Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Skate Demo Out Now
11:20PM Luke Plunkett | Anyone sick of Tony Hawks but NOT sick of skateboarding, a demo for EA’s Skate just hit Xbox Live. It’s 1.1gb, gives you half an hour in a skate park and should be easier to get hold of than the BioShock demo. Man, that’s about the 117th time I’ve typed BioShock today. Might go check this demo out now, actually, be nice to talk/think about something that doesn’t involve a hellish underwater dystopia. Just for one night. More »
European Charts EXPLOSION
10:20PM Luke Plunkett | Got a special episode of World’s Sexiest European Sales Charts this week. We don’t just have Britain. Or Spain, or Germany. We’ve got all three, alongside Sweden, who are making their Kotaku sales charts début. No doubt in some kind of stereotypically sexy pose. Perhaps on an Ikea table. Or a Saab. Or perhaps not. BRITAIN 1) Transformers 2) Wii Play 3) Brain Training More »
Castle Crashers Cosplay Wins My Heart
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | Who says a game needs to be actually out before you can start cosplaying for it? Not me, that’s for damn sure, because I’m in love with this Castle Crashers outfit. Not necessarily the person inside it, I don’t even know them, let alone whether we’d be compatible on any kind of romance scale. But if I could just spend an evening with the costume itself, I think it’d be something…special. Think we’d really hit it off. grumblfoot’s Castle Crashers Cosplay Flickr Set [Flickr, via 360 Fanboy] More »
IGN Brings Hammer Down On BioShock Queue Jumpers
9:10PM Luke Plunkett | People are keen for the PC version of BioShock. They’re gagging for it. This being the internets, some were bound to try and bend the rules to get hold of it early. That’s what happened on IGN’s Direct2Drive, where a bunch of people found a way to pre-purchase the game AND start playing it, without waiting for the game’s official release date. Some may have pulled it off, but most had their downloads cut off when IGN detected the loophole. End of story, right? These were all paying customers, this is the internet, Direct2Drive improve their security and we move on. Right? Nope! IGN have tried to bring the hammer down, sending the following email to all users they detected jumping the queue and trying to get the game early. More »
Wired’s Halo-Palooza
9:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Just as you settle in with BioShock, Wired’s here to remind you that the big games are coming thick and fast. Halo 3, for instance. (Remember that?) The mag’s just posted a big ol’ Halo 3 feature written by Clive Thompson. There’s a lot there, tons of meat, tons of grist. So if you like Halo 3 meat and grist, tonight youl dine in SPARTAN-117. A round-up of links: How Microsoft Labs Invented a New Science of Play Halo 3 Creators at Bungie Halo 3 Video Primer Weapons [Wired] More »
Microsoft’s Gamefest Japan Hits Akasaka Prince
8:00PM Brian Ashcraft | On September 6th and 7th in Tokyo’s Akasaka, Microsoft will be holding its “Gamefest Japan 2007″ at the Akasaka Prince Hotel. The event is a “Technological Briefing,” geared for developers and creators. Things like XNA Game Studio Express, Xbox 360/PC cross-platform, LIVE tools and Games for Windows will be touched upon. Doesn’t sound like a press event, but rather an industry one (It’s developery!) The first day will have a keynote in which Microsoft lays out its vision for platform development. Good for them. Side note: Above is the Akasaka Prince Hotel. Pretty nice place! Oddly, McWhertor really, really hates it. Irrationally so! Gamefest Japan 2007 [Microsoft] More »
DS Bartender Game Sounding Better And Better
7:30PM Luke Plunkett | Lots of DS “training” games just don’t appeal to me. My face doesn’t need training, and I like to think my brain doesn’t either. But my drink-making? I’m big enough to admit it could do with some work. No doubt that’s where the DS Bartender game comes in. It’s been announced previously, yes, but Famitsu just had a good, long look at it, probably took it out on the town, probably dragged it down to a karaoke bar, probably got scotch and dry splashed all inside their DS’s GBA slot. They say the game has recipes for 850 drinks, as well as interviews with bartenders who recount tales of their daring exploits and chat about their favourite drinks. EA, do me a favour, localise this. I could do with expanding my drinking selection by 846 drinks. ãƒãƒ¼ãƒ†ãƒ³ãƒ€ãƒ¼DS〠カクテルレシピ約850種類をåŽéŒ²ï¼[Famitsu, via Siliconera] More »
PSP Slim Battery Pack Priced And Dated
7:00PM Brian Ashcraft | How exciting! Stand alone battery release date and pricing. Sony has announced that its new PSP Slim battery pack (PSP-S110) will be available individually on September 20th for ¥4,500 (USD$39). The actual portable launches that day as well. This new pack is design specifically for the new PSP (PSP-2000) and not the current model (PSP-1000). Oh, and yes, the previously announced Lithium-ion rechargeable battery will be packaged with the PSP Slim. This right here is for those who like to buy extras. New PSP Battery [IT Media] More »Amazing Shenmue Stop Motion Wall Painting
6:30PM Brian Ashcraft | This Shenmue mural was painted by Alicja Kowal, and the video was made from 440 photos. The music? That was taken from Beats of Rage. Two words: So awesome. Thanks, Shenmue Dojo! More »
