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More Raiden Coming To North American Xbox 360s

No, not that Raiden. Raiden IV, the top down scrolling shmup released in Japan for the Xbox 360 last year year is headed to North America, courtesy of publisher UFO Interactive. The publisher has confirmed to 1UP (and does a new ESRB rating) that the most recent entry in the long-running Raiden shooter series will…

Kotaku’s E3 2009 Predictions

With just four days left until E3 2009 kicks off, Microsoft’s press conference first out of the gate, speculation runs rampant, fanboy bunkers are being built, and countdown clocks come ever closer to death. So too must Kotaku post its annual E3 predictions, a mix of truth, rumor and thinly veiled mockery. Will Sony announce…

E3 2009 Preview: These Are The Big Racing Games, We Think

In one week, E3 will reveal just about every major game you will be able to play in the next year. For racing game fans, these are the big ones expected at the big show: Blur – Activision is hoping for a Call Of Duty-scale new racing franchise, from Bizarre Creations. Realistic cars, low-stress handling,…

GameTrailers TV Reveals Bethesda’s Next Game Thursday

Keep your internal E3 hype-generating engine running smoothly, by tuning in to this week’s GameTrailers TV. Especially if you want your first look at Fallout 3 developer Bethesda Softworks’ next game. The show will air the first trailer of whatever Bethesda has up its sleeve, giving fans ample reason to tune in. Of course, if…

And Then Free Realms Surpassed 2 Million Players

A week and a half after reaching the million player mark, Sony Online Entertainment‘s Free Realms has gone and doubled it. The player population of Free Realms continues to grow at a ridiculous rate, hitting the two million player milestone within a month of the game’s official launch. According to SOE, the game is a…

Tecmo Bowl Wii Transformed Into Something Else

Wii trends have turned a planned Tecmo Bowl Wii into a family football game, according to G4. Tecmo recently announced the development of Family Fun Football for the Wii, a title that sounds perfectly in line with the jolly kinds of games many publishers produce for NIntendo’s console. But wasn’t there supposed to be a…

Activision Reveals Its E3 2009 Lineup

It’s official. Activision is headed to E3 and it’s bringing with it a bunch of games, including the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2 and the nervously anticipated Tony Hawk: Ride. It’s a blend of sequels, spin-offs and original product, as new properties like Bizarre Creations’ Blur and Raven Software’s Singularity compete for attention against Guitar…

Kotaku Robot Wars Round 2: The Quickening

The first round of Kotaku’s Robot Wars have left four U.S. cities in ruins and four video game robots nothing more than mounds of melted plastic and metal. Who survived to fight again? Well that all depends on who you ask. As we mentioned yesterday, we’re doing this three ways. The actual outcomes have been…

Our Missing Video Game Robot Hero

Osamu Tezuka’s beloved boy robot, Astro Boy, defined an art form, inspired a nation, and is a cultural icon worthy of the Robot Hall of Fame. So why doesn’t he get more video games? Not counting his first Japan-only forays on the Famicom and Superfamicom, Astro Boy has only appeared in one PlayStation 2 game…

Unknown Worlds Triumphantly Teases Natural Selection 2

The developers of popular Half-Life mod Natural Selection are preparing to release standalone sequel Natural Selection 2 this year via Steam, and we’ve got the exclusive teaser trailer to prove it. Last we heard, the development of the standalone sequel to one of the most played Half-Life 2 mods had hit a financial snag, with…

The Untold Story Of The Xbox 360 Avatars

When it launched in 2005, the Xbox 360 was, certain issues aside, a successful product. But it was also drab. Lifeless. Until, in 2008, along came the avatars. First officially unveiled at E3 2008, Microsoft’s Avatars were seen by many as an attempt to cash in on Nintendo’s success with their “Mii” characters, caricatures that…

Ubisoft Made Less Money Last Year, Had Some Huge Franchises

Profits were up, income was down and the Imagine games sold tons in the last 12 months, according to year-end financial results released by Ubisoft today. The company took in $890.2 million in the 12 month period ending on March 31, 2009. Up from $852.8 million the year before. But operating income was down from…

Avatar, New Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed To Get DLC

Speaking to analysts earlier today, Ubisoft representatives said that several of their upcoming triple-A titles will be getting downloadable content. Assassin’s Creed 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction and James Cameron’s Avatar will all have downloadable content when they hit. All three games are expected to be released by this December, according to Ubisoft’s investor call today.

Robots We Love: Clank

Even endangered furry space creatures are enamored with our mechanical pals, as evidenced by the latest robot we love, Clank. Insomniac’s little robot buddy is the co-star of one of the most consistently excellent platforming game series ever to grace a PlayStation console. Clank manages to kick ass in any situation, whether he’s transformed into…

Ubisoft CEO Predicts New Apple Gaming Hardware

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot predicted today not just a coming generation of consoles and a gaming revolution in set-top boxes, but a bigger gaming play by Apple than just the iPhone. Yves Guillemot crossed his name off the list of people who have yet to predict that Apple will become a bigger player in gaming…

That post down there labeled “From Bloodcopy” should be labeled “Paid Advertising.”

Ubisoft Believes In Price Drops And Fitness Games

During Ubisoft’s financial earnings call today, CEO Yves Guillemot highlighted the importance of fitness games, suggesting that coming console price drops could drive the growing genre to even greater heights. Responding to a question on growing trends in the games industry, Guillemot singled out both fitness games and lowered console prices before expertly tying the…

InFamous Guide to Empire City

When InFamous arrived on my doorstep last week it came with a nifty comic book guide to the game’s ins and outs. What with all of the E3 planning and news shaking loose these past couple of weeks, I haven’t had a chance to really dig that much into the game, so I’ve had to…

Shaun White Rides On The World Stage

Skateboarding Wii owners get another excuse to break out their Balance Boards this holiday season, as Ubisoft announces Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage. Following up on the success of last year’s Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip, World Stage is another Wii exclusive snowboarding title featuring cartoony characters. This time around, players will find themselves following…

Ubisoft Narrows Release Dates For Splinter Cell, Red Steel, Rest Of Year’s Line-Up

As part of the company’s announcement of financial results for its just-concluded fiscal year, Ubisoft has announced release windows for its full line-up through the end of March 2010. Highlights on the list include Q3 (November 2009 to December2009) releases for Assassin’s Creed 2, which Ubi prez Yves Guillemot says will cost 20 percent more…