• Uncategorized

  AP Gets Grumpy About Gaming

  The Associated Press has a list of grievances about video games this year, and who doesn’t. Difference is, they have a really, really big soapbox they get to stand on to air them. In classic Festivus style, AP decided now would be a good time to wrap up the year with their Airing of Grievances.…

  By Brian Crecente Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Here’s What Pool Revolution Looks Like

  Well we know from the previous post that Hudson has released Pool Revolution: Cue Sports for WiiWare today, and that it sports online multiplayer gameplay, but what does it look like? This, apparently. Pool games haven’t really had to change all that much since the PSOne days. There’s only so far you can go with…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Weekly Wii Update: Maboshi, Pool, And More Star Tropics

  It’s the last Wii Update of the year! Will Nintendo make it count, or end the year with a whimper? Let’s see what two new WiiWare and one new VC titles have to say. Representing the final two WiiWare titles of the year we have a Nintendo first-party WiiWare game called Maboshi’s Arcade (800 points),…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Chet Faliszek Talks Left 4 Dead’s Future

  Valve’s Chet Faliszek is one of the guys responsible for the dialog and writing in some of Valve’s greatest games, like Left 4 Dead and Portal. So when we invited him on for our Very Special Kotaku Christmas Podcast we had more important things to ask him about. Questions like, what’s going on with Old…

  By Brian Crecente Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Get A Present? Give A Present

  To: Crecente From: Ashcraft Gearing up for the big New Year’s holidays here in Japan. The entire country has already shut down. Last week, we sent out presents to family members who gave us presents for the Micro Bash’s birth. For celebrations here, you don’t really get presents (sometimes you do!), but rather, celebratory envelopes…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Best Game Ads? No, These Are The Worst Game Ads

  Sure, video game ads are (generally) a classy, expensive affair these days, but in previous days, things weren’t so high-brow. They were dorky, they were cheap, they were low-brow. Doesn’t mean they’re not worth celebrating, though! Which brings us to the fourth instalment of 1UP’s “The Best Worst Videogame Ads”, which this time around feature…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Wow, Metal Gear Solid 4 Sold Out Today At Some Store

  Early Metal Gear Solid 4 reviews might have been too flattering, and the cutscenes might have been too long. But MGS4 is a solid title. And months later, it’s selling out today in Akihabara. Initial sales were strong, and while MGS4 is the biggest selling PS3 title in Japan, it topped off at 600,000 and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Sure, LittleBigPlanet Can Do First-Person, Why Not

  You may have heard whispers a few months back about LittleBigPlanet and the first-person perspective. Well, whispers be damned. Media Molecule already have the game running in first-person. Speaking with IGN, Media Molecule’s Alex Evans has – in response to questions about a first-person LBP – shown the site how the game’s levels can be…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Former Capcom Employee Talks Sexuality of Street Fighter IV Developer’s President

  Developer Dimps is responsible for developing Street Fighter IV for Capcom. Dimps president Takashi Nishiyama? “Pretty sure bisexual,” outs former Capcom employee Yoshiki Okamoto. In an interview with newly engaged James Mielke, Okamoto (1942, Forgotten Worlds, Folklore) dishes about the Dimps executive, who lives in the same apartment building: Mr. Nishiyama used to work at…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Fallout 3 To Show 19 Other Nations What Post-Apocalyptic America Looks Like

  North America, Western Europe, Japan. Those are the three major gaming regions in the world. Fallout 3 being released there, no big deal. But Fallout 3 in the Balkans and Middle East? It’s a little more unique, especially when you consider many of the countries I’m about to name don’t often get dedicated “official” releases.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Joypolis, Your Official Arcade Theme Song (With Added Schoolgirl)

  SEGA’s Joypolis amusement arcade has a theme song. This is it. Japanese crooner "talent" Nezumi Senpai sings it. There are tons of versions, including this one. Popopopopooooooooo. It’s stuck in our heads. Now it’ll get stuck in yours. You’re welcome. Youtube: Joypolis themes [Insert Credit]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Resident Evil 5 Figures For Your Resident Evil 5 Playtime

  From emerging game figure POWERHOUSE NECA come these Resident Evil 5 figures. The first line will feature three characters, each of them 7″ tall, and should be out early next year. The three are stars Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar, along with that fat bloke with the GIANT axe/hammer that’s starred in most of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Lorne Lanning Vaguely Talks Hollywood CG Film Project

  Last we heard, Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning had inked a deal with Hollywood to bring his vision, sci-fi actioner Citizen Seige, to life in a CG flick. What happened? Lanning tells Gamasutra’s Brandon Sheffield: “We’ve got the Citizen Siege film in development. And we now have an even better idea of why they call it…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Halo Wars Features Royal Dancing, Party Games

  Halo Wars is an easy sell. It’s Halo, it’s real-time strategy, it’s on the Xbox 360. Don’t tell Amazon that, though. They’ve got their own idea of what the game’s like. This Amazon product pages list a game called Parent C. It’s got the Halo Wars box art and the description of…something else. Check the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Xbox 360 Getting Lots of Shelf Space

  Before we start, things to keep in mind: This is at one store in Osaka’s electronics district, Den-Den Town. At this same store, something like ten people showed up for the Xbox 360 launch. Japanese otaku blog Ota Road points out the discrepancy between retailer Sofmap’s first floor in-store displays for the Xbox 360 and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Luc Bernard Founds New iPhone/WiiWare/PC Company

  Last we heard from Eternity’s Child creator Luc Bernard, he was in a huff, and then out of a huff. Seems he’s past huffs altogether now, as he’s establishing a new game studio. While this studio (based in Florida) doesn’t have a name, it does have two games in the pipeline. One is an Advance…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• 

  Uncategorized

  What DS Game Does Magibon Study Japanese With

  Ah, yes. Magibon. If you’ve been on YouTube, you’ve probably seen her blank, smiling face speaking elementary Japanese. Her vids have gotten millions of views and she’s even achieved some sort of online celebrity. PingMag‘s Jean Snow (who contributed to Arcade Mania) interviewed 22 year-old Magibon about making it big on YouTube. The gaming connection?…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Killzone 2 Cosplay Comes Home

  Sick of the bog-standard avatar outfits for Home on the PS3? You could always preorder Killzone 2, and do it through Amazon, because doing that will get you some new, free kit. Customers taking Amazon up on the offer will receive enough Home clothing pieces to fully outfit their avatar as either a Helghast soldier…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  White Knight Chronicles Sells 130,000 In Debut

  While we won’t get the official figures until later this week, the early word is that Level 5’s PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles has sold 130,000 copies in its first day. The game went on sale Christmas Day in Japan. Granted, this isn’t terrible for a PS3 title in Japan (or Xbox 360 title, for…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008
• Uncategorized

  Guy Gets Wii, Gets Totally Pissed Off, Gets Arrested

  Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas? Twenty-six year-old Heath Blom didn’t. He was given a Wii, got mad, and a fight broke out leading to a double arrest. Oh, the holidays. Blom and his 24 year-old girlfriend, Randi Young, were both arrested for misdemeanor “domestic-related” assault charges. An altercation broke out over Christmas…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2008