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Pac-Man In Leather, In Your Back Pocket

To mark the thirtieth anniversary of everyone’s favorite pellet muncher, Namco Bandai is releasing a commemorative wallet in Japan this May. It comes in three colors and is priced at ¥14,800 (US$158). Wakka wakka! Designed by Toru Iwatani, the original Pac-Man was released in Japanese arcades in May 1980. The country, and soon the world,…

Let’s Abolish Schools And Teach Children With Video Games

For thousands of years, societies taught and trained their children through immersive gameplay and storytelling. Prospect Magazine’s Julian Gough wonders why we ever stopped, and ponders a fantasy world where the games of today form the children of tomorrow. “How would I cut public spending by £100bn? Abolish schools-and have children learn through playing videogames…

Are These Leaked Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Videos?

Several readers pointed us towards a series of YouTube videos that seem to feature Sonic the Hedgehog 4’s Splash Hill and Lost Labyrinth Zones. Are they legit? The videos depict Sonic 4’s Splash Hill zone, which we’ve seen bits and pieces of before, as well as a Lost Labyrinth level, which we’ve not seen before.…

How They Brought NBA Jam Back From The Dead

The new NBA Jam wasn’t always NBA Jam. It could have been “NBA Kids,” an idea being tossed around at EA in the fall of 2008 as developers at the company tried to figure out what kind of fun, mainstream basketball game would play best on the Wii. That idea didn’t go anywhere. It could…

Talk Amongst Yourselves

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NBA Jam Screenshots

Come Car Talk With The Creators of Project Gotham Racing and Blur

Join us later today on Kotaku Talk Radio to chat with two of Bizarre Creations lead designers about their upcoming racer Blur. Lead designer Gareth Wilson from the team behind Project Gotham Racing and upcoming disco racer Blur will be on Kotaku Talk Radio later today at 11 a.m. Kotaku Time (that’s 1 p.m. ET,…

Become Right Handed Or Left Handed, Time to Decide!

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Great Danopotamus Micro-Bash, my one year-old son, is starting to use a fork and/or spoon when he eats. Naturally, being right handed myself, I gave him the utensil (or Wii Remote) to hold in his right paw, but the kid has problems manipulating the utensil. So! Switch to the left…

What You Could Buy Instead Of An iPad

Apple’s iPad will be capturing the imaginations of millions around the world this week. But when you consider what you’re getting for your money, well, buying one may not seem like such a great idea. We’ve taken what’s shaping up as the most popular version of Apple’s book-reading, web-browsing and game-playing device, broken down how…

Maybe The Worst Thing This Wife Could Do

Cheat on her husband? No. Spend all his money? No. For one man, this just might be worse. Much worse. From the advice column of Japan’s news source Yomiuri (translated by Matt Alt): Before we got married, he didn’t exhibit much of this kind of behavior but I’ve really been noticing it lately. He collects…

Fetching Legs, Link

As seen on Albotas via Geekologie via i-am-bored.

Why No Alan Wake On PC?

Supernatural thriller Alan Wake is being released on the Xbox 360, but once upon a time, it was also a PC game. That PC version is no more. Why? Well, the two teams responsible can’t seem to agree. Last month, publishers Microsoft released a statement saying the game was only coming to the 360 because…

Being Nintendo Is Hard

You got to slave away and work to conquer the game industry. It ain’t easy! The Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii were sudden hits. And not just in Japan, but globally. According to Japanese newspaper Nikkei Sangyou Shimbun, quality concern and customer service issues for these products weighed down parts of Nintendo’s workforce. The paper…

Erectin’ A (Fan-Made) Team Fortress 2 Engineer Update

Yup, more fan-made Team Fortress 2 improvements, this time for the Engineer, and from the same talented guy who brought us the TF2 attack dogs. And I mean improvements, plural. He’s gone to town dreaming up new gizmos for multiplayer shooter TF2’s more lovable support class, with items ranging from the “Amplifier” (like Uber, only…

Former BBC Talk Show Host Confirms Fable III Role

Jonathan Ross, an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services in broadcasting, first mentioned role-playing game Fable III in May 2009. He said he “got asked” to do voice in Fable III. What was his answer? Via Twitter, Ross tweeted hours ago, “Gotta go. Am doing Fable3 today! What larks, Pip!” This…

Ubisoft’s DRM Kicks Australia While It’s Down

Ubisoft’s digital rights management woes continue, with news that Australians – a people already suffering when it comes to video games – are now being locked out of Ubisoft PC games as well. The title in question this time is strategy title Settlers 7, with many users Down Under complaining that games they have paid…

Report: Steven Spielberg Is Crazy Paranoid

Steven Spielberg is a Hollywood legend. When not directing highly successful motion pictures, Steven Spielberg likes to make video games. He’s also really paranoid, a new book claims. Just how paranoid? From the upcoming book The Men Who Would Be King: • “In Spielberg’s office, hanging above his desk, a plexiglass half-moon keeps sound from…

When Norwegian Ads Look Just Like PSP Games

These two clips are commercials for Dent Oi, a brand of Norwegian mints. Mint fans will love the house-crushing taste on display, but it may be of even more interest to fans of PSP strategy series Patapon. While the Patapon – the creation of French artist Rolito – are older than the games based on…

The Dark Side Of The NES

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is an all-time rock classic, but that’s provided you’re listening to it on a record. And maybe smashed off your face. Things are a little different when it sounds like a NES game. This project does just that. It’s called Moon8, and is the work of Canadian Brad…

Metal Gear Solid Voice Actor Also Doing Television Show

David Hayter, the English language voice of protagonist Snake from stealth series Metal Gear Solid, is a busy guy. Besides getting ready to direct an edgy, Twilightesque Werewolf movie, Hayter is moving forward on a TV series. Hayter hopes to turn the 2009 film Push into a television series in the vein of Heroes. He…