Kotaku: Round-up

Microsoft/Activision News Leak: The Round-Up

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:00:00 MDT

Just wake up? Boy, did you miss a ton of stuff! Marketing research firm Intellisponse forgot all about standard internet security protocols and left a whole bunch of secret, yet-to-be-announced game information accessible to the public (first spotted by MMaRsu@GAF). Stuff that, you should be made aware, is totally unconfirmed. But also stuff that, from the looks of it, may well have been due to appear as official E3 announcements (for Microsoft) or official same-time-as-E3 announcements (for Activision). If you were sleeping, or otherwise missed it, catch up on it all by hitting the links below.

Leak Seems to Confirm Xbox Live Avatars On the Way
Leaked Details On Lips, Microsoft's Answer To SingStar
More Leaks: Forza 3 and Call of Duty
Game Show Channel Coming To Xbox Live
Guitar Hero World Tour's New Guitar Control Revealed, Priced
Ultimate Band for Wii: Music Games in a More Casual Style
Spider-Man Wii Games To Use Wii Fit Balance Board, "Web Shooter" Controllers
Rumor: "Trioxide" To Allow Console Games To Be Played On PC?
Powers & Titans Probably Announced For 360, PS3, PC
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance II Details, Platforms
Microsoft Avatars Will Be Playable, Licensed?
New Tony Hawk Game To Employ Motion-Controlled Peripheral?
Racing Equity Probably Announced
You Don't Know Jack Probably Announced For The Wii

[Pic]

Frankenreview Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

Mike Fahey — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:00:00 MDT

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is finally upon us. The game that launched a million PlayStation 3 consoles has reached the eager hands of gamers and reviewers all over the worlds. Solid Snake's swan song, Kojima's masterpiece...call it what you will, there's no doubt that MGS 4 is one of the most important titles in the PS3's short history, and will set the bar for action adventure games on the console for years to come.

Now, as millions of gamers all over the world immerse themselves in Snake's final adventures, we take a look at how the game fared in the hands of the reviewing public.

IGN
Is it possible to give a game an 11? If so, this would be the game that would merit that score. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a title that exceeds all of the hype that was attached to the title. Regardless of whether you've seen every trailer and screenshot, read every preview and heard every interview, you won't get a full sense of how phenomenal this title is unless you sit down and experience it for yourself.

GameTrailers
On the more exciting end of the spectrum are tense standoffs, gloriously insane fight scenes, genuine emotional moments, and some comic relief. These moments and the overall cinematic direction that frequently provides beautiful transitions in and out of gameplay are worthy consolations for players who unlike devoted fans won’t watch every scene gripping their controller and waiting for a button prompt to trigger a still image flashback or briefly switch a camera angle.

Eurogamer
You're sorry to see Snake go. But should you be? Guns of the Patriots is a frustrating, fractured game that turns Metal Gear Solid's world upside down several times over, but never changes it. It just burrows deeper into what fans love and detractors hate than ever before, and it will make few converts. It's a crying shame, given how many genuinely classic gaming moments there are here, given the countless exquisite creative touches, but Metal Gear Solid 4 is its own worst enemy. You could not ask for a funnier, cleverer, more ambitious or inspired or over-the-top conclusion to the Metal Gear Solid series, but it's definitely time to move on.

GameDaily
With four difficulty levels, enjoyable stealth based play and plenty of over the top action, Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of the best PlayStation 3 games. That said, its features, acceptable 10 years ago, seem foolish given the better playing games on the market. Snake's epic, final act just isn't the triple A extravaganza we expected, and it's clear that if Konami intends to continue this franchise or spin off into something new, it needs to study its competition and evolve, delivering shorter cut scenes and superior shooting. But for now, this is one of the most important games in history and you'll dig its cool boss battles, at times witty dialogue and unrivaled sneaking mechanics. Just be sure to keep a magazine handy when those cut scenes get ridiculous.

When it comes right down to it, none of these reviews will effect game sales whatsoever.

From A Sexy Assassin to Xtreme Crusades

Brian Crecente — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:00:41 MDT

Earlier this week the folks at GameCock dumped a bunch of screenshots, fact sheets and videos on us for all of their upcoming titles. Here's a run down of everything, in case you missed the massive info dump:

Pirates Vs. Ninja Dodgeball Info Dump
Hail to the Chimp Info Dump
Stronghold Crusader Extreme Info Dump
Dungeon Hero Info Dump
Velvet Assassin Info Dump
Legendary Info Dump
Insecticide Info Dump
Section 8 Info Dump
Mushroom Men Info Dump

So Far

Brian Crecente — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:00:23 MDT

We're officially just one day into the Tokyo Game Show and already we have more content than anyone would ever want to read. For those of you trying to keep up or just into scanning headlines here's the list so far:

Our Q? Entertainment Meeting
Free Genki Rockets Lumines Skins Coming
Flynn Pwns Rez HD
Ever Extended Extra Extreme Impressions
Justify Your Game: Rez HD
Miz on Rez 2, Wii Space Channel and Al Gore
Lumines Live Holiday Pack Details
Miz Wants Ever Extend Extra Extreme on PSN
Our Little Trip to Q Entertainment
Rez HD Impressions
First Ever Hands-On Impressions of Rez HD

The Day Before TGS
Kotaku TGS Party Lips On Impressions
Kotaku TGS Party: The Pictures, The Blackmail
So We're at Konami Pre TGS Presser
Liveblogging the Konami Pre-TGS Press Conference
Rein Talks About His Suite (Not the Brown One)
Wipeout HD Hands On Impressions
No Major Nelson, All Crecente
Konami's Bag of Schwag
LocoRoco CocoReccho Hands on Impressions Beta
Justify Your Game LittleBigPlanet
More PS3 Titles Coming from Everyday Shooter Creator
Justify Your Game Everyday Shooter
Secret Agent Clank Coming to PSP
Flynn's Akihabara Adventure: Party One

TGS Day One
TGS Through Glass Windows
TGS Keynote Kick Off
TGS Press Pack and Numbers
Liveblogging Kaz Hirai's Game Show Keynote
The TGS Show Floor
Metal Gear Solid 4 Impressions
Sony Confirms, Details SIXAXIS Rumble
Home Delayed Until Spring 08
Metal Gear Solid 4 Hands On Gallery
Remote PS3 Power On Coming to PSP
Playstation Store Coming to PCs
Halo 3 Sitdown and New Peter Jackson Details
The List of PS3 Games That Support the DualShock 3
DualShock 3 Rumble Hands-On
Yakuza 3 Planned, Yakuza 2 Thinking About
Rez, Every Extend Extra Ikagura on XBLA in Early 2008
Devil Mary Cry 4 Impressions
Ace Combat 6 Hands On Impressions Round 2
Microsoft Needs a New Template
The Secret Behind Assassins Creed
Exploded Consoles
Kaz Hirai On the Future of PSP
Tender Booth Babe Moment (Exhaustion)
Three More Kingdom Hearts Games
PSP Remote Play Demo Turns Us On, OK Just Our PS3s
CESA Announces 2007 Japan Game Awards Winners
Tender Booth Babe Moment (Ambassadors)
Lost Odyssey Lights Out
DualShock 3 the Announcement, the Sequel
Guns on Time Crisis and Guncon
Magic Club's Console Stickers Makes Things Pretty
Winning Eleven Pro EVO Impressions
Ubisoft Picks Up More Heroes For US Release
Most Awesomest Controller Ever
Project Gotham Racing 4 Impressions
The Merchandising
Konami Mobiles Contra 4 Character Contest

Leipzig Round-Up

Brian Crecente — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:12:38 MDT

We've been here for a chunk of the week covering the Games Convention in Leipzig, but for most of the public the show didn't really kick off until today, Saturday, when it was open to the public and attendance soared.

We'll bringing you coverage through-out the weekend and lots more on Monday but in case you missed it here's what we've done so far.

The Sony Sprint
We Have Secured Phil Harrison's Chewing Gum
Konami Whips Up Two Castlevania Mobile Games
Lara Croft Hands-On Impressions
First Look At Midnight Club Los Angeles
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue To Feature Car Damage, Improved AI, Better Physics
Spore? Or SimSim?
Missing at GC07 - Class Action Lawsuits
The Four Stages of Grief Spore
Games For Windows Live Maybe, PhysX Not So Much
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, Incredible Video Creation and Erection Hoodies
Gabe Newell Smack Talks the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 (And your Mother)
Call of Duty 4 After Hours
Sloppy Seconds - Lair
Rock Band Tour Bus
Rock (Out) Band
GC Offers EA Tats
The GC Opening Day Walk/Run
Metal Gear Solid 4 May Feature Limited Online Play, Custom Soundtracks
Kane & Lynch Hands-On Impressions
Introducing, Kotaku's Sloppy Seconds
Really New Metal Gear Solid 4 Screens
TRL Germany Live from GC07
Strippers Invade GC
Warhound Impressions
Booth Babes Strike Back: This Time It's Personal
Metal Gear Solid 4 Theme & Actresses Revealed
Play TV On PS3 Explained
Pony Friends More Mature, More Gruesome Than Originally Thought
Games Convention Is A GREAT Place To Play Wii Sports
WipEout HD Hands-On Impressions
Starcraft II, the Multiplayer Experience
Dead Island Impressions
Go!Messenger Brings Chat to PSP
Sony Turns PS3 Into DVR
Harrison Sheds LIght On US Plans PS3 DVR and PSP TV
Liveblogging the Sony Press Conference
Metal Gear Solid 4 Games Convention Trailer
New Metal Gear Solid 4 Trailer Shows Four New Bosses
Sony to Unveil PSP Download Service Today
The Booth Babes of GC
Trial of Topoq Hands-On Impresssions
The Big Three Booths of Leipzig, Judged
Scenes From The Games Convention Floor
Big UT3 Statue! Giant...Somebody Face!
Halo 3 The Ride
StarCraft II, Lich King Playable At Leipzig Games Con
Sony's UberBooth, It's "The Shit"

SCEA Gamers Day So Far

Brian Crecente — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:00:48 MDT

In case you've missed today's SCEA's Gamers Day coverage, I've rounded up the stories from the day that include impressions, videos, gallaries and press releases. All told, I've written up 16 of them since 1 a.m. this morning. I suspect there will be another dozen or so tomorrow and maybe even a few more on Monday.

Check them if you haven't read it all yet, Sony had a pretty impressive showing over all.

SCEA Gamers Day: PS3 SOCOM, Tons O Hands Ons
Folklore PS3 Hotness
Warhawk public beta, Bluetooth coming
New Ratchet and Clank Future gameplay video
Idol Minds bringing the Pain to PS3
SOCOM Tactical Strike for the PSP
SOCOM PS3 announced
Uncharted Impressions
LittleBigPlanet Hands On
Manhunt 2 PS2 Impressions
GOW: Chains of Olympus
Conan PS3 Play
Sega Rally Revo: Love Those Ruts
Heavenly Sword a Mixed Bag
Lair is Not Winning Me Over
Eye of Judgment Judgment

Brian Crecente

Review Round-Up: God Hand

Brian Crecente — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:30:14 MDT

For the record: While there's a slight chance that playing God Hand non-stop for three days may have put the idea of punching stuff into my head, it can't be blamed for my broken hand. the game has finally hit and it seems that despite an odd negi-buzz it was generating in the weeks leading up to launch, most of the sentient (No, I don't mean sapient) reviewers liked the game. Sure, IGN gave it a 3.0, but isn't that the sort of thing you brag about on a box cover?

I gave it a B, taking off points mostly because they really should have worked out the graphics kinks before it shipped. Oh, and the non-boss level design is absolute shit.

1Up Review: 8 out of 10

God Hand does the best job at emulating the rush of old-school arcade action as any game this generation. Since the advent of polygonal graphics, developers have been on a never-ending quest to make visuals, gameplay, and physics as real as possible. But what they seem to have forgotten is that none of us got into gaming to replicate real life.

Gamespot Review: 8.0

This isn't a game for people who've come to expect action games to try to do a lot of different things; rather, it's for those who can appreciate when a game does one good thing really well.

IGN Review: 3.0

The bottom line is that God Hand quickly becomes a boring, annoying and frustrating game. Why should you be forced to try and complete a level with no starting health when you have no hope of survival and will just need to reload a minute later? What's fun in fighting the same annoying demon creatures over and over again when the fight was old the second time you tried it? Why, oh why, did Clover Studio put so much money into such a risky joke, and why did no one see that the joke didn't have a real punch line at any point in the development?

Rocky Mountain News Review: B

God Hand is one of the few video games that earns the adult label, not through excessive nudity, foul language or grotesque violence, but through its constantly mature and darkly humorous look at an absurdist's world.
...
God Hand may have its blemishes, but its sense of the bizarre and dark humor make this game an intriguing must-play for adults.

Brian Crecente

Simon Says: Read This

Brian Crecente — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:00:21 MDT

Simon's got a nice round-up on GameSetWatch of some of the interesting games-related stories you may have missed in the past day or so. And I don't just say that because he links both to Kotaku and one of my Rocky articles.

Some of the non-Brian content includes a story by the SJ Merc News about Dean Takahashi's story on Electronic Arts and original IP, Grand Text Auto's negative take on The Escapist's academic gaming story and Bizarre Creations decision to start cease-and-desisting PC clones of Geometry War.

There's also mention in there that Jack Thompson also sent him a nasty letter. I guess he likes to spread that sort of stuff around. Brian Crecente

GameSetLinks: Eno, Otakon, Geometry Wars [GSW]

Kotaku Originals

Brian Crecente — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 09:00:45 MDT

Oooh, last week was so packed full of goodness that I forgot to wrap our week's worth of original goodies. The week was topped by Ashcraft's amazing SNK feature which, despite idiotic posturing, didn't include a paid trip to Japan, since he lives there.

Insert Your Gamercard Photo Here
Better Babegear for Zombie-Bashing
The Triforce Construction Vehicle
SNK Schwag
Feature: SNK Dishes Old and Next Gen
E3 Moving to July
E3 Needs to Change But How?
My Computer Parts
Clips: Pong Clock
This Day in Gaming
Brian Crecente

Review Round-Up: Chromehounds

Brian Crecente — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 13:00:46 MDT

Oh Chromehounds, you had such potential. I really wanted to love this Xbox 360 mech knock-off, but it the developers just couldn't pull the package together. The graphics for the "hounds" were amazing, but just about everything around them looked horrid. The controls, game length, online play all suffered from the same disparate development. I gave the game a C-, it appears I was nice.

Eurogamer
There are some plus points, certainly - control of the COMBAS towers, in particular, has a tangible importance that resonates throughout with greater effect than any of the other UT-Domination-inspired game ideas I've encountered recently. But like the mech editor, it's a well implemented idea in a fairly shonky game - and not one that I can imagine Xbox 360 players sticking with for more than a handful of hours tops, no matter how starved they are for new releases at the moment.
Grade: 4/10

GameBrink
So overall the gameplay is pretty forgettable and is only saved by the interesting ideas presented online.
Score: 56/100

Rocky Mountain News
Unfortunately the game never manages to completely pull together all of the elements of the game enough to reach the title's full potential.
Portions of the game are amazing to behold while other parts fall completely flat and sometimes both occur at the same time.
Grade: C-

UndergroundOnline
It isn't terribly exciting, and the true joy only comes out from finally completing the single player tutorials to have enough equipment to build up a decent Hound. There is a lot riding on the multiplayer component, and it will be interesting to see a month from now how many people are still in squads engaging in the online war. That said, Chromehounds is a decent game, though it lacks that certain something special that made the Mech Warrior and Mech Assault games great.
Grade: B-

Brian Crecente

The Ten Strangest Controllers

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 01 May 2006 14:22:35 MDT

Gadget blog TechEBlog put together a list of ten truly odd gaming controllers. Standouts in strangeness include the Wii knockoff SplitFish Glide FX, the Resident Evil GameCube chain-saw controller and the (pictured) PS2's "PachiSlot" controller. Drum roll please, and the list is:

Axim PDA PlayStation Hack
SplitFish GlideFX
Rail Driver
DDR Finger Controller
Pachi-Slot Controller
World's Smallest Functional NES Controller
GameRunner
World's Largest Functional NES Controller
GameCube Chain-saw Controller
Death Crimson Controller

Agree? Disagree? Anything left out? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Full List With Images And Descriptions [TechEBlog]

Round-Up: GDC Photos

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:23:18 MST

Japanese site Game Watch Impress has a bunch of Game Developers Conference photos up. Looked over each very carefully, trying to find Crecente. No luck. You'd think one would be able to at least spot his facial hair.

More Pics Here [Watch Impress]

Round-Up: DS Cases

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:22:48 MST

Black Hori Multipouch [Play-Asia]

Active Pouch [KeysFactory]

Soft Cover with Pockets [Furuta]

Airform Game Pouch

Metal Holder [DarkPlanets]

Round-Up: Gaming T-Shirts

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 10:20:49 MST

Tasteful Katamari [CafePress] Thanks, Ed!

Shirt for Crecente [SillyMonkeez]

Infamous Contra Code [CafePress]

Cool Shirt, Dude Looks Like a Robot Though [RingLeaderClothing]

Shirt for Luke [Jinx]

Larry Butz from Phoenix Wright Shirt [SpreadShirt] Thanks, John!

Classic NES [80stees]

Round-Up: Flash Movie Mario

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 09:22:42 MST

Mario Game Over [Flash-Link]

Matrix Mario [AnneBras]

Super Michael Jackson Bros. [29g.net]

Mario vs. Samus [NewGrounds]

Woody Mario [Flash-Link]

How Long Can You Pause Mario? [WaraiSeek]

Flash Mario [Flash-Link]

NSFW Mario and Peach [WaraiSeek]

Mario In Real Life [Flash-Link]

Mario Gets Angry [NewGrounds]

Monday's releases

smizek2 — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 06:43:38 MDT

Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt [XBOX, GC]: Holy crap, I haven't heard anything about the Animaniacs since they were canceled years ago. Certainly a fitting topic for wacky games, this one focuses on puzzles and finding Edgar trophies, whatever that means. Could be worth getting if only for the Pinkie and the Brain minigames.
Screenshots

Codename: Panzers, Phase Two [PC]: Because World War II is the only war we care about, here's another strategy game about it! Luckily for us, this game maintains the excellence of its older brother (Phase One) and avoids being another faceless WWII game.
Screenshots

Blitzkrieg Anthology [PC]: A box set that collects all three of the Blitzkrieg series into one convenient package. Comes with an add-on that provides more missions and four multiplayer maps.
[no screenshots available]

Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action [GBA]: Another Animaniacs game? How did we get so lucky. This one makes light of the relative failure of the cartoon, the premise being forcing the Animaniacs to film movies to make up for all the profit they've lost Warner Brothers. If this is anything like the series, it'll be as much for the grown ups as the kids.
Screenshots

Disney's Kim Possible 3: Team Possible [GBA]: Another perilous adventure for Team Possible, with minigames and a collectable card came (like the one in Final Fantasy?) keeping the series fresh.
Screenshots

Disney's That's So Raven 2: Supernatural Style [GBA]: If you had doubts the gaming industry is counting on female gamers to get out of stagnation, knowing that this is the SECOND Raven game ought to cure you.
Screenshots

Lock On Gold [PC]: Mercifully NOT set in WWII, Lock On Gold is a modern flight simulator with a broad selection of suped up planes to fly.
[no screenshots available]

-SM

Week in Games: Batter Up!

smizek2 — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 15:30:06 MDT

As you may remember I (the Intern) had my wisdom teeth extracted earlier this week. It's not all that bad, as long as you don't mind barely eating and being totally grouchy. To take my mind off all this jaw pain I'm going to take in a friend's baseball game this weekend. Secretly I'm hoping that there is a brawl that I can charge into, all Vicodin'ed up. While I figure how many pills I'll have to gulp to make this happen, check out my favorite stories from the week:

Get Your Hot Coffee T-shirt

PSP Instead of Roses?

Breaking: ESRB Recalls San Andreas

The Warriors First Look

Street Fighter 4

Clinton's Bill Equates Video Games With Cigarettes

Doom Movie Won't Suck?

Kotaku Japan: The True Meaning of "Japan Only"

-SM

Week in Scandal: GTA Hot Coffee Edition

smizek2 — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 16:30:00 MDT

This Hot Coffee scandal may be the biggest gaming news story since Mortal Kombat got everyone into a bloody tizzy. I've assembled a quick guide to our Hot Coffee stories from the week to help keep you in the know.

Guide after the jump.

Hot Coffee On PS2 (Get your PS2 Hot Coffee codes here!)

Rockstar Supports ESRB (Gaming allies announce support for one another.)

Thompson Coached Clinton for GTA Attack? (Attorney Jack Thompson accidentally leaks his intentions for an investigation into Best Buy for selling "sexual material," claims that he aided Sen. Hilary Clinton's preparations for her press conference.)

The ESA Strikes Back (The ESA gets all up in Sen. Clinton's face in a response to her jawing.)

Thompson, You Ignorant Slut (John Kepler Lewis responds to Jack Thompson's ridiculous letter.)

Thompson Calls for ESA Pres Resignation (Prick that he is, Thompson equates ESA Prez, Doug Lowenstein with Hitler, calls for him to step down, and generally blathers for longer than a reasonable attention span would allow.)

Clinton Calls For Fed Inquiry Into GTA (Sen. Clinton really thinks her time is best spent persecuting video game makers. Rants on poverty and education nowhere to be found.)

Rockstar Offical Denies Making Hot Coffee (Instead, it was created by hackers who altered the source code. Those inconsiderate jerks!)

Senator Whines About ESRB Ratings (Senator Leland Yee says GTA should be Adults Only and looks like a prude.)

Hot Coffee Could Burn Rockstar (The brewing of a controversy begins.)

GTA Sex Authentic and Unlocked? (The rumours are proved to be true about Hot Coffee's existence.)

San Andreas Has Built-in Sex Game? (Rumours of this lewd and loveable game first leak.)

-SM

Week in Games: Not Feeling So Wise

smizek2 — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 15:30:00 MDT

While trying to figure out what day it was, my calender reminded me that I'm having my wisdom teeth removed early next week. I'm not scared at all, as I planned to knocked the hell out; I'm not looking forward to only eating Slushees and looking like a bloated squirrel. As such, I will be far too doped up to fufill my duties as site Intern for a few days. I can see the disappointment in your faces now. While I eat all the crunchy foods I can as prep, check out my favorite stories from the week.

How Game and Movie Ratings Work

Couple Go to Court Over Virtual Goods

Kotaku Japan: How To Build a Winner

Kotaku Japan: Buy Chun-Li's Boobs

Japan Hates the XBox 360

Grandmas: the New Frontier in Gaming

Halo Talk Show

The Dope Game

-SM

Week in Games: Employment Part Two

smizek2 — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 15:27:12 MDT

Now that my Kotaku Intern week is over, my next job begins. When I'm not writing obligatory snarky remarks about gamers and the like, I'm hocking t-shirts at a semi-local concert venue. Sure it sounds easy, but have you ever hauled around 40 pound boxes of John Fogerty tees or dealt with his fans? You people are animals when you go to shows. I'm off to find my weight-lifting belt (safety first!), but check out my favorite stories from the week:

Katamari Damacy Ball Cake

Open Letter From a VG Voice Actor

Win An Electric Blue DS and Games

Buying PS3 Will Require Working OT

Wean Yourself Off Games in China

PSP Sucks/Rocks As a Media Player

Retro Handheld Games Gallery

-SM

Week in Games: Celebrating My Independence

smizek2 — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 15:45:33 MDT

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, it's time for one of my favorite road-trips of the year: Buying fireworks from states where they're legal. It's imperative that this year I out-class all my neighbors with as many hazardous explosives as possible; I will be king of my neighborhood! While I see how much gun powder I can fit into a station wagon, check out my favorite stories from the week.

Toshiba Developing Xbox HD-DVD Player?

Vide Gamer Yells at Mom On XBox Live

PS3, Xbox About the Same

Chappelle

Nerdy White Guys Make Games

MTV, Midway Become Promotion Partners

Video Baseball Game Nixed

Dear Friends Atlanta Review

I Want a War Game That Gives You PSTD

-SM

Week in Games: Letting It All Hang Out

smizek2 — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 14:36:18 MDT

This week my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary by getting the hell out of Illinois to spend some basking in the sun on Oahu. Isn't that nice? It was especially nice for my weaseling brother, who managed to tag along. Your's truly? Oh, I'm having fun reading books and writing and editing my posts here as the site Intern. I would cry foul if I wasn't having such a great time foregoing pants. Have a look at my favorite stories of the week while I get myself another pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Sony Sues to Stop PSP Importing

GTA: Chappelle's Reality Edition

Show Us On the Doll Where the Contest Touched You

Cheating Cheaters and the Cheats They Cheat With

Dead Or Alive Movie to Suck

Senator Denounces Game Still Under Development

Spong Hates Kotaku

-SM

Week in Games: Dance Dance Graduation

smizek2 — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 15:18:06 MDT

This weekend my mother is graduating from her Masters program — how exciting! What definitely isn't exciting is that I have to clean the house and wake early on a Saturday to watch her do it. What with the Kotaku interning when will I have time for my beauty rest? (Damn you Brian) While I zonk out in preparation, have another look at my favorite stories from this week.

Vin Diesel to Play Hitman on Big Screen, Possibly Your Screen

Spong Strips Micro, Takes Candids

Video: Being Tetris

Reviewing Game Store Customer Service

GTA Sex Authentic and Unlocked?

The Juiced Ad They Don't Want You to See

Two More Crap Resident Evil Movies Coming

Gamer Hypnotized and Dropped in Real Life Shooter

-SM

Week in Games: Mmm, Moving!

smizek2 — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 15:34:00 MDT

I don't know about Brian, but I'll spending the majority of this weekend hauling my belongings from one college shithole to the next. I plan on moving a mattress and boxspring using only a Hyundai Elantra; odds on my success will be up on Oddjack in a little while. While I'm busting my hump, check out my favorite stories of the week:

NYT On Hollywood Halo

Strike Thwarted, Unions Cave

DDR With a Flamethrower

Microsoft Predicts X360 Riots

Nintendo: Games Too Long

Tamagotchi Resurrection!

PSP Gets Japanese Porn

-SM

Week in Games: Grand Canyon Here I Come

Brian Crecente — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 15:22:40 MDT

It s Friday and as you read this I m driving through the mountain passes of southern Colorado on my way to the Grand Canyon for the weekend. I ll have my handy laptop and Treo with me, so I ll be updating on the road. Enjoy the weekend and read my faves from the week if you have a chance.

Game Exec Suing Masters of Doom Publisher

The Bad Question Interview

Man to Tattoo Himself as Xbox 360 Billboard

Mario Pick-Up Lines

Freaky Q&A with Zelda s Aonuma

Boy Jumps from Building to Join Gamers in Heaven

Frag Dolls Previews

Newsalicious

E3 Plans and the Week in Games

Brian Crecente — Fri, 13 May 2005 15:55:13 MDT

This is it, my last post from Denver before E3. I'll be flying out at an ungodly hour Monday morning and diving straight into E3 coverage. I'll try to give you a better breakdown of coverage on Monday, but here's a taste of what I have been invited to or scheduled:
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo's official press conferences and parties, plus booth appointments with EA, Ubisoft, Nintendo and others.

I tried to mix it up a bit, and we'll also have some special guest stars posting during our E3 coverage. So check back Monday for the skinny. In the meantime, here's the week's highlights:

The Xbox 360

GameSpy Rewrites Review

E3 Swag

The Two Faces of Allard

Booth Babes to Touch Gamers

The Bible Game Coming to a Console Near You

Creating a Driving Simulator with a Real Car

Can Reviews be Wrong

Week in Game: Xbox 360, Need I Say More?

Brian Crecente — Fri, 06 May 2005 14:30:47 MDT

My son just turned 4, so I've got a weekend of freebasing frosting, putting together toys and cleaning up our shambled house ahead of me. But I think I'll still find time to read through the details Microsoft is sending me on the Xbox 360. Wooo hoooo!

A Girl's List of Top Ten Girlfriend-Friendly Games

The NES Belt Buckle

PS3 Three Times Faster Than Xbox 360

PSP as Marketing Tool

Free PC Lumines Knockoff

GTA Defense Gets Man Off of Homicide Charge

Gallopoli the Game

Week in Game: Mario Caps Mushroom, Jackie Chan Cross Dresses

Brian Crecente — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 13:29:52 MDT

The week has ended and so has my sanity. I need a little hardcore R&R. Check out the best of the week, for my sanity's sake!
Xbox 360 DevKit Pics
Creating Jade Empires' Language
Playboy Publishers on PSP
Lite Brite Dig Dug
Xbox 360 Will First Be Unveiled in Japan
Jackie Chan Street Fighter
Mario and Luigi Cap a Mushroom

Week in Game: Xbox WebTV, Pac-Man Hats and Porn

Brian Crecente — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 16:21:40 MDT

I'm off to a cabin in the mountains for the weekend loaded down with a clutch of mostly DS portable titles. I'll update you how I fared when I return Monday morning. Until then here's the best of the week:

Xbox 360 Comes with WebTV?

Gaming Nerds Sing

Pac-Man Hats

One Hell of a PSP Case WARNING MAY NOT BE OFFICE SAFE

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent DS Hands-On and Pics

Killer 7 and Donkey Konga 2 Hands-On

MTV Unveils Xbox 360 on May 12

PSP Cake

Week in Game: Death of Pinball, Sony as Savior, Korean Army of Game

Brian Crecente — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 15:00:39 MDT

It's Friday, time to unchain myself from the computer and move three feet to the left to chain myself to a console. Wooo-hooo! Check out these great stories from the week.

Korean Army Creates Pro Gaming Unit?
Sony Invents Jesus Technology for Gaming
Teen Reenacts Def Jam Fight Scenes on Toddler
Quake Tats
Paris Loves Her PSP
The Last Pinbal Wizard
Gaming Vs. Playing
Why New Games Journalism is Overrated

Week in Games: Lara's Boobies, Severed Hands and Hillary Clinton

Brian Crecente — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 14:02:34 MST

It may be April Fools, but that doesn't make it any less a Friday. I spent the week working some pretty heinous crime stories and trying to squeeze in some time helping empty my cousin's house. Now it's time for a little Brian time. Make sure you check the round-up for the week's best.

First Look: The New Lara Croft

Mario Walks the Walk

Microsoft Stops Making Xboxes?

Sony Cans PS3 Unveiling in Japan

Severed Hands = Free DS

Exclusive: DS Heads to Everest Peak

Clinton On Gaming, the Full Story

Altoid PSP Game Tin

Thompson Links Red Lake Shooting to Games

And make sure you watch the Nintendo Rock Anthem before wrapping up your weekend.

Week in Game: Haunted NES, Sulky Rockstar and MC Jesus

Brian Crecente — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:11:17 MST

The weekend is here, the last one before a million American's go out and pick up their Playstation Portables. I spent half of the week Live blogging the PSP, but there were plenty of other goings-on. Check out the best of the week to catch up.

Live Blogging the PSP

MC Jesus: Witnessing with Halo 2

Worst 50 Video Games That Never Were

DS Turns Astrophysicist into 8-year-old Boy

Gold, Diamond Encrusted PSP

Will Gaming Have a Citizen Kane Movement

NES of the Dead for Sale on eBay

Rockstar Storms From Award Show After Loss

Week in Review

Drew Crecente — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 15:25:41 MST

Friday's here, and for those of you that are gainfully employed I'm sure you have reason to celebrate. For me, it just means that everybody else will be hitting the matinees and are apt to block the screen with their fat heads. (Please, please let the big 'fro go the way of the Dodo Bird, and soon.)

This week we had the ubiquitous Jack Thompson news. This guy's starting to get as much press as Paris Hilton (and is just as much of a talentless whore). We also saw the Game Developers Conference kickoff and had lotsa, lotsa, LOTSA stories from there. Seems that everybody is out to make our current systems as outdated as Members Only jackets.

N-Gage and Xbox released new plans and the PSP has some new accessories and a fashion show. Speaking of talentless whores, it was refreshing to see that J.Lo is offering up her fashion expertise. As long as she stays off the big screen, she can do whatever the Hell she wants.

Week in Games: New GBA, ESA Nazis and WoW Hitmen

Brian Crecente — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 14:38:20 MST

To say this week sucked, would be such a sublime understatement of fact as to be laughable. Let's just say it kicked off with an all-nighter spent rewriting my Auto Assault story for the Rocky and wrapped up with a morning of scraping very stubborn wallpaper from the walls of my son's room. (My favorite part was when I was contorted between the wall and the bed scraping away and my son was simultaneously using my head as a bongo and my back as a race track.)
Fortunately, the week in Kotaku was filled with fun. Here's a taste for those that missed out.
Petition to Add Video Games to Walk of Fame
The Other Romantic Hilton
Alert! ESRB to Unveil New Rating
Kids Kill Teen With Mortal Kombat Moves
MTV to Launch Games Area
PSP Shockers! For Reals!!
Order a World of Warcraft Hit
ESA Pressures CBS News
New Game Boy in 2005

Friday Baby, Read This

Brian Crecente — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 18:46:33 MST

The weekend is upon us, so I m off to cavort in the mountains. Here s a bit to keep you occupied in my absence.

GT4: A Pre-Schooler s Persepective

Sexy Game Designers Wanted for Levi Ad Campaign

Xbox Vibrator Mod

Four Story Mario Post-It Pointillism

Paris Hilton Does Will Wright?

Friday...Made It

Brian Crecente — Sat, 19 Feb 2005 10:36:48 MST

Best shit ever. This was quite a week. I ve got some golden posts that are worth checking out a second time. Yes, I m an egotist, but you should still read them.

Xbox 360 Revealed

+7 Leather Bustier of Skank

Free Strip Poker

Play with Kasumi s Breasts for $25

Pepsi DS

Best of the Week

Brian Crecente — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 14:37:09 MST

I need to install one of those huge Fred Flintstone steam whistles at the door so I can mark my weekends. I m outta here. Gotta scoot down my dinosaur tail and run off in my car. Feel free to hang out and peruse the site s best o the week.

Video: Halo 2 Player Falls Asleep Online

Playing Gran Turismo 4 Using Three TVs

Bounty Hunters Apply at Nintendo

Xbox Millenium Falcon

Office Pac Man

The Week in Games

Brian Crecente — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 14:27:44 MST

It s been a crazy week, but the sun is shining and the week is over. I plan on convalescing over the next two days. Here s a little reading material for the break:

ESRB President Defends Rating System

PSP: Unhealthily Obsessed About Batteries

Video: Toddler Aces Gran Turismo 4

New Zealand Man Fined For Selling Banned Game

Beck Turns to Classic Game Music

The Week in Review

Brian Crecente — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 14:20:58 MST

Friday s here and what a beautiful Friday it is. The sky s ice blue, the wind is sweet and I only have until 11 p.m. until I can call it a night and a week. Check out this list of the week s best if, like me, you work a night shift:

Why Game Ratings Need Fixing

In-Game Holy Crusades: Gay vs. Religious

GTA As Political Speech

Rated N for Naughty

Diversity in Video Game Journalism

Russian Creates Liberate Chechnya Game

The Facts Are in: Nintendo Is Going Down, Down, Down

Death to the Fanboy Press

Winner of the City of Heroes Contest Announced

Brian Crecente — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 07:25:58 MST

The contest has concluded I ve we ve got a winner. But before I say who won, let me explain what an idiot I am, assuming you didn t notice that already by reading my drivel.

In writing up the contest rules this time around, I forgot to mention that you should have searched Kotaku for your answer. I just assumed that you all use Kotaku as your one and only source for all things gaming. Boy, was I wrong.

Turns out that not only do you read other sites, but Jack Emmerett gives a different answer to every single person who asks him how many comics he reads. Do to the dual screw-up, I ve decided to qualify everyone who entered the contest for a chance to win.
Sorry about the screw-up, I ll make it up to you, unless you forget and then I ll probably just blow you off.

And the winner is Thomas L. Kash. I ll be emailing you, Kash, for you shipping details.