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gta iv
clips
Justify Your Mario Kart Wii
So I am taking the reins from Mark for the day and presenting you guys with the Justify Your Game segment. In today's segment, Eric Walter from Nintendo justifies Mario Kart Wii. Normally the speaker only has 15 seconds to justify their game, but this guy was good. He nailed it in 12 seconds.
So I am taking the reins from Mark for the day and presenting you guys with the Justify Your Game segment. In today's segment, Eric Walter from Nintendo justifies Mario Kart Wii. Normally the speaker only has 15 seconds to justify their game, but this guy was good. He nailed it in 12 seconds.
original
Mario Kart Wii Driving School Impressions
As you probably noticed, I went by the Denver stop of the Mario Kart Wii Driving School this weekend. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked to with it, because I was busy doing interviews and such, but I got a chance to sit down with the game for a few minutes.
The game was set up with the wheel, and while I refuse to rescind my right to mock the Wii Wheel for being a silly peripheral and getting way too much face time at last E3, the thing actually works quite well.
The game is a solid racer with everything you'd want and expect out of a Mario Kart racer, including plenty of tributes to past tracks. Tristan loved the game, and the wheel, and the two friends he brought with him said they were going to start saving immediately to buy a copy.
Now if only they could fix the whole Friend's Code thing...
[Special Thanks to Patrick Lewis for the photos and faux Mario Kart Wii Pwnage]
clips
The Kartokumentary
Hello to everyone out there in Kotaku land! It is finally here, the second installment in the Kotaku Instructional Video Series, The Kartokumentary. This time around we explore what it is like to play a game against the big man himself, Brian Crecente! You'll laugh and you'll cry. We know the star of the first video was Mini Crecente, so we humbly asked him for an encore. After meeting his numerous demands we were able to score him in the new video. I am proud to present to you the Kotaku readers, The Kartokumentary. On a personal note I just want to say thanks again for the awesome comments on the Kaketakumentary. I read everyone one of them and hope to bring you guys more good stuff.
Hello to everyone out there in Kotaku land! It is finally here, the second installment in the Kotaku Instructional Video Series, The Kartokumentary. This time around we explore what it is like to play a game against the big man himself, Brian Crecente! You'll laugh and you'll cry. We know the star of the first video was Mini Crecente, so we humbly asked him for an encore. After meeting his numerous demands we were able to score him in the new video. I am proud to present to you the Kotaku readers, The Kartokumentary.
On a personal note I just want to say thanks again for the awesome comments on the Kaketakumentary. I read everyone one of them and hope to bring you guys more good stuff.
original
Mario Kart Wii Across America
So while Crecente, family, friends and I were at the Mario Kart Driving School we were lucky enough to talk to Eric Walter with Nintendo. He is one of the people that travels with the Mario Kart event that is touring across America. Personally, I was really impressed with the 24 foot trailer they had set outside along with the tent. It was a great way to give the city of Denver an insight to the game before it comes out. Plus, they gave us free food so how could I possibly complain? In terms of Mario Kart itself, trust me this game is fun. If you are a fan of the series then there is really no way you can be disappointed. Yes, the Wii Wheel is a bit hard to use, but once you get the hang of it you might want reconsider those GameCube controllers.
So while Crecente, family, friends and I were at the Mario Kart Driving School we were lucky enough to talk to Eric Walter with Nintendo. He is one of the people that travels with the Mario Kart event that is touring across America. Personally, I was really impressed with the 24 foot trailer they had set outside along with the tent. It was a great way to give the city of Denver an insight to the game before it comes out. Plus, they gave us free food so how could I possibly complain? In terms of Mario Kart itself, trust me this game is fun. If you are a fan of the series then there is really no way you can be disappointed. Yes, the Wii Wheel is a bit hard to use, but once you get the hang of it you might want reconsider those GameCube controllers.
midway gamer's day 08
Midway Gamer's Day '08: This Is Vegas
What more appropriate setting to see the premier of Midway's This Is Vegas than Vegas itself? True, were a fifty dollar cab ride from the strip, but we got to see it virtually in the game so I suppose that's something. This Is Vegas is a balls out parody done in the tongue in cheek GTA/Bully style. Your character can explore all the parties, gambling, driving and fighting that Vegas has to offer. On display for the Gamer's Day were the fighting, partying and gambling mechanics which we checked out poolside in true Vegas style.
The fighting mechanic was pretty basic and what you would expect from this type of open world, mission based game. You can fight everyone form the local yokels and thugs to the mascots of the various casinos. I got particular pleasure out of beating the crap out of one mascot who looked suspiciously like my arch nemesis, The Burger King. By pressing X to attack, you can build up your BuzzBomb meter which, once it's filled, will give you an special move that will send your enemy flying through the air. Beating enemies down yields casino chips that can be used later to buy more clothes, cars and other goodies.
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mario kart wii
Mario Kart Driving School Invades Denver
This weekend Nintendo's 24-foot Mario Kart Wii truck will be pulling into Denver to give the city's residents a chance to check out the game and earn their own personalized Kart driver's license.
The Mario Kart Wii Driving School has been slowly, quietly making its way across the country, allowing gamers to check out the game in the confines of a glass display truck.
The truck hits Denver (across from Skyline Park on the corner of 16th and Arapahoe streets) this Friday at 11 a.m. and is open for business till 8 p.m. It will also be around Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The gamers who swing by to check out the courses and vehicles walk away with an official Mario Kart driver's license that includes their photo, nickname and vehicle of choice.
I think Tristan and I are going to try and make that, sounds like fun.
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Scottish Government Fighting Drunk Driving With Xbox 360
The Scottish Government is worried about youth adult drunk driving. During their most recent drunk driving initiative, police caught 150 people under the age of 25 (granted, there are roughly 5 million people in Scotland, but the BBC feels the stat is important, so we're letting you know). Now Scotland is putting £10,000, or almost $20,000, behind in-game sober driving ads. They'll be popping up within online-enabled games Need for Speed: Carbon, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson had this to say about this new campaign:
It is innovative, it is new, and it is far removed from the more traditional methods we have been using. I believe that is what we need if we are to reverse the number of Scots families suffering the tragedy of a loved one being lost.It's good to see bureaucracy tweaking their gameplan with the times. Hopefully Scotland finds their money well-spent.
under the influence
Drunk Driving The Video Game
Ever since Atari released Night Driver, gamers have been looking forward to what we expected was the natural progression of the title. Unfortunately we never got Drunk Driver, but a team of fine arts students at the University of Calgary have come up with a reasonable facsimile. "The Booze Cruise", the end result of over ten months of work from the students, is a PC game that simulates driving with a blood alcohol percentage three times the legal limit. With blurry vision, you have to drive home in 90 seconds without killing anyone. I hope there's more to it than just blurred vision, or it could very well be called "Driving Home From The Eye Doctor After Being Dilated Without Wearing Those Silly Plastic Sunglasses Cruise", which is entirely too long a title for a student project. Police plan to use the game as a teaching tool, while students plan to giggle while they crash into people, places, and things.
Students develop drunk driving video game [Canada.com]
Image courtesy of CanWest News Service
circles
Wii Versus Halo 3 At Dover
This weekend at the Dover Speedyway, it isn't a battle of Ford versus Dodge. It's not #16's Greg Biffle versus #40's David Stremme. This is a battle between the Wii and Halo 3. Last week we told you about the Halo 3 car that would be racing at the Nextel Cup preview event, but Nintendo dropped us a line to let us know that more than one gaming property would be represented on the track. I see one of two things happening here. Either the Halo 3 car will start early and be disqualified, or the Wii driver's steering wheel will slip out of his hands and he'll end up with his car stuck in the Halo car's windshield.
pc gaming
A number of Czech-based development vets today announced that their new game studio, The Easy Company, exists. No really, that's how they put it. They've been around for the past 14 months or so as the devs, former employees of Illusion Softworks, worked on their first title. That title is Motorm4x, an offroad racing game that allows players to explore large outdoor terrains in various 4WD vehicles with a simulated GPS as your guide. While this first title is for the PC, the studio has plans to develop for consoles as well. It's kind of nice to see a development studio announced with an actual game to show, isn't it?
The Easy Company Reveals Motorm4x, Themselves
A number of Czech-based development vets today announced that their new game studio, The Easy Company, exists. No really, that's how they put it. They've been around for the past 14 months or so as the devs, former employees of Illusion Softworks, worked on their first title. That title is Motorm4x, an offroad racing game that allows players to explore large outdoor terrains in various 4WD vehicles with a simulated GPS as your guide. While this first title is for the PC, the studio has plans to develop for consoles as well. It's kind of nice to see a development studio announced with an actual game to show, isn't it?
crazy atari's used cars
Test Drive Unlimited Pack Five Live
Atari's support for the large community of folks who enjoy just randomly driving around in Test Drive Unlimited of the Xbox 360 is still going strong, if the latest vehicle pack is any indicator. The fifth such pack since the game was released back in September of last year, this time around drivers will get to download and purchase in-game the Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 Coupe, Dodge Charger Super Bee, Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole, Ferrari 512 TR, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R, and the Spyker C8 Spyder, all for 350 Microsoft points. The Charger is worth the price of admission in my opinion. As is tradition, the release of the pack also heralds a new completely free car, the Holden Efijy Concept, seen above. Not a bad little stable of vehicles to add to the 90+ already in the game. Hit the gallery below for multiple shots of all the new rides!
driving in my car
Midnight Club Rolls Next-Gen
Love Midnight Club 2 but hate Paris and Tokyo? Rockstar Games have just announced a game right down your alley then. Midnight Club: Los Angeles is bound for the PS3 and Xbox 360 early next year, promising to evolve the series on all possible levels, with the possible exception of number of drivable cities."Midnight Club's addictive blend of freedom, style and sheer sense of speed sets it apart from its competition," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "With Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Rockstar San Diego looks to once again push the boundaries and expectations of what a racing game can be.
In summary, racing game, Los Angeles, Rockstar, pushing boundaries. I'm all for it, having personally spent days driving around in Midnight Club 3, not doing much of anything. As long as I can aimlessly drive around a highly detailed LA without the corresponding highly detailed traffic, I'm good. More »
burnout paradise
It sounds sort of like the open-endedness you get in games like Need for Speed Carbon, only with the much more explosive action of the Burnout series. You'll have free reign in Paradise City, where the grass is green and Guns and Roses most likely gets some sort of royalties. Can't name the place that without having the theme song to go with it. More »
Burnout Paradise - Grand Crash Auto
Well this was lovely news to wake up to! EA today officially announces a brand new entry in the Burnout series for next generation consoles, called Burnout Paradise, the artist formerly known as Burnout 5. It's the same crashing, smashing, and indeed bashing fun of the Burnout series, transferred into a free-roaming, open world environment. Drive anywhere, crash anything. Sounds absolutely divine. Let that sink in while you take a look at the teaser trailer.It sounds sort of like the open-endedness you get in games like Need for Speed Carbon, only with the much more explosive action of the Burnout series. You'll have free reign in Paradise City, where the grass is green and Guns and Roses most likely gets some sort of royalties. Can't name the place that without having the theme song to go with it. More »
nostalgia
Now That's a Driving Game
Game artist extraordinaire Pavel Dolgov found this great reminder of what a driving game used to be all about. Screw physics, damage and real-time terrain deformation, give me a dinky plastic car slapped onto a pizza-sized course any day. I think I actually had one of these when I was like 5. Did you own any pre-game games when you were a child?
studies
Games Make You Drive Faster?
Prestigious British driving school BSM recently took a survey of 1,000 drivers between the ages of 16-24 regarding how their driving habits are affected by video games, and the results showed that 27% admitted to taking more risks on the road after playing a racing game, with a quarter saying they pretend they are actually in the video game when they drive. A BSM road safety consultant said this presented an indisputable link between gaming and dangerous driving. More »
intel
CES: The Most Unnecessary Driving Chair Ever
CES is loaded with tired executives looking to kill time between supplier lunch meetings and distributor meet-and-greets, meaning they'll do just about anything a six foot tall blonde with a headset tells them. Like, sit in a full-sized Formula One car and play simulation racing games in front of dozens of people. (You might not believe this, but there are only so many 1080p LCD televisions you can look at before you get bored.) More »
stupidity
Games Make You Drive Like an Idiot
Three teens in New Zealand died on Christmas Eve when they led the police on a high speed chase which ended with a crash into a pine tree and a roll down a gully. Now the New Zealand Herald reports that a national transport spokesperson is blaming bad teen driving on video games.National's transport spokesman Maurice Williamson says today's young people think they are bullet-proof. He blames Playstations and X-boxes for making teens think they can drive stupidly and just push the reset button if anything goes wrong.
Not sure I buy his conclusion there. I thought scientists had conclusively proven that stupid teen driving is caused almost exclusively by being stupid and a teenager. I'm not even seeing any proof to indicate that these kids even owned video game systems. I mean hell, if they did they'd be home playing, not leading the police on a 190KPH chase through downtown Auckland. I suppose something has to be a scapegoat in situation like this. It's not PC to just call the kids retarded and be done with it.
Computer games blamed for teen road deaths [NZHerald.co.nz via Destructoid]
