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Lara Croft Trading Sexy Hot Pants For Gritty Torn Threads
Square Enix is rebooting Tomb Raider, and wiping the slate clean means no more 1990s-style sexy game heroine pandering. But what does that mean for Lara in 2010? Two words: ripped clothing. According to Art Director Brian Horton, the goal isn’t playing up the character’s sexuality “for sexualities sake”. “If for any reason we wanted…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
This Is The Future Of Guitar Hero
The current “plastic instruments” phase of the music game scene seems to have run its course. Next up must surely be the genre’s logical conclusion: Air Guitar Hero. This concept clip by British artist Chris O’Shea shows what Microsoft’s Kinect could do in the hands of somebody who’s serious about making a rock n’ roll…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Starcraft’s Queen Of Blades Is One-Of-A-Kind
While Blizzard do a better job than many other game developers in getting toys based on their games out to the masses, some people still prefer to forgo official figures and make their own stuff. Sculptor and custom toy creator Chris Hooton spent two months making this one-of-a-kind “Queen of Blades” figure, going to such…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Ni No Kuni’s First Fifteen Minutes Translated For Your Listening Pleasure
Ni No Kuni, the Nintendo DS title from animator Studio Ghibli and Professor Layton developer Level-5, is out in Japan. Those outside The Land of the Rising Sun are out in the cold. This video might make things all better. It might not. It might make you want the game more. Here are the first…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
Dead Space 2 Looks Pretty Rough, Isaac
Aside from the inclusion of multiplayer, probably the biggest addition to Dead Space 2 is “The Sprawl”, the confined, segmented sections of the first game’s spaceship replaced with the cavernous interior of a space station That’s a lot of ground for our hero Isaac Clarke to cover, so you can excuse him for popping the…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Super Deluxe And Ready To Destroy Cities
Matsuko Deluxe is a Japanese columnist who also appears on variety shows. Matsuko might be deluxe, but is the writer deluxe enough for new Wii game Karaoke Joysound Wii Super DX? Matsuko Deluxe got started at Japanese gay magazine “Body”, before moving on to mainstream television appearances. Apparently, Deluxe does not dress in drag outside…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
Your Kids’ Grubby Gaming Fingers Could Cost You Some Clams
If you’ve got small kids, you may want to keep them away from your iPad or iPhone, as many of the latest games on Apple’s platforms could see them inadvertently racking up a fortune in credit card payments. A report by the Associated Press points out that some of the App Store’s biggest games, like…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
What’s The Least You’ve Paid For A Game?
Some video games are expensive. Let’s not talk about them. We already did! Remember? Here’s how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn’t some marketing survey or whatever. It’s an emotional investment in you. Yes, we’re interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
It’s Like System Shock, Only Without The Evil Green Lady
Prominence is a first-person game with no shooting. Just clicking, and problem solving, and wandering around the deserted corridors of a science-fiction facility. Interestingly, it’s the product of Digital Media Workshop, a firm that normally specialises in design work, but in this instance is trying to leverage some of that experience into making a video…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Gran Turismo Series Races To 60 Million Sold
Driving simulator Gran Turismo 5 is finally out. People are buying it! And that’s helping the series pass a very important checkered flag: the 60 million units sold one. According to Sony Computer Entertainment, the Gran Turismo series has now sold over 60 million units, with newly-released GT5 selling 5.5 million copies worldwide in its…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
I’m Commander Shepard, And Mass Effect 2 Has A Release Date On PS3
The Mass Effect series will be making its first, long-awaited appearance on the PlayStation 3 in 2011. Question is, just when will it be out? BioWare has revealed that PS3 owners itching to get their hands on Commander (or Commanderette) Shepard and save the galaxy will only have a few more weeks to wait, with…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Top Final Fantasy XIV Makers Booted In Wake of Crappy Game
Online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV is a bit of a mess. Critics aren’t thrilled, players aren’t thrilled. Heck, even Square Enix isn’t thrilled. Know what that means? Heads will roll. And they have. Director Nobuaki Komoto and producer Hiromichi Tanaka are being taken off the game and replaced by Naoki Yoshida. In an official…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
This Was Supposed To Be The Day Australian Gaming Grew Up
But it’s not, after a lengthy meeting between government officials earlier today wound up without, as was expected, an adults-only video game rating being introduced. Bummer! Ever since video games were first certified for classification in Australia, there has been a maximum rating of MA15+ available for titles, because in the 1980s it was believed…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Tokyo’s Geek Mecca Bounces Back From Deadly Stabbing
In 2008, everything came to a head in Tokyo’s Akihabara. The frequency of public flashing was up, and cops worried about growing mobs. Then tragedy struck, leaving seven dead and more injured. Akihabara is now ready to return to normal. On Sunday June 8, 2008, 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato drove a rented truck into a crowd…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 10, 2010 -
Hey, PS3 Thieves, Don’t Punch Women In The Face
Look, crime is a part of life. Some people are jerks and will try and steal things. But there are limits, and punching a female Radio Shack employee in the face just to get a PS3 is stepping over those limits. Excuse the “armed robbery” jokes from the Fox pundits, who eventually get around to…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Going Off The Rails On A Guitar Made Out Of An NES
Here’s a late entry for our 2010 Gift Guide Obscene Nicety and Sublime Naughtiness: an electric guitar made out of an NES. It’s $150, though currently its maker only has one in stock. You can get it through GetLoFi.com’s web shop, according to the caption on the YouTube video. “The signal is routed through the…
By Owen Good Published December 10, 2010 -
This Amazing Deus Ex Trailer Will Need Some Popcorn
This is a new cinematic trailer for next year’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It’s, uh, pretty great. You’ve seen some of the sequences before in previous clips, but much of it is all new, and is looking incredible. Not from a gameplay standpoint, as you see precisely zero in-game action over the space of five…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Black Ops Has Probably Already Outsold Your Favorite Video Game
Call of Duty: Black Ops was released a month ago today. In that time, it has already sold more copies in the USA than games like Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Kart and Halo 3. Looking for specifics? That’s 8.4 million copies sold. In just the United States. Of course, it helps that the game…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 10, 2010 -
Butterbean Returns To The Ring In Fight Night Champion
Yesterday we saw Eric Esch – aka Butterbean – getting his flab knocked around in Fight Night Champion. He’s one of 13 new boxers on a roster of 54 licensed personalities appearing in the game when it releases next year. Here’s the full card: Boxers New To Fight Night Champion “Butterbean” Eric Esch Chad Dawson…
By Owen Good Published December 9, 2010 -
Cool Game Arrives For The PS3’s Attractive People In Time For Christmas [Update]
Two years after its release on the PC and the Wii, all five episodes of Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People are coming to the PlayStation Network in North America on Dec. 21. Pricing wasn’t mentioned in Telltale Games’ statement on the PSN release, but the set of five currently runs $29.99 on the…
By Owen Good Published December 9, 2010