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Kotaku Labu: Yes, There's New PS3 Firmware
Some new PS3 firmware's available, 1.92 to be precise, and it does...well, we've got no idea. Kids over at GAF say it fixes Warhawk crashes, but aside from changing the actual system info display to 1.92 damned if I can see what else it does. Maybe nothing! Then again, maybe something. Since we've heard squat from Sony on the subject, a shiny new donkey to the commenter that can dig around and see if it did anything else.

XX Points Of Articulation: Delightful Custom Samus Figure
Nintendo, you're dropping the ball when it comes to toys adult collectibles. Those First 4 Figures things are crap, and as an alternative there's little outside of Japanese capsule figures. There's a gap in the market, one where there's demand, and one which is currently being filled by one man. Red3183. He's making his own Samus figure, and when I say make, I mean make - moulds, casting, sculpting, the works. Plus, it's not some immovable cast - it's poseable, so you can put her in any position you can dream up for her and her flexible orange hips.Samus Action Figure - Custom [red3183 @ IGN, thanks Will!]

So Hot: The Land of the Rising Sun Gets Halo 3 fan
Screw fliers. In summer, fliers do nothing. That's why many companies, Microsoft included, hand out fans to promote stuff. This is a Halo 3 fan given out to promote the game. (Cue joke about Halo 3 fans in Japan.) Sure, it's not as kooky and fun as Master Chief freaking out shoppers! Tim Rogers over at game site Next-Gen points out:The tagline is sharp enough: "The year is 2552. The human race continues its fight against an alien race." They're giving it a low-key pitch as science-fiction. That's good... The one big faux pas I can point out — since you're just forcing me to be negative — is what's on the other side of the fan: just a big numeral "3", in Halo font. Microsoft has taken out billboards in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and even at Akihabara's massive Yodobashi Camera, each of them showing the same swirling, cloud sky and the same ethereal numeral "3"... Either way, it goes without saying that the average gamer here might not think about things in the most...

Make It So: Marvel VP Would Love To See Marvel v Capcom "Live On"
The Marvel vs Capcom games were good. No. They were great. I think so, you think so, everyone thinks so. Even Marvel's new VP of interactive media, Justin Lambros, who when asked by Gamasutra if there was a chance the games could be re-released via digital download said: Yeah, those are among my all time favorites. I'm a huge 2D fighting fan... the Marvel Vs. Capcom stuff has a definite close place in my heart, so we definitely wanna see that stuff live on. I'd like to think that's a positive response. Street Fighters are all well and good, but Marvel vs Capcom 2 on XBLA, the PS Store or even the Virtual Console would be just a pinch better.Marvel's Lambros Talks EA Fighting Game, Reissue Possibilities [Gamasutra]

Not For You: British PSP Slim Launch Missing Cables, Colours
The PSP Slim launches in Britain on September 14. Two of the big selling points for the handheld are the new video out capabilities and the colour range. Which is why it makes PERFECT sense for SCEE to gip the Brits on both. There will be NO video cables available for the Slim at launch, at all, and Sony don't know when they'll be made available. And as far as colours go, it's black and black only, the promised white and silver coming somewhere, sometime down the line. Time to bust out that stiff upper lip.Big new selling point... not for sale [Games Radar]

Trolling: Killzone 2 Devs Joyously Toe The Line
Think Guerilla are happy to be working on the PlayStation 3? Oh, man, they're over the moon. Couldn't be happier! No 360 for them, nuh unh, it's rubbish. It's PS3 or bust. Guerrilla's Merman Hulst: We are taking huge advantage of the architecture of PS3. I firmly believe that what we've shown we can get out of that machine would be difficult, if not impossible, to deliver on a competing machine. Think he means the 360 there. He could be taking a shot at the Wii as well, I don't know, but slapping two cheeks with their soft, velvet PS3 glove would be a bit much.Killzone dev: Blu-ray is for games - not movies [CVG]

Idoru: Japan's Marilyn Monroe Promotes Wii Golf Game
Camelot developed We Love Golf! needs a spokesperson. We Love Golf! has one! That's bikini model Waka Inoue, who is noted for having the same bust/waist/hip measurements as Marilyn Monroe. She's slightly on the wain popularity-wise (she is 27), but still one of the more famous idols. Expect her (and her Monroe measurements) in a slew of We Love Golf! ads. If Hot Shots Golf-clone plus Nintendo Wii plus curvy idol isn't a sure fire Japan hit, we don't know what the hell is.Capcom Presser [Game Watch Impress]

Trolling: Killzone 2 Devs Joyously Tow The Line
Think Guerilla are happy to be working on the PlayStation 3? Oh, man, they're over the moon. Couldn't be happier! No 360 for them, nuh unh, it's rubbish. It's PS3 or bust. Guerrilla's Merman Hulst: We are taking huge advantage of the architecture of PS3. I firmly believe that what we've shown we can get out of that machine would be difficult, if not impossible, to deliver on a competing machine. Think he means the 360 there. He could be taking a shot at the Wii as well, I don't know, but slapping two cheeks with their soft, velvet PS3 glove would be a bit much.Killzone dev: Blu-ray is for games - not movies [CVG]

Make It Stop: Live-Action Dragon Ball Z
Off the top of our collective heads, we could rattle off 20 or so anime that would make great live-action films. Dragon Ball Z is not one of them. DBZ isn't even in the top fifty. Or the top hundred. Dragon Ball works great as a manga, a cartoon and a game — but no way in hell should it be turned into a live-action movie. Too late! It's happening!! 20th Century Fox has lost any and all sense and has greenlit a US $100 million big screen version. The movie will shoot in Montreal next year, wrapping in July. That means there is still time to convince Fox this is a truly doofus of them.Big Budget in Montreal [Montreal Gazette via ANN]

Thanks, No: Japan Does Not Need Warhawk On Blu-Ray
Nope. The Japanese market obviously transcends the need for physical ownership, with Sony announcing that Warhawk's release will be online-only. No disc version. Available from October 4, it'll cost 3800, which works out to be USD$32.80, so if anyone fancies their Japanese can hold up to several screens worth of online commerce you can get yourself a bargain.Download Only for Japanese Warhawk [IGN]

Giant Kaz Face Says: Hey Japan, Chill Out!
Western gaming market? Huge. Japanese market? Not so huge. When not recommending that developers use the PS3's "unique characteristics" to add "extra flavor," Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai alleviates domestic fears in an interview with site IT Media. A good chunk of the interview is discussing whether or not the PS3 will still have Japan-centric games. Traditionally, different games appears to players in Japan and abroad. Serious stuff! According to Kaz:There are probably people who think that, looking at the output of Worldwide Studios, there are fewer and fewer Japan-developed 'Japanese style' titles coming out. But we definitely don't have the intention of just bringing Western games into Japan. We will keep on steadily releasing titles that are developed in Japan and designed to appeal to all Japanese users... Speaking generally, it's obviously much better business sense to have games that, even if they're developed in Japan and designed for Japanese users,...

Cute: Castle Crashers Figures Are Predictably Gorgeous
First cosplay, now figures...for a game that's not even out yet there sure is a lot of love for Castle Crashers. Easy to see why. The crashers themselves? Utterly adorable. Simple designs, bold colours, big swords, they're winners. So these figures are winners too! Sadly they're only available from the floor of whatever con developers The Behemoth are turning up to that month, but once the game's actually out I'd expect their circulation to embiggen itself somewhat.Castle Crashers 4-figure set [Dtoid]

Cash Rules Everything Around Me...: You'll NEVER Guess What WoW's Done For Videndi's Bottom Line
Vivendi just reported in with their earnings for the first half of the 2007 fiscal year. And guess what? Everything's coming up roses. Earnings are up 10.6% for the company as a whole, but for Vivendi Games, earnings are up by 91.9% from 2006, to 119 million Euros. Proof, if any was needed, that being the publisher behind World of Warcraft is a good, good thing.Vivendi Games earnings up 91.9 per cent [GI.biz]

Rumor: Spielberg Game Has Character From Far-Assed Future
Director Steven Spielberg is making three games for Electronic Arts. One of them is a block-puzzle game (ungh) for the Wii, and it was a result of meeting Nintendo's resident genius Shigeru Miyamoto at E3 2006. The second game is an epic adventure title for the Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC. According to EA, the game "focuses on a touching and ever-changing relationship between you and a mysterious female character who holds the key to many futures." The third game is a secret.We don't have intel about the first game (good) or the third game (bummer). However, an insider has passed along a few details about the second title. The game is of course an action-adventure title, and the "mysterious female character" is apparently a time traveler from 50 million years in the future. Yes, FIFTY MILLION YEARS. She will have many non-human features which are central to the gameplay and plot. What's more, Spielberg wants to make a movie or a series of movies (why stop at one!) based on the...

Princely Sum: Blow Your Cash On A Gaming Coffee Table
Think a four-grand arcade stick-cum-PC was stupid-expensive? Hah. It's a bargain compared to this. Admittedly somewhat classy-looking (if you kept the joystick bits away from guests) with its glassy finish, this coffee table from "Surface Tension" is just that. A coffee table. One with a couple of arcade controllers sticking out the side, a PC in its belly and a screen on the top so you can play Double Dragon while you eat your breakfast cereal and cut commercial quantities of cocaine on it. Which you'd need to be doing if you wanted to pay for this thing. Based in Britain, the sellers are asking 3295. Which is USD$6635.Surface Tension Gaming Table [Surface Tension, thanks MarkB!]

PSN Name Love In: Play Warhawk with Other Kotakuites
So Warhawk is out and downloadable. Kotaku commenter dv8godd (must ban that bastard!) thought Kotakuland would love to trade PSN names for some Warhawk bonding. So to keep everyone on topic, here is the official Trade-PSN-Names-And-Play-Warhawk post. Mine's "bashcraft," so add me if you like! I don't have Warhawk, though. But, perhaps some of the other readers do. Perhaps not. Dunno! And for those who don't have a PS3, we'll be doing this when Halo 3 comes out.

Clip: They Revealed
newVideoPlayer("THEY-Trailer01GamesConvention2007-mpg-_gawker.flv", 475, 376);IMC has released new screens and a trailer for their mysterious FPS They, which we first heard about back in late July. Judging from these new assets, it looks like the commentors who compared the creatures to the aliens from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within might have been closer to the truth than they realized. Luckily they have until 2009 to differentiate themselves from the box office failure before the game hits the PC and next-gen consoles. Good luck! galleryPost('they903', 4, 'They Live');

Evil Piano: Quite Disturbing PS3 Case Thingy
I think this is to scare the dust away. It's the only reason I can think of why someone would make a case for the PS3 that looks this...creepy. Attaching on top of your existing case (instead of having to replace it), they apparently go for around $15, but why you'd want to spend one dollar, let alone fifteen on something to make your PS3 look like something from Doom 3 faceplanted on it is anyone's guess.Sony PS3 Protective Mask ideal for Halloween [I4U, via Giz]

Vc Update: Four Classics For The Long Weekend
Dammit, I was trying to enjoy my Labor Day off but Nintendo had to drag me back with a special quadruple VC Update. I'll be quick, as I have a lot of nothing to get done today and an increasingly small amount of time to do it in. On the NES side of things we have Adventure Island and Donkey Kong Jr. Math (500 points each), a classic side-scrolling platformer and a baby monkey themed learning tool respectively. Were I Nintendo I would have patted myself on the back and stopped right there, but no, they had to bring us the adventures of an elf named Nigel with Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole for the Genesis (800 points), sort of a isometric Tomb Raider only with a more feminine main character. Finally we have Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure for the TurboGrafx16 (600 points), which adds an all-new two-player mode to the classic Bonk formula. There you go. Four titles guaranteed to make me have to get up off my ass and write a post on my day off. Go Nintendo! WII-KLY UPDATE:...

Game Face: Even Milla Jovovich Doesn't Look Hot Gaming
Ten years ago, back when I was in LA working for Quentin Tarantino, I saw Milla Jovovich at Canter's at 2am. There she was, eating matzah ball soup and looking utterly stunning (while everyone in Canter's looked haggard and like a pile of dirty laundry). Whether she's singing folk music, strutting down a runway or punching zombies in the face, Jovovich is truly a beautiful person. Even with child, she is GLOWING and cute as a button. She could probably makes anything look, well, beautiful — well, almost anything. Here in a tape recording at a Capcom press conference, she plays through Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, once again proving that nobody looks good playing video games. NOBODY. Capcom Presser [IT Media]

Mr Miyamoto's View Over Someone Else's Shoulder: Iwata Talks Ideas, How Miyamoto Is Not God
Totally fascinating interview with Satoru Iwata up over at Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun. Even the title is great: "Mr Iwata, president of Nintendo came to our office. We had a nice talk over supper". Seeing as it's an interview with people who aren't your everyday gaming press, Iwata talks about a lot of interesting stuff, like the big thinking behind Nintendo's ideas ("There are those who are satisfied knowing that thirst is the reason for wanting something to drink, and there are those who want to unfold the cause of their thirst") and how Miyamoto gets it done:After starting to work with Mr.Miyamoto for a while, I started to see. I was only looking from the "designer's point of view", but he was different. His aim does have a higher percentage of becoming a hit, but he does make mistakes. After all he's not God, you know. The difference lies in how he corrects his mistakes. He brings an employee who has nothing to do with the game he's designing, and hands him/her the controller...

Square Enix's TGS Line Up: Dragon Quest IX Not Playable, FFXIII "Undecided"
Do you have TGS fever yet? Square Enix does! The third party publisher unveiled its Tokyo Games Show line-up, which surprisingly includes both Final Fantasy *and* Dragon Quest games. Big news? DS remakes Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV will be playable, but DS sequel Dragon Quest IX won't be. What's more, Square Enix didn't announce how FFXIII, FF Aigto XIII or FF Versus XIII are going to be shown. We're pulling for shadow theater! Here's the full run-down, complete with details on how the games will be displayed:Final Fantasy XI Online: Divine Soldiers of AltanaExhibition Form: TrailerFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of FatesExhibition Form: PlayableFinal Fantasy Tactics A2Exhibition Form: Trailer and PlayableFinal Fantasy IV (DS)Exhibition Form: Trailer and PlayableChocobo's Mysterious DungeonExhibition Form: Trailer and PlayableCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VIIExhibition Form: Trailer and PlayableFinal Fantasy XIIIExhibition Form: UndecidedFinal Fantasy Versus XIIIExhibi...

Night Note: TGS Kotaku Party? Damn Skippy!
To: CrecenteFrom: BashcraftRE: Con-ed OutIn answer to your question: Yes, yes, good man, yes we should totally have a Tokyo Kotaku shindig! Our last get together in New York earlier this year was good fun, and it was a blast to meet readers, industry types and drunk hangers-on. Since we'll be staying at a big fancy hotel in Shibuya, I imagine that we'll want a bar near our hotel so we can stumble back drunk and pass out. Throwing up on the JR line is so embarrassing! That is ideal, but I'm not sure how realistic... I know a few places, but none in Shibuya that are big enough to handle a nerd gathering. So! Reader people who know Tokyo fairly well, feel free to chime in with possible place for us to get shitfaced at. Also, the Night Crew has morphed into the Labor Day Crew, so posts will be going up all day. Enjoy your day off!

Continental Breakfast: 360 Accessories Hit Europe September 7, 26
Europe, don't worry. You weren't forgotten about when Microsoft announced their American release dates for the 360's new accessories range. They were just working out how much later you'd see them. Answer being: September 7. And 26. See, the IM chatpad will be released on the 7th, for 24.99. But the rest of the stuff? Being held back for the Halo 3 release. The Halo 3 wireless headset and themed controllers go on sale on September 26, the same day as the game's release, and will both go for 34.99. Press release is after the click if you're dying to hear the official word.LONDON - 31st August 2007 - Xbox 360 fanatics are invited to accessorize with Microsoft's new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers and Headset available in Europe from 26th September, and the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit, available from 7th September across the region.As "Halo 3" launches across Europe on 26th September, two new high-quality Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers will...

Charted: Uncharted Heroine Re-Made into Conventional Beauty
Do blondes really have more fun? Developer Naughty Dog must think so. For its upcoming Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the team turn character Elena Fisher's locks from a chestnut brown to a dishwater blonde. Not only that, they chisled her lantern jaw. Goodbye Jughead! And the rational? According to a spokesperson:They [Naughty Dog] just preferred her blonde.Well! If Naughty Dog is in tweak mode, some please change the fact bullets and punches do the same amount of damage. Makes no sense!!New Hairdo [GamesRadar]

Hidden Gem: Google Maps Packs Hidden Flight Sim
Google Maps is pretty great, don't get me wrong, but it's lacking...something. Like interactivity. Interactivity like a free, hidden flight simulator. Wait. What's that, internet? Such a thing exists? Wonderful. Google Map's flight sim is accessible by running Google Maps then hitting Ctrl+Alt+A (or Command+Option+A for Mac users). Do that and you can choose between two planes (F-16 or SR22), then fly anywhere on Google Maps. Which is...anywhere. Good stuff! Now all we need is someone to work out a way you can hook this thing up for multiplayer and we'll never have to pay for a game again.Google Earth's Hidden Surprise: A Flight Simulator [Tech Crunch, via Boing Boing]

Shameful Clip: A Truly Horrible Concoction of FPS and Erotic Game
Love Death 2 is first-person-shooter meets Japanese erotic game from developer TEATIME — not to be confused with the FPS meets hardcore porno. And what are players shooting in this erotic game? Well...it ain't bullets! Eds Note: After the jump, there's NSFW footage of the game's FPS element. Hands down, this must be the effed up clip I've ever posted on Kotaku — and I've posted lots of effed up clips! You've been warned so watch this effed up clip at your own peril! No bitching and moaning. Well, there is moaning, but none from you please! Here's what's going on: the girl character Koto Sumikawa says we can do whatever we want. She wants to talk. The player doesn't and unloads in her general direction, causing her to get annoyed. The player then goes and gets a bat (yes, a BAT) and scares the poor girl. The player then "shoots" a few "rounds" at her, causing her to scurry about the room and run through a chalkboard and disappear, causing the entire room...

Gallery: Many Many King's Story Screens
Yesterday, all we had on Project O King's Story was a handful of concept sketches and an armful of hopes and dreams. Today? Screenshots. Loads of screenshots. All from Famitsu, all featuring many small people and many blades of green, green grass. Looks cute. Like, Pikmin and Settlers got together and made puffy-cheeked babies kind of cute.galleryPost('kingstoryscreens', 6, '');!![Famitsu]

Contest: World in Conflict LEGO Man Globe
Just look at that. Do it! Kotakuite Jordie sends along his globe entry, writing:This globe of people is made in honor of World In Conflict's open mulitplayer beta AND demo, and to all those infantry doods and the napalm they so hate.Rad. See Jordie followed the World in Conflict contest's major rule: Create a tangible globe. Nice job! Who doesn't love LEGOs? Let's bring everyone up to speed: Make a globe out of anything you like, but it must be an actual tangible World globe with countries and oceans and everything. The best globes will be selected by the big mean Kotaku editors, while Kotakuland will vote for the best finalist. The deadline for entries is next Thursday at midnight EST. Finalists will be announced that Friday, and the winner can decide if he/she/it wants the PC or the Xbox 360 version. Send all entries to kotakucontest@gmail with the subject line "Globe." Remember, you're not only winning a copy of World in Conflict, but also INTERNET FAME.World in Conflict...

PAL Translation: PGR4, Mass Effect Dated For Australia
No holiday here in Australia. It's business as usual. Usual business being receiving release dates for games that are slightly modified than those you'd expect elsewhere. Today, we got word that two of Microsoft's big first-party releases for the year have got themselves antipodean dates: Project Gotham Racing 4 can be expected on October 11 (9 days later than the US), while Mass Effect is due on November 22 (2 days later than the US). Nine and Two days? Not too bad!