All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

New data from the NPD shows that portable game systems are increasing in popularity among kids aged 4 to 14. 44% of kids in the U.S. between these ages use a handheld, up eight percent from a similar study in 2005. What happened since 2005? Oh, right, the PSP and DS Lite. And the iPhone, for that matter. Just eight percent?

According to the report, more kids own portable game systems than other types of devices. In addition, NPD noted that many of these handhelds were acquired used, with more kids receiving used game systems in 2009 than in 2008.

"Kids ages 14 and under were the primary recipient of 37 percent of hardware unit sales for the 12 months ending March 2010," NPD analyst Anita Frazier told IndustryGamers, also noting that the amount of kid-targeted digital content being downloaded is on the rise, suggesting that kids are open to the transition to digital distribution.

#clips NCsoft's City of Heroes is six years old, and Paragon Studios celebrates with the release of Issue 17: Dark Mirror, a free update that brings new story arcs, huge enemies, and an extremely fetching graphical makeover. More »

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

After the warm welcome I received on the PlayStation.Blog last month, I couldn’t wait to come back! Before we launch the final episodes of Blue Toad Murder Files, I thought I’d stop by and have a chat with you about your thoughts and theories on who might be the criminal mastermind in Blue Toad Murder Files. Or even if there is one villain behind it all?…duh duh duuuuh!

In the first three episodes we racked up three murders, a burglary, and a fire as well as gaining an extra Blue Toad Detective along the way. Obviously, I’m not going to give too much away until you’ve had a chance to play all six episodes, but I’m interested to hear your theories and observations so far. Have you noticed any recurring themes? What clues about the case stand out that haven’t been resolved? Who looks like they’re hiding something?

Episodes 4, 5 and 6 will be available on the PlayStation Store later today for $7.49 individually or the discounted bundle of all three for $14.99.

Nexon America launches new Web site for anticipated online physics-based action RPG.

Listen, we love atmosphere. Don't get us wrong, if someone was making a list of websites that liked moody, atmospheric advertising, Joystiq would be right there at the top. With a bullet. We watched that Gears of War "Mad World" ad and thought "Hmm, not enough atmosphere and pensive reflection."

That said, the two-minute-and-thirty second version of the live action Halo: Reach short "Birth of a Spartan" is just ... well, it's too much. For future reference: If by the halfway mark we're shouting at the screen, "Just hit Powder with the muscle juice already and let's get to shooting fools!" you know you've overdone it.

If you miss out on this limited quantity collectible, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. (Also, your scalp could sunburn)

#bungie Imagine my surprise when a FedEx man left a package from Bungie, marked to be delivered first thing this morning, the day their ten-year publishing agreement with Activision was unveiled. More »

#republished It is no secret that much of the world sees our beloved hobby as a nothing but juvenile, ultra-violent, and ultimately irresponsible. Some have gone so far as to coin the term "murder simulators" for first person shooters and titles like Grand Theft Auto. More »

A new way to play.

Seriously.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder at Activision. Bungie has just announced that it has entered into a ten-year publishing agreement with Activision, which will receive exclusive, worldwide rights to publish all games based on Bungie's "next big action game universe." The deal also notes that Activision will have the rights to publish said games on "multiple platforms and devices," meaning Bungie's longstanding Xbox exclusivity may come to an end.

Furthermore, the agreement specifies that Bungie will remain an independent company and will retain all rights to its intellectual property. Bungie president Harold Ryan notes that the two companies have been working on the deal "over the past nine months."

The specificity of the agreement is noteworthy, especially that Activision only has rights to publish games based on Bungie's new intellectual property -- its "next big action game universe," whatever that may be. The fact that Bungie will retain ownership of its IP is particularly interesting, especially in light of the widening rift between Activision and Infinity Ward.

When Bungie famously split with Microsoft in 2007, it was assumed Microsoft would retain first right of refusal on any future Bungie projects. It's unclear why (or if) Microsoft refused Bungie's latest project, though the company's apparent multiplatform ambitions would provide a likely explanation -- that is, assuming Bungie doesn't have more than one project in the pipeline.

We'll have more on this story as it develops. [Update: Added commentary from Activision's Thomas Tippl and Bungie's Harold Ryan after the break."]

[CTA Digital] If using the Wii Remote and MotionPlus to control a sword sounds like the sword of thing you'd be into, you should consider Majesco's new game Swords -- because that's basically the whole game.

Swords, developed by Panic Button, is a time-traveling arena combat game in which you fight sword practitioners from different cultures and time periods, including a Viking and Sir Lancelot. Then, having sufficiently disrupted the timeline, you take a new sword from your defeated opponent Mega Man-style, using its new abilities against your next historical adversary. When not hacking away at people, you can train with your sensei or perform drills -- like fighting zombies.

If the idea of a MotionPlus-based lightsaber dueling game excites you, this seems like a pretty close substitute. Plus, it's got the most hilariously straightforward title in recent memory. Swords will be thrust into stores this September.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder at Activision. Bungie has just announced that it has entered into a ten-year publishing agreement with Activision, which will receive exclusive, worldwide rights to publish all games based on Bungie's "next big action game universe." The deal also notes that Activision will have the rights to publish said games on "multiple platforms and devices," meaning Bungie's longstanding Xbox exclusivity may come to an end.

Furthermore, the agreement specifies that Bungie will remain an independent company and will retain all rights to its intellectual property. Bungie president Harold Ryan notes that the two companies have been working on the deal "over the past nine months."

The specificity of the agreement is noteworthy, especially that Activision only has rights to publish games based on Bungie's new intellectual property -- its "next big action game universe," whatever that may be. The fact that Bungie will retain ownership of its IP is particularly interesting, especially in light of the widening rift between Activision and Infinity Ward.

When Bungie famously split with Microsoft in 2007, it was assumed Microsoft would retain first right of refusal on any future Bungie projects. It's unclear why (or if) Microsoft refused Bungie's latest project, though the company's apparent multiplatform ambitions would provide a likely explanation -- that is, assuming Bungie doesn't have more than one project in the pipeline.

We'll have more on this story as it develops. [Update: Added commentary from Activision's Thomas Tippl and Bungie's Harold Ryan after the break."]

10 year exclusive deal announced.

Though firm details about the terms of the Activision-Bungie partnership are still awfully slim, industry analyst extraordinaire Michael Pachter has given his two cents to Gamasutra about the financial potential of the merger, which should result in Activision earning a great deal more than two cents.

First, Pachter suggests this is a publishing partnership instead of a mere distribution agreement, which will increase Activision's profit margins from around 10 percent to anywhere between 15 and 20 percent on all of Bungie's titles. He estimates that, should the developer's future titles be as popular as its Halo franchise (which typically sold 10 million units a piece), they could as many as 15 million units by virtue of Bungie's new multiplatform ambitions. According to his calculations, should it sell 10 million units, Activision stands to make $65 million off the first successful Bungie title.

The time to test Pachter's calculations might be closer than you'd think -- he reports that the first Bungivision product, which is set in an "action game universe," is "well along in its development." We're not sure how "well along" said title actually is, but we'll keep our ears perked up for an announcement at E3. An announcement for Guitar Halo. There, we said it, alright? We were all thinking it, and now it's out there.

10 year exclusive deal announced.

10 year exclusive deal announced.

"Make ... us ... whole ..."

It appears all the re-dead Necromorphs that Isaac killed in the first Dead Space game aren't exactly happy about being strategically dismembered. EA has released the debut trailer for Dead Space 2 -- for real, this time. Expect a lot of gruesome imagery, some inkblots, and a whole lot of screaming. If you're watching at work, you may want to turn down your speakers. And get back to work.

#bungievision Bungie's ten-year publishing agreement with Activision will bring the next game from the famed-developers of Xbox 360 exclusive Halo, to all platforms. More »

#top By "video game movie", I do not mean movies that were adapted from video games. Oh, no. More »

Hi everybody! I’m Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer for Dead Space 2 at EA’s Visceral Games studio in Redwood Shores, California.

The team is hard at work on Dead Space 2, but today we are releasing our first official trailer! We are very interested in hearing what people think about the trailer as we are certain fans of Dead Space will have lots of questions. After you watch it, please post any questions here and, if the answers are not spoilers, I’ll do my best to reply.

The concept behind the trailer is to hint at one of the core elements in Dead Space 2, while also showing off new enemies, a peek at an environment, and some other sneaky things. Hopefully, fans of the original dig into the hidden stuff and new folks can get a glimpse at what the Dead Space franchise is all about: gruesome enemies and horror.

The team and I really enjoy all of the support we have been getting from the Dead Space community, and we are doing our best to create a worthy sequel. If you want to keep up to date on what we are doing, please join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Looking forward to your feedback on the trailer.

Bungie, the studio that created the Halo franchise, will be partnering with Activision for an "exclusive, worldwide partnership" the developer revealed this morning. The partnership will last for the next ten years. More »

10 year exclusive deal announced.

#internet In case you just joined us, Kotaku has only been around since the middle of the 21st century. And yes, it's always been based on a formula of baby-sick green and Amsterdam-hooker pink. But what if we'd been blogging in the 20th century? More »

#toys Kingdom Hearts fans, who we know like things cute, will surely snap up these new figures from Square Enix, which are not only based on Kingdom hearts characters, but are incredibly, impossibly cute. More »

#clips Giant robots aren't just for fighting! They can also be used for...construction work! And...complex song & dance routines! More »

#avatar It's not. This is a pirated game manual. A really, really funny one. More »

EA Sports' David Rutter takes us through the past, present and future of the best football game around.

#accessories Oh God, it's so terrifying. More »

#xbox360 You can customize your in-game avatar, so why not your better half? More »