-
The Companions Of Japan’s Amusement Machine Show
Besides arcade games, the Amusement Machine show has booth companions. They’re here to pass out info about said arcade games, help explain things. You know, be companions. So helpful. Today, the press day of Japan’s Amusement Machine Show kicked off, and Kotaku Japan was on hand to check things out. More pics in the link…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 17, 2009 -
Jon Bon Jovi Turned Down Guitar Hero, Supports Courtney Love
Courtney Love may be mad as a hatter, but she’s found an unusual ally in her fight against Activision’s use of a Kurt Cobain avatar in Guitar Hero 5: Jon Bon Jovi. The Bon Jovi frontman has told the BBC “I don’t know that I would have wanted it either. To hear someone else’s voice…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2009 -
Capcom Assembles Super Team For PSP Role-Playing Game
Last Ranker is an upcoming PSP game from Osaka-based developer Capcom. And boy, has Capcom ever assembled a team of talent for this title. The game’s scenario is being penned by Kazushige Nojima co-wrote Final Fantasy VII and scribed Final Fantasy X. Famed game composer Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter II, Parasite Eve and the upcoming…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 17, 2009 -
Oh, So There IS A Singstar: Beatles…Sort Of…
A few months back, MCV claimed a SingStar: Beatles game was on the way. Harmonix then said it was a “misheard rumour”. Turns out they were both right. Meet The Beatles: Rock Band: SingStar, for the PS3. It’s a mouthful, we know, but it’s also real, and constitutes one of the strangest franchise couplings we’ve…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2009 -
If Only Video Games Were More Realistic
Some video games are “realistic”, but most aren’t. And even the ones that are could be more realistic. Courtesy of some Cracked readers, here’s what would happen if they kicked the realism up a notch. Your mileage may vary depending on your standards, but hey, even the snottiest of internet humour connoisseurs will find something…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2009 -
What Did Hideo Kojima Think of LittleBigPlanet Metal Gear Solid Pack?
He loved it. The MGS creator was tickled pink. No, he was ticked octocamo pink. According to Siobhan Reddy from LBP developer Media Molecule, “In fact, when we were in the US late last year we were introduced to Kojima and he told one of the level designers that he loved the design of the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 17, 2009 -
Cut Chemist Is In DJ Hero
Damnit, Activision. I’ve been down on DJ Hero since day 1, not for its premise, but for its roster, the diversity of which seems to be a grand exercise in half-assery. Now that Cut Chemist is joining DJ Shadow, though… Yes, it’s been announced today that Cut Chemist will be appearing in the game. I…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2009 -
Lucasarts Packs Hit Steam, Direct2Drive
Lucasarts have released a number of game packs onto both Steam and Direct2Drive, collecting the Jedi Knight series and some classic Lucasarts adventure games. Direct2Drive gets an adventure game pack (Loom, Fate of Atlantis, Last Crusade and The Dig) for $9.95 and a Jedi Knight bundle (Dark Forces, Jedi Knight II & Jedi Academy) for…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2009 -
Microsoft Hiring Up For Natal
You can’t make Natal games by yourself. Maybe you can, but Microsoft can’t. That’s why the company is hiring more people. Microsoft Game Studios is looking for artists, audio staff, devs, engineers and producers to be based at its Redmond, Washing HQ for upcoming Natal games. Since August, the company has posted 18 Natal job…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 17, 2009 -
Lost Planet Movie Has Nothing To Do With Lost Planet Games
So, Capcom, David Hayter and producer Avi Arad are making a Lost Planet movie. If it followed the plot of the games, there’d be robot suits, and there’d be giant bugs. But then, it’s not following the plot of the games! Speaking with G4, Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi has said “[There] probably [won’t be] so much…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2009 -
Watch Major League Pitcher Play Wii Fit
Remember that baseball player who wanted to slim down his Mii and wound up losing 25 pounds in real life? The Wall Street Journal chronicled his success story in a video. San Diego Padres pitcher Heath Bell bought Wii Fit for his 11-year-old daughter, originally, but hijacked the game for himself as part of his…
By AJ Glasser Published September 17, 2009 -
Hey, Another Awesome Beatles: Rock Band Cinematic!
You’ve no doubt seen the first mind-blowing cinematic sequence from The Beatles: Rock Band. But did you know there’s a second? You get it for completing the game, so, yeah, SPOILERS. The Beatles Rock Band Ending Video HD [GameVideos]
By Luke Plunkett Published September 16, 2009 -
How To Find Our Tokyo Party
Next Monday we are having a Kotaku event in Shibuya, Japan. I will be there. Crecente, Totilo, McWhertor and Tim Rogers will be there as well. Other people, too! But how do you find the damn place? The Tokyo Kotaku Party will be held at Shibuya’s Trump House. There is no cover, and our event…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 16, 2009 -
Ernie Hudson Talks Pokemon Strategy (No, Really)
Actor Ernie Hudson might be best known for his role of Winston Zeddemore in the sci-fi comedy franchise Ghostbusters. But there is much more to the man that that. There’s Pokémon. Here, Hudson tells website Everything is Terrible! about his Pokémon card game strategy — just to make our heads exploded, we think. What, is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 16, 2009 -
Left 4 Dead 2 “Banned” In Australia [Update]
While the Australian government dawdles on changes to the country’s classification guidelines, games continue to be “refused classification” on the grounds they exceed the maximum rating of MA15+. The latest game on the chopping block? Left 4 Dead 2. Yup, Valve’s Zombie shooter has been refused classification, which means it can’t be made commercially available…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 16, 2009 -
Racial Term in DS’ Scribblenauts? Unintentional, Developer Explains [Update]
Nintendo DS title Scribblenauts has players solve puzzles by writing words. The game has a database of tens of thousands of words — writing words causes objects to appear on screen. So what happens when you write “sambo”? You get what appears to be a watermelon. The word “sambo” is in the 22,802 wordlist we…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 16, 2009 -
Turbine Swept Up in Infringement Lawsuit
Turbine, maker of Dungeons & Dragons Online, has a busy legal department of late. In addition to suing Atari, it’s being sued – along with Sony and Blizzard – by a holding firm alleging infringement of their patented realtime technology. The company, Paltalk Holdings Inc., has successfully settled claims against Microsoft, alleging it infringed the…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2009 -
Yet Another Disgaea Gamesave Panic Results in Free DLC for All
No sooner does Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days go out the door than NIS America has to send out another message concerning some alarming gamesave notices that players are getting. This time, they’ll be rewarded for their needless anxiety. Gamers were getting some confusing error messages regarding downloadable content, which is strange because the game…
By Owen Good Published September 16, 2009