• Culture

  This Week in the Business: ‘Sony has Fallen Blindly in Love with its Brand’

  What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “Sony has fallen blindly in love with its brand.”—Tim Calkins, marketing professor at Northwestern University, talking about the huge problems Sony is facing QUOTE | “Batman’s greatest foes … were Bobby Kotick, Yves Guillemot and John Riccitiello.”—Russel Arons, SVP of Worldwide…

  Steve Peterson Published April 21, 2012
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  Proto-Typical Savings

  If you’re looking to pick up Prototype 2 on Tuesday, there’s no need to pay full retail price. The Moneysaver has found a discount on it even before the game is released. That is, unless you really want the bio-butt bomb thingie you get with the GameStop preorder. Either way, the usual 60-plus discounts, deals…

  By Owen Good Published April 21, 2012
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  The Best Of Kotaku, This Week

  This week’s beautiful image comes from one Noah Bradley, who submitted this Magic: The Gathering photoshop painting to Reddit recently. It’s an awesome rendition of the Kjeldoran Outpost. Bradley does awesome work, and offers his other prints for sale, if you’re interested. You can follow his work over on his Facebook page or Twitter, too.…

  By Tina Amini Published April 21, 2012
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  The Greatest Game of Thrones Video Game Never Made

  Look at this. Just look at it When artist Roberto Flores dreamed of a Game of Thrones 2D fighting game the other day, I dreamed a little more of a showdown between not Drogo and Robb Stark, but between Tyrion Lannister and Cersei Lannister. Today, Roberto has made those dreams come true. Just…look at it.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2012
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  Kirby Anthology Coming This Year for Wii, Says Nintendo

  Not much more than a brief tease; as part of today’s “Nintendo Direct” news event in Japan, the company said “a special Wii disc featuring all your favorite Kirby games,” will be released this year, the character’s 20th anniversary.

  By Owen Good Published April 21, 2012
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  Animal Crossing 3DS Arrives This Fall in Japan

  Inexplicably thin on details for a game announced two years ago in Los Angeles, Animal Crossing‘s 3DS version will release this fall in Japan, Nintendo said in tonight’s “Nintendo Direct” news event. That’s a gallery of new screenshots above. Here’s it’s video from E3 2011.

  By Owen Good Published April 21, 2012
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  3DS Firmware Update Next Week Adds Folders, Maybe Patches

  Nintendo 3DS systems in North America will be able to get a firmware update on April 25 that will allow system owners to organize games and apps saved into the system in folders. It will also support software patches.

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 21, 2012
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  How We Survived Adventure Gaming’s Most Hair-Tearingly Ridiculous Puzzles

  When I spoke with Gabriel Knight creator Jane Jensen about her latest project, I had to ask about it. The Puzzle. The great cat-mustache debacle. You know what I’m talking about, right? The Worst Adventure Game Puzzle Ever? Oh, boy. In Gabriel Knight 3, Gabriel needs to get a motorbike to continue the story. But…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 21, 2012
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  New Super Mario Bros. 2 Hits 3DSes This August

  A new side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. game called New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be released for the Nintendo 3DS this August, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced today in Japan. The game is a follow-up to the Nintendo DS mega-hit New Super Mario Bros. as well as New Super Mario Bros. Wii, both of which…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 20, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  Mass Effect Music-Maker Remixes Mass Effect 1 Music, It Is Rad

  A little while back, Jimmy “Big Giant Circles” Hinsen released an album of music that he’d written for Mass Effect 2 but that didn’t make the cut. Now, he’s put out a free remix album called Max Effect featuring music from Mass Effect 1, originally composed by Jack Wall, Sam Hulick, Richard Jacques and David…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 20, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  The Geek Squad Who Rescued a Gaming Classic

  At the end of March, Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner found the source code for the game years after he’d thought it was lost. But the data was saved on computer disks that were more than 20 years old—would they still be readable after all these years? Would it be safe to put them…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 20, 2012
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  “Oh, You Know. I Blew Up Some Cows Today.”

  Hello Kotaku. Happy weekend! I hope you’re going to have a good one. I sure am. Let’s get right to the open thread today. Here, as always, are some things from around the internet: “Forest Service may blow up frozen cows in cabin” – You need nothing but this headline. This is the greatest headline.…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 20, 2012
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  Bubble Witch Saga Makes Me Appreciate Facebook Games’ Manufactured Limitations

  Take the addictive bubble-popping gameplay of Bust-a-Move, toss in the enticing random chance of Peggle, and you’ve got Bubble Witch Saga, a Facebook game so addictive I’d be playing it right now if I hadn’t run out of lives. The last time I played a full console version of Taito’s Bust-a-Move bubble-popping puzzle game was…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 20, 2012
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  The Week in Evil DLC

  Downloadable content. Everyone hates it—but everyone buys it. Yes, even you in the comments, smart guy. Here’s a look at the latest package of extensions and pre-order bonuses designed to crowbar the last dollar out of your wallet. Can you still respect yourself if you buy it? LittleBigPlanet Karting: Kevin Butler Sackboy skin Available: Later…

  By Owen Good Published April 20, 2012
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  Trials Evolution‘s Soundtrack Is So Bad It’s Like They’re Kidding

  When a game gets as many things right as Trials Evolution, it’s all the more noticeable when it gets something wrong. And man, this game’s soundtrack is all wrong. It hits you in the face before the main menu has even loaded. This conflagration of spitty, grunted vocals, dry audio production and slightly distorted yet…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 20, 2012
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  Ebony and Ivory: The Xbox’s Black and White Buttons, in Imperfect Harmony

  Dusting off some old friends on the original Xbox I was given back in January reacquainted me with several happy memories—and the two worst features in the history of console video gaming controllers: The black and white buttons. I realize we’re more than five years removed from their reign of terror, but as the long…

  By Owen Good Published April 20, 2012
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  Anger is Rising

  Let’s blow off some steam. It’s time for Kotaku‘s Anger Management hour.

  By Owen Good Published April 20, 2012
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  Gabe Newell’s Opinion About EA’s Steam Competitor Is Full of Awkward Pauses

  Valve Software boss Gabe Newell has said kind things before about mega-publisher EA’s upstart rival to Valve’s popular PC gaming service Steam. That may have seemed charitable, given that EA’s new Origin service competes with Steam and even by EA’s own standards may not be as good as Steam for years. So, how’s Gabe liking…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 20, 2012
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  What ‘Unexpected’ Game Is Capcom Teasing Now?

  Capcom will reveal an “unexpected” new game in next week’s edition of Famitsu, Andriasang reports today. We don’t know anything about it yet, but I’ve got some suggestions for the Japanese publisher: Breath of Fire V Mega Man Legends: ‘Sorry We Screwed You Guys Over’ Edition Phoenix Wright x Tekken DLC: The Experience Marvel vs.…

  By Jason Schreier Published April 20, 2012
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  Cam Newton Challenges His Madden Cover Rival, But He’ll Play Anybody—Even You

  News and notes from around the world of sports video gaming: • Cam Newton, the NFL’s consensus rookie of the year (and, according to Yahoo! Sports, the second-most valuable player in the entire league) is taking his final-round matchup with Calvin Johnson for the Madden NFL 13 cover very seriously. In this seven minute video…

  By Owen Good Published April 20, 2012