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Tgs07: Liveblogging The Konami Pre-TGS Press Conference
We're at Konami Digital Entertainment's HQ, settling in for the publisher's pre-Tokyo Game Show announcements. Guaranteed to make appearances are Metal Gear Solid 4, plus plenty of enthralling news about the Pawapuro Productions games, Bemani and Winning Eleven. Of course, some surprise announcements may pop up, plus we're sure to be treated to a new MGS4 trailer. There may be some unintentional hilarity as I accidentally switch on kanji mode or hunt and peck for the single quote key on Ashcraft's Japanese MacBook. So far we've been subjected to about a dozen plays of the Snake Eater theme. And the lights go down. Hit the jump for all the excitement!Mr. Fumiaki Tanaka, president of Konami takes the stage. He's thrilled to have us here today. There is much talk of game contents and other contents and very little in the way of exciting news about Rumble Roses XXX.If only I had started a "contents" count. He wants to address communication and community and how they relate to entertainm...

Halo: Papercraft: Master Chief
It's been a while since I posted a good papercraft and this one definitely deserves the spotlight. Artist (and presumably Halo fan) Mike McDermott created and put together this really amazing Master Chief papercraft model using PePaKuRa, a program that creates paper model patterns from 3D model information. He stands an impressive 13" tall and is made up of 42 pieces. Not a model for the faint of heart! You can download instructions and patterns on Mike's DeviantArt page. Now you'll have something to do until the game comes out. (Note: This is not part of the Halo 3 hype machine but merely a really excellent papercraft)[Thanks, Ben]

Tgs07: So We're At The Konami Pre-TGS Presser
OK. We're here, at the Konami pre-TGS press conference. On the menu for today, a new MGS4 trailer and some other stuff, like Dance Dance Revolution for the Wii, a DS Yoga game and all the Winning Eleven/Pro Evo you can fit between your lips. Best stay tuned.

Tgs07: LivebloggingThe Konami Pre-TGS Press Conference
We're at Konami Digital Entertainment's HQ, settling in for the publisher's pre-Tokyo Game Show announcements. Guaranteed to make appearances are Metal Gear Solid 4, plus plenty of enthralling news about the Pawapuro Productions games, Bemani and Winning Eleven. Of course, some surprise announcements may pop up, plus we're sure to be treated to a new MGS4 trailer. There may be some unintentional hilarity as I accidentally switch on kanji mode or hunt and peck for the single quote key on Ashcraft's Japanese MacBook. So far we've been subjected to about a dozen plays of the Snake Eater theme. And the lights go down. Hit the jump for all the excitement!

Tgs07: TGS Coverage-a-Palooza
The week so far has been about prepping for the show and doing a few early interviews but tonight, tonight the Tokyo Game Show really gets underway with the week's first official press conference, followed by Sony's Party.As you read this Mike McWhertor, Mark Wilson and Luke Plunkett are all on their way to Konami's headquarters where they'll take their place among a room full of journalists in the Konami Hall to get a bit of eye time with MGS4 and other things gamey. The press conference officially starts at 2:30 p.m. local time, or 12:30 a.m. Eastern.Then about four hours later Sony's official mixer/party gets underway, hopefully with a chance for some hands on time with games, though we're not sure yet if that will be the case this time around.For those of you who have missed it, here's what we've covered so far from the show:Free Genki Rockets Lumines Skins ComingFlynn Pwns Rez HDEver Extended Extra Extreme ImpressionsJustify Your Game: Rez HDMiz on Rez 2, Wii Space Channel...

Gallery: Halo 3 Shipment in the Flesh
galleryPost('halo3stores', 3, 'So close and yet...');Runners at your marks...Halo 3 has officially started arriving in stores nationwide this week. A faithful Kotaku reader risked life and job to tear open a box of the soon-to-be-on-sale Halo 3s and snap a few pictures just for Kotaku. We are, Mr. Anonymous Guy, grateful.

Rumor: Capcom's Three TGS Titles Revealed
Remember those three "bombs" that Game Player reported Capcom would be dropping at TGS later this week? Well they're bombs all right. Capcom's TGS page has updated to apparently reveal three Playstation 2 games will be dropped on the unsuspecting audience during the show.Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories for the PS2 and PSP, Arcana Heart for the PS2 and MotoGP for the PS2 are all listed as "new" titles for the publisher on their page.Not so very much exciting, let's hope they have something else in store for us too.

Tgs07: Kotaku TGS Party, The Pictures, The Blackmail
For those who couldn't make it to our little shindig in Tokyo, crack one open and spend some time in our TGS party gallery. Highlights include Ash staring creepily at the passed out McWhertor (while eating), Flynn's orientation disappointing eager fangirls and, of course, full-throttle drunken karaoke. And a special thanks to Bartek for beefing up my blurry (but surprisingly fitting) photoset.galleryPost('tgsparty07', 12, 'For relaxing times...');

Good Times: Kotaku TGS Party Lips-On Impressions
So last night, we held a party! No. Two parties. See, so many people turned up that we filled cozy Tokyo bar Mother to its proverbial brims, meaning we had to open up an auxiliary party at Mother's nearby sister bar, Mother's Ruin. So, for those unable/unwilling to make it, how was the night? It was wonderful.As mentioned, Mother was cozy. Excellent nachos, excellent fried chicken, jugs of beer served with peas. Little different, then, but by God it got the job done. The booze flowed freely all night, with a nice mix of readers, local industry types and crazed stalkers turning up. As did the police. Like, five of them. On pushbikes! Apparently they were there to enforce Japan's strict no-drinking-outside-the-pub laws, but I figured they were just big TDIG fans, and wanted to pop in and say hi. They really were lovely. They even waved goodbye!Other highlights were: a karaoke evening where Johnny Cash was belted out and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was "murderized", an appearance...

Day Note: What Persona 3?
To: The Japanese ContingentFrom: FaheyRe: I forgot to write a night note. Day 2 of my solitary writing has come to an end, and while I managed to make it through relatively unscathed, it did seem a bit harder to keep up today for some reason. As a side note, I moved the extra television I had laying around onto my computer desk!While the whole harder keeping up thing will forever remain a mystery, I still managed to cover the day in what I hope is an acceptable fashion. See for yourself as we take a look at...What you missed: Force Unleashed Coming To The WiiHoly Lesbian Aliens Bioware!SackSuper Smash Bros. Brawl Goes OnlineApparently Nintendo Thinks We're GayOnce more the sleep of the sleepy calls, and I answer. Till tomorrow!

Retail: Radio Shack To Carry Video Games
Despite the fact that their online store has a rather large catalog of games for sale, to me Radio Shack has always been the place my dad took me as a kid to buy crappy toys. According to Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson, however, that's all set to change next Tuesday as the company plans to use the launch of Halo 3 to launch itself into the retail gaming business, carrying software and hardware in their stores. The GameSpot article cites several other analysts calling the move a bad idea due to GameStop's dominance of the sector as well as lack of space to dedicate to a serious selection, and I have to agree. Unless they are willing to dedicate a large percentage of floor space to gaming, this won't work. Carrying a limited selection of popular titles only works at the airport *hides his $60 copy of FFIII DS*. At least we now have a good idea of where to go in case Halo 3 sells out everywhere next week. RadioShack reorganizing retail outlets to sell games [GameSpot]

Tgs07: Konami Unveils TGS 07 Line-Up
Konami just confirmed their official line-up for the week's Tokyo Gaming Show, set to kick off in just days.Besides having Metal Gear Solid 4 playable on the show floor, the publisher will be unveiling two other MGS titles, a new Winning Eleven and a batch of fitness games for the Wii and DS.This will be the first time anyone outside of Konami gets to go hands on with Metal Gear Solid 4, but gamers will also get a chance to check out Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops + for the PSP, Metal Gear Solid Online 2.0 and Metal Gear Solid 2 Bande Desinee, the digital graphic novel.The publisher will also be showing off titles Pilates, Yoga and Skin Basic for the DS and Wii Fitness and Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii as well as Big Head Baseball, Big Head MLB, Winnng Eleven 2008 and Winning Eleven 11, which I think they should just call Winning 22. Finally, Konami will have Time Hollow for the DS and Silent Hill Origins Zero for the PSP on hand.Sounds like that's one must-see...

Beta Watch: Hellgate London Beta Signups Are Go
Being the only one writing during the day yesterday means I was bound to miss something important in my quest to do the work of four men all at once. I remember seeing something about the Hellgate: London beta signups yesterday, but then my gaming-information drunk mind carried me off in some other direction, leaving a few Kotaku readers without the necessary knowledge needed to know how to get signed up for a chance at the beta. What I am trying to say here is I deserve a spanking for not pointing you to the Hellgate Beta Signup Page and telling you to enter your email address. Luckily Kotakuite Barry was there to guide me back on the path of righteousness. If you guys run into Barry, give him a hug for me.

Clips: Master Chief Performs Ballet
newVideoPlayer("danceTeaser_gawker.flv", 475, 376);On September 26th at the Berwaldhallen concert hall in Stockholm Sweden, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra will play an interepretation of Martin ODonnells and Michael Salvatoris's Halo music, the rock band The Backyard Babies will play Halo-inspired music, a Swedish film director's Halo machinima film will be shown, and dancers from the Royal Swedish Ballet will perform a Halo interpretive dance, with Master Chief dancing along. As you can see in the video, a lot of work has gone into making sure old MC can keep up with the ballet company, and put in context the video isn't nearly as disturbing as if I had just dropped it in your laps and said, "Here, he dances." In retrospect, I probably should have done just that. Oh well, hindsight and all that. For more details on the Halo Concert event, visit HaloConcert.com.

Web Of Deceit: Sony Defense Force and Wii60 Share Owner
The folks over at PS3Tag got bored and decided to do a little digging into who exactly owned the Sony Defense Force website. Seems PS3Tag is affiliated with SonyProtectionGroup.com, and were tired of getting associated with the SDF. As it turns out Narutoboy of the SPG was emailed by one Rob Foor of the Sony Defense Force regarding a link exchange. Now if you check the WHOIS info on Wii60.com, Foor's name shows up as the registrant of that domain. Both sites share names servers, and at one point they even came out of the same IP address. What this basically means is the web site that "started in May of 2006 after Sony announced the price of the PS3 would be the now infamous '$599 U.S. Dollars'" and the web site that takes pride in pictures of Xbox 360's covered in urine are run by the same guy. Way to cover your tracks. I'd compliment the SPG guys for their detective work, but Foor just made it far too easy. Commence public flogging. We have proof that will bring to light the...

Indie Gaming: GarageGames Readies InstantAction.com
IAC recently purchased the majority of indie developer and Torque engine creator GarageGames, and today the two companies announce the fruits of that transaction. InstantAction.com will eventually be a completely web-based action gaming portal, dedicated to serving high-quality video games without requiring downloads. I'm imagining it as a sort of Games.com, only instead of Scrabble and Yahtzee there'll be...well, action games. The companies are introducing new technology that will enable graphically-rich, multiplayer games to run in standard web browsers. You can visit InstantAction.com right now and enter your email address for early public beta access, with the site expected to launch publicly in early 2008. As well as the games portal, InstantAction is also launching a Game Development Fund aimed at encouraging new developers to create games for the internet. Personally I am kind of afraid of this. The last thing ADD boy here needs is quick and easy multiplayer action games...

Tgs07: Avalanche Engine 2.0 Debuts At TGS
Swedish developer Avalanche Studios powered their free-roaming action title Just Cause with their own Avalanche Engine, and now they're taking it to the next level with aptly named Avalanche Engine 2.0. The newly completed engine features support for truly huge environments without seams,as well as advanced character rendering systems for animation, facial rendering, and emotional modeling to simulate human behavior. Well it certainly renders some killer rocks. Perhaps they'll show something a little meatier at the Tokyo Game Show this weekend, where Avalanche 2.0 will make its worldwide debut. Avalanche Studios Announce the latest Next Generation Game TechnologyAvalanche studios prepare to demonstrate the latest in Game Technology at Tokyo Games ShowStockholm, 18th September 2007, Avalanche Studios, one of Europe'sleading independent games developers, today announced the completion oftheir latest groundbreaking game engine. The Avalanche engine version2.0 architected for the...

Clips: Mass Effect Character Creation
Well now that we know there's going to be some hot alien sexin' going on, it's high time we explored how we create the alien in question's little playmate. This video shows the character creation process in it's entirety as well as the opening minutes of the game. The dialogue system in Mass Effect never ceases to amaze me. I think Joker might be my new hero, but maybe that's because I can relate to the sarcastic jerk.

Secrets: Mario Galaxy Says, "UR Mr. Gay"
Okay, okay, I will post it already. For the past three or four days we've been getting tips about the Super Mario Galaxy logo's secret message, and for some odd reason I resisted posting it. Good taste maybe? I don't know, but there you have it folks. The letters in the Super Mario Galaxy logo with stars underneath them spell out "UR MR GAY." Is it a vast conspiracy, or just a coincidence? The world will never know, mainly because no one would admit to doing that on purpose. Perhaps one day the artist responsible will get fired in a rude way and brag, but until then, UR MR GAY. I'm sorry, but Nintendo says so. Super Mario Galaxy - U R MR GAY [Megaton News - Thanks Everyone]

Boom: Warmonger Rains Destruction In October
Crecente got a chance to play Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction back in June at NetDevil's anniversary party, and they pretty much had to pry him away from the computer. PC gamers will soon get a chance to see if they experience similar ass-stickiness as NetDevil announces plans to release the game via digital download on October 16th for the low, low price of completely free. I've yet to see any mention of PC requirements, but from what Brian wrote back in June the Ageia PhysX card will not be one of them, with an option to turn off the effects for PC's without. This is good, because my Ageia card from BFG arrived dead, and I've yet to take them up on that lifetime replacement warranty. I'm not good with shipping things, apparently. In honor of the impeding release, NetDevil has produced a veritable art gallery of destruction. Enjoy! galleryPost('warmonger918', 4, 'Stuff Blows Up Real Good');WARMONGER, OPERATION: DOWNTOWN DESTRUCTION GEARS UP FOR PC DEVASTATION ON...

Dlc: 360 NHL 2K8 Gets Reelmaker
Last week 2K Sports unleashed NHL 2K8 on the suspecting populace, garnering slightly above average reviews all around with the notable exception of 1up, who gave it a 4 out of 10. Ouch. Perhaps they would have changed their tune has 2K released the new Reelmaker feature with the game, instead of dropping 400 Microsoft points worth of DLC a week later. Reelmaker is an add-on for the Xbox 360 version of the game that allows players to edit together replays of the in-game action, changing angles and adding their own sound and special effects to create highlight reels that can then be shared via Xbox Live. Really doesn't sound like the kind of feature hardcore hockey fans could really sink their teeth into, but I could be wrong. Any budding directors / hockey gamers in the audience? 2K Sports Introduces the Revolutionary 2K Reelmaker to NHL 2K8Today, publisher 2K Sports proudly announces that the 2K Reelmaker is now available in the latest edition of the critically acclaimed NHL...

Clips: World In Conflict's Cold War
newVideoPlayer("WiC_BTS1_T_1200k_gawker.flv", 475, 376);World In Conflict developers Massive Entertainment is creating a series of behind the scenes vignettes about the upcoming PC RTS game that Crecente and I recently got a chance to suck at. This first one details the setting, which is of course an alternate timeline where instead of the cold war ending, it got hot. Really hot. We're talking Red Dawn hot. The video is worth it for the closing scene alone, which features Seattle being enveloped in a mushroom cloud while Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants To Rule The World plays in the background. Classy!

Books: Get Rich Playing Games
Not to be comfused with SCEA's latest employee, the other Scott Steinberg is managing director of Embassy Multimedia Consultants and author of Videogame Marketing and PR and The Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual. His latest book is called Get Rich Playing Video Games, and it explains how to succeed in every facet of the gaming industry, from marketing and PR to development to publishing. The volume includes insights from industry legends like Miyamoto, Will Wright, Ted Price, Lord British, and even Atari founder Nolan Bushness, who provides the forward. The book should be available at major retailers now, with a $17.95 price tag, or you can download the eBook free at www.GetRichGaming.com. Pity the title sounds like a late night infomercial. New Book Reveals the Inside Secrets to GET RICH PLAYING GAMESPaperback Shipping Now, eBook 100% FREE from www.GetRichGaming.com and Special High Score Edition Coming January 2008"A must-read... The first book on the videogame business...

Xfire: Uwe Boll Talks Postal Tonight
Everybody's favorite video game movie director will be chatting with the Xfire community tonight about the movie Postal, which sees wide release next month. Participants will be able to ask Uwe questions about the movie, win signed posters, and hopefully play "Let's See How Mad We Can Make Boll', which is fun for the whole family. The chat starts tonight at 6 Eastern, 3 Pacific, and should last until he tells everyone to do rude things to their mothers and storms off.Xfire's Live Postal Chat with Uwe Boll [Xfire]

Wiimote Lightsaber: LucasArts Unleashes The Force On The Wii
So what if the Wii cannot handle the awesome 'next-generation' physics engine the other consoles will enjoy when Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is released. They get duel mode! DUEL MODE! LucasArts announced today that Krome Studios is developing a version of the game for the Nintendo console, and players will finally get to use the Wiimote for its intended purpose - as a lightsaber! With the Wiimote saber and the nunchuk controlling force powers, I'll be hard pressed to choose which console to pick the game up for. Adding to my inner turmoil is the aforementioned duel mode, which lets you take your friends in one on one Jedi battles to the death! I am so completely geeking out right now it isn't funny. You guys read the press release, I'm going to need a moment. LucasArts to Unleash the Force on the Wii in Spring 2008Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Coming to Nintendo's Platform with Exclusive Duel ModeSAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Sept. 18, 2007 - LucasArts today revealed that Star...

Clips: Sony Defense Force Fails Funny
In the wake of the brilliant Halo 3 Museum ad and the equally brilliant send-up of said ad, the Sony Defense Force figured the most unique way to strike back at the attention Halo 3 was getting was to create another send-up, only lacking the brilliance and the funny. MEGATONik already pointed out the irony of a video promoting Killzone 2 calling out a game for coming up short on graphical promises, so I won't mention it here. Sony Defense Force's "Unbiased" Halo 3 Ad Remix [MEGATONik]

Gallery: Gazing Into Dream of Mirror Online
Dream of Mirror Online is a free to play MMO from Chinese developer Softstar, and one of the most highly acclaimed MMOs in Asia. It features a nifty cell-shaded anime look, with four races, six classes, and six professions to progress through as you play. As you can tell from the gallery below, it sure looks shiny and happy, plus one of the races is kitty-people, so you know I'm in. The English version of the game just entered the closed beta phase last week, and if you register over at Gametribe.com you might get a chance to get into the beta later yourself. galleryPost('dom918', 4, 'Through The Looking Glass');

Live Arcade: Geon: Emotions On Live Arcade Wednesday
Described as "a fast-paced abstract sports game that lets you explore your emotions as you compete against opponents," Strawdog Studios' Geon: Emotions is something different indeed, and what exactly it is we'll all be able to find out tomorrow morning as the game goes up on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft points. The game features sharp and glowy graphics, pounding music, and three game modes: head-to-head, time attack, and four-player online. For a look at the game in action, visit the official site and take a look at their trailer. If it gives you any better idea of what is going on, let me know!

Music: Dead Head Fred On iTunes
Dead Head Fred's music is one of the highlights of the PSP title. Composed by Rod Abernathy and Jason Graves at Rednote audio, the score did an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of Fred's alternative universe 1940's noir atmosphere. Well now Rednote and Lakeshore records are giving you an opportunity to capture the score for yourself, as the soundtrack to the game goes up on Apple's iTunes service today. The fifteen tracks represent over forty minutes of music, with styles ranging from spooky jazz to old-time country complete with banjo goodness. It really is an excellent collection of music. Even if you've never played the game I would recommended plugging Dead Head Fred into your iTunes search and listening to the previews of the tracks. Beautiful work. Dead Head Fred Original Soundtrack Now Available On iTunes ORIGINAL MUSIC BY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSERS ROD ABERNETHY AND JASON GRAVES RELEASED AS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD BY LAKESHORE RECORDSLos Angeles, CA - September 18, 2007...

Music: Team Tiger Awesome's Halo Nights
I really am trying to avoid consistent Halo 3 posts in the week leading up to the launch, but sometimes you just have to. Comedy group Team Tiger Awesome give Halo 3 the boy band tribute treatment with this video for their song "Halo Nights", which teaches us that if we play too much Halo 3, Master Chief will get busy with our girlfriends and ultimately kill us. Best part of the entire video? "Sack." The synchronized Spartan armor dancing comes in a close second.

Tgs07: Free Genki Rockets Lumines Skins Coming
During our meeting with Q Entertainment today they let spill that the company is working on releasing two new skins for Lumines Live! on the 360.The company is planning to give away the skin Heavenly Star and Breeze for free to gold members of Xbox Live for a limited time in mid-October.

Halo 3: Microsoft's Gala UK H3 Launch Party
Microsoft is doing up London big time next Tuesday for the UK launch of Halo 3. The company has rented out the city's biggest theatre, the BFI IMAX for the exclusive launch party hosted by rapper / skateboarder / Carl Sagan fan Pharrel Williams. Williams will betaking on members of the public in Halo 3 matches as well as various European celebrities via Xbox Live. The red carpet event is not open to the public, unfortunately, as we can't have the common refuse elbow to elbow with VIPs, celebrities, and the few lucky competition winners that will attend, but if you stand outside the IMAX theatre on the 25th long enough you might get to catch a whiff of their scent, a paramount honor for commoners like ourselves. US megastar Pharrell Williams launches Halo 3 in the UKMusic icon flies to London to host a video game launch party like never beforeLondon, 18th September 2007: US music superstar Pharrell Williams will fly to the UK next week to host a very special party for the launch...

Sex: Mass Effect Features Sex Scene, Breasts
While we knew that Mass Effect was going to contain partial nudity, we were sadly lacking on details, but no longer. The British Board of Film Classification has revealed it's rating for Mass Effect, revealing in the process some revealing details about...well, revealing. According to the classification the game has been given a 12 rating due to "moderate violence and one sex scene". Ah, the sound of happy GameStop employees raking in preorders. While the scene is undetailed, one version does contain breast nudity. Wait, there are different versions? "If playing as a male character the scene can take place between him and a human woman or a humanoid female alien. If playing as a female character the scene can take place between her and a male human or a female humanoid alien."Lesbian alien sex and the Brits only give it a 12? I am living in the wrong country. Mass Effect to feature breast nudity [Pro-G - thanks p00pzilla!]

Clips: Flynn Pwns Rez
newVideoPlayer("FlynnPlay_gawker.flv", 475, 376);So after Mizuguchi plays Rez for about 10 minutes, he hands the controller off to Flynn to everyone's surprise/jealousy. It's a tough act to follow when a game's birth parent has just dominated in front of a room full of people. But Flynn kicked some major ass (sorry we can't actually show you the gameplay, but they threatened to break my legs). You'll have to settle for dramatic big Flynn/Miz faces instead.

Just In Time: Team Fortress 2 Beta Live
Things got a little tense last night while I was in my recuperative unconscious state regarding the Team Fortress 2 beta, which was set to go live for preorder peoples yesterday but as of midnight Eastern time hadn't. My tips email reads like an episodic volcanic eruption, stemmed at the very last minute as the game went live and playable at 11:30 or so Pacific time, thus fulfilling the September 17th prophecy. Oddly enough I had to go to the Steam forums to figure this out, as our helpful tipsters completely forgot to tell me that the problem had been solved, far too busy enjoying the game to drop us a line. I see how it is. We're only friends when you are angry, and that's okay. I'll take what I can get.

Tgs07: Every Extended Extra Extreme Impressions
galleryPost('e4', 4, 'Every Extend Extra Extreme');Tetsuya Mizuguchi met us in his Tokyo office earlier today. He seemed slightly taken aback by the mass of Kotaku writers that greeted him when he came through the door, but quickly settled into his seat and got straight into his walk through of E4, aka Every Extend Extra Extreme.Like the PSP version of the game, E4 is essentially a reverse shooter, meaning that instead of zipping around the screen blasting waves of things trying not to explode, the entire game is about making your explosive death meaningful with deft placement of your character and a well-timed button push.Every Extended Extra Extreme had five different modes, four in single player and a multiplayer mode. Every Extended Extreme Extra is the core of the game, the default mode, in it you zip around the screen trying to create a large chain reaction explosion by blowing up near a large group of things. As things explode you can pick up power-ups and increase your...

Ssbb: Smash Bros. Brawl Online Detailed
The latest update to the Smash Bros. Dojo! delivers details on the online multiplayer portion of the game and dammit, friend codes are still in effect. Every day I wake up and rush to the PC hoping to read an announcement about them going away, and every morning I die a little inside. Brawl players will be able to link up with their friends via impersonal strings of random numbers to battle it out online, complete with personalized, pre-entered messages mapped to the d-pad for taunting purposes. You can also opt to play random strangers, but without the personalized messages to keep the child predators at bay. Stats aren't kept for battles with strangers either, so you get all the fun of beating up random people with none of the joy of taunting or indeed any proof that the match ever happened at all. Joy! Visit the Dojo yourself for more details and pretty pictures, and remember, "If you think of your opponent as a simple scarecrow, any psychological barriers may melt away."Wi-Fi...

Law: Comatose Oklahoma Game Law Dies
Back in June of 2006, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry signed into law a bill that would make it illegal to sell or rent violent video games to minors. Due to go into effect November of last year, questions of the constitutionality of the bill caused it to slip from consciousness via a preliminary injunction. After a long struggle to keep the law alive, it passed away quietly in its sleep yesterday via a judicial decision for permanent injunction. My main reason for bringing this up is to share this awesome quote by Bo Andersen, President of the Entertainment Merchants Association. "It is time for lawmakers to stop targeting video games and the retailers that sell them. They should recognize that all video games are rated, retailers are choosing to enforce the ratings in their stores, and the new PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 video game consoles and Vista computer operating system all allow parents to control the types of games that can be played on them. These voluntary steps,...

Tetsuya Mizuguchi: Justify Your Game: Rez
newVideoPlayer("JustifyMiz_gawker.flv", 475, 376);We made Tetsuya Mizuguchi justify his Rez. And if our "Justify Your Game" segment is cruel to English-native Western developers, it's straight up evil in Japan.

Dish: Miz on Rez 2, Wii Space Channel and Al Gore
While chatting with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, we touched on a variety of things. Things that matter. Like new Rez, more Ulala and Al Gore. What would be better than Rez remake? A Rez sequel. Miz didn't explicitly mention a totally new Rez, but did hint at his interest in doing a Rez sequel. So, why start off with the HD port? I've heard from many who want to play the original Rez, but couldn't buy it in stores anymore. I feel that's the big reason why we're releasing Rez now. I can't say we're doing Rez 2. I am ready to go to the next level. Sequels are a good approach, and Rez is a life theme for me.Does that mean Rez 2, Rez 3 and Rez 3? Who knows! Miz does! And another thing he might know about is a Wii version of Space Channel 5. Just think of Wii-mote dancing possibilities. When we put the question straight to Mizuguchi, he seems geniuely surprised, stating:Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh... (grabs heart) Give me water... The Wii is special. It's not such a high def direction,...

Tonight: Kotaku Drinking Reminder
Don't forget! Tonight is the night we drink. A lot. Those in Tokyo, know: We'll be holding our Kotaku pre-TGS get together. The venue is "Mother" in Shimokitazawa, and we're be running an open bar until our money runs out. After that! You'll have to pay for your own booze. The bar isn't exactly huge, and if hoards of you turn out, we've been given the greenlight to overrun the second Mother bar, Mother Ruin, which is nearby. The arm bending kicks off at 8pm and runs until midnight. See you there!Directions after the jump.Mother DirectionsTake the Odakyu line from Shinjuku or the Inokashira line from Shibuya and get off at Shimokitazawa. Take the south exit from the station, and go straight down the main street keeping McDonalds on your left. Walk for about 2 minutes (Mr Donuts is halfway there) until the road opens out wider. About 20 meters after that (and just before you get to Osho chinese restaurant's red sign) there is a very small intersection. Turn right and Mother is...

Celebrations: Lumines Live! Holiday Pack Details
Nothing says Halloween like Lumines. Or Christmas. Or summer vacation. On October 17th, Q Entertainment will be releasing a "Rockin' Holiday Pack" of 20 new Lumines Live! skins for Challenge Mode. Usual Q cohorts like Keiichi Sugiyama (Rez, Area 1) and h ueda (Every Extend Extra Extreme) collaborated for this upcoming pack. Snowflakes and autumn leaves — so festive!galleryPost('luminesliveholiday', 4, 'Gallery Name');

What About Rez Hd: Miz Wants Every Extend Extra Extreme on PSN
So, Every Extend Extra Extreme is coming to Xbox Live Arcade this October. But XBLA isn't the only game in town! When asked whether Every Extend Extra Extreme would be coming to Sony's PlayStation Network, Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi said: We would like to. What about Rez HD? Is that XBLA title coming to the PSN? We haven't decided yet.Okay, E4 looks like it's PSN bound. And Rez HD? Fingers crossed PS3 owners, fingers crossed.

Gallery: Our Little Trip To Q Entertainment
Today's a hot day in Tokyo. Not burning hot, sticky hot. Not pleasant. Still, a good day nonetheless! Why? Kotaku Heavy Industries just got back from a visit to Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment, where we did a whole bunch of stuff. Like drink coffee as black as the very depths of Crecente's soul. And play Rez HD. And check out the new Every Extend Extra, as well as a new Lumines "Holiday Pack". Good times! Here's pictures.galleryPost('qentertainment', 4, 'Popping In On Miz & Co.');