All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#science "I see great dangers for the human race," begins noted theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. As a human myself, that's exactly the sort of thing I don't like to hear. More »

Sports is the ultimate common ground for the common man. From the salt-of-the-earth mechanic to the high-powered Wall Street exec, sports has always broken social barriers and given all (well, most) of us something to relate to each other with. Sports games, on the other hand: not so much.

As technology improved, the pursuit's become "realism." In the place of arcade-style fun is simulation, and sports games have become a kind of secret fraternity that often don't welcome newcomers with open arms. You need years of experience or worse, a degree in sportgameology to enjoy them. On the surface, Madden NFL 11 doesn't appear to buck that trend, but key design decisions help it shake off some of the inaccessibility of Maddens past.

THQ to publish two of four planned titles.

#gamescom2010 If you're going to this year's Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany—like Kotaku is!—you'll be among the first to see games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Final Fantasy XIV in action. More »

Play some Basketbrawl.

Check out the special game modes exclusive to the Wii.

These lyrics were written by Shigesato Itoi himself. They were printed in the official Earthbound instruction manual. Now you can hear what the song might have sounded like if the SNES was a bit more powerful!

Crash. Burn. Augh, my face!!!

In a stroke of exceptionally bad luck for SNK, a glitch has been discovered that unlocks free access to the full versions of five of the publisher's XBLA games for users who already have the demos on their hard drives. To make it worse, the glitch occurs within Modern Warfare 2 (a game that bajillons of Xbox 360 owners already have) -- or its recent demo (which is freely available).

Somehow, running Modern Warfare 2 coincidentally fools the system into thinking it's authorized to temporarily unlock full versions of Garou: Mark of the Wolves, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug XX, and Samurai Shodown II. Joystiq tested the exploit with Garou and KOF '98, and can verify that it works. For now, at least.

We're certain this issue will be patched by one of the three affected parties -- SNK Playmore, Activision, or Microsoft -- in the near future, now that it's known. In the meantime, just because you can get these games for free doesn't mean you aren't a major jerk for doing so.

#doublefine The creators of Grim Fandango, Psychonauts and Brutal Legend aren't making a sequel to their Jack Black-starring heavy metal action game. Instead they're making four new games, one of which is the Halloween-themed role-playing game Costume Quest. More »

#clips The latest episode of GameTrailers' Mythbusters-esque Pop Fiction series adds a few more nails in the coffin of Final Fantasy VII's flower girl. More »

The fine folks over at ETF2L have launched their Highlander Community Challenge, and we're excited to be a part of it. We'll be giving out in-game medals to everyone who participates, so if you've got some friends who should stop wasting their gaming time and get to the work earning virtual goods (for you), now's the time.

PlayStation Plus users will be able to get a headstart on PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap -- not in the actual races, which would be incredibly unfair, but in terms of access to the game itself. The updated, mercifully easier version of Q-Games' puzzle/racing/party game (now with Trophies!) will be available to PS+ members today, and to everyone else on August 24.

If you already have PixelJunk Racers, the update will be free, and will allow you to play the new version without overwriting the original content. If you're new to the game, 2nd Lap will be $6.99 in the PlayStation Store, with an extra 25% discount thrown in for Plus members. Accelerate past the break to see a new trailer.

A portion of a Wired review… WIRED Dazzling array of pockets that will hold anything a geek might want; luxurious inner lining protects your investments. TIRED Thick fabric can get you a bit sweaty during prolonged use.

#gameface Employees flee Hello Kitty's hungry maw at a Hong Kong exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kitty-creators Sanrio. More »

Specifics about the recently announced space combat mechanics in LucasArts and BioWare's upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, have been awfully hard to come by. Rumors have circulated claiming the game's aerial component would resemble an on-rails shooter, while others say it would give players full control over their ship's movement. The real answer, as revealed by the October edition of PC Gamer, falls somewhere in between.

According to our MMO-friendly sister site Massively, the magazine explains that players will come across "tunnel shooter" instances while traveling the stars, which will send them down a fixed path while giving them the ability to maneuver around obstacles and shoot enemies. These encounters will feature missions, achievements, cosmetic upgrades to your ship, and could eventually be opened up to PvP and co-op modes in the future. That actually sounds a lot like Kingdom Hearts' Gummi Ship segments, if that means anything to you.

Retailer adds videogames to home-delivery rental service.

Retailer adds videogames to home-delivery rental service.

Retailer adds videogames to home-delivery rental service.

#pc Young woman has job. Boss calls young woman "hot piece of ass." Young woman quits, uses dry erase board to fire back. Boss, it seems, loved playing FarmVille during work hours too much. More »

#projectaces After yesterday's trailer piqued our curiosity, Namco Bandai delivers more details on Assault Horizon, a game being called a "complete rebirth" for the Ace Combat franchise, or "steel carnage in the sky." More »