Harley Quinn's Revenge Is Batman: Arkham City's Bad New Ending 
High Scores And Egos: There's Always A Bigger Doodle 
The Last Moments Of GAME 
How Bad User Interfaces Are Ruining Video Games And Other Wonderful Things 
She Tried To Make Good Video Games For Girls, Whatever That Meant 
The Story Of Doodle Jump: Brotherly Love And Digital Snacks Reviewers often have restrictions about what they can and can’t talk about in reviews – in my experience, these have been restricted to plot details, which have an embargo date a little bit later than the general review does. But MTV Multiplayer’s Stephen Totilo has apparently heard from some gaming media sources who said that when it comes to Metal Gear Solid 4, particular details are off-limits.
If you thought The King of Kong was story of a desperate man out to protect his record, wait until you get a load of K2: The King, The Kong, and the Ugly, a G4 original production.
Sure it’s a bit stupid, childish, hokey, and inane. Most of the time it isn’t even particularly funny. What strikes me is how terrifying the thought of being chased around by Billy Mitchell with futuristic weapons actually is. I would be terrified, but practical, cutting off my own hands so the record could never come to pass. When a maniacal gaming hot sauce maker is ready to gun you down you have to think on your toes, people.
Intelligence contractor SITE is firing back at the Telegraph, after the UK publication ran an article claiming that the contractor mistook Fallout 3 images for pictures generated by terrorists.
SITE released a statement to clarify its position, stating that it never claimed the images were produced by terrorists, although it didn’t admit to knowing from the start that they were video game images. Said the contractor:
SITE reported to its subscribers that extremists posted the image to a password-protected forum affiliated with al-Qaeda. This is entirely accurate. Moreover, this information was part of a report describing the general atmosphere in this forum with regard to extremists’ discussions on weapons of mass destruction, making its context all the more important. This report in its entirety is also completely accurate.
It also doesn’t like that the Telegraph called it “red faced,” either, and says the publication never actually read the report, and nor does it subscribe to its services. Hit the jump for the contractor’s full statement:
newVideoPlayer("Tecmo_Bowl_Customization.flv", 506, 423,"");
I am not a fan of football. Not in real life, not really in video games. But Tecmo Bowl, I don’t know, there’s something about the blend of video game nostalgia and bitsy football graphics that makes me want to play the game… even without Bo Jackson. If you’re like me, hit the jump for three more videos showing of bits of gameplay. It looks so, well, so like Tecmo Bowl, but that just makes me want to play it all the more.
Following in the trailblazing footsteps of titles like Nintendogs and Brain Age, Wii Fit is another brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto. The game was inspired by the practice of weighing oneself daily and, according to its creator, is more about self-awareness than it is about weight loss. The game that comes packed with a Balance Board peripheral doesn’t worry about plot or graphics or even new concepts in play, instead it focuses intently on motivating gamers to get on that board.
Wii Fit is in many ways the next step in Wii Sports, a title that boils gaming down to it’s most rudimentary elements of interaction and fun. But can even Miyamoto make tracking your BMI and doing Yoga interesting?
SOE is now accepting registration monies for their 2008 SOE Fan Faire, being held August 14th through the 17th at the Las Vegas Hilton in beautiful downtown…you know. $US 89 gets you an All-Access pass, which secures you a sneak-peek at “three monumental new games in development”. Interesting.
The pass also gets you into the Free Realms beta test, a beta for an upcoming EQ2 expansion, gifts, in-game items, and the chance to listen to John Smedley talk for a bit.
Of course if you’d rather miss out on all the All-Access goodness you can pick up a day pass for $US 39, which just seems like a giant waste of time and money. Head over to http://www.soefanfaire.com/ and mention my name when you register to receive the awkward joy of having my name on your attendee badge. I’ve been doing it for years, and look where it’s gotten me!
newVideoPlayer("RA3GinaCaranoisNatasha_kotaku.flv", 500, 301,""); Help me please. I am not sure if I am supposed to be excited by EliteXC fighter and American Gladiator Gina Carano, dressed up to portray deadly Soviet commando Natasha (because they only have one girl’s name in the Soviet Union) in Command & Conquer Red Alert 3.
On the one hand, she really is doing amazing things to that tight shorts and tiny jacket ensemble, and the gun adds a certain something. She is rather pretty and well-spoken for someone who beats up other people for a living.
On the other hand, she beats up other people for a living and could probably kill me with an errant thought, or hell, even on accident, like some terrifying all grown-up Elmira from Tiny Toons, hugging and squeezing me until I die.
Phew, nevermind. Invoking Tiny Toons always cancels out any excitement…well, unless we’re talking mink.
By now I’m sure most of you are familiar with the seemingly odd transition of Guitar Hero from consoles to handhelds, namely the DS. When Guitar Hero: On Tour was announced a few months ago it left many of us scratching our heads wondering how they would pull it off. Even with the addition of pictures of the add-on peripheral it was still hard to imagine exactly what it would be like trying to play. I finally got my chance to check it out for myself a few days ago and despite former misgivings I actually found it quite fun.
The first thing I took a look at upon arriving was the “guitar grip” peripheral. It was a pretty sturdy little piece of a equipment that fits snugly into the GBA slot of the DS. The clear plastic cover is removable and the logo can be pulled out so you can customise the look of it. The strap is likewise customisable, no doubt providing plenty of opportunity for merchandising. As you may know, there are only four buttons in this iteration of the game and while some players may find this disconcerting, there is actually a good reason for it. With the DS literally strapped to your hand, it would make it impossible for you to be able to slide your hand to reach the fifth button. Then of course there is the space issue. After looking at it close up, it seems the addition of the fifth button would make it a bit crowded.
LucasArts and Day 1 Studios is getting ready to release their terraforming shooter Fracture this fall, and they’re rolled out the newly updated website for the game to help get the hype train started right! Along with the standard videos, screenshots, and developer blogs, the site is launching a brand new community-oriented Wiki site that will allow fans to interact and access exclusive content meant just for those who care enough to hang about and their friends in the gaming press.
You can visit the newly updated site at http://www.fracturegame.com, and be sure to tune into GameTrailers TV tonight on Spike for the premiere of the new Fracture trailer. Hype machine away!
There is no way in hell I will every buy a copy of 2K Sports’ Don King Presents: Prizefighter. I hate Don King, I’m not all that fond of boxing, and…wait, did you say Bootsy Collins? Awww dammit. That’s right, Bootsy Collins is doing an original song for the upcoming fighting game, and when you add in songs by Parliament, James Brown, George Clinton, and Tower of Power, you’ve got an oddly funk-hungry Fahey on the verge of shelling out $US 60 based on the game’s soundtrack alone.
Then of course I remember iTunes, but it was damn close there for a minute.
Joining Bootsy and the crew are some bands of the less funky persuasion, such as Run DMC, Suicidal Tendencies (though Infectious Grooves was pretty damn funky), Blue Oyster Cult, and Iggy Pop, so there really is something for everyone to remember to download from iTunes. Hit the jump for more info while I dig up a gift card I have lying around.
