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Yes. Shocking. For your submission, the above picture, showing Soul Calibur's Ivy as she's depicted on the game's official website. On the left, how she appears on the Japanese site. On the right? How she appears on the American site. This will not go down well with die-hard fans, Namco Bandai. They're not in this for the swordplay.
Thanks rikasao for the tip!
Evolution Studios' tropically themed follow-up to MotorStorm was playable at today's SCEA Pre-E3 Judge's Day, a pre-alpha build that gave us just a taste what the sequel holds in store. Just two levels were on hand in the demo version of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Beach Comber (for single player) and Rain God Spires (for split-screen multiplayer). The former was comprised of an inland area, thick with vegetation, and a sandy beach, the sun setting brightly in the distance. The latter was a rockier track, one that looked to have been inspired by Rain God Mesa from the original MotorStorm.
Check your watches, check your calendars. It's TELL US DAMMIT time! Hooray!! How it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interesting in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know fucktons about us -- more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob -- and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your arse. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Whichever!
Question: Which game do you want remade?
Now that is a hard question!
I've had many issues with SingStar's DLC before, but let me make this clear: none of them are issues with the game's technical delivery. They're all to do with the tracklist, which is so half-assed it doesn't even qualify as an arse anymore. It's just a lump of flesh sitting awkwardly above a leg, just under the back. It throws pop songs at you, but they're not popular songs. It throws rock songs at you, but they don't really rock. But once in a while, they get things right. Like this week's inclusion of Cutting Crew's (I Just) Died In Your Arms, showing that once in a while, London Studio remembers that SingStar's at its best when played drunk, by friends, and you're not singing rubbish pop songs, you're singing the awful/brilliant/cheesy classics of yesteryear.
EA's Riccitiello Talks "Holographic" Madden Interface, No Need for Take-Two
Comment by: StagnatedLives
Nominated by: Karlot
Maybe I'm just a jaded old gamer, but I fail to see how EA will create a true holographic interface. Unless, of course, they develop a new type of 'television' that we haven't seen before. Seeing as how I don't see that happening anyti— ok never, I would like to take this opportunity to address EA.Dear EA,
False promises only work for doctors and governments. The reason they work for these two groups is because by the time you are able to realise it is a lie, you are probably dead. Following this logic, I am pleading for you to NOT kill the customers.
Tucked away in the back corner of SCEA's Pre-E3 Judges Day suite was a PlayStation 3 demo station featuring Linger In Shadows, an interactive, semi-playable technical demonstration designed by demoscene team Plastic. We showed the Linger In Shadows video back in March—but don't watch it if you want to avoid "spoilers"; it's pretty much the entire demo that will hit the PlayStation Network later this Winter.
But Linger In Shadows can't just be watched in full from the get go, it has to be unlocked. At certain moments in the demo, clues will be given to the player, indicating that some unspecified action needs to be performed. Miss it and the demo will rewind. The display then switches to a letterboxed mode and you'll be shown controller prompts that give you an indication about how to move on to the next scene.
Let's say you've got $US 135,000 lying around the house. You're a big PS3 fan, and you just don't know what to do with all that money. Sure, you could buy a bunch of PS3s for hospitals or charities or something, help out people in need, but that's boring. Why don't you blow it all on this auction for a PS3 entirely covered in Swarovski Crystals? Note I say blow it on the auction, not the PS3 itself, because if this is real then I'll...look, just read the auction listing, there's no way this is real.
One Off Swarovski Crystal Covered Sony Playstation 3 Up for Sale [Bornrich]
Namco Bandai's Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit is multi-platform. It might be difficult for customers to pick which one they should get: Xbox 360 or PS3 version? Well, maybe PlayStation.com can help. Look at the "PS3" screenshots that appeared on the official Japanese PlayStation site. What do you notice? Oh, you can't see it? Well, hit the jump for a closer look.
Witness Mega64 spread their comedic wings and take a shot at interviews. Interviews with people from the videogame industry, like David Jaffe. Interviews done by Marcus, a hand-puppet with the most delightful little Tom Tucker moustache. And yes, Marcus, if you can keep the remaining five episodes this charming, we'll certainly do our best to fucking care.
[Mega64]
Hit the jump for the other three clips, which get progressive more amusing as they go along.
We just returned from SCEA's Pre-E3 Judge's Day, an event that gave us hands-on time with highly anticipated titles like Killzone 2, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet. So why am I writing about PixelJunk Eden first? Probably for the same reason that, at the end of the day, while Killzone 2 demo stations were available with no waiting, the wait to get hands on a DualShock to play more PixelJunk Eden was a good 15 minutes. We're not trying to downplay Killzone 2, mind you, as it's a fine game. But Eden? I'm already having withdrawals.
The thing about PixelJunk Eden is that its appealing and addictive qualities might not come across well in screen shots or trailers. Q-Games Dylan Cuthbert showed a trailer for the previous build of Eden at GDC, likening it to "an organic Mario." It's accurate, in some sense, as the game is a platformer at heart, but one that oozes style and originality.
Here's how you play PixelJunk Eden.
Someone hold me.
It's just been announced that Bungie's Frankie O'Connor will be leaving the company and heading for greener pastures. Which makes today a sad day for Bungie fans and Bungie employees alike. But not Halo fans! In his parting letter to the company's fanbase, O'Connor writes that he's "off to work more closely with Microsoft on the Halo franchise", which can only be good news for everybody involved. Best of luck at Microsoft, Frankie. The letter's in full after the jump if you're interested.
A heated debate has erupted between the Entertainment Software Association and the Game Critics' Awards over the eligibility of games in this year's E3 Media and Business Summit. The dispute was prompted by Activision and Vivendi's recent departure from the ESA and, simultaneously, from the show.
The association assumed that the departed companies' games would no longer be eligible for any of the annual "Best of E3" awards, given out by an independent group of Game Critics' Awards judges at each year's show.
But Geoff Keighley, GameTrailers executive producer and co-chairman of the Awards, said that decision hasn't been made yet. The critics' group, of which Kotaku managing editor Brian Crecente is also a member, still needs to meet to discuss the issue and decide how exactly to define which games are and are not eligible.
"The fact that Activision is not a registered exhibitor for E3 has brought to light the issue of how to determine the eligibility of games," Keighley said.
New York City's Centre For an Urban Future released an in-depth report on the state of the city's game industry, with the aim of encouraging city government to become more involved. Given the overall health of the industry, NYC joins a number of cities around the world looking for ways to attract game development; recently, we reported on a 20 percent tax credit granted to developers who create their projects there.
The report found that the city has more incentive to focus on the game industry than it's been given credit for:
According to local industry experts, the number of game development companies in New York City could be counted on one hand as recently as five years ago. But today, the city is home to more than 30 game development companies and another 55 firms involved in some aspect of games, from sound effects to distribution. Only a handful of other cities in North America have as many gaming firms.
Sure, they showed a whole lot of this at the European PlayStation Day last week, but they didn't show these babies. These are U.S. exclusive shots of Siren: Blood Curse, the episodic horror game that Sony will begin delivering via the PlayStation Network this summer. If you are not from the U.S., please refrain from looking through this gallery. We appreciate it. Just trying to follow instructions.
Feel free to hit the jump for the fact sheet, however, as it doesn't seem to be exclusive at all. Just not the screens. If you look we shall be very cross.
That's it. I don't want to see any more Little Big Planet screens until I can play the game with my own two hands. This latest set, available at the Sony Pre-E3 Judge's day goes beyond tantalising to torture. Can I be a zebra? Do I want to be a zebra? I just don't know! What I do know is that companies need to stop showing really cool stuff a year and a half before it is released, because my mind just cannot handle it anymore.
You've also got to hire and fire your own kitchen staff to improve efficiency, wow restaurant critics and avoid the health inspector. Zoo Games is bringing the title to Wii on July 22nd.
This reminds me of those Chef Ramsay kitchen shows where he browbeats and berates young, incompetent chefs or overhauls people's horrible, dangerous restaurants. I love those shows, especially if food gets burned and dishes get broken and people storm out.
Sony's Pre-E3 Judge's Day is in full swing, and while Brian and McWhertor will be updating throughout the afternoon with hands-on, eyes-on, and whatever other body parts they can get onto the games featured at the event, we'll be here at home base gathering up the information, screens, and movies for your viewing and reading pleasure.
First up is SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, due out in September for the PlayStation 3. We've got screens, concept art, and a giant fact sheet after the jump that contains all you really need to know about that latest game in the SOCOM series. Enjoy!
Sega's official video game of the 2008 Beijing Olympics is looking pretty damn realistic, if these screenshots are any indication, but as Olympic games of the past have taught us, it isn't about the looks so much as it is the motion. I am actually willing to take that a bit farther.
There will be no successful Olympics video game until they implement realistic hurdle-based testicle damage.
As someone who has felt the painful impact of a hurdle between my legs, I can safely say that making the runners simply stumble or slow down for hitting a hurdle does not accurately represent the rigors of the sport. It's the whole reason they implemented hurdles in the first place!
LucasArts is no longer a member of the Entertainment Software Association, the ESA officially confirmed today.
Speculation about LucasArts' status within the Associaton followed the recently-announced departure of Activision and Vivendi from both the Association and its E3 Media And Business Summit, amid possible discontent with both.
"Today, we can confirm that one of our members, LucasArts, has decided not to renew its membership. We value each member of our association, but respect the unique factors that led to LucasArts' decision," Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications and research at the ESA, told Kotaku.
Margaret Grohne, director of Public Relations for LucasArts, confirmed to Kotaku that the publisher will still be participating in E3:
BusinessWeek's BW Arcade page showcases a collection of acclaimed indie games, like One Ton Ghost's Iron Dukes, Joakim Sandberg's Noitu Love and Petri Purho's recent IGF winner Crayon Physics, to name a few.
The news magazine never expected to be the subject of one of these games, however. Dazzling tale of Web 2.0 subversion and revenge follows the jump:
Here are some shots of Dinosaur King for the Nintendo DS from the Sega event attended by our ever busy Dr. Crecente. Dinosaur King is a game based off of an anime based off of a card game, if I've got the progression correct, which pretty much means that fans of the show and players of the card game will enjoy it. Being neither, I simply present you with the screens while smiling a warm, reassuring smile.
I'm about to beat feet to a Sony Computer Entertainment America related event, so who knows what I'll be playing this day. Hopefully, something exciting! For the rest of the weekend though, I'll be hunkering down with a PlayStation 3 and a copy of Haze, racing to shoot my way through Ubisoft's first person exclusive that should appeal to bees. Bees!! I've gotten as far as the installation so far, but will have it finished by Monday at the latest. Woo!
Okay, I'm already late for Sony! Have a good weekend, y'all! Oh, what are you playing, anyway?
Obvious sentence of the day: It takes atomic tons of effort and man (or woman)-hours to build a game. The game industry may have a bit of a checkered history with the "QoL" or "Quality of Life" issue, but since the infamous ea_spouse dished on her husband's seemingly-endless eighty-five hour work weeks in 2004, the industry seems to have been taking a closer look at its practices.
A new Gamasutra feature on games industry quality of life asks, "Does Anyone Still Give a Damn?" On hand to answer the question is Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the workers' organisation that followed up the ea_spouse scandal with a QoL survey in an attempt to improve the landscape.
Four years later, what's the state of things now?
The design philosophy of WiiWare launch title LostWinds appears to echo a broader industry trend favouring innovation on the usual mechanics. The peaceful platformer has a distinctly "indie" feel and a unique look, and seems to be getting the biggest share of the buzz among its fellows on the service.
And as studios consider smaller, digitally-distributed formats as a lower-risk avenue for new game concepts, launching Wiiware with a title like LostWinds might herald further potential for the service and those like it.
How are clean, compact ideas like these born? We spoke in-depth to developer Frontier about the possibilities for WiiWare and the inspiration for LostWinds' breezy world; hit the jump for the full interview.
Didn't get into the Age of Conan early start event? Well here's something for you to mess about with over the weekend instead. Gravity Interactive's horror-MMO Requiem: Bloodymare couldn't have picked a better time to go into open beta. Right now you can head over to the website, register an account, download the client, and there you are, fighting evil in a rather unique little setting.
As a long-time proponent for Aztecs as video game villains, Polish developer Gingerbread Studios' newly announced first/third person shooter The Protector couldn't help but pique my interest, even if it only features Aztec mythology being used by terrorists. The game, under development for the PC and Xbox 360, is really two games in one. You have British mercenary Jonathan Kane going in guns blazing to protect lithe American archaeologist Jennifer Guile, who uses stealth tactics to avoid the forces of Scarlet Vengeance, a terrorist organisation that needs her to unlock the secrets of an ancient Aztec weapon.
Right now The Protector is at an early stage, so we'll have to wait and see whether or not it delivers on the standard shooter promise of intelligent AI, but the chance of fighting "mythical Aztec creatures" is enough to keep my watching. What can I say? I have an Aztec fetish.
Just arrived at the top of The Roosevelt Hotel where Sony has kicked off their Gamer's Day. This time around the company has decided to cut to the chase and just let us dive in to the rooms full of games they have present for hands-on.
So far I've seen consoles set up for Buzz! PS3, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm 2: Pacific Rift, Resistance 2 and SOCOM: Confrontation. PSN titles on hand are Linger-In Shadows, PixelJunk Eden and Siren: Blood Curse and Playstation Portable titles playable are BUZZ! PSP, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee and Secret Agent Clank.
Stay tuned for hands-on impressions of all of these games from myself and McWhertor throughout the day.
The worldwide launch for EA Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning just got a bit more worldwide. Recognising the legion of Warhammer fans in Australia and New Zealand, the two countries along with Southeast Asia will bet getting the game the same time those of us in Europe and North America do, complete with their own servers so they don't have to mingle with dirty Americans. EA Mythic VP Mark Jacobs breaks out 'down under' so I don't have to.
The Western release of Capcom's We Love Golf! for the Nintendo Wii approaches, and with two exclusive characters in the release, Capcom had to come up with two special Capcom classic-inspired costumes for each one, so they decided to let the players choose.
Out of a field hat contained choices such as Roll Caskett from Mega Man Legends and Captain Commando (my choices), the votes came out in favour of Morrigan from the Dark Stalkers series and Ken from Street Fighter. Morrigan will be portrayed by the lovely Stephanie, while Mark will don a red gi and blond locks, becoming the first African-American Ken Masters.
It may look a bit odd to you, but I used to have a black friend who dressed up as Ken for anime conventions, so these screens just bring back fond memories.
