-
These are the Big Games of E3 2011
Guns. Swords. Balls. The video games of E3 2011 will have all these and much more when the industry’s annual conclave kicks off this week in Los Angeles. There will be a staggering number of titles shown on E3’s vast floorspace. Many will release this year, some will release next year. Some are brand new…
By Owen Good -
Paris Match
Grand Slam tennis is known for matches of epic length, frequently spanning four hours or more. In video games, more than an hour on the sticks is enough to conjure memories of Borg-McEnroe at Wimbledon 1980. Kotaku reader Frequenter and apal decided to pick up Top Spin 4 and play Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic…
By Owen Good -
Rumor has Microsoft Announcing TV Service at E3
I love the weekends before E3. I’ve worked four. You get everything in the tips jar—yesterday we got one that said Half-Life 2: Episode 3 would be a Wii 2 launch title. It was too earnest to be a troll. Anyway, this one is in heavy circulation and Microsoft has issued a no comment, so…
By Owen Good -
The Doctor Doesn’t Pay
You know, I hate to come down from Wayne County. I have businesses in Lansing. I have muffler shops, chicken chains. I got slums to collect the rent from. I have a chiropractic practice. I make adjustments to the human spine! And this little trip has cut far too much into my professional time! Dan…
By Owen Good -
Five Years Later, Mom in Warcraft Neglect Death Goes to Prison
It took five years, but a woman who played World of Warcraft day after day as her three-year-old daughter wasted away, dying of malnutrition and dehydration, is headed to prison. Rebecca Colleen Christie of Las Cruces, New Mexico was sentenced to 25 years in prison yesterday. Christie’s case was at the vanguard of the horrifying…
By Owen Good -
Tetris Hits the 3DS in October
Tetris, which skyrocketed to all-time popularity on Nintendo’s first handheld, will be adapted for its latest. In a statement released today The Tetris Company said Tetris for the 3DS will be shown at E3 and will arrive on shelves in October. The news release also boasted of 132 million paid mobile downloads of the game,…
By Owen Good -
Papo & Yo is a Bittersweet Allegory of Growing Up With an Drug User
Imaginary childhood friends can be adorable in any form, even as a giant pink rhino. It’s the rhino’s craving for poisonous frogs that makes him a monstrous threat, and the center of a poignant tale that deals with one developer’s troubled childhood. This is Papo & Yo by the Montreal studio Minority, touted today on…
By Owen Good -
Activision on Call of Duty Elite: ‘Even Haters Can Play for Free’
That is a direct quote from the FAQ Activision just released [.doc] for Call of Duty Elite, a final plea for you to not hate the shooter’s paid subscription service, and an argument that needs, oh, just six pages to summarize. That’s not to say they beat around the bush. The first set of bullet…
By Owen Good -
“This is essentially Night Trap, this game.”
Is L.A. Noire—despite its running, gunning and vehicular cruising—essentially an elaboration on the point-and-click adventure game? Some critics and commenators have suggested that the title has more in common with Monkey Island than Grand Theft Auto IV, with the crucial difference being that L.A. Noire (unlike the adventure games of yesteryear) allows you to advance…
By Drew Cohen -
EA Sports Celebrates NCAA Football 12 with the Sexy Sax Man
College football is all about tradition. The tradition of the NCAA Football 12 development team is the godawful annoying “Alpha song,” played every night while the game is in its alpha build. This year’s song was Wham!’s “Careless Whisper,” the signature tune of the Sexy Sax Man. You may have heard of him. (This video,…
By Owen Good -
The Week in Gaming Apps
With E3 right around the corner, let’s take a moment to talk about the games that are on everyone’s mind: Our Gaming Apps of the Day! What good is a game you can’t play on your phone? Why is everyone excited to learn more about the next Nintendo console, when right now we’ve got devices…
By Mike Fahey -
Madden NFL Dynamic Player Performance
Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman. The pause menu will show how players progress and change in effectiveness during the game. Each player will have a set of new traits that govern his tendencies and behaviors Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. The pause menu will show how players progress and change in effectiveness during the game. Each player will…
By Owen Good -
Madden‘s Dynamic Performance Serves Sundays with More Flavor
Beat on a quarterback for 45 minutes of an NFL game and you’ll see a different guy in the fourth quarter. Some start forcing every throw. Some will run like hell. Some go catatonic. But in Madden NFL, you’d see the same guy after four sacks that you saw in warmups. Players, especially CPU-controlled players,…
By Owen Good -
Kotaku and Spike/GameTrailers Team Up At E3
I’m excited to announce that starting Noon ET, 9AM PT Monday, Kotaku editors will appear during Spike and GameTrailers‘s 20-plus hours of live coverage of E3 2011. Stephen Totilo, Brian Crecente, Michael McWhertor, and Joel Johnson will all be appearing live on Spike and GameTrailers.com to provide expert analysis and share breaking news with Geoff…
By Joel Johnson