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This Is The More Diablo-like Version Of The Grinder
The Conduit developer High Voltage Software is making two games that share the same name. The Grinder is both a first-person shooter (on the Wii) and a top-down shooter (on everything else). This is The Grinder in motion. This version of High Voltage’s horrific shoot ’em up is more Diablo-like in its perspective, but plays…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 2, 2010 -
Multicellular Life: It Might Be Older Than You Think
Remember when all of those scientist people told us that multicellular life on Earth began about 1.9 billion years ago? New evidence suggests they might have been off by a few hundred million. Is it time for a Spore patch? The earliest life on Earth were single cell creatures. Long before the dinosaurs, creatures like…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
The Inconvenient Truth Of Buying Video Games?
What do you consider when shopping for a new video game console? The games available for the console? How much it will cost you? What about the ethical impact of your choices? Do you weigh what the creation of that console does to the environment, whether it was built in sweat shops or contains supplies…
By Brian Crecente Published July 2, 2010 -
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
This extended holiday weekend, a slime will appear many times and I’ll issue successive commands to deal with those slimes in Dragon Quest IX, a Nintendo DS game that (fingers crossed!) will appear at Kotaku Towers West. I’ll just say that it’s been a while since my last Dragon Quest encounter, but I’m looking forward…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 2, 2010 -
Grand Theft Auto Blamed For Failed Teen Firebombing
“They appear to have crossed the line from virtual reality to reality,” said Police Chief Lou Pachec of the two teens who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at an apartment building in Raynham, Massachusetts over the weekend. Two teens, one 16 and one 12, claim to have been playing Grand Theft Auto on Saturday night when…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
This Is The New Villain In Wizard 101
Popular kids online game Wizard 101 just hit the 10-million-registered-users mark. To celebrate, the folks behind the game at KingsIsle dropped by Kotaku’s New York office with a poster of the game’s next big villain. You see here Morganthe, “the queen of the shadow web,” as printed on KingsIsle’s poster. I don’t play Wizard 101…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 2, 2010 -
How To Switch Sides In City Of Heroes’ Going Rogue
In this video documentary for Paragon Studio’s super hero MMO City of Heroes, the team talks us through the morality system that changes your villain into a hero and vice versa in the upcoming Going Rogue expansion. Changing sides isn’t a simple choice in the Going Rogue expansion. It’s a path that a hero takes…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
What Video Games Teach Men About Sex
Did you know that if a woman repeats herself three times, you have to go gain more experience before hitting on her again? GamesRadar takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the carnal lessons males learn through gaming. It’s called “The Three Strikes Law,” and it’s common throughout most early Japanese role-playing games. It’s completely ridiculous, but…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
Microsoft Solves Backwards Battery Problem
The mad scientists at Microsoft have conjured a technology called InstaLoad that will allow you to put batteries into a device — in either direction. Look at the batteries in this official Microsoft image here. Madness! The technology, announced yesterday by Microsoft, works with AA, AAA, C and D batteries. This is one of those…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 2, 2010 -
First Transformers: War For Cybertron DLC Contains All Three Preorder Characters
Folks who spent up to $100 for War for Cybertron preorder codes on eBay are going to kick themselves, as a listing on the Xbox website for the game’s first map pack indicates that all three preorder characters are included. This is why we don’t buy preorder codes on eBay Released just last week and…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
R-Type Coming to the iPhone “Soon”
Classic 80’s arcade side-scrolling space shooter R-Type is coming to the iPhone soon, Electronic Arts tells us. They are also giving us a rundown of the game’s features and some nice screens. As with the original, you will be piloting the R-9a Arrowhead spaceship as you take on waves of enemies from the Bydo empire.…
By Brian Crecente Published July 2, 2010 -
Gears Of War Designer Walks Us Through Bulletstorm
Confused by the over-the-top combat of frantic gameplay of Bulletstorm? Let the dulcet tones of Epic Games’ design director Cliff Bleszinski guide you through the game in terms you can understand, like “radial blur” and “gang bang.” This director’s commentary walkthrough video is full of wonderful Cliffy B. quotables, like “toy with your enemies like…a…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
Man Punches Punching Arcade Game To Death
A Meridian, Idaho man has been charged with malicious injury to property after allegedly causing $3,000 to an arcade machine at a local bar by punching it. The goal of the game? To punch it as hard as you can. According to witnesses, an intoxicated 30-year-old Dustin Gooden was playing a ‘test-your-strength’ arcade game at…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
A Kirby Made For and From Epic Yarn
As seen on Deviant Art. Also seen in video form
By Brian Crecente Published July 2, 2010 -
Rock Band Finally Gains Creedence
Creedence Clearwater Revival music will not be available in Rock Band until next week, yet somehow the series has still been a smashing success. How can this be? CCR is the sort of band that has a song that fits any particular moment in your life. Songs like “Down on the Corner,” “Bad Moon Rising,”…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
20 Amazingly Detailed Call Of Duty: Black Ops Screens
Can you spot the dragonfly in this picture? Treyarch and Activision have released 20 new Call of Duty: Black Ops screens brimming with nice little touches, from snow-speckled facial hair to insects thriving in the jungle heat, but something’s missing. As detailed as these new screens are, they still manage to highlight some of the…
By Mike Fahey Published July 2, 2010 -
Apple Engineers “Totally Wrong”, Nintendo Misjudged Excitement and Other Great Corporate Excuses
This morning iPhone owners woke to a very unusual thing: An apology letter from Apple. Everything about the letter, from its opening line of “Dear iPhone 4 Users”, to its unusual use of phrases like “totally wrong”, is cringe-inducing, but Apple isn’t the only company that doesn’t know how to come clean when they screw…
By Brian Crecente Published July 2, 2010 -
Nintendo’s Weird Environmental Tips
If you play the Nintendo DS puzzle game Picross 3D long enough, you unearth some advice about how to be more eco-friendly. But the advice is a little weird. Have a look. This isn’t the first time Nintendo’s tucked a message about environmentalism in a DS game. Chibi Robo, anyone?
By Stephen Totilo Published July 2, 2010 -
Gender Dysphoria
Tetricide – Suicidal moves during the game of Tetris that purposely cause the falling shapes to get too high for any more rows to disappear. Game ends because pieces reach the top; a “death” is self-inflicted. Soon to be seen at upcoming 8-Bit art show Tetricide, Gender Dysphoria is the work of multimedia artist Jonathan…
By Brian Crecente Published July 2, 2010