing your Xbox Avatar or a vibrating controller. Our…
By Max Abrams Published August 2, 2011 -
Angry Birds, Infinity Blade, Fruit Ninja, and Pan’s Labyrinth Converge in The Dark Meadow
Combining the slingshot controls of Angry Birds, the swordplay of Fruit Ninja, the gorgeous Unreal Engine-powered graphics of Infinity Blade, and the dark fairytale them of the film Pan’s Labyrinth, The Dark Meadow is the sort of iOS game nightmares are made of. Last seen working on ambitious super hero games, the ex-Midway staffers at…
By Mike Fahey Published August 2, 2011