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No School Because of Typhoon (Typhoon Day?)
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Did I Mention My Other Dog? No pets, just two monkey, err, children. Last night the typhoon rolled through Osaka. Didn’t get much sleep last night because the wind was howling and it was raining so hard — thought the windows might explode! Even though the typhoon had passed by…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Is Single-Player Gaming In Danger Of Extinction?
It’s in danger of becoming a lost art. Video game developers, increasingly focused on community building, cooperative play and massive online interactions, seem to have forgotten the satisfaction of the solo experience. As once singular experiences give way to more multiplayer, more cooperative gaming, we can’t help but wonder: Is the single-player-only game in danger…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 8, 2009 -
SEGA PSP Vocaloid Character Turned Into Robot
Miku Hatsune, the Vocaloid character, already has a PSP music game and is getting an upcoming arcade game. But what if someone built her? What would she look like? Probably something like this. Created for this year’s CEATEC JAPAN show, the droid cannot dance around, but she can move her head around and sing. Getting…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Koei’s Sengoku Musou 3 Bundles
Upcoming Wii title Sengoku Musou 3 will be released on December 3. To mark the occasion, Koei is releasing not one, but three bundles. The first bundle is priced at ¥27,300 (US$309) and comes with the game, a black Wii, a Classic Controller Pro and three one-sheets (pictured). The second bundle is the game bundles…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Adventures To Go To North America
Natsume is adding another role-playing game to the PlayStation Portable‘s lineup this fall when Adventures to Go hits GameStop shelves October 29. The strategy RPG looks a lot like several dozen other dungeon crawlers I can think of for handheld systems. But Natsume’s President and CEO, Hiro Maekawa, says it’s “unique,” “charming,” and that it…
By AJ Glasser Published October 8, 2009 -
So Now We’re Getting Rock Band On The iPhone?
Last month, it didn’t look like we were getting Rock Band on the iPhone right away. But IGN reports that we’re not far off now, pending a big announcement from EA Mobile this morning. The current mobile version of Rock Band features 25 licensed songs from artists like the Beastie Boys and Smashing Pumpkins. Plus,…
By AJ Glasser Published October 8, 2009 -
Sengoku BASARA Character For Governor!
Not quite, but Sengoku BASARA character Date Masamune will be appearing in ads and posters to raise awareness for the upcoming October 25 election in Miyagi Prefecture. “Warring lord turned video game sensation Date Masamune, is a household name in Miyagi prefecture,” explains Capcom. “This campaign aims to use the broad appeal Date Masamune has…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Bayonetta Makes With The PS3 Demo Sexy Time [Update]
How do you top a witch who is wrapped in nothing but a suit made from her body hair? Revealing screenshots, that’s how. Here’s a gallery of saucy screenshots from the PS3 “First Climax” demo that play up the title’s more suggestive assets. Update: More sexy time images added — some NSFW. Make that, most…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Beyonce Would Like To Make A Fitness Game
After trying her hand at fashion design and acting, songstress Beyonce has expressed interest in making a fitness video game. “I’d like to get involved in video games, since I really love Wii Fit,” the diva recently said. “I think it would be a great idea to incorporate choreography, because, for me, my workout is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Demo Dated (Today!)
On October 8, the demo for upcoming PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker will be available for download. October 8? That’s today! The demo will go live on the game’s official page at 6:00 PM Japan Time. This demo is the same demo that was playable at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. You can…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Dated, Priced For Japan
According to news apparently leaking out of a Nintendo retailer meeting, New Super Mario Bros. Wii now has a release date. It is December 3, and the game will be priced at ¥5,800 (US$66) Other news that supposedly leaked out include new Wii Remote colors hitting Japan that same day in shades of pink and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Activision Lays Off Shaba’s Ranks, Closes Studio [Update]
San Francisco-based developer Shaba Games is no more, according to a pair of Kotaku tipsters who wished to remain anonymous. The developer of Spider-man: Web of Shadows is said to have been shuttered by parent company Activision today. Sources claiming to have knowledge of the situation estimate that some 30 employees were laid off earlier…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 8, 2009 -
Left 4 Dead 2 Scavenge Mode Preview: Giving Multiplayer The Gas
Valve says the sole purpose of Left 4 Dead 2’s new multiplayer mode, Scavenge, is to provide the game “quicker, even more frantic gameplay” than the versus mode has to offer. That’s hard to imagine given the blinding speed at which us games journalists tore through the normal versus mode while waiting for the developer…
By AJ Glasser Published October 8, 2009 -
Next Bourne Game Titled ‘Ascendancy’?
Electronic Arts will be handling the next video game iteration of the Jason Bourne series, since the last one failed to deliver anything compelling, and a developer’s online resume briefly revealed its title to be “The Bourne Ascendancy.” Superannuation – yep, that guy misses nothing – spotted the LinkedIn profile of the audio director for…
By Owen Good Published October 8, 2009 -
The Most Handsome Game Company Exec In Japan?
Maaaaybe! Here at Kotaku, we often feature photos of really attractive females and really normal-looking dudes. That’s not fair, and by golly, we’re doing our best to be fair. For anyone with eyeballs, your average Japanese game company exec isn’t exactly a dreamboat. That’s okay, because it’s not their job to be dreamboats. Chiyomaru Shikura,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
Overseas Poormouthing Continues for PSPgo
Don McCabe of the U.K. retailer Chips is on the record with his disaffection for the PSPgo. But he’s ramped up his opinion from “not worth stocking” to “will fail miserably.’ Of that, McCabe is “99.9 percent certain,” he said to GamesIndustry.biz. It’s certainly not the kind of thing Sony wants to hear through its…
By Owen Good Published October 8, 2009 -
The Critters of Final Fantasy XIV
Raptors, antelopes, mammets, oh my! Square Enix has already unveiled the character races and classes. Now it’s time to have a look a the “beastiary”. “Whether procuring pelts for sale at the market, gathering ingredients for alchemic endeavors, or finding a tasty morsel to quell the incessant grumblings of one’s belly,” states the game’s official…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 8, 2009 -
The First Four Letters Say it All
Dumbbells – two pound dumbbells, to be exact. Your Wiimote is waiting to pump (clap) you up with this $20 “peripheral” available from Everlast, said to be compatible with a slew of exergaming titles. The listing says the weights don’t interfere with the IR capability so, hell, why not hook it up to Dead Space:…
By Owen Good Published October 7, 2009 -
Former Morning Musume Member Gets Her Blue Dragon On
No, that is not Blue Dragon creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Sorry! That’s former Morning Musume leader Miki Fujimoto, who had to leave the group after it was discovered she was dating a comedian. But hey, she married that comedian! No big whoop. She was at the Tokyo presser for the latest Blue Dragon title, Blue Dragon:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 7, 2009 -
Tekken, Fan-Made, Live-Action, Right Here!
We know that Kill Bill’s Chiaki Kuriyama won’t be in that Tekken movie (whenever the heck it’s released), but we’re assuming that Hollywood will again crush our hearts and make us sad. This fan film on the other hand… The DIY folks at Quantumoptic Productions whipped this up for a G4 video game trailer contest,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 7, 2009