All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#sega Tonight, original Xbox games goes offline when Microsoft pulls the plug on Xbox Live support for its last-generation console. Some stalwart Phantasy Star Universe players recently experienced the pain of losing their online connection. More »

Epic and People Can Fly promise large-scale set pieces.

#ps3 European PlayStation 3 owners without the courage or wherewithal to import last year's brilliant Demon's Souls may be in luck. Namco Bandai appears to have picked up the brutal, dark role-playing game for your continent. More »

#clips Enemies of desaturated color design wailed that the new Gears of War 3 trailer is too gray. To those people, I direct you to devilboy666x's remixed Gears 3 trailer. A new color has been added! How many more you need? More »

Analysts predict market share gains for Sony and Microsoft.

Splash Woman tattooing Blade Man? This is so bizarre that I think it’s terrific! What a cool piece of art and a wild imagining of these Mega Man characters. I, unfortunately, don’t have one artistic bone in my body, but I am glad that some of those who do get real weird [...]

Analysts predict market share gains for Sony and Microsoft.

[1UP] As we predicted with our last post on Halo: Reach, the flow of information on Bungie's final Halo game -- well, the beta, anyway -- has now become steady and consistent. Today's exclusive preview of the beta's new multiplayer game types (read: not CTF/Slayer/etc.) at 1UP is further evidence of just such a trend, detailing the Headhunter, Invasion, Stockpile and Generator Defense (quaintly dubbed "Network Test 1 Beta" by Bungie internally) multiplayer modes. Read on after the break for all the details.

Steve Ballmer approached to create new game.

Steve Ballmer approached to create new game.

Steve Ballmer approached to create new game.

Our first look at the ethereal adventure featuring a thief and his trusty demon.

Demons make fantastic friends.

#infinityward Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward continues its slow crumble today with the departure of two more key team members, sources close to the studio tell Kotaku. More »

Remember these? Well, now you can add to your collection with Marle. Check it out the pre-order here.

Was it something we said? No sooner does Nintendo close the book on the two-year-old Anascape suit than does the prolific peripheral manufacturer get slapped with another legal challenge. Gamasutra has obtained documentation of a lawsuit filed against Nintendo, on April 2, by exergaming company InterAction Laboratories, a.k.a. IA Labs, a.k.a. Powergrid Fitness, for alleged patent infringement.

In typical dramatic legalese, the suit cries out that IA Labs has been "irreparably harmed" by Nintendo's violation of two of its patents through a long list of Wii products. Here goes: the Wii system itself and its primary controllers, the Wiimote and the Nunchuk, and the MotionPlus add-on; Wii Fit, its expansion pack, Wii Fit Plus and its peripheral, the Balance Board; and the Wii Zapper. Phew! Are we forgetting anything?

Oh, yes -- the Wii Wheel. Uh-huh, that circular piece of plastic is allegedly in violation of either (1) "Computer interactive isometric exercise system and method for operatively interconnecting the exercise system to a computer system for use as a peripheral" or (2) "Force measurement system for an isometric exercise device." IA Labs claims that these two patents are used in a number of its products, including the Kilowatt Sport and Exer-Station controller. Both have won an award at separate CES events.

If you're real up on your Wii peripheral pitches, you will recall the Sqweeze, a ThighMaster-esque device for your hands, developed by IA Labs and introduced in late 2008. While a PC version appears to be available, the Wii iteration never made it to market, perhaps evidence that the relationship between IA Labs and Nintendo soured long ago. Documentation from the recent suit reveals emails from 2007-2008 between the two companies, which had once been in talks for IA Labs to license its technology to Nintendo.

I just received my Netflix Wii disc the other day and so far I am very pleased with how its working out. I already prefer it to using Netflix on my Xbox360. It’s just too bad I tested it out on Year One! Yeah, what can I say? I’m a sucker for the [...]

#genrebenders Yesterday 2K Games panicked some gamers with news that the turn-based tactics series X-Com will return as a first-person shooter. What other classic video game franchise have had their genres changed, and how did they weather the transformation? More »

#genrebenders Yesterday 2K Games panicked some gamers with news that the turn-based tactics series X-Com will return as a first-person shooter. What other classic video game franchise have had their genres changed, and how did they weather the transformation? More »

Founded in 1995, Remedy Entertainment is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary this year, along with the launch of its fourth game, Alan Wake. In contrast with many of the industry's studios, which are comfortable with putting out a new game every two years (if not more frequently), this Finnish game developer can't be rushed to completion. "Remedy is not a game factory," its website tells those looking for employment.

The company's managing director, Matias Myllyrinne, wouldn't have it any other way. "You know, this is a labor of love, at least for us," he told Joystiq during an interview at the Game Developers Conference, held last month in San Francisco. After we discussed the game's technology, its cinematic aspirations and its carefully picked cast of actors, it became evident that Alan Wake -- despite lacking "buckets and buckets of blood" -- has a heart, transplanted from the people who made it. "It's almost like you need to see it through, for your own kind of well-being as a creative team," Myllyrinne said.

Also, there definitely won't be an Alan Wake musical, so forget about it.

#reminder Reading Kotaku through a browser is so obvious. Now, we've got a handsome e-mail newsletter. Subscribe via the "Get Kotaku in your inbox" on the lefthand column of this site. Plus: Follow us on Twitter? Fan us on Facebook! More »

#reminder Reading Kotaku through a browser is so obvious. Now, we've got a handsome e-mail newsletter. Subscribe via the "Get Kotaku in your inbox" on the lefthand column of this site. Plus: Follow us on Twitter? Fan us on Facebook! More »

WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! If you have not watched The Tester Season Finale, stop reading now, grab some popcorn, and go directly to the PlayStation Store to download the last episode. Of course, come back when you’re done and keep reading…

After eight episodes of battling through the highly entertaining challenges in PlayStation’s first original competitive reality series, The Tester, Will “Cyrus” Powers beat out 10 other hopeful gamers from across the country to win the job as an official PlayStation game tester, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus.

What did Cyrus think was his toughest challenge? What is he looking forward to most about his new career? And, does he really have the Hannah Montana Platinum Trophy?

These are just a few of the questions Brent Gocke, release manager from SCEA and The Tester panelist, asks Cyrus during his first official PlayStation Network interview available from PlayStation Store this Thursday.

Here’s a short version of the interview also now running in PlayStation Home:

Congrats again to Cyrus! We wish him the best of luck with his job working for PlayStation’s Quality Assurance department and hope to check in with him down the road to see how he’s doing.

You can also still catch the entire eight-episode season available from PlayStation Store in both Standard and High Definition formats.

Focus Home Interactive has released a new batch of screens from the upcoming Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House for the DS. Specifically, the screens show off some of the game's puzzles. Without any context to go with the screens, we're definitely feeling a Professor Layton vibe, which is by no means a bad thing. The press release promises that players will have to use their "logic and observation senses through dozens of riddles, puzzles and brain teasers of all sorts," which also sounds about right for the Professor Layton crowd. We can only hope that Holmes manages to compete with the professor's English sensibilities and gentlemanly charms.

It's clear that both of them share the same fondness for distinctive hats, so maybe there's hope. Check out the new images in the gallery below.

Focus Home Interactive has released a new batch of screens from the upcoming Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House for the DS. Specifically, the screens show off some of the game's puzzles. Without any context to go with the screens, we're definitely feeling a Professor Layton vibe, which is by no means a bad thing. The press release promises that players will have to use their "logic and observation senses through dozens of riddles, puzzles and brain teasers of all sorts," which also sounds about right for the Professor Layton crowd. We can only hope that Holmes manages to compete with the professor's English sensibilities and gentlemanly charms.

It's clear that both of them share the same fondness for distinctive hats, so maybe there's hope. Check out the new images in the gallery below.

You've read our even-tempered, thought-provoking analysis of Sam Fisher's latest, slightly less stealthy exploits in Splinter Cell: Conviction, but say -- hypothetically -- you want to know what some of our game-adjudicating peers thought about the game. Overlooking your blatant infidelity, we'd be happy to provide you with a wide smattering of opinions. Let's just not make a habit of this, okay?

• GamePro (5/5): "While it might not be the back-to-basics game fans were expecting, Conviction is an outstanding title from top to bottom."
• IGN (93/100): "Despite a few questionable level design choices, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a great addition to the series. There's no way I could go back to a stealth game as it used to be; I've been converted."
• OXM (85/100): "Ultimately, of course, Conviction shouldn't be judged on what it isn't, but rather what it is - and whether that game is worth your $60. Quite frankly, we like classic Splinter Cell better, but this doesn't make Conviction a bad game."
• GiantBomb (4/5): "Splinter Cell: Conviction is the most accessible Splinter Cell game yet. It gives you the firepower to shoot your way out of your mistakes, but also makes the stealth side of things fun, rewarding, and significantly easier than just attempting to run around and shoot. Its only serious issue is that it doesn't feel especially substantial or replayable."