Saturday, December 29, 2007

Eurogamer’s Top Ten For 2007

5:30PM Luke Plunkett | They’ve actually been running a top 50, but we’re adverse to week-long attempts at cock-teasing (can’t take the strain), so we’re only going to look at their top 10. That covers the important ones, like Portal at #1, Mario Galaxy at #2 and BioShock at #3. But still leaves plenty of room for surprises. Like the inclusion of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. And Team Fortress 2. And Crackdown! Good old Crackdown. Certainly makes for a fresh take on the year, and has reminded me I really need to go back and give that new harpoon gun a good, solid field test. Rest of the top 10 are linked below. Eurogamer’s Top 50 Games of 2007: 10-1 [Eurogamer] More »

Red Steel 2 Definitely Positively Re-Confirmed

4:30PM Luke Plunkett | Wait, wasn’t Red Steel 2 already confirmed? It was hinted at aaagees ago, but then we heard nothing. Guess it took ‘em a little longer to throw the preview together. Anyways, it’s done now, the latest UK Official Nintendo Magazine reporting that the sequel, which doesn’t yet have a name (Blue Steel?), will be out sometime in 2008. It’ll also boast “better controls, better AI, better multiplayer and online play”. Which is great! Because, you know. They couldn’t make them any worse. Red Steel 2 revealed [Gaming Target, via Shacknews] More »

Poor Canada And Their Busted Xbox Live

4:00PM Luke Plunkett | Canadians seem to be experiencing some Xbox Live issues at the moment. Xbox Canada’s website is proudly telling users that while the service is “Up & Running”, there might be a slight hiccup or two: Users may experience intermittent issues with tournaments, posting statistics, matchmaking, and sending messages. Additionally Halo 3 users may experience issues joining matches or posting statistics. We are aware of the issue and are actively working towards a resolution. We apologize for any inconvenience. But apart from that, everything else is fine! [Xbox Canada, thanks Rajan!] More »

Andrew Ryan Was Time’s Person Of The Year? Who Knew?

2:40PM Michael McWhertor | Poor old BioShock didn’t get GOTY love from those who call Kotaku Tower their home, but the game’s disembodied presence Andrew Ryan was Time’s Person of the Year in 1969. That is, according to Something Awful’s recent Photoshop Phriday that called for a suitable replacement following Vladimir Putin taking the 2007 “honour.” The real winner of Time’s POTY were “Middle Americans.” A handful of other video game characters also “won” in the contest’s other entries, the kind of folks who are generally associated with this year’s “best of” awards. The water damage on the cover is a nice touch, but an era appropriate Time cover would have been even better. Time Magazine’s Person of the Year [Something Awful] More »
News

DS Overtakes PS2 Lifetime Sales (In Japan)

2:30PM Luke Plunkett | We’ve already posted last week’s Japanese hardware sales. This is where you can find them. But there’s a little extra this week. Alongside their regular commentary on the week’s charts, Japanese tracking company Media Create have slipped in a little factoid. Namely, that in Japan the DS, which launched in 2004, has now outsold the PlayStation 2. Which launched in 2000. Party on, Nintendo, party on. [Media Create] More »

Street Fighter IV In Motion, Just The Gameplay

12:40PM Michael McWhertor | Want to see Street Fighter IV brawlers Ken and Ryu battle it out, but don’t want to fast forward to the good stuff? GameVideos was nice enough to cull the one-on-one hadokens and shoryukens from their 1UP Show on the game, giving viewers a quick look at how Capcom’s next looks in motion. A second, ever so slightly different movie is after the jump. More »

Master Chief Is Made Of Chocolate

12:40PM Michael McWhertor | Reader Max wrote in to let us know that Microsoft’s Russian arm has been sending out “some very peculiar gifts to its partners” this holiday, specifically a chocolate Master Chief wrapped in pretty gold foil. As you can see, MC is surrounded by garland, chestnuts and Xbox 360 logos, carrying a sack filled with presents for the good girls and boys of Mother Russia. Maybe an odd choice, but I’m willing to bet that Halo 3 wins the Russsian Spike TV Video Game Award for “Most Addictive Game Fueled by Milk Chocolate.” Further size comparison pics of the delicious treat are after the jump. More »