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The Struggles of a Gay XCOM Scientist
It’s hard enough finding enough major characters who aren’t white in games, let alone people who aren’t straight. So it’s interesting to see how 2K is handling the inclusion of a homosexual character in upcoming shooter XCOM As is becoming customary at the Canberra studio where XCOM is in development, 2K Marin Australia have snuck…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 16, 2011 -
Japanese Gaming’s Greatest Ambassador
It’s over. That’s what people say about Japanese gaming. While there are bright spots in Japan, Western games (and gamers) now rule the roost. It’s easy to forget just how great Japanese games used to be. One man is here to remind you of that. His name is Shinya Arino. Shinya Arino is the host…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 16, 2011 -
What the Fuck is Bobby Kotick Doing in This Brad Pitt Movie?
This is a trailer for an upcoming Brad Pitt movie called Moneyball. It’s about baseball. And at 0:58, you can see that the owner of the Oakland A’s baseball team is being played by none other than Activision boss Bobby Kotick. Remember, this is a movie about baseball. Not video games. And while it could…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 16, 2011 -
About Time Somebody Thought to Remaster Old Trailers In HD
Reader Gray, with a little help from actress Jennymarie Jemison and Zane Rutledge, one of the original Alice’s CG artists, has sent us two clips fans of American McGee’s and EA’s series might be interested in. One is a live-action homage to the new game, Alice: Madness Returns. The other, and this is really cool,…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 16, 2011 -
If Only Jimmy Fallon Was This Cool Every Night
All this week, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is showing off big video games. To honour this special (marketing) event, the show has put together a new intro that’ll only run this week. Isn’t it great? I like the existing intro, but they should keep this one, run it every night. Chiptunes and all. Every…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 16, 2011 -
Is the Third Black Ops Map Pack Coming at the End of June?
A tipster sends along that picture of that GameStop poster, advertising Call of Duty: Black Ops‘ third map pack, titled “Annihilation.” June 28 appears to be the release date. The maps are Hangar, Hazard, Silo, Drive-In and another Zombie map. We’ve been hearing that GameStop is taking preorders for the pack. I called mine here…
By Owen Good Published June 15, 2011 -
Speak Clearly and Carry a Golf Stick in Kinect Sports
“Xbox,” I say, “Streak 20,” and the huddle breaks. My quarterback trots up to the line. I instinctively half-squat and reach out my hands, placing them under the giant rear end of an invisible lineman. “Hike!” There is a slight delay between command and action, and sometimes I’m not sure if Kinect Sports: Season 2…
By Owen Good Published June 15, 2011 -
Summer Breakin’
We’re just a week away from the start of summer, but I’m already feelin’ it. Are you? Have you mentally checked into the next season, Kotaku readers? Tonight’s open thread might be a good place to discuss your summer plans. Mine involve work, for the most part, and plenty of travel. I’ll be going to…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 15, 2011 -
The Owner of halo4.com Probably Made a Lot of Money, but He Isn’t Saying
Microsoft last week announced Halo 4, not that it owed the halo4.com domain or anything. They cleared up that little detail after the fact, acquiring the name today, reports Fusible. The domain’s original owner isn’t saying anything about what convinced him to let go of it. Yes, I’m assuming it was money, as opposed to…
By Owen Good Published June 15, 2011 -
Report: Developers Working With ‘Underclocked’ Wii U Hardware
There’s a good reason that Nintendo showed off video game footage culled from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of third-party games, not the Wii U, at last week’s E3 unveiling of the console. According to a new report, Wii U games just weren’t looking so hot on current hardware. Not surprising, given that…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 15, 2011 -
Deus Ex, Gears of War, Sonic The Hedgehog Have One Thing in Common Today: New Comics
New comics arrive in comics shops every Wednesday. New and old ones hit online comics apps on Wednesdays, too. After a week’s break from E3, I’m back to recommend a few, though, I’m sorry to say that this week is light on promising new books. Here are my recommendations as well as the normal run-down…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 15, 2011 -
Kotaku Presents Retro Game Master, Japan’s Cult Hit Video Game Show, Airing Exclusively Right Here
Starting next week, Kotaku will begin streaming new episodes of Retro Game Master, the Japanese TV series that forces comedian Shinya Arino to play Japan’s most popular video games, largely from the 8-bit and 16-bit era, in marathon gaming sessions. Kotaku’s parent company, Gawker Media, has licensed the series, originally known as Game Center CX,…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 15, 2011 -
No Harm, No Foul in PSN Outage, Says EA Sports
EA Sports president Peter Moore brushed off the suggestion that the PlayStation Network outage did particular damage to his label, which has in the past two years seen significant revenue growth through its downloadable content, especially in its popular Ultimate Team offerings. “It was unfortunate but … I think it’s just delayed purchases,” Moore told…
By Owen Good Published June 15, 2011 -
What your favorite Alien movie says about you
With Ridley Scott’s suspected Alien prequel, Prometheus, in production, it’s time to look back and ask: What does your favorite Alien movie say about you? The answers may surprise you! Alien If the you’re a fan of the first Alien, you respond to the cold, dark world of the unknown. It drives you like the…
By Meredith Woerner Published June 15, 2011 -
The Key
There Is No Key | Nintendo says the virtual key to a new world of downloadable content is in my hands. (Photo: Crecente) Negative Duke Reviews Could Lead to PR Shitlist [Update] A third-party public relations firm tweeted last night that they would be “reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn’t” based on…
By Brian Crecente Published June 15, 2011 -
This is Why Mario’s Tanooki Suit Used to Fly, and Why it Doesn’t Anymore
As many of you know, the upcoming Super Mario game for the 3DS will be bringing back Mario’s iconic Tanooki suit, the raccoon-like outfit that allowed Mario fly in Super Mario Bros. 3. Though the suit has returned, its functions have changed. As it turns out, Mario will not be able to fly this time…
By Mike Epstein Published June 15, 2011 -
A Loose End Begins the Next Jurassic Park Video Game
With the license to make a Jurassic Park game in hand, Telltale Games had to find the perfect starting point for a story that would fit into the film’s canon without upsetting or reimagining the events of the first film. They found it in a can of shaving cream, lost for nearly 20 years. The…
By Owen Good Published June 15, 2011 -
The Wii U’s Online Strategy is a Rorschach Blot
The WIi U will have better, more impressive online functionality than any Nintendo console before it, we learned last week at E3. What does that mean? Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, told us: “We’ve spent a lot of time talking to a variety of publishers about what they want in an online environment.…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 15, 2011 -
There Were Two Things I Liked About Binary Domain, the Robot Shooter From the Yakuza Guys
Of the many, many violent shooters on hand at E3 2011, one of the few I chose to play was Sega’s Binary Domain. It is not as awe-inspiring as BioShock Infinite or Battlefield 3, but it did at least two things that made it memorable. If Binary Domain is not on your radar, that’s perfectly…
By Michael McWhertor Published June 15, 2011 -
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is a Grand Adventure That Won’t Pull a Lost (They Promise!)
“If you’re a fan of Lost, Assassin’s Creed Revelations level design director, Falko Poiker, told me last week, “then you know that it really sucks to be left with questions.” After three Assassin’s Creed games that have piled on questions…. about the Assassins, about the Templars, about the possible end of the world in 2012,…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 15, 2011