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No Loud Noises: Bashcraft's Kotaku Party Hang Over Ramblings
See that picture? That's what I look like when I'm hung over and don't bathe. And I think I'm still in my pyjamamas. During that blur that was TGS, Dan Orlowitz from PTD Magazine interviewed me — it was the day after our Kotaku party. It's a three parter about all sorts of stuff, somewhat verbose, smells of smokey arcades and bad coffee but just might be interesting if you happened to miss the 1am cab ride from Shimokitazawa. Now that was a conversation.Part 1 of the Interview [PTD Magazine]

Leave None Behind: TimeSplitters 4 On Wii?
As of right now, there's no specified platform for TimeSplitters 4. It could be on PC, it could be on DS, it could be a mobile game. But really, going on the history of the series, you'd imagine it'd appear on PS3, and going on the way the market's looking these days, you'd imagine it'd also appear on 360. And the Wii? It's also in the fold, Free Radical's David Doak saying: I think we want to put it [TimeSplitters 4] on the Wii. Fairly emphatic, that. Course a more formal announcement on platforms would be great (Gizmondo owners, you're officially still in the running), but until then, Wii owners can at least get a decent nights sleep knowing they're not being written off completely."We want to put the sequel on Nintendo's console," says the UK developer [Game Informer, via Games Radar]

A Quick Buck: Halo 3 Sales Might Actually Make MS Game Group Some Money
For all their pluckiness and sticktuitiveness, Microsoft's games group aren't in the business of making money. They lose money, have lost millions over the years, and are still losing money. That is, until Halo 3. Goldman, Sachs & Co. analysts are predicting that the game's release may have pulled in USD$170 million, which is so much cash it may actually see the group turn a profit. Which would be good news for them, but better news for us: I can only imagine how excited that press release is going to be.U.S. Stocks Rise, Led by Computer Shares; Microsoft, Apple Gain [Bloomberg]

The Irony Hurts: Milla Jovovich Talks Game Love
As Milla Jovovich steps into the role of Alice for Resident Evil: Extinction, the actress explains how to tread that line of making a success film adaptation and not pissing off gamers — well, not too much. Games are just good movie fodder, they are "perfect" says Jovovich. According to the actress:I think the fantastical worlds in video games are very visual so I think they're perfect for movies. I think the danger is that if people are doing it just because it's a good business move they can run into problems. Gamers are very sensitive to people that don't really love the games and aren't fans of the games making movies about them. You really have to love the games to make a good movie about it.Sounds good! So Jovovich must be a huge gamer, right? Right?Not really. I'm definitely more of a book person myself...Another medium that routinely gets manhandled by Hollywood. Lovely!Milla Gaming Talk [Yahoo, Thanks Chilly!]

Clip: Australian Halo 3 Ltd Editions Contain Foam, Discs Fine
Looks like Microsoft's packaging woes aren't global. While the rubbish packaging on Halo 3's special editions in the US have scratched a whole ton of discs, Australian copies look like they're coming packed with a nice piece of foam padding inside the box, which keeps the disc pressed against the cover and prevents all the scratching. Nice to catch a break for once, Australia, isn't it?[thanks Enrico!]

Easy Contest: Guild Wars Contest Reminder
In the white noise that was the Tokyo Game Show, our Guild Wars: Eye of the North contest got lost in the shuffle. So! Here's a reminder: We've got one copy of Guild Wars: Eye of the North to give away. And hey, this is the last expansion for Guild Wars until the second one comes out! So, here's the contest. Send us an email to kotakucontestATgmail.com with the subject line of GWEN. That's it. The 700th one we gets wins the game. Yes, it's that easy.Oh, you can't email more than once a day. The winner will be contacted through the winning email address. GWEN [Official Site]

Busted Stuff: Xbox Live Coughing, Spluttering Under Weight Of Halo 3
There was always the risk that the release of Halo 3, which would see millions of 360 owners logging onto the service at the same time, would crash Xbox Live. It hasn't (yet), which gets MS a gold star straight off the bat, but many people are having problems. I can't download a new dash update (meaning I can't play online), loads of you can't either (the emails can stop now, thanks), while Larry Hryb's community site is also down. My advice? If you can, keep on playing! If you can't, you might want to check out that singleplayer campaign. That or go outside, get in touch with that fresh air stuff everyone's always talking about. Can't imagine the problems will persist for too long.

Increase The Piece: Sony To Consider Bigger PS3 HDD For Japanese Market
While Americans and Koreans sun themselves from the collective glare bouncing off their shiny, whopping 80GB PS3s, other parts of the world make do with 60GB models. Japan, surprisingly, is one of them, but Japan's COrporate News are reporting that might not be for much longer, Kaz Hirai saying that Sony are considering "boosting" the Japanese model's HDD capacity, and also that they'll take user requests into account when making the decision. Japanese readers, if you're going to fire off a request to Sony, try and keep it sensible, OK? The thing's expensive enough as it is, it doens't need a gagillion-billion GB HDD. That would be silly.SCE President Confident of Attaining PS3 Sales Target [JCN, via MCV]

You Can Ring My Bell: Master Chief Rings NASDAQ's Bell
There's a certain sense of poignancy about this. Halo 3's marketing has been impressive/overwhelming, so much so I'd throw it up there as a shining example of capitalism done right/gone too far. Which is why it makes sense that the crowning PR achievement prior to the game's launch was to have Master Chief and a bunch of Xbox/Bungie people (including Shane Kim & Frankie O'Connor) ring the bell to signify the close of trading for the day.Larry Hryb's Flickr Gallery

Not Suitable For Children: Germany All But Bans Clive Barker's Jericho
German censors are a twitchy bunch. Especially when it comes to violence. If a game's got copious amounts of the red stuff, it runs a very real risk of having the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK, ie their ESRB/BBFLC/OFLC) pull the trigger and deny it classification. Which happened to Gears, Crackdown and Dead Rising. And has just happened to Clive Barker's Jericho. While this doesn't technically ban the game, it does mean it can't be advertised, and can only be sold to those over the age of 18. Which effectively kills it, since few if any retailers will bother stocking a game they can't advertise.USK verweigert Horrorspiel die Alterseinstufung [Heise Online, thanks Rico!]

Patience Is A Virtue: Valve Might Reconsider Episodic Approach
Valve might (MIGHT) consider doing away with their episodic model for future titles. You may remember they instituted the plan for their series of Half-Life 2 expansions. You may also remember the first of these appearing in April 2006, with the second only scheduled to arrive later this year. Those are long waits for short games, and Gabe Newell says they'll be taking stock of your thoughts on the subject once Episode 3's done: I think what we really want to do is have a couple of examples out there - Episode One, and how long it was to play and how long it took to develop, Episode Two, Portal and TF2 and then the third part of the trilogy; and then sit down with the community and say, 'OK, so what do you want? I may as well jump the gun, get it off my chest now: six years between full games, I can do, I'm easily distracted, but long waits between 3-4 hour releases? No, thanks.Valve: Episodic game plan may not last [CVG]

Announcement: Welcome to Kotaku. AU
Sure Luke is still the master of Australia, and always will be, but today's the first (official) day of Kotaku Australia. Think of it as regular Kotaku with a wee bit more Australian flavor to it, run by its own team of writers and the like... but Luke-free. If you happen to be lucky enough to live in Australia and still want to surf the undiluted pages of Kotaku Original then just type in us.kotaku.com otherwise you're going to be automatically redirected to the Australian site. Of course there's this big link at the top to get here as well, but what fun is that.

Cheats: Metroid Prime 3 Cheat Codes and Tips
These fun little codes for Metroid Prime 3 Corruption just popped into my mailbox. They include a slew of tips and even a list of the bumper stickers available in the game. Hit the jump for the full set of tips, lists and cheats.Codes for the Cockpit radio (Use radio from left to right)Code1 2751 Iwata Code3 4617 Sakamoto TipsThe four lights on the top of Samus' helmet indicate the battery life in your Wii Remote Hypermode - by managing your Hypermode correctly, you can stay in Hypermode for 35 seconds. As your Hypermode bar level increases, shoot your weapon to deplete Phazon. This way, you can "float" in Hypermode and stay in it longer. Ghor Battle - Freeze the Fuel gel puddles on the ground to cause Ghor to Spin out and slam into a wall, making him stay stunned for a longer period of time.The following creatures can be killed with one shot by using the Nova beam and X-ray visor: 1.Metroids 2.Metroid Hatcher 3.Bezerker Pirates 4.Commando PiratesBumper Stickers...

Stats Feed: Today's most popular headlines are Halo 3 ...
Today's most popular headlines are Halo 3 Discussion (6,140 views today), What Did You Think of Halo 3? (5,966) and Master Chief Arrives Early (5,374).

Porn: Halo 3 (Soft) Porn
The Suicide Girls, who have long had a voice in video gaming, popped up a naught set of Halo 3 inspired pictures today. The set is images of the lovely Alaina doing a strip tease out of a set of Mjolnir armor. Ouch, I hope she didn't pinch herself getting that chest plating off.Hit the jump for a mostly not-safe-for-work pic. You'll have to join SC to get the full monty. Hey, you can tell your significant other you joined for "research."Finish the Fight [Suicide Girls]

Samba De Amigo: Wii Getting Mad Maraca Monkey Loving
Talk about a perfect fit. First rumored, then seemingly confirmed by a scan of a Nintendo Power cover, and now officially confirmed by 1UP through Sega of America, the delicious taste of monkeys and maracas will once again grace our television video game playing device as Samba de Amigo is coming to the Wii. The game is being developed by Gearbox Software of Brothers in Arms fame, so you know they'll do an excellent job with the World War II firefights, should they choose to include any. Somehow I doubt it. More info should be coming down the pipe on the triumphant return of musical monkey mayhem soon. Confirmed: Samba de Amigo Coming to Wii [1UP - Thanks Jasu, ya Jerk]

Contest: Halo Goodies Pour Into Kotaku Tower
My footsteps echo up the stone spiral staircase as I take them two at a time. The rampart is lifted, one of the doors, sways slightly in the breeze."Hellooo?"No one answers. Inside the tower are piles of boxes and envelopes. The lights are off. I wander around until I find Fahey curled up in a ball in the corner of the west atrium, spiders crawling out of his nose, his eyes rolled back in his head. Hmmmm, maybe I need to leave more than one person around to run the place next time we take off for the four corners...The boxes, inside the boxes are scads of Halo thingies and doohookies. There's two McFarlane controllers, a wireless headset, reams of Microsoft points, rations, a first aid kit, dog tags, a Master Chief duffel bag, a limited edition copy of the game and a Halo 3 Xbox 360 labeled "generic" in big letters on one side. Why does it say generic? Oh right, they were going to laser etch my gamertag into the front of it, but I told them I'd be giving all of it away on the...

Halo 3: Microsoft Replacing Scratched Halo 3 Discs
As mentioned earlier over at the Consumerist, reports coming in from all over the country that due to the way they were packaged in the limited edition tin, buyers of the LE and Legendary versions of the game are discovering the game disc inside to be horribly scratched. I picked up the LE this morning, and as you can see above, it's not in the best of shape. I played the game for about a half hour to see if it worked, and things ran fine, so you might want to give it a go before trying to return it. The good news is Microsoft will be offering free replacements of both the game and Essentials discs until December 31st. Of course you'll have to give up the game while you wait, but it's only Halo 3. Microsoft to replace scratched Halo 3 disks [GamesIndustry.biz]

Top Gun: Ubisoft Launches Tom Clancy's Air Combat
Could Ace Combat finally meet its match? For years now the Namco Bandai series has been synonymous with air combat video games, but now Ubisoft looks to one up them by creating a series that is not only synonymous - it is Air Combat. Tom Clancy's Air Combat to be precise, which will thrust players into technologically advanced jet fighters to do combat against a private military force that has attacked the USA. "We are confident that this new brand will become the new benchmark for flight combat games and will be, like other Tom Clancy based games, an instant online multiplayer hit," says Sebastien Delen, managing director of Ubisoft's Bucharest studio. "The player will experience all the action and excitement of modern air combat, from intense dog fighting to tactical strikes."There's plenty of room in the market for more air combat games, and you know Ubisoft doesn't toss about the Tom Clancy name unless they're ready to kick some ass. The skies are going to get a lot more...

NYC Halo 3 Launch: The Ride Of The Mongeese
newVideoPlayer("MOV01126_gawker.flv", 475, 376);I apologize for the ever-so-slightly crappy nature of this video, as I had to keep dancing on and off the sidewalk because of 'the man'. What you are seeing is the trio of Marines, each riding a Mongoose ATV, escorting the shining Halo 3 Hummer to the front doors of the NYC Best Buy amidst loud cheers from the fans and even louder Halo music and Larry Hryb narration. This is how the launch ends.

Tgs07: Attack of the Clones (And Ash)
newVideoPlayer("StarWarsAsh_gawker.flv", 475, 376);It must be some tradition, but this group of Star Wars fans lines up and walks around the TGS grounds constantly. We think maybe that's all they do. Can you imagine that planning phone call?"Hey Fred, you coming with us to march around TGS tomorrow in our Stormtrooper suits?""The fact that you even had to ask me questions your commitment to this project. I'll be there, but I hope that you won't." "Today is the worst day of my life."

Playstation Eye: Eye of Judgment, PSEye in the House
Sure I've got a retail copy of Halo 3, but I've already finished that fight and the multiplayer co-op, that can wait for a bit. The thing that made me squeal a bit in excitement was opening up a box to find an early build of Eye of Judgment complete with the new camera, stand, playing field and two packs of cards.Not only can I not wait to play around some more with this game (remember, I do have "skills"), but I'm even more excited about totally blowing my son's mind when he sees it the first time. He's going to trip out.The stand comes packed away in a smallish plastic bag and was fairly easy to put together, though it's not the sort of thing you're really going to way to take apart and put together over and over again. I think I would have preferred if they had made it collapsible instead of takeapartable.The camera looks and feels pretty solid. It has a four microphone array. You can twist the lens, switching between a red and blue selection on the front of the lens. I'm...

NYC Halo 3 Launch: Finish The Launch
Midnight slowly approaches, and the festivities ramp up. Everywhere camera crews are coaxing large groups of players to shout, trying to punctuate their local news stories with the old cheering crown trick. The Mountain Dew people are there every time I turn around, passing around their cough syrup-flavored beverage. As hip-hop artists play Halo 3 inside, line sitters hold up signs making rude assumptions about the diet of a certain Florida lawyer. A group of guys are wandering around wearing GTA IV t-shirts, handing out posters and having people pose with them at the H3 launch. Good times are being had by all, but that clock is ticking...Outside the Best Buy, security guards begin clearing a path from the street to the door, and everyone assumes that Master Chief is going to arrive in some spectacular fashion, but we were wrong. Master Chief suddenly appears in the store with Larry Hryb, and after a few moments he signals that it is time. Time for what? Engines rev somewhere...

Flame On: Halo 3 Discussion
OK, don't get too excited, but I've created this post specifically to allow people to vent. Rail against all of the Halo 3 hype. Rail against the people railing against the Halo 3 hype. Rail me for using the word hype twice in this introduction. Keep in mind that while this is most certainly a flamebait post, all of the rules still apply. If you get off topic, make personal attacks or do any of the other things we ban for you will be banned. But feel free to have a healthy discussion about the game and its merits or lack there of. Oh, and no spoilers, that's a bannable offense too.

Reader Reviews: What Did You Think of Halo 3?
You've read my review of the single player and multiplayer portions of Halo 3. You've seen our Frankenreview of a lot of other peoples reviews. But with the game now available in stores, now it's time to tell us what you think of the game. Here's the deal, we're using the honor system, but I'd like to leave just this one post open for people who want to write their own critiques of the game. No responding, no back and fourths, just a review. I'll be putting up another post for people to discuss what they read here. It's sort of a convoluted system, but I think this is the best way to allow people to give their detailed thoughts on the game without it turning into a flame war... until the next post.Get to it. Game review on.

Feature: The Future of Sony Online Entertainment?
By: Brian CrecenteThe next big thing in massively multiplayer online games might very well be the decidedly old school world of card games.Online trading card games to be specific.Since its August launch inside Everquest and Everquest II more than 4,500 matches of the Everquest-themed online trading card game Legends of Norrath have been played.SOE president John Smedley told me in a recent interview that more than 30 percent of the MMOs' players are currently playing the trading card game and that they've sold more than 5,000 virtual boxes of booster packs for about $100 a pop."There are loot cards in the packs that give them items they can use in Everquest, but we don't think that's why they are buying the boxes," he said. "We believe we are giving people other avenues of gameplay within a game."The game is so successful that the Everquest teams are now working on creating places within the MMOs that will be used exclusively for playing the game."We've always told the story...

Tgs07: TGS Attendance Numbers Padded Nicely By Press
With the hearts and minds of Japanese gamers won over by Nintendo and its casual-skewing software, this years Tokyo Game Show saw those in the nation issuing a collective "meh." The press? They had to show up, helping to pad this year's attendance figures by an extra 30,000 for a combined total of 193,040 over four days. By comparison, last year's three day show pulled in an impressive 192,411 over just three days.But who can blame attendees for a lack of interest in the 2007 flavor of TGS? The market leader didn't show up and many games were simply old news or Western focused. Despite the fact that a playable Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Online had a big presence, as did Devil May Cry 4, most attendees seemed to be taken by Wii and Nintendo DS titles—Biohazard: The Umbrella Chronicles, Final Fantasy IV, and the sequel to Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village.Has Tokyo Game Show peaked? Unless CESA expands the thing to five days or somehow convinces Nintendo...

NYC Halo 3 Launch: Master Chief Arrives Early
It was between 2 and 3 PM when Master Chief showed up at the NYC Halo launch, but this was no corporate-sponsored guy in a suit. This Master Chief was painstakingly crafted by a fan (and Kotakuite!) over the course of a year, using fiberglass, paint, and a whole lot more motivation than I can muster to come up with something pretty damn awesome. By the time Microsoft's Master Chief showed up at 20 minutes to midnight, his arrival didn't pack the punch they were expecting. As far as the people in line were concerned, he had been there for hours. galleryPost('nychalomc', 4, 'Stealing Thunder');