Japanese craftsman tatumaru5963 took a ping pong ball, cut a piece out of it, made some alterations, painted it up and hey presto. A teeny tiny version of the Second Death Star.
I look at the size of this thing, I try to think of the skill needed to get it looking this good, and I just can't do it. My head explodes.
デススター２ by ピンポン玉 [PixIV]
I've been chipping away at Carrier Command's beta for a while now, and telling most people who'll listen how much fun I've been having. Those who know the track record of developers Bohemia Interactive (ArmA) or the limitations of the original game it's based on (first released in 1988) often wonder why that is.
This video shows why.
For 2:09, it outlines the strategic side of the game. Overseeing a giant carrier as you battle an opponent across an archipelago or strangely uniform islands.
Then at 2:10, one of my biggest gaming fetishes kicks in. Not only do you take direct control of one of the ships inside the carrier, but you get to sit in it while it launches. I don't know what it is about that sequence that lights a fire under me - maybe it's childhood fantasies - but every time it happens, a little part of me cannot stop grinning.
It also helps that, once in the air (or on the ground), the vehicles actually control pretty well!
Carrier Command is out in September on PC and Xbox 360.
Developers Eidos have done away with the long-standing tradition of having a real-life Lara Croft promote a Tomb Raider game. Instead, they've done something far more useful: brought in someone to actually play Croft in the game.
English actress Camilla Luddington will basically be Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, as she's done both the voice and motion-capture work for the role. The only thing missing will be, you know. Her face. Which won't be hers.
Which is a little weird, but if Camilla is cool with that, then I'm cool with that.
This is TRIP. By Axel Shokk. There's not much to it, apparently, just wandering around exploring a world, checking out some animals. But what a world this is.
It's like an acid trip sat down and learned how to program in Unity.
If the trailer above doesn't send you lunging for a way to end it all, you can pre-order TRIP now at the game's official site, below.
TRIP [Official Site]
You know what? Never tell me the odds.
It was only yesterday I took a look at Sideshow's new Boba Fett figure, and today, they're wheeling out two more. Well, one? Two figures, but they come in the one box.
The pairing is an obvious one: C-3PO and R2-D2. Unlike the company's Sixth Scale pieces, though, these are from the more elaborate (and expensive) Premium Format line, which means I'm about to look you in the eye and tell you straight up that the pair will cost you USD$750 (that gets you both) when they're available in Janury 2013.
C-3PO and R2-D2 [Sideshow]
James Paick is a freelance concept artist who has worked on more big games recently than I could fit in that headline.
Since I've got more room down here, here's a continued selection: The Last of Us, Uncharted 2, Prey 2, Infamous 2, Medal of Honor, Tomb Raider, Lost Planet 3...
...Resistance 3, Tron, City of Heroes, Rise of the Argonauts, Thor, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2...OK, that should do. For now.
You can see a lot more of James' work at his personal site.
To see the larger pics in all their glory (or so you can save them as wallpaper), right-click on them below and select "open in new tab".
Kirk walked away from E3 quite impressed with Ubisoft's Wii U shooter ZombiU, but since none of us got to see what the game really looked like, we had to take him at his bullet-pointed word.
For those of you who distrust saxophone players - and really, who can blame you - try watching this actual gameplay footage and see if it makes a difference.
I love how, when you use the Wii U screen, your character on-screen starts to do the same. Neat touch.
ZombiU: notre vidéo de gameplay [Jeux Online]
When Warner Bros. was first trying to put a LEGO movie together, one of the groups it approached was Blur Studios. Sadly, their vision of a coming-of-age quest didn't get the nod. But you know what, that's OK. Because what we've got instead might be just as good.
Variety reports that the actual and upcoming movie, called LEGO: The Piece of Resistance, will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs). So far, so OK. But some of the actors involved include Parks & Rec's Chris Pratt, who will voice the film's star, while Arrested Development's Will Arnett will play...LEGO Batman. There are also whispers that Channing Tatum will be playing LEGO Superman.
While the news the film will be combination of live-action footage and CG effects is a bit of a bummer, the prospect of LEGO Batman and Superman turning up in this thing together just about makes up for it.
PRATT, ARNETT UNITE AS 'LEGO' HEROES [Variety]
A: Because this ad, and this console, never appeared outside Japan.
Many people blame the Dreamcast for Sega's exit from the console market, but that's a harsh point for both the console and the company. Really, it was the Saturn that marked the beginning of the end.
The market share the Saturn ceded to Nintendo and Sony, and the money blown on developing such a complicated system, is what really put Sega on the ropes.
But oh, how things could have been different. This ad is so damn effective it's making me want to go out and buy a Saturn right now. If I'd seen it in 1995, in that hot shade of white (a model only ever released in Japan), I may well have lost my shit entirely.
[via Magnetbeam]
Regular Kotaku readers will of course know that Nintendo hasn't always made video games. The company has dabbled in everything from love hotels to badass "LEGO" sets.
It also, in the early 1970s, tried its hand at electronic card games. In about the most bizarre way imaginable.
This is Electro Poker, released in 1971. It worked like this: you picked up a light gun (something the company had some experience with) and shot it at the central unit. Once a "hit" was registered, five card faces would spin for a while then come to a stop. The hand you ended up with determined your "score".
And...that was it. Expecting more? Come on, this was 1971. You wanted fancier rules, you needed to come up with them yourself.
You can see more pics of Electro Poker, including score sheets and its instruction manual, below.
Nintendo Electro Poker (エレクトロ ポーカー, 1971) [Before Mario]
