Saturday, November 17, 2007
Portal Song Gets Unplugged, Manlier
3:30PM Luke Plunkett | That lovely man up there’s Jonathon Coulton. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, guy wrote “Still Alive”. As in, the Portal Song. Bless him. Anyway, this is Jonathon performing the song live, in a non-robotic mans voice, to what sounds like a room full of drunk, hootin’, hollerin’ Portal fanboys. [via GayGamer] More »
It’s Try, Try Again For Microsoft
2:30PM Luke Plunkett | Poor Microsoft. They’ve really painted themselves into a corner. All these games featuring big men with big guns, it’s gotten the platform a bit of a reputation as a “hardcore” (or, as the marketing types will have you call it, “core”) system. Which is fine for the kind of people who already own one, but not fine for the more casual types, those who bought a PS2 for SingStar or a Wii for…whatever they bought it for. Those types don’t own a 360, and there’s a lot more of “them” than there are of “us”. Which presents a sales dilemma for Microsoft. One they’ve tried to overcome, repeatedly, and one they’ve failed miserably at. Repeatedly. But bless them, they’re still trying. Microsoft’s Alan Bowman has been out beating that well-worn drum, saying: A key strategy for us is to give broad choice for people. You need to provide content which broadens your base of users from core gamers to different age groups. How’s Microsoft planning on doing that? Aside from shameless Buzz clone Scene It? With cartoon-based titles for the kids, and word-puzzle games for the grown-ups, he says. Well…best of luck with that. On the bright side, things can only get better! Microsoft to make more ‘family focused’ games [Develop] More »
Japan: One In Six Have A DS
1:40PM Luke Plunkett | You read the Japanese hardware charts every week, you start to assume things. Things like “every single person must not have just one DS by now, but one or two spare”. Not so! In fact, it’s nowhere near that many. It’s not even half. It’s not even a third! Media Create have made a little announcement stating that the DS has just hit the 20,000,000-sold barrier. Which, with Japan’s population at around 127,000,000, is just a pinch under one in six. Consider that a fact, and yourself, armed. Twenty Million DS Systems in Japan [IGN] More »
More PS3 Firmware (2.01) Imminent
1:20PM Luke Plunkett | If you could see us all right now, huddled together for warmth while the cold autumn night sweeps through Kotaku Towers, you’ see that despite the atrocious conditions we were all rubbing our hands. Not for warmth. With glee. Why? Because we love firmware, and Sony just let us know more firmware’s on the way! PS3 firmware 2.01 is “coming soon”, and despite our excitement is absolutely nothing to worry about. No new features, no new toys, it’ll just fix a bunch of stability issues caused by 2.00. Guess all those themes were really destabilising! Firmware v2.01 Coming Soon [PlayStation.Blog] More »A Week In Comments
1:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Wii Gets The Shaft Comment by: huginn That Shaft is a bad mother… Shut your mouth! New York Times: Does Brain Age Actually Work? No, Apparently. Comment by: Knukleur Nominated by: Sasuntsi Davit Games are trash. Please buy our newspaper even if it’s just for the funnies and the crossword puzzle. Later you can use it to line your birdcage! The ink on your hands and furniture is easily removable with common soap and water. BTW, if you are a Taurus, your lucky number today is 9. Not Another Nintendo Mini-Cake Collection! Comment by:
NPD Data Loses Toys R Us Sales
12:40PM Michael McWhertor | The most recent sales data from the NPD Group is missing a key retailer, reports GameDaily, as Toys R Us data was not factored into October’s monthly sales charts. Martin Zagorsek VP at The NPD Group told GameDaily that “we typically add a few retailers and lose one or two” and defends the company’s results, adding “overall our market coverage has not changed very much compared to last year.” More details on the change in NPD numbers at the original report. NPD Defends Integrity of its Video Game Data [GameDaily] More »
Buy A 360, Get Halo 3 For Free
12:20PM Luke Plunkett | Don’t have a 360? Want Halo 3? This deal, yes-answerers, is for you. And is quite simple. You buy a 360 between November 21 and December 21, register an Xbox Live! account (just a silver, that’ll be fine) then register on xbox.com and Microsoft will send you a copy of Halo 3. Making every 360 sold for the next month a Halo 3 bundle. Meaning for $US 350 you get a Premium 360, Forza 2, Marvel Ultimate Alliance AND Halo 3. That there’s a bonafide bargain, especially for those too timid to have yet dipped their toes in the current-gen pool. Halo 3… for Free [Bungie.net] More »Farewell Kotaku
12:00PM Ian Bogost | To: Ash From: Ian O Kotaku, so short was our affair. But like all things – a summer fling, a migraine, an immigration queue, a pudding cup – this too must end. As my run as guest editor closes, I thank all the Michaels, all the Brians, all the Lukes, and the few other forenames that grace these mighty, worthy pages. Thanks to your council I have survived my tour. Much I have learned of the Way of Kotaku. I shall take the lessons I learned here and carry them with me in both heart and spleen. To you readers, I thank you for your eyeballs and your index fingertips, that did pore over and click upon my humble offerings, and your brains that did churn their words, sometimes with flummox, sometimes with snark, and even often with interest. What you missed today Mass Effect Mega FAQ, Answered Singing the Blu-Rays Ghostbusters Teaser Trailer, Gameplay Footage Nintendo Churning Out 1.8 Million Wiis Per Month More »
Ubisoft Threatens Something Awful Over Jade Comic
11:20AM Michael McWhertor | Head goon at Something Awful, Richard “Lowtax” Kyanka, has been contacted by the legal representation of Ubisoft over the posting of an “extremely offensive pornographic image” of Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond on the site’s popular forums. The image, which has since been pulled from multiple hosts, including the one referenced in the letter to Kyanka, depicts a cartoon character named Jade fellating a trio of gamers and… well, it just gets worse from there. The legal thread cites the linking of a “blatant, vile, and unauthorised misappropriation of Ms. Raymond’s name and likeness” that has caused “caused immeasurable harm to Ms. Raymond’s reputation and career, and constitute an egregious infringement of Ms. Raymond’s personal rights and privacy rights.” Lowtax responded in the expected Something Awful fashion, posting “I don’t know where this image is located, I do not know who drew it, and the only vague connection to this site is because somebody posted a link to it on these forums.” His response to Ubisoft’s legal council is worth the read. As I said, the comic seems to have been removed from its previous hosts, but those expecting something worthwhile should look elsewhere. In the meantime, I’m deleting all known copies of my Patrice Desilets erotic fanfic comics, just in case. It’s a shame, as I really thought the beard turned out perfect. Ubisoft is going to sue me and I think it’s probably your fault [Something Awful Forums] More »
