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This Incredible 3D Art Is Too Nice To Play With
These pictures are the work of artist Jason Martin. If you’ve played Mass Effect 2, Force Unleashed II, DC Universe Online or taken an interest in the upcoming Batman game, you may recognise his amazing work. Martin is an artist at Blur Studios, the guys who bring you many of the gaming world’s biggest and…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 3, 2011 -
How I Found Myself Working In An Arcade Gaming Hell
I love arcades. I wrote a book about them. But there was a time that I hated them. Well, not all arcades, just one in particular. I’ve been in Japan a long time now, pretty much all of my adult life. When I first arrived, I didn’t have a job for a few months. This…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 3, 2011 -
Civilization’s Greatest Fantasy Could Soon Be Reality
It’s funny, for a game based on history and real things, Civilization has always had a strangely fictional unit at its core: the “Settler”, who can make towns and later cities just appear It’s like they’re carrying all the necessary buildings, tools and equipment needed for a settlement in their backpacks, and at the drop…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 3, 2011 -
Hey, An Arcade Stick With Ostrich Leather On It
Hoping to stand out in a market filled with game tie-ins and garish colours, peripheral manufacturer Neo Legend has hooked up with snooty French fashion brand Hoon to release this ridiculously fancy arcade stick. I could not possibly do the item description justice, so here it is in its entirety: Manufactured in a specialised Parisian…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 3, 2011 -
These Facebook Games Are Bigger Than You Think
If you’ve ever felt like comparing how much money a “traditional” video game makes as opposed to how much a Facebook game makes, check out this chart. It makes for interesting/depressing reading. Put together by game site IGN, it’s very important to note that this isn’t hard science. Much of the information depicted is not…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 3, 2011 -
Was Demon’s Souls Just Ripped Off?
iPhone games ripping off other games is nothing new. But this time, it appears as though popular role-playing game Demon’s Souls is the latest victim. Recently released iPhone game Kaibutsu Chronicle: The New World apparently features art that’s been directly lifted from Demon’s Souls. Japanese netizens discovered the art and then went ahead with their…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 3, 2011 -
Man Killed At Monster Hunter Stamp Rally
Last Sunday at around midday, 34-year-old Fumiaki Kuranouchi and his friend went to a Monster Hunter “stamp rally” in Tokyo. Before leaving, they rode a roller coaster called the “Spinning Coaster Maihime”. Sadly, the ride cost Kuranouchi his life. The tragedy took place on Sunday, January 30, which incidentally was the last day of a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 3, 2011 -
This Dog Is Not Afraid Of Dead Space 2 (Or An Xbox 360)
Ashley’s dog broke her Xbox 360 while she was in the middle of playing Dead Space 2. That’s usually grounds for a sob story, but this one has a happy ending. The clumsy pooch knocked over her console – which was standing vertically – while Dead Space 2 was in it, ruining both the machine…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 3, 2011 -
Man Steals $12 Million In Online Cash From Farmville Creators
British hacker Ashley Mitchell thought it would be a hoot to steal $12 million in online cash from Zynga, the creators of Facebook games like FarmVille and CityVille. And it would have been! If he hadn’t been caught. Mitchell’s story reads like a textbook bungled burglary. He hacks into a Zynga server, running popular online…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 3, 2011 -
Predicting the Super Bowl Winner — with NFL 2K5
Madden NFL 11 called Sunday’s big game for the Steelers. There’s still a robust roster-editing culture for the exiled, six-year-old NFL 2K5. Using current rosters, one devotee offered his own prediction for Super Bowl XLV. It’s still Pittsburgh. Sorry to get your hopes up, Green Bay fans, but Operation Sports commenter VLN13 calls the game…
By Owen Good Published February 2, 2011 -
Yars’ Revenge Reboot will be an On-Rails Shooter
This year Atari brings back one of the more imaginative titles from the primitive days of console gaming – Yars’ Revenge. This video features a 10-second swath of gameplay that shows the reboot will be an on-rails shooter. Producer Michael Fahrny outlines the game’s art direction, crediting anime (and specifically Hayao Miyazaki) as inspiriations for…
By Owen Good Published February 2, 2011 -
Trailers On Repeat
What? It’s time for the nightly off-topic open thread on Kotaku? I guess I can pause this Dark Souls trailer and whip up a post for folks to chat in. But this trailer must be re-re-re-re-watched! You ever have one of those trailers, whether it be for a video game or movie, that forces you…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 2, 2011 -
What to Expect From Madden If a Lockout Cancels the NFL Season
With a work stoppage in the National Football League increasingly likely, Electronic Arts has said that Madden NFL 12 will be published – but the company is assuming a lockout will wipe out the entire 2011-12 season. “In terms of a planning assumption … we’ve baked in the most conservative assumption, meaning no season,” John…
By Owen Good Published February 2, 2011 -
Company of Heroes Online Goes Dark March 31
Company of Heroes Online, whose beta began in July, will be closed down entirely on March 31. In-game currency – COHO Cash – is no longer for sale, and players are being urged to spend any balance they have pronto. As a token, THQ is offering anyone who registered with the beta before Feb. 1…
By Owen Good Published February 2, 2011 -
Due To Popular Demand Castle Crashers Adds Pink Knight
Because you demanded it, medieval beat ’em up Castle Crashers is getting a new brawler armed with a lollipop and equipped with pink armor. The best part? The new Pink Knight is for a good cause. Next week, the PlayStation Network version of The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers will introduce the lovable, adorable Pink Knight, yours…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 2, 2011 -
Dead Space 2’s Religion Not A Swipe At Scientology, Says Creator
Despite its resemblance to Scientology, Unitology – Dead Space’s fictitious religion – isn’t a parody of the controversial church, the game’s creative director told MTV Multiplayer. “I think people get that because the name is very similar,” he said. “It was really just an observation about what can happen to anybody who is fanatical and…
By Owen Good Published February 2, 2011 -
Five Years of Archiving Video Games’ Retro, Silly Past In Print
Video gaming’s greatest (and goofiest) moments in print will be forever preserved online, thanks to the efforts of a man and his scanner, Benj Edwards and an Epson Perfection 2480 Photo. For the past five years, every Monday, Vintage Computing & Gaming‘s Benj Edwards has posted a new “Retro Scan of the Week,” archiving—quite beautifully—classic…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 2, 2011
