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Microsoft Confirms Kinect Bundles, New $199 Xbox 360
Ask the right questions, get the right answers. An internal marketing Q&A for Microsoft about confirm that Kinect will be bundled with consoles, and a $199 configuration of its new Xbox 360 will be available this fall. In its document, Microsoft said Kinect would be available as a standalone device and as “part of a…
By Owen Good -
A Quiet E3 Foreshadows Sports Gaming’s Biggest Rivalry
Looking back, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s what I didn’t see at E3 that will provide, again, the juiciest story for the year in sports gaming: The showdown between NBA 2K11 and NBA Elite 11 Last year, both games were the closest they’ve been, in critical reception, since 2004, although NBA 2K thoroughly…
By Owen Good -
Win Some Sweet Shank Swag from E3
Who says you can’t get your hands on the best goodies given out during E3? Klei Entertainment, makers of the heavily anticipated Shank, gave us this badass maquette based on the game, and we both want you to have it. Klei founder Jamie Cheng and creative director Jeffrey Agala both autographed the box, which is…
By Owen Good -
Madden NFL 11 Cooperative Multiplayer Impressions: Ready on Three, Teamwork!
Last year, Madden introduced cooperative two-man multiplayer. This year, the gang at EA Sports Tiburon beefed that up to a three-on-three and blended in some features to draw out teamwork and communication among teammates. On offense, the available positions are quarterback, running backs and receivers (including tight ends). Selecting the latter two groups allows you…
By Owen Good -
Box Scores: This Space for Rent
We were either short on games or short on a week, or both, so in the aftermath of E3 we’ll dispense with the usual highlights and get straight to Kotaku’s sports gaming open thread. That’s not to say I played nothing this week. I saw lots, and I’m still writing it up. The big highlight…
By Owen Good -
Halo: Reach Campaign Eyes-On: Skyrockets in Flight
One of the more intriguing reveals of Microsoft’s E3 press conference was a brief glimpse of a spacefighter combat level in the upcoming Halo: Reach. The Bungie team gave a longer look at it during a closed-doors demonstration later. There will be only one spaceflight mission in the game, said Bungie’s Eric Osborne. What we…
By Owen Good -
The Moneysaver: Full Price Does Not Exist in This Dojo, Does It?
This is The Moneysaver, not a knitting class. You don’t come into my dojo, drop a challenge and leave, old man. Now you get your coupons on the mat, or you and I will have a major problem. Hardware • The new Xbox 360 slim console means price drops on old Elite bundles. The Xbox…
By Owen Good -
The Week in Review: Who ‘Won’ E3?
The word “game” implies something with a winner. And the planet’s biggest gathering of video games, and those who make them, fairly begs for one, too. Just like every year, it didn’t take long for a consensus to form on E3 2010’s champion. Sony took high marks for presentation – Kevin Butler’s call to arms,…
By Owen Good -
Shogun 2 Total War: The Difference A Decade Makes
Artists from The Creative Assembly have spent more than a year learning ancient Japanese ink brush and wood block techniques, just to create transition art for Shogun 2: Total War. Imagine the work going into the actual game. The original Shogun: Total War intrigued me so much that I actually purchased it. I harbored a…
By Mike Fahey