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The Future of PC Gaming, According To The Lead Creator Of BioShock
For PC Gaming Week, Kotaku has invited top creators to predict the future of computer gaming. Today, we hear from Ken Levine, head of Irrational Games, the heralded studio behind System Shock 2, BioShock and the forthcoming BioShock Infinite. “After a long day in front of a PC, the last thing I want to do…
Ken Levine, Irrational Games Published October 28, 2010 -
New Uncharted (Novel) Confirmed For Fall 2011
Who knows if we’ll have an Uncharted 3 to play a year from now, but at least we can be certain that we’ll have a new Nathan Drake adventure we can read. The first Uncharted novel hits next fall. Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth will be written by Christopher Golden, an author whose novels include The…
By Stephen Totilo Published October 28, 2010 -
Standalone 320 GB PlayStation 3s Going On Sale
Sony started selling 320GB PlayStation 3s bundled with the new PlayStation Move controller last month, but promised another option. Today, the company says the 320GB systems are now shipping to retailers. They’ll cost $350. Move-bundled units run $400; 160GB units go for $300.
By Stephen Totilo Published October 28, 2010 -
Pokémon Writer Rushed To The Hospital
On Thursday morning at 6:00am Japan time, Takeshi Shudo collapsed at Nara Station. The 61 year-old was spotted near the station’s smoking area, and he was rushed to the hospital. Shudo suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage Shudo is best known as the head writer for the original Pokémon anime and creating TV anime Fairy Princess Minky…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
Halloween, But With Invitations
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: A Winner Is You You asked if Halloween is celebrated here. It is. It’s become bigger year after year. When I first came to Japan, the only people who celebrated it were foreigners who liked to dress up in costumes and drink booze on the train. Dunno if they still…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
It’s Like Wii Meets Xbox In China
While Leveno moves forward with its version of Kinect, China Telecom showed its version of the Nintendo Wii. And did it with Xbox 360-esque green and white. The China Telecom console is called “Tigan Youxi” (“Somatic Gaming”) and is an add-on service for its Internet Protocol television. It will be available for a monthly subscription…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
Super Mario All-Stars Coming To America
Already released in Japan, the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition will be making its way to the States this December, Nintendo of America revealed today. Priced at US$29.99, the Limited Edition comes with Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 as well as a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
Yup, That’s A Boss Battle
As seen on Threadless, via Rampaged Reality
By Luke Plunkett Published October 28, 2010 -
Resident Evil Creator To Develop Games For…Bethesda
Tango Gameworks, the new studio headed up by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, has just been bought by Zenimax Media, the firm which also owns Oblivion developers Bethesda and Doom creators id. Mikami, whose last project was the just-released Vanquish, will remain in Tokyo with his team, where he will stay on as the head…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 28, 2010 -
Ice Cube Adding Call Of Duty To His Resume
Jack-of-all-trades Ice Cube is lending his voice to the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops. Ice Cube first made a name for himself first as a rapper, but has since branched out into a successful acting, writing, directing and producing career. Some of his film roles include Boyz n the Hood, Three Kings and Friday…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
One Sure-Fire Way To Slow Vanquish Down
Junkboy, the man to thank for 22 of the sweetest “demakes” we’ve seen all year, has a new piece up for lovers of Platinum Games’ latest effort Vanquish. Called “Wank-ish”, it takes the sickeningly-fast 3D shooter and turns it into a 2D game ala Wild Guns I liked Vanquish, but a lot of the time…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 28, 2010 -
What’s It Like To Lose Your Lead Ninja?
Until 2008, the head ninja of Team Ninja (not pictured) was Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki. Then he left and filed a lawsuit over unpaid wages. More Tecmo developers left, too. What’s that like for the other ninjas? “I’ve been with Team Ninja ever since I graduated from college, so everything I know about…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
Someone Is Making A Van Helsing MMO
Universal Studios is working on more than just a Michael Jackson game, with word slipping out yesterday that an MMO based on mythical monster hunter Van Helsing is also in development. Handling the game will be a partnership between SEE Virtual Worlds and Entropia Universe creators MindArk. There’s not much else to tell at the…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 28, 2010 -
Microsoft’s Computer Gave Birth To Japanese Gaming Legends
Microsoft has been successful the world over with its operating systems. Even in Japan, Windows is the most common OS. However, the computer giant hasn’t seen those same results there with gaming. That hasn’t always been the case. In the early 1980s, Microsoft Japan aimed to create a standard for computers akin to the VHS…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
BioShock Creators Had Monster Island On Their Minds
Continuing their welcome tradition of showing us games they never actually made, Irrational has this week lifted the veil on Monster Island, a title the BioShock developers never finished (though we wish they had). First conceived at the beginning of the decade, Monster Island is described by Irrational as an “action/strategy console game” that took…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 28, 2010 -
Sleep With This Voice Actress’s Pillow Cover
In Japan, Rie Tanaka (Phantasy Star Portable, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3) is such a popular voice actress that last year she got her own trading cards. This year, she’s getting her own hug pillow cover. Progress! Hug pillows are called “dakimakura” with “daki” referring to “hug” and “makura” meaning “pillow”. Dakimakura covers typically show…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010 -
Nintendo DS Sales Fall Through The Floor
In the six months leading up to September 30, 2009, Nintendo sold 11.7 million DS units worldwide. In the six months leading up to September 30, 2010, that figure has dropped by nearly half, to 6.69 million. It’s to be expected, of course. Not only is the DS getting a little long in the tooth…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 28, 2010 -
Full House Star Sued Over Video Game Jibes
When Jodie Sweetin was 13, Full House was canceled. The actress, who played Stephanie Tanner, grew up, got married and started doing meth. But her second husband, she says, was a gaming junkie. In her tell-all memoir UnSweetined, the 28-year-old actress talks about overcoming her drug addiction and how difficult it was for her after…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 28, 2010