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Gran Turismo 5 Being Held Up For “Marketing Reasons”

Gran Turismo 5, the first game in the series proper since 2004’s GT4, will be released in Japan in March 2010. Everywhere else, though is up in the air. Why so? Blame marketing. That’s according to series creator and Polyphony Digital head man Kazunori Yamauchi who, speaking with Autoweek, said “We will release [GT5] in…

Activision Donates $1M on Game’s Launch Day To Help Vets

Activision plans to unveil a $1 million backed non-profit corporation tomorrow designed to help soldiers transition to civilian careers tomorrow. The Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) unveiling comes on Veterans Day and the official launch day for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The morning press conference will take place at the Newseum in Washington…

Flute Hero: For Those Who Can’t/Won’t Sing

You know, when nobody but my wife and an empty bottle are looking, I’ll sing a little Rock Band. This lady is equally timid on the m.i.c., but has a cunning alternative: play the flute. Yes, as with SingStar, Rock Band can’t understand your actual words while singing. It just picks up the pitch and…

Akihabara Killer Says He Deserves Death

In June 2008, tragedy struck Tokyo’s video game/anime/manga district Akihabara. Tomohiro Kato stabbed over 15 individuals, killing 7. He now says he deserves death. According to sources, Kato sent a letter of apology to one of the victims, writing, ”My crime deserves death.” The Japanese legal system does have the death penalty. Defendant in Akihabara…

8-Bit Wedding To Be Followed By A Life Of Text Adventure

When Luis and Magaly decided to get married, they weren’t thinking cake, slow dances and doves. They were thinking Roberta Williams, the Valley of Spielburg and Sonny Bonds. Congratulations, you crazy kids. 8-bit Wedding Invitation [Geekstir, via Gizmodo]

2010’s Indie Games Lineup Full Of Promise (And…Other Things)

For all their inventiveness and innovation, some indie games can also be, well, a little much. A fact serving as the inspiration for Something Awful’s list of 2010’s “Most Promising Bullshit Indie Games”. Some of the shame-they’re-not-real-games we have to look forward to include tranScEEnD: You are a seed, the manifestation of potential. The wind…

Interview With Yakuza 4’s Porn Lady

You remember Rio, right? She’s the star of films like Rio is a Squirting Young Wife and Let’s Have Sex at School. She’s also in Yakuza 4 (Ryu Ga Gotoku 4). In this short online promo clip title “Rio’s Film Set! Part I?”, there’s a short street interview with the blue movie actress by Noa…

Rumor: Uncharted: Drake’s Pinball Adventures

To give the PSP lineup a much-needed AAA first-party franchise injection, it looks like Sony will be releasing a range of pinball games for the handheld based on console franchises. Like PAIN, Hot Shots Golf, and Uncharted. Yes, Nathan Drake will be swapping mountain passes and machine guns for glass tables and tilts, Sony filing…

Does Store Renovation Reflect Current Japanese Game Market?

There are tons of stores selling Xbox 360 games and goods in Japan. Today, let’s talk about a store that has just renovated its game section. Think of it as a reassessment of where the Xbox 360 is in Japan. Or something. The 5th floor of Tokyo retailer LABI Ikebukuro is all DS and Wii…

Minesweeper Becoming An Adventure Game

Charles Cecil, the brains behind adventure game classics Beneath A Steel Sky and Broken Sword, is working with charity developer OneBigGame on an all-new project: turning Minesweeper into – what else – an adventure game. Seriously. He’s come up with a back story for as to why the mines are there, he’s come up with…

Here’s What Final Fantasy XIII Chocobos Look Like

Chocobo! Those bird-like creatures from Final Fantasy games. The latest issue of Japan’s Shonen Jump shows just how huge the creatures are in Final Fantasy XIII. So big. The magazine also has Hope’s summon, Alexander, and brings word that Final Fantasy XIII will come with Final Fantasy XIV beta codes when it goes on sale…

Modern Warfare 2, 360 vs PS3 [Update]

Modern Warfare 2 is the year’s biggest game, and it’s a multiplatform title to boot. And those kind of games always beg the question: which one looks better? Those sensible types, the ones after a comprehensive run-down of the game across PS3 and 360, cataloguing stuff framerate, lighting and motion, will have to wait for…

First Pictures From Resident Evil: Afterlife Set

While actress Milla Jovovich has been twittering the crap outta upcoming movie Resident Evil: Afterlife, two photos from the set have surfaced online. Above is Jovovich, Ali Larter, Spencer Locke and Wentworth Miller. Below is a wider shot. Wondering who those people in white are? “We call the people in white ‘pod people’ here on…

GameStop Responds; MW2 Broken Street Date a Corporate Decision

GameStop’s top spokesman contacted Kotaku on Sunday evening to confirm that certain of its stores broke Modern Warfare 2’s Nov. 10 street date and began selling the game this weekend. GameStop corporate authorized the sales, he said. The statement, from Chris Olivera, vice president for corporate communications at GameStop’s Grapevine, Texas headquarters: This past weekend,…

Hot Plates

To: Luke From: Owen Re: Volcano I’m happy to report that tomorrow I’ll finally get my car registered, my Oregon license plates, and complete my emigration from California. Believe me, I feel the eyeballs on me every time I drive to the Safeway. Californians have fled north in droves ever since the collapse of the…

Sonic’s Cube

Sonic the Hedgehog rendered by 784 Rubik’s Cubes. As seen on Technabob via Gizmodo.]

Europe Rates Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for Virtual Console

Pan-European Game Information has given Michael Jackson‘s Moonwalker, the iconic 1990 Sega Master System game, a 12-rating for Nintendo’s Virtual Console, raising hopes the King of Pop will make a posthumous return to video games. PEGI listed the game with a content indicator for “depictions of violence.” There is no ESRB rating as yet. The…

German Mag Claims Ubi Demanded Positive Review on Assassin’s Creed II [Update]

Computer Bild Spiele of Germany has, on its December cover, a blurb touting an “Assassin’s Creed 2 SKANDAL!” It alleges Ubisoft wanted a score of “very good” before it would turn over a review copy of the game. Says the publication: Our reviews are tough, but fair. We will not give up our independent scores…

I Pity the Childhood with No 8-Bit A-Team

Hot Blooded Gaming put together the following video, solely as an an excuse to create an 8-Bit A-Team theme (which is itself awesome.) The gameplay’s a little formulaic, but have you tried Next-Gen A-Team, for Grand Theft Auto IV? Full disclosure, I frequently game with Hot Blooded’s Kreyg Dezgo (also the creator of this vid).…

Pre-Load Your L4D2 — Because It’s More than 6 Gigs

Left 4 Dead 2‘s feeling kind of left out in all this advance game-havin’ madness. So for those who’ve ordered it on Steam, remember you can pre-load the sucker and let it sit on your hard drive until Nov. 17. The option to pre-load became active on Friday. Why would you want to do this?…