Uncategorized

Ah, So This Is (Probably) Why So Many Companies Left The ESA

Last year, you couldn’t switch on a computer without hearing about some publisher or another leaving the Entertainment Software Association, organisers of the industry’s biggest expo, E3. Turns out they had a good reason. A few weeks ago, the ESA submitted its annual accounts to the IRS. And buried within those reports is some interesting…

Is Lost Planet 2 Only On Xbox 360?

Earlier this week, Lost Planet 2 was announced on Xbox LIVE. The upcoming issue of Japanese game magazine lists the game as only “Xbox 360.” Guess that means it’s on the Xbox 360. But how does that fit into Capcom’s multi-platform strategy? Famitsu reports that the game’s development is 40 percent done, has online player…

Resident Evil 5 Creator Discusses The Complexities Of Designing A Hot Sidekick

The protagonists of Resident Evil 5 are fairly easy on the eye. For the ladies, Chris Redfield has been hitting the weights, while for the fellas, Sheva Alomar is, well, beautiful. But getting her to that stage wasn’t easy. Indeed, it sounds like it was a torturous affair, with Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi…

Get Blue Dragon Anime Episode For Free

The first episode of the Blue Dragon anime can be yours for nothing. It’s available on Apple’s iTunes Store until March 10 free of charge. The show’s first 13 episodes are also up on iTunes for sale. The Blue Dragon anime is based on the Xbox 360 game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and…

Virtual On For Xbox 360? It’s On!

It’s true. Sega is bringing Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, its hardcore arcade mech fighting game, to Xbox Live Arcade. The re-release has been officially announced in the latest issue of Japan’s Famitsu Weekly. The Xbox 360 release will be Cyber Troopers Virtual On Oratorio Tangram version 5.66, the final release for Sega’s NAOMI arcade platform,…

Jack Thompson Still Has A Career (Apparently)

The Business and Labor Committee of the Utah House of Representatives passed a law authored by ex-Miami-attorney, Jack Thompson. I guess you can still have a career after being disbarred. The bill, H.B. 353, changes Utah’s existing Truth in Advertising law to impose fines of up to $2,000 on retailers and movie theaters that violate…

Square Enix Settles Lawsuit With Sword Pirates

Cast your minds back to early 2008, and you’ll remember Square Enix taking a few manufacturers of replica swords to court. Those entrepreneurial blacksmiths were, you see, unlawfully ripping off Square Enix’s designs. Which made Square Enix, not exactly renowned for their sense of good humour about such things, mad. At the time, Square’s general…

How Live Is Quake Live? So, So Live

Chomping at the bit to play the Quake Live beta? Well, chomp no more, as “the most exciting and energetic multiplayer game on the internet” has gone public, giving Quake aficionados free beta access. The browser-based Quake Live is now accepting fans of fragging delighted at the sight of free gibs, just as id Software…

How To Unlock Akuma And Gouken

Who needs GameFAQs when Capcom is kind enough to blog exactly how to unlock the toughest characters in Street Fighter IV? Akuma sounds easy enough — you just have to be “perfect” — but Gouken is anything but straightforward. First you have to unlock him, which requires two lengthy steps; then you actually have to…

id May Be Developing For The Wii After All

Cell phone, Wii and iPhone development aren’t normally the sorts of things that gamers associate with id Software, but the company has a history of creating outside the scope of top-tier PC gaming. That’s why it’s not too surprising to read that John Carmack, id co-founder, says the company is looking at Wii development alongside…

Rumor: Assassin’s Creed II Moves To Venice

A Kotaku reader writes us to say that he’s seen a first glimpse of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II, his recounting of which is somewhat different from what we’d previously heard rumored about the sequel. Reader James tells us that the focus testing he saw places the next Assassin’s Creed in Venice, Italy, and that “disguises…

The Wii Fit Hits The Funny Pages

Wii Fit has weaseled its way into one more mainstream facet: the funny pages of your local newspaper. Well, as long as your newspaper syndicates Adam@Home, that is, a strip currently suffering from Wii fever. The strip’s new creator, former Big Top cartoonist Rob Harrell, has taken the reins of Adam@Home, launching what appears to…

Destination Playstation

To: Ash From: Crecente Re: A Bad Day (Not Mine, Not Even Yours) Lots of Playstation news hitting today, what with Destination Playstation taking place this week. It looks like both the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable have a pretty impressive line-up for this year. And that’s only the stuff we know about. How do…

Final Team Fortress 2 Scout Update Is A “Force-A-Nature”

Valve has revealed the final unlockable for Team Fortress 2’s lovable Scout, a double-barreled shotgun called the “Force-A-Nature.” Also interesting is the order in which the class’ three new weapons will be unlocked. Valve is leaving that up to you, letting the Team Fortress 2 voting public decide which comes first: the Force-A-Nature, the Bonk…

Killzone 2: Creating Helghan

The high-production values continue in round two of the Killzone 2 behind the scenes series, this time focusing on creating the look and feel of the alien world of Helghan. Guerrilla Games goes deep in this installment of the series, talking about the intricacies involved in making the completely alien home of the Helghast look…

Sony: Record Growth and Momentum for Playstation in 09

Sony Computer Entertainment remains confident in their approach and strategy for “another record year of growth and momentum” for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3, SCEA CEO and president Jack Tretton said. Talking to a gathering of retailers and developers at the annual Destination PlayStation event, Tretton called 2009’s line up of games for both…

Why Is Blood On The Sand So Absurd? Fitty Did It For The Kids

With his new game hitting store shelves today, Kotaku caught up with rapper 50 Cent to chat about Blood on the Sand’s silly premise, music sales, and his future plans in the game industry. 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand is the second game to feature the famous rapper’s name and likeness, following up on…

Sony Extends Release Window Of God Of War III, MAG, Heavy Rain, Et Al.

PlayStation 3 blockbusters like God of War III and MAG may not make a 2009 release after all, according to a software release update from Sony. The publisher further clarified its PS3 release plans today. While the press release Sony issued last week pegged PlayStation 3 exclusives inFamous, Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and…

Recession Boosts Gaming Pawns

A spike in gas prices followed by the deepening recession has led to all-time highs in pawn profits, the Chicago Tribune reports. Chief among the items sold? Video game consoles. “We’re seeing a lot of expensive video game systems, PlayStation 3s and X-Box and others, and a lot of LCDs (flat-screen televisions),” Ace Pawn Shop…

Sega’s Project RINGO Teaser Ends With…

…another teaser. Sega, you’re doing it wrong. When you float a date in front of us, as you did earlier this month, you better deliver something on that date. Don’t do… this. Don’t start throwing out more teasers in the form of the number “247” as if we’re supposed to be happy with that as…