-
The Year In Surprises: Highs And Lows From 2010
Can we still be surprised by video games in an industry rife with rumors, leaks and publishers who prefer safe bets to bold risks? Looking back at the turn of events that was 2010, a year sometimes rocky, sometimes thrilling, it seems we can. We should have seen some of the biggest surprises of 2010…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Welcome Back, Search Bar
Kotaku readers, if you’re not too pre-occupied with typing things into the search textfield or refreshing the #speakup page, waiting for it to work, how about joining us for some off-topic conversation tonight? As Mr. Crecente mentioned earlier, we’re heading to CES next week, which means a return to the desert of Las Vegas. Having…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Call of Duty: Black Ops Nabs ‘Most Pirated Game of 2010’ Distinction
Not only is Call of Duty: Black Ops one of the fastest selling video games of all time, racking up more than a billion dollars in sales in 2010, it’s also impressively enough one of the most illegally downloaded. According to a report from BitTorrent news site TorrentFreak, the PC version of Black Ops has…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Kinect Hacked To Play World of Warcraft
We’ve made it an important milestone in the increasingly long list of hacks that transform Microsoft’s Kinect from Xbox 360 motion controller into something grander. World of Warcraft is now playable with Kinect hand-waving action. The Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California demonstrates its Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST)…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Here’s Where The Instruction Manuals Have Gone
To: Ash From: Crecente Re: The Autographs Of My Boyhood I don’t have any gaming autographs either. My childhood signatures include David Copperfield, the Harlem Globetrotters and the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Oh! And C3PO. I was a strange child. What you missed The Consumer Electronics Show Cometh New Owner of an Xbox Phone? Play These…
By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2010 -
When Larry Niven reinvented the Green Lantern universe
Larry Niven is best known as author of Ringworld novels and creator of the Known Space universe — but did you know he also helped to reinvent the Green Lantern Corps and their masters, the Guardians? You might have seen Larry Niven’s Green Lantern graphic novel, Ganthet’s Tale, which he co-created with artist John Byrne.…
By Charlie Jane Anders Published December 28, 2010 -
What Were The Biggest Games In Japan In 2010?
Not too surprisingly, it was a pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS that sold better in Japan than anything else. Also not shocking is that the top ten games are dominated by titles for Nintendo platforms. Pokémon Black and White moved nearly 4.5 million copies in 2010, followed most closely by New Super…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Feel The Drama, The Lightning of Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy
Square Enix’s next Final Fantasy fighting game for the PSP will, at the very least, have some very handsome cinematics stuffed onto a UMD, as proven by the latest Japanese trailer for Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy. See new contenders and old favorites from Final Fantasy games new and old in the newest trailer for…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Ever Wonder How The Nintendo Zapper Light Gun Worked?
Today’s shooting gallery games take advantage of high-tech infrared sensors and cameras. Back in the days of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, things were much simpler. As a child I spent countless hours firing away at video game ducks with my NES Zapper light gun, but I wasn’t actually firing anything. If anything, I was…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010 -
The Ten Funniest Video Games Of 2010
Splitsider put together a list of the ten funniest video games of 2010 today. Among the gut-busters is Fallout: New Vegas, Super Meat Boy and Hamlet. That’s right Hamlet, a game that Splitsider says is an “ironic take on the Shakespeare play, if it were adapted by terrible game developers.” Sold. Hit up the site…
By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2010 -
You Too Can ‘Date’ The President In 2011
Adult dating sim My Girlfriend Is The President, the loli-political erotic adventure that piqued our curiosity last year, is getting an official release in English, so non-Japanese speakers can see what it’s like to “date” schoolgirls-of-state and alien ships. JAST USA will release a localized version of this erotic game curiosity for the PC in…
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
Jerry Rice’s New Football Video Game Is For The Dogs
Dogs playing football is a video game idea that sells itself, but it never hurts to have a little star power behind your title. Get ready for Jerry Rice & Nitus’ Dog Football for the Nintendo Wii. Developer Judobaby has plans to create an entire series of Pet Sports League video games, and it’s kicking…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010 -
I Am The Eggman…
Doctor Robotnik (Eggman) gets a realistic overhaul in this killer illustration by Great-OHARU. Sonic is in for quite a disturbing surprise! I am the Eggman by Great-OHARU Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over to Justin Page’s Rampaged Reality and get your fix. Republished with permission.
By Michael McWhertor Published December 28, 2010 -
The Rift Collector’s Edition Is More Than Just A Fancy Riding Turtle
You can spend $50 on Trion Worlds’ massively-multiplayer online role-playing game Rift and just get the game, or you can spend a little more and score the game plus this nifty riding turtle. But wait, there’s more! Not only do you get the lovely in0game turtle mount at level 20 when you purchase the Rift…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010 -
This Is Not The Halo LEGO Set I Wanted For Christmas
If only LEGO had grabbed the Halo license instead of Mega Bloks I could be wearing this snazzy outfit right now. See more at Benny Brickster’s Flickr page Gameface is a photographic celebration of the people who make, play and love video games.
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010 -
Violent Video Games Promote Civic Behaviors
Just because you’re shooting other people online doesn’t mean you’re going to shoot them offline. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Texas A&M International University, playing violent video games could promote civic engagement in children. Science loves the violent video game debate. Over the past decade we’ve been subjected to…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010 -
A Dozen Games That Make iPhone Gaming Worthwhile
So you got a fancy new iPhone over the holidays, or maybe you’ve had one for a bit but are looking for some games to kill time at the airport, or snowed-in apartment. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. I’m a pretty regular gamer on the iPhone and I spent the past month or so…
By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2010 -
Dealing With Sex And Violence In Video Games
In today’s installment of Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter Dracosummoner explores the controversial role of sex and violence in our video games. Practically every single time I hear about some controversy related to the depiction of sex in a video game, and not just on Kotaku, I see a ton of comments that go along the…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010 -
Forbes Predicts the Rise of Apple and Google Gaming and Decline of Sony and Microsoft
In light of Forbes amazingly perceptive 2000 piece about the computers of 2010, Forbes’ Paul Tassi decided to take a stab at predicting what gaming will be like in a decade. Some of his ideas seem spot on, others a bit dated, but it’s still an interesting read. The most likely prediction Tassi makes is…
By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2010 -
Super Meat Boy Creator Pleads For Russian Art Aid
Russia will be the first country to score a retail release for the PC version of super Meat Boy, and creator Edmund McMillen sends out this moving call for Russian-inspired cover art. Good thing he’s okay with the Cold War. Hopefully the Russians can look beyond Edmund’s lack of knowledge about their lovely country and…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2010