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Well, Guitar Hero: Van Halen Did Need Better Box Art

Guitar Hero: Van Halen couldn’t be more underwhelming as a product if it had “UNDERWHELMING!” as a bullet point on the back of the box. But with the right box art…hmm… Seizing upon a rare moment’s peace, a bored GameStop employee came up with this. Which is not only an amazingly life-like portrait of the…

In 2009, Japanese Game Market Shrinkage Continued

In the West, the video game market is growing. In Japan, it is not. As with 2008, the domestic Japanese market size has been on a downward slide, getting smaller and smaller. In data collected by Famitsu publisher Enterbrain between December 12, 2008 and December 27, 2009, both hardware and software sales were down. Software…

Dare You Object To Some Phoenix Wright: Wii Videos?

Just like the handheld versions, lawyer adventure series Phoenix Wright on WiiWare is shipping in Japan with English language support included. Which means we can watch some gameplay clips and know what the hell’s going on! Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney WiiWare First Look! [Capcom]

D3 Publisher Spelling Mistake Explained

Japanese game company D3 Publisher chalked up one of the most embarrassing misspellings of 2009: That of the company’s own name, D3 Publisher, in a game trailer. There is a reason for that, says the company. According to a spokesperson, “It was supposed to be ‘PURLISHER’ with a ‘R’ there and not a ‘P’.” The…

Be An Australian Games Censor For A Day!

Ever wanted to be a trigger-happy member of the Australian Classification Board, decide what’s fit for public consumption and what’s not? Today’s your lucky day, as "Ban This Game!" lets you do just that. Put together by Conor O’Kane, who also did the excellent Harpooned, BTG!’s premise is simple. If a game “crosses the line”,…

This Final Fantasy XIII Bug Jumps For Joy

Since first being shown at the 2006 E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles, gamers have been eagerly looking forward to Final Fantasy XIII. They have not been looking forward to the in-game bugs. Add this interminable jumping bug to the list of bugs that, like the LSD bug, apparently slipped past Square Enix quality control.…

What Will Be Gaming’s Next Hot Destination?

The movie business tends to run with trends. It’s why in one year you can get two movies about vampires, or Houdini, or Sherlock Holmes. The video game business is no different. Take Africa, for example. For years, the continent – and, let’s not forget, the continent’s inhabitants – had been largely ignored by an…

Modern Warfare 2 Soundtrack Album Oscar Mike!

Hans Zimmer, who has composed movie soundtracks for Hollywood flicks like Rain Man and Crimson Tide, scored Infinity Ward‘s blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Zimmer’s Facebook fan page announces that an MW2 original soundtrack is in the works — no word yet on a release date or release formats. Last fall, Zimmer…

What Kind Of Man Would Steal His Mother’s Wii?

A 23 year-old man from Spring Hill, Florida has been charged with theft and dealing in stolen property after he nicked his mother’s Nintendo Wii and sold it to buy cigarettes and booze. Christopher Bayko allegedly stole the Wii last month then sold it to a local pawn shop. When his mother noticed her console…

A Week In Comments

OnLive Boss Gives Live (And Long) OnLive Presentation Comment by: Evdor Nominated by: (Starman) NONAME I have no investment in the thing’s current success—hell, if it somehow makes it, it does, and he could be fooling all of us. With that said: What they’re really looking for right now is money, investments. If you’re that…

Dragon Age: Origins Won’t Return To Ostagar On Time

BioWare’s plans to release the Return to Ostagar downloadable content pack for Dragon Age: Origins have been put on hold at the eleventh hour, with no new ETA revealed for the expansion. Previously planned to release on the Xbox 360 and PC on Tuesday, January 5th, BioWare will instead not release it on Tuesday, January…

Kotaku Off Topic: Jack’s Back

It’s not really fair. The Kotaku morning crew gets Talk Amongst Yourselves, the open thread that commenters control, where (almost) anything goes. What does the Kotaku night crew get? The vastly superior Off Topic, starting today. What is Off Topic? Well, it’s not really about video games, but it’s also open to video game discussion.…

Family Guy Teaches Us How to Drive — Using Grand Theft Auto

Last night on a very special Family Guy: When Peter loses his memory, he needs to re-learn everything. That includes driving. Trouble follows when Lois hooks him up to the murder simulator. By the way, can you tell that’s a hooker? It’s a hooker. Look how she’s dressed. Peter Uses Grand Theft Auto as a…

Muscle March Seems A Little More Than E10+ Described This Way

When the bizarre, oiled-up bodybuilders of Namco Bandai‘s WiiWare racing-puzzler Muscle March meet the in-depth, often clinical descriptions of the ESRB, sometimes we see games in a whole new light. And maybe it’s just the exposed flesh to “super-tight Speedos” ratio, but Muscle March seems somehow a little more deserving of something beyond an E10+…

EA Sticks with Tiger Woods Online; Mum on Console Games

Announcing an open beta of EA Sports‘ browser-based PGA Tour game later this month, Peter Moore says EA Sports is sticking with embattled golfer Tiger Woods “on the masthead of this game.” “Our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf,” Moore wrote on his official blog late Monday. “We didn’t form a relationship…

Sony Adds ‘Cloudsurf’ To Cloud Of Trademarks

Just before 2009 came to a close, the Sony Corporation sought trademark protection for something cloudy, but something likely not Final Fantasy VII related, the service “Cloudsurf.” That’s one of a few “cloud” themed products hinted at by Sony. Early last year, Sony filed a mark for PS Cloud. Specifically, Sony Computer Entertainment did, the…

High-School Farce: 360 Puts Celeb Couple on the Rocks

Another celebrity couple is said to be on the road to splitsville because of a console. This time, it’s “High School Musical’s” Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, and the “other woman” is an Xbox 360. Contactmusic.com, quoting unnamed sources (but inevitably stripping out the “likes,” and “so he’s/she’s all”) says Hudgens gave her squeeze a…

James Cameron: Today’s Online Gamers Are The Future’s Smokers

According to the New York Times, someone out there thinks that James Cameron’s Avatar is big budget mental poison because of its on-screen tobacco use. Let’s start there, as we walk the winding path toward Avatar’s video game association. The someone who thinks that Avatar showing a fictional character smoke is “like someone just put…

StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty Comes With Protoss “Mini-campaign”

Fans of StarCraft’s Protoss may not have to wait until 2011—or later—to get their hands on the teleporting, psionic blade-wielding alien race. The Protoss will apparently get their own mini-campaign in the first part of StarCraft II’s trilogy. While we weren’t expecting to take control of the Protoss in anything but multiplayer until StarCraft II:…

Rumor: NBA Jam Returning — to Wii

Were you unenthused by the rumor that EA Sports new title would be an NFL-branded trainer for the Wii? You’ll like this one better. ESPN.com says the game will be an updated NBA Jam, for the Wii. Citing “unnamed sources,” ESPN.com says EA Sports got the rights from the NBA to deliver an updated version…