A little under two weeks ago, Irrational Games asked you to vote on a design for the alternate side of BioShock Infinite's reversible cover. Today, Irrational revealed the results, and this is the image that came out on top, with 38 percent of the vote.
It couldn't possibly be more different from the game's standard box art, though that's certainly not a bad thing.
Steam's ridiculous sales are a big factor in my financial woes, yet I can't seem to keep away from them. Now I'm dragging all of you down with me by reminding you that Steam's holiday sale is going on now. So sorry! I just really hate to feel alone in my over-indulgence in cheap PC games.
We're several days in, and the current highlights include Dead Island at 66 percent off, DOTA 2 at half off, Dungeon Defenders and Train Simulator 2013 (you know you're curious) for 75 percent off, and more.
Of course, there are the usual flash deals (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. at 75 percent!), publisher packs and more. The Portal series, Saints Row The Third, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade and more have significant price cuts today as well. And the community's choice discount is currently being offered on The Walking Dead (no surprise there), which is half off.
Be sure to keep an eye on those flash deals if, like me, you just can't help yourself.
I was under the impression that the meaning of StarCraft was to get your actions-per-minute as high as possible, but apparently there's a more wholesome message to be found in Blizzard's strategy series. Uh, sort of.
This latest episode of Carbot Animations' StarCrafts series is the perfect holiday special for a night in with the family on Christmas Eve. Who needs Frosty the Snowman, anyway?
Believe it or not, Halo 5 is already pretty far along in its development. This footage from some kind of internal multiplayer test, created and uploaded by Youtuber devinsupertramp, shows the next game from 343 Industries in action, and it's totally not fake. No way, people.
I do find it a bit strange that old school and forgotten Halo weapons like the SMG and flamethrower are back. And it's definitely weird that the HUD looks more like Halo: Reach's than the one in Halo 4.
But with graphics this life-like, how could this be anything other than real footage of Halo 5 running on the next Xbox system? Let's just hope they fix those server issues before the game is released—Halo 5's pacing looks slow enough as it is. It's almost like those are just people walking around in costumes.
…
Nah, can't be.
(If you're curious, check out the making of video to the left.)
When I see it in action, the insane pacing of Rise of the Triad looks seizure-inducing. I don't mean that in a bad way; it's frenetic, fast and furious, and its old school action will no doubt endear it to many.
What's even more interesting than the 90s shooter reboot itself, though, is the way it's being developed by a "virtual team" of personnel. They're scattered across the globe, from a concept artist in Mexico to a character artist in England.
"Working with virtual teams means that we can actually find talent from all over the world," says Game Director Frederik Schreiber in Interceptor Entertainment's second dev diary for the game. "And all these people work so great together."
Interceptor does have a central office in Denmark—in case you're wondering where this was shot—but apparently most of the team works virtually like this. By the way, I adore the new Apogee logo splash. It sounds like something Dethklok would play at a one-song concert in Antarctica.
Good morning again, Kotaku! I want to thank you all for the warm reception this weekend—thy scent is very human indeed, dear readership. And isn't the sun glorious today?
Like I said before, I want to take this opportunity to talk about Dark Souls. And since you've probably heard its praises sung a thousand times over, I'm going to instead talk about everything that could be done better in Dark Souls II.
Please don't get me wrong—I like this series. I probably like it too much. I've put hundreds of hours into both games across multiple platforms. I have Dark Souls apparel. My next tattoo is probably going to be a bonfire (inner left forearm). Sometimes I turn the game on in the middle of my work day and just leave it, listening to the sounds and waiting to fight the occasional invader.
But let's be honest: it isn't perfect. The good—the heart-pounding difficulty, dark, engrossing world, and inventive multiplayer—far outweighs the bad, but that's no reason to ignore what should be fixed as we journey on to Dark Souls II.
For one thing—and this stings for me as much as does it for all of you—Dark Souls' multiplayer is simultaneously its best and worst feature. Vicious PVP and jolly co-operation are what's kept me and thousands of others playing for over a year, but we all know it's broken; sometimes you just can't connect to anyone at all.
Thankfully, it's already known that Dark Souls II will feature new server-based multiplayer, so hopefully the current system's shortcomings will be taken care of right off the bat. Of course, that doesn't take care of imbalances like overpowered, laggy back-stabs, but that's another issue entirely.
Other technical shortcomings—the frame rate stutters, the muddy textures, the wanton glitches—should be ironed out as well, and Dark Souls II's new engine will hopefully help in that area. Beyond that, though, the series' AI needs a serious kick in the ass—imagine how difficult the game's grotesque and numerous enemies could be if they actually thought once in a while instead of just going through the same, tired motions every time they spawn?
That ties into another issue: exploits. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've etched away at the Kite Dragon's health from a distance and taken shelter in the dead zone during Demon's Souls' Storm King boss fight. As challenging as these games are, I'll take any advantage I can. But with more dynamic AI, this type of exploit should be eliminated, and Dark Souls II will only be better for it.
Finally—and this may not be a popular opinion right now—a more accessible Dark Souls II might not be a bad thing. The new director's recent statements on the subject enraged fans, and understandably—no one wants Dark Souls to turn into Skyrim. But seriously, let's talk about this for a second. Imagine if you didn't have to check the Dark Souls wiki every time you wanted to upgrade an item, or if plot details were doled out through dialogue and character interactions instead of static in-game descriptions of shields and rings. As long as they retain a similar sense of wonder and sometimes desperate isolation, it can still be great. Hell, it could be even better.
Oh, and how about a half-decent PC port, and a Wii U version, too? That GamePad is begging for a worthy inventory screen.
That's my two cents, at least, but I'm sure you've got plenty to say on subject as well. Just remember, Kotaku readers: you have a heart of gold. Don't let 'em take it from you.
The hacking of a portable system is often bad news for game developers working on the platform, but somehow I don't think that's going to be the case for the Neo Geo X.
The $200 new SNK handheld—yes, you read that right—was only just released, and already enterprising hackers have had their way with the thing. That's according to this video, at least, which seems to show that the system has been tricked into loading one game in place of another.
That's reportedly because at present, you have to rename an unauthorized ROM to trick the Neo Geo X into thinking it's loading something that it's actually supposed to load. How dastardly!
Tommo can't be too upset about this—at least it gives people another reason to buy it, right?
Neo Geo X Officially Hacked: Let The Games Begin! [Substance TV, Thanks Brian!]
UPDATE: Welp, it appears Tommo might have actually been somewhat upset—the video has been pulled.
Welcome to your Sunday read of the week's best in web comics. Make sure to click on the expand button in the bottom right to enlarge each comic.
Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik.
Published Dec. 21.
Read more of Penny Arcade.
Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich.
Published Dec. 17.
Read more of Awkward Zombie.
Manly Guys Doing Manly Things by Kelly Turnbull.
Published Dec. 17.
Read more of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things.
Brawl In The Family by Matthew Taranto.
Published Dec. 18.
Read more of Brawl In The Family.
Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira.
Published Dec. 22.
Read more of Nerf NOW!!
Nerf This by Scott Ferguson.
Published Dec. 18.
Read more of Nerf This.
Brentalfloss the Comic by Brent Black, Andrew Dobson and Dan Roth.
Published Dec. 18.
Read more of Brentalfloss the Comic.
Virtual Shackles by Jeremy Vinar and Mike Fahmie.
Published Dec. 17.
Read more of Virtual Shackles.
Another Videogame Webcomic by Phil Chan and Joe Dunn.
Published Dec. 21.
Read more of Another Videogame Webcomic.
Corpse Run by Alex Di Stasi.
Published Dec. 20.
Read more of Corpse Run.
One of the best things about getting new hardware for Christmas is the rush of unboxing it. Soaking up the smells, opening up the bags, being the first to put fingerprints on the thing. It really makes you feel like you're about to use something new.
It's a pity, then, that Nintendo is having to advise people to skip this if there's a Wii U under the tree.
Because the console's initial update is such an important—and time-consuming—one, Nintendo of America is recommending that the person giving a Wii U should first take it out of the box, plug it in, use it and update it themselves before handing it over.
It's a practical recommendation, I know. Nothing will take the wind out of a kid's sails faster than giving them a console to play games on, then telling them they shouldn't play games on it for a while until they update it. Still, it's a little sad that things had to come to this.
Last week's Shop Contest asked for a mashup of Sons of Anarchy, the badass motorcycle gang TV show, with Full Throttle, the badass motorcycle gang video game. You folks must not be fans of one or the other or both, because all we got was seven 'Shops out of it. Here they are. AirCairo is overall finalist No. 1 for a second consecutive week.
No 'Shop Contest tomorrow. I'm off for the weekend.
AirCairo
azureguy
francispwilson
MrPerson
nyyanx226
Sciteach
uscg_pa