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Kotaku Originals: Tonight’s Listings
Previously, on a very special Kotaku: Totilo speaks to Irrational Games about a change of identity. Nintendo is pleased by news of 2009’s hardware, and displeased by rumors of 2010’s. And a Kotaku editor dies! 900 times! (In VVVVVV). Top Stories Ken Levine Explains Irrational Switch, “Underwater Horse” Connection NPD: New Super Mario Bros. Wii…
By Owen Good Published January 16, 2010 -
Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves
Poor George will have to console himself with the fact that not everyone gets a mattress sale on their birthday. Well, Abe gets one too. Some housekeeping changes, before we get to the whatever-ya-wanna-talk-about. We’ve altered our publishing schedule on Saturday and Sunday, which means we’ve altered the times for our standing features and items.…
By Owen Good Published January 16, 2010 -
Heavy Rain’s Special Edition Short On Wet Tank Tops
Heavy Rain’s Europe-only Special Edition, first announced last month, has now been shown off by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. It comes in a fancy gatefold cover, treated to make the textured raindrops appear “real”, includes a promo code for the game’s DLC, some cute (and bloody) little origami and a big fold-out covered in notes,…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 16, 2010 -
Do You Want To Game In 3D?
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 oodles about us – more than you even want to, we’re sure. But, hey,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 16, 2010 -
By 2011, You Will Be Sick Of Nolan North
Don’t know who Nolan North is? Play Uncharted. Or Prince of Persia. Or Halo Wars, Lost Planet, or Assassin’s Creed. He’s without a doubt the most recognisable voice actor in video games today, and in 2010, he will be busy. In an interview with Gamepro, North says 2010 “is gonna be a busy year”, with…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 16, 2010 -
The Billion-Dollar Video Game vs The Billion-Dollar Movie
James Cameron’s Avatar has brought in over $1 billion at the box office. Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 has done likewise. Let’s see how a blockbuster film and a blockbuster video game compare. As you can see, when it comes to profit – the only number that really matters – the two are relatively close, the…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 16, 2010 -
Kotaku Off Topic: Bonus Round
Earlier today, I hauled it over to MTV’s Santa Monica offices to tape an episode of GameTrailers’ Bonus Round, joining Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter and Shacknews’ Garnett Lee for a rousing debate about the games of 2010. That means I’ve had plenty of game related talk today, thank you very much. So let’s talk…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 15, 2010 -
Bungie Seeks Halo Heroes for Haiti
Bungie’s mobilizing the Halo community to join the Haiti recovery effort. On Wednesday, the studio encourages players to wear a special emblem supporting Haiti relief and pledges to donate up to $77,000 depending on how many participate. For every 1,000 players who don the emblem on Wednesday or Thursday next week, in either Halo 3…
By Owen Good Published January 15, 2010 -
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days: Eyes-On With The Best Worst Camera Ever
Kane & Lynch’s raw and grimy aesthetic extends to something rarely expected in IO Interactive’s sequel—the camera. In a game full of unlikable and unattractive characters, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days’ damaged goods visuals fit right in. After sitting in on a hands-off demonstration of two of Kane & Lynch 2’s levels at Square…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 15, 2010 -
How Much You Bet These Guys Aren’t Talking About Hitting at All?
I don’t speak Spanish (pardon my grammar; I don’t speak no Spanish) but I halfway think that Seattle’s Felix Hernandez and the Angels’ Kendry Morales aren’t saying what’s in the subtitles. Or maybe I just wish it was that way. Also, way to tip off that you’re sitting on the fastball, Kendry. See if you…
By Owen Good Published January 15, 2010 -
Quantum Theory Gears Up For March Release On PS3, 360
Tecmo’s third-person shooter Quantum Theory has a release date (okay, window) for North American Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners looking for, well, I guess something new to play. The newly multiplatform “TPS” follows the Gears of War gameplay and aesthetic closely, adding in an AI-controlled co-op partner and an organic shapeshifting tower as the…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 15, 2010 -
Original Aliens vs. Predator Coming to Steam
Rebellion’s original Aliens vs. Predator for PC, from 1999, will be released via Steam for “very cheap,” sometime before the updated version releases on Feb. 16, Rebellion’s CEO says. Update: It’s already available, and it’s $4.99. “It shows its age a little bit, but it is frightening and it is difficult,” Rebellion boss Jason Kingsley…
By Owen Good Published January 15, 2010 -
Nintendo DS Outsells Game Boy Advance In The U.S.
Nintendo had a very happy holiday in the United States, shattering sales records by selling more than 7 million hardware units in December 2009 between the Wii and Nintendo DS. But Nintendo has a few more records to brag about. The company announced that lifetime U.S. sales for the Wii have surpassed 27.2 million units.…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 15, 2010 -
Catan Seems Likely for North American PS3 Release
The ESRB shows a new listing for a PS3 adaptation of Settlers of Catan, the popular resource-allocation strategy board game. A version of this game by the same developer was released in Japan back in 2008. Game Republic developed the Japanese version of Catan; it’s listed as the studio for the new version rated by…
By Owen Good Published January 15, 2010 -
Haiti
To: Owen From: Stephen Re: When I Get To Friday… It feels wrong to be writing about video games all week, disseminating so much information to the public and not personally mentioning the suffering in Haiti once. I considered some Haiti stories to write for Kotaku, reached out to some people in game development with…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 15, 2010 -
You Will Download PS3 Firmware 3.15 And Like It
PlayStation 3 owners, you must download the latest firmware for the console, whether you want to play PSP minis on the thing or not. The previously optional firmware update (v3.15) has been upgraded to mandatory. Download now! [PlayStation.com]
By Michael McWhertor Published January 15, 2010 -
World Of Warcraft Armory Goes 3D
The Armory, World of Warcraft‘s number one stalking, tool is now even stalkier, as upgrades introduce 3D character models, character data feeds, and calendar feeds, allowing players to sync their WoW calendars to their Google calendars. I feel so naked, and that’s probably because the World of Warcraft Armory database now shows my mage, Rande,…
By Mike Fahey Published January 15, 2010 -
Marble Madness Creator Selected to Hall of Fame
Mark Cerny, a developer known for his work with Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games – and for his 1984 arcade hit Marble Madness – has been selected to the Hall of Fame of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Cerny joins only Will Wright and Shigeru Miyamoto as developers honored by both the AIAS…
By Owen Good Published January 15, 2010 -
Rockstar Has Some Fun With “Eye Of Sauron” Comparison, Still Won’t Comment
Capping off a week during which Rockstar Game’s New York team was unfavorably described as an Eye of Sauron overlooking its development studios, the company just posted some new editions to its wallpaper series. The company entitled the three-image series: “The Eye Is Watching.” Earlier in the week, an anonymous ex-Rockstar employee described to MTV…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 15, 2010 -
The Cost Of Playing Star Trek Online
Cryptic and Atari have announced the subscription rates for Star Trek Online, finally giving players an idea of the cost of playing the Trek-themed MMO, aside from sleep deprivation and a gradual loss of skin pigment. Cryptic is going with the current paid MMO standard of $14.99 a month for Star Trek Online, but there…
By Mike Fahey Published January 15, 2010