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The Man Who Never Wanted To Make ‘The Citizen Kane of Games’
Three unusual things happened to former Metroid Prime designer Mark Pacini in 2009: He received high praise he didn’t seek, saw a somewhat depressing game box and figured out that gaming in 2011 “is going to kind of suck.” Pacini spoke to Kotaku a couple of weeks ago from his office in Austin, Texas where…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 22, 2009 -
The Sega Mega PSN Sale
From Alien Breed for the PSP to Valkyria Chronicles downloadable content, if it’s Sega and it’s on the PlayStation Network, it’s now on sale. Announced this morning by Sega’s assistant community manager David Beavers on the PlayStation Blog, the Sega Mega Sale drops the prices of every piece of downloadable Sega goodness on the PlayStation…
By Mike Fahey Published December 22, 2009 -
North American Game Industry Employment Somehow Rose Slightly In 2009
According to the third annual Game Developer Census, game industry employment in North America has risen slightly in 2009, due in part to new Canadian studios and a rise in social and online gaming developers. It almost seems impossible, considering the frequent reports of studio closings we’ve reported over the past twelve months, but the…
By Mike Fahey Published December 22, 2009 -
Unreal Engine 3 Running On An iPod Touch
A writer from AnandTech got a look at Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 working on the newest iPod Touch. It’s an impressive feat even if there are some asterisks. The Unreal Engine 3 will only run on third-generation iPod Touches and the iPhone 3GS, and the demo being shown is not a fully-operable game, just…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 22, 2009 -
Judge Super Street Fighter IV’s Real-Life Juri
When I first saw Super Street Fighter IV’s new character Juri, my first thought was that the costume she wears is extremely impractical. Capcom’s official real-life Juri confirms that thought. Capcom USA posted this video yesterday, featuring a live-action model wearing a close approximation of Juri’s outfit during a 2010 lineup reveal earlier this year.…
By Mike Fahey Published December 22, 2009 -
Oh The Weather Outside Is…Ice
If the weather outside is frightful, there’s a good chance Victor Fries is out there somewhere. Sony Online Entertainment reveals the DC Universe Online look for one of Batman’s most tragic villains, and I’m not even counting the movie appearance. Cryogenecist Victor Fries dedicates his life to saving his wife Nora from a rare disease,…
By Mike Fahey Published December 22, 2009 -
Assassin’s Creed II Spoiler Talk With Patrice Desilets
Yesterday’s Kotaku interview with Assassin’s Creed II creative director Patrice Desilets covered a lot, but it did not reveal his thoughts on some of the more surprising and controversial parts of ACII. That’s in this post, which is all spoiler. OK. If you’re this far into this post, then I assume you have finished Assassin’s…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 22, 2009 -
How Long Did The Family Go Without Japanese Food?
To: Totilo From: Ashcraft RE: What Is This, A Movie Site? A week, it seems! Before we arrived in Texas, all Mini-Bash talked about was being able to eat pizza and hamburgers and drink Coke. And after maybe two days of that, he started saying he wanted to drink green tea and eat Japanese food.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
No, Not A Kasumi Figure, An Ayane One
Kasumi, Kasumi, Kasumi. When talking Tecmo’s fighting series Dead or Alive, it seems like it’s always Kasumi. But she isn’t the only DOA girl. There’s also her half-sister, Ayane. Figure maker Kotobukiya has another Dead or Alive figurine to add to the heap. This ¥7,800 ($85) figure will be out April 2010. You can buy…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
A Week In Comments
Mod Tools Coming For Modern Warfare 2? Comment by: RawrSpoon Nominated by: deanbmmv Imagine you really love Megadeth. Like, really really love them. As a metalhead, you enjoy their music very much. You, along with your fellow metalheads propelled them to heights by listening to their music and purchasing their albums. It’s all good. One…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Behold! Some Person’s Nintendo Theme Christmas Tree
As sent in by reader D.Funky!
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Tetsuya Nomura Working On Two Unannounced Titles
Talk about a busy guy. Tetsuya Nomura worked as main character designer on Final Fantasy XIII, director and designer for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and ditto for Final Fantasy Versus XIII. We forgot Final Fantasy Agito XIII! He’s character designer for that, too. In the most recent issue of Famitsu, Nomura reveals that he…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIV Features Robust Character Creator
Square Enix’s upcoming MMO Final Fantasy XIV features a character editor that can be described as robust — with emphasis on bust. The creator allows for a variety of skin tons, eye colors, lip colors, hair colors and styles, tattoos, facial scars as well as waist, hip and bust size. Of course, these sorts of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Japanese Retailer Won’t Buy Back Xbox 360s?
In Japan (like in many places in the world!), there is a strong culture of selling back used games and hardware. Japan especially is quite good about keeping instruction manuals and boxes in pristine shape as many who purchase gaming goodies do so with intent to sell back in the future. For retailer TSUTAYA, the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
NSFW: NieR, A Cheeky Comparison
There are two versions of action game NieR: NieR Gestalt for the Xbox 360 and NieR Replicant for the PS3. But what’s the difference? While based on the same universe, the games will have different stories. Also, the in-game butts are not the same — after close inspection, they are slightly different! That’s AI-controlled partner…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Erotic Game Comments On Erotic Game Controversy
In the wake of the Rapelay controversy, Japanese erotic games have come under intense scrutiny. The Ethics Organization of Computer Software in Japan banned the sale of games with forced sexual situations after an outcry in the Western press over Rapelay, a niche game released a few years back. Some game adult game developers have…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Mistwalker Delay New Game Announcement
Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy and head of development studio Mistwalker, was planning to announce his new game this year. Those plans will have to wait. “I was planning to announce my new project within this year but it’s a little late,” Sakaguchi blogs. Sorry about that. I imagine announcement will be starting around…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
Gundam Christmas Tree — The Video!
Located on the second floor deck of the Akihabara UDX building in Tokyo, this is it, the Gundam Christmas tree. The 16-foot tree is decorated with over 60 Gundam models and strung with red, white and blue lights that twinkle pure awesome. Gundam Christmas Tree Akihabara UDX [Otaku2]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009 -
First Look At Japanese Poster For Tekken Movie
Back in early November, Kotaku posted the first Tekken movie sales art. It’s now late December, and time to post the movie’s Japanese poster. Funny how that works. No, not really. The movie is set in 2039, when fighters from around the world compete in the Iron Fist Tournament and centers around character Jin Kazama,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 22, 2009