Kotaku

Weekend Talk Amongst YourselvesPan1da7's gone poaching at the end of the week and carves another TAYpic notch on his belt. Good morning and welcome to Weekend Talk Amongst Yourselves.


Feel free to discuss anything on the subject of video games in our comments below. If you've got a good idea and the skills, tomorrow represents your last shot at this month's #TAYpic. Post your masterpieces in the #TAYpics thread. Don't forget to keep your image in a 16:9 ratio, and add liberal amounts of funny. Get the base image here. Don't add the Talk Amongst Yourselves badge to it, either. We'll take care of that, as it goes in the upper right corner. Most of the time.


Kotaku

Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?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.

Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Virtual Shackles by Jeremy Vinar and Mike Fahmie published April 27.—Read more of Virtual Shackles
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Awkward Zombie by Katie Tiedrich published April 23.—Read more of Awkward Zombie
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Nerf NOW!! by Josué Pereira published April 26.—Read more of Nerf NOW!!
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik published April 27.—Read more of Penny Arcade
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Manly Guys Doing Manly Things by Kelly Turnbull published April 23.—Read more of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Brawl In The Family by Matthew Taranto published April 24.—Read more of Brawl In The Family
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Another Videogame Webcomic by Phil Chan and Joe Dunn published April 28.—Read more of Another Videogame Webcomic
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?ActionTrip by Borislav Grabovic and Ure Paul published April 23.—Read more of ActionTrip
Sunday Comics: What Would Valve Do?Legacy Control by Javis Ray published April 25.—Read more of Legacy Control


Kotaku

Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersWhen society is annihilated by World War IV and archaeologists from the year 3,000 examine the paperwork our society left behind, what will they think of us? Twenty smart 'Shoppers put their best and brightest foot forward, including overall winner seivewright inside!


arniejolt (2) had the best of the Earthworm Jim homages. musickkid43 (10) gets a nod for his WarioWare reference. halfbeast (7) blended the 'Shop Challenge with Fez, getting a finalist's bid. xX_cringer_Xx (18) had a topical reference using multiple images.


I'm loath to call out self-referential 'Shops but the one from RevRain (12) was particularly inspired. BigMike McCarthy (4) had the first and best of the thrown-remote memes. The 'shop from Kobun (8) requires some knowledge of Looney Toons, preferably acquired on Saturday mornings. Pan1da7 (11) supplies a lesson we can all learn from, in animated-gif form.


My overall winner, though, is seivewright. Maybe he's bludgeoning a video game meme, but that falling adventurer/non-adventurer looks like the icon for the old NES Adventure series, and the irony is good enough to get a final thumbs up from me.


Thanks to all who entered. New 'Shop contest tomorrow.


Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersAngryrider
Patently Ridiculous: The Winnersarniejolt
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersAttorneyAtMusic
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersBigMikeMcCarthy
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersEdificeComplex
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersGiantBoyDetective
Patently Ridiculous: The Winnershalfbeast
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersKobun
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersLaodicea-Dude
Patently Ridiculous: The Winnersmusickid43
Patently Ridiculous: The Winnerspan1da7
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersRevRain
Patently Ridiculous: The Winnersseivewright
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersShockdrop
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersStuart.C
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersThe Password is Taco
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersTrojan211
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersxX_Cringer8_Xx
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnersZachary Jera
Patently Ridiculous: The WinnerszHammer


Kotaku

Diablo III's Big Ad Debuts Tomorrow on Family GuyPromising "a few juicy bits of never-before-seen Diablo III cinematic footage," the game's worldwide TV ad will broadcast sometime during Family Guy tomorrow, which is on Fox at 9 pm EDT/8 pm CDT. Diablo III is scheduled for general release on May 15.


Kotaku

Numerology Proves Half Life 3 will be Announced at E3. Really.Not a day passes we don't get some "rumor," wishful thinking, or outright bullshit about Half-Life 3's imminent arrival. This "tip," sent by "Igor," now adds numerology to the mix. Hell, it's at least as reliable as all the other nonsense we hear.


Here it is, verbatim:


Gabe Newell's Rank on Forbes' Richest Men List: 864


Years between HL and HL2: 7 Years
Years between HL2 and L4D2: 5 Years
Years between L4D2 and Portal 2: 3 Years
Total: 753


864 - 753 = 111

1 + 1 + 1 = 3

3 = HL3 or Episode 3 (or E3)


Well there you have it. It's as good as confirmable unimpeachable proof to me. Someone go pick apart Nostradamus' texts, I'm sure we can find a corroborating statement in there, too.


Kotaku

Infinite Combos Scheduled for Termination when Street Fighter X Tekken Patch Arrives Mid-MayFour infinite combinations discovered last month in Street Fighter X Tekken all will be obliterated by a patch scheduled to move by mid-May, Capcom said yesterday afternoon.


The combos affected Kazuya, Kuro, Xiayou and Pac-Man. Two were console exclusive characters (Kuro and Pac-Man, on the PS3) and Xiayou's infinite hinged on a one-frame link between attacks. Notably, none of these infinites involve characters from Capcom titles, which developed this game.


Other fixes involve changes to frame data and and the means to block an attack (or not be hit by one). The post at Capcom-Unity has full details.


Street Fighter X Tekken patch notes, infinites, frame data and more addressed [Capcom-Unity]


Call of Duty® (2003)

Modern Warfare 3 is Finally Releasing New Maps for PC GamersHa ha, but who plays Modern Warfare 3 on PC amirite? Well, people do in numbers enough that Activision's finally decided to sell them the "Content Collection 1" made available to Xbox 360 gamers earlier this year. It's the first post-release content to become available for this version of the game.


Content Collection 1 will be available on May 8, offering four multiplayer maps and two Spec Ops missions, stuff that Call of Duty Elite subscribers have been able to play since January, and others have been able to purchase since March (and April on the PS3.)


Modern Warfare 3 DLC available on PC in May [Shacknews]


Kotaku

The Best Videos of the Week


Have you heard that video is a big thing over at Gawker Media? It's true, we watch and post a lot of videos each week. Here are some of the best videos of week, culled from an array of Gawker Media sites.


The Best Videos of the Week


Filmmaker Films Daughter Every Week for Twelve Years, Puts Together Time-Lapse Video

Filmmaker Frans Hofmeester spent the past twelve years hovering over his daughter Lotte with a video camera - as fathers are wont to do. Recently, he took snippets of footage from all 600+ weeks he had on film, and pieced together this mesmerizing time-lapse: Birth to 12 years in 2 minutes, 45 seconds. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Metta World Peace's Elbow Waged War On James Harden's Head

Metta World Peace earned an ejection from today's Lakers-Thunder game when his celebration after a second-quarter dunk included an elbow to the side of James Harden's head. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Studio Exec Forces Jason Segel to Lose Weight, Since Thin Women Don't Marry Chunky Guys

We often hear about actresses urged to get skinny for a role - Anne Hathaway's crash diet for Les Misérables and Beyoncé's "cleanse" for Dreamgirls spring to mind - but rarely are we made aware of male actors subject to the same pressure. However. Last night on The Late Show, Jason Segel revealed that "the studio president" - that would be Ron Meyer, head of Universal - forced him to lose weight for The Five-Year Engagement. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


A Reminder of Just How Cool the PS Vita Can Be

So PS Vita sales are nosediving. And Sony must be worried, because these are dark times for the Vita. Dark times. But just as everyone is forgetting what an impressive piece of hardware the Vita is, Sony released the PlayStation Developer Suite to allow developers to create apps for the Vita and other PlayStation certified devices.
View »



The Best Videos of the Week


This Man Put A Cadillac CTS-V's Engine In A 1968 Camaro

Engine-swap stories are a car nerd's answer to celebrity dating gossip. (Seen Kristen Stewart at the Chateau Marmont swapping spit with a 389 tri-power? Let us know.) But a first-gen Camaro with the still-beating heart of a wrecked Cadillac CTS-V? Papa Razzi, call the front desk. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Dad Leads Kids on a Bohemian Rhapsody Sing-Along to Get Them Pumped for School

It's something of a daily tradition for Mr. Cool Dad and his kids: Singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the way to school. "Depending on traffic," says YouTuber southlandification, "we can usually start the song as we pull out of the driveway, and pull into the school just as the song ends." View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Worst People Ever Catch Foul Ball, Refuse To Give It To A Crying Child, Are Vilified By Michael Kay [UPDATE]

An unfortunate scene unfolded in Arlington tonight as a pair of Rangers fans caught a foul ball tossed into the stands by Mitch Moreland in the eighth inning of Rangers-Yankees, then refused to give the ball to the toddler sitting next to them-instead choosing to pose for pictures and generally behave like douchebags. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


First Look at the Snooki & JWOWW Show

Here's a preview of the Jersey Shore spinoff - titled Snooki & JWOWW - that was supposed to be about two single girls and their friendship. But because of Snooki's situation, it's instead about a single woman trying to make the most of this MTV development deal after her friend went and fucked it up for them by getting knocked up and subsequently engaged. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


What's Behind The Curtain At The World's Most Exclusive Supercar Shop?

Italy's "supercar gulch" (our coinage) comprises the well-known (Ferrari, Lamborghini), the mysterious (B Engineering and its Bugatti-based Edonis) and the defunct (Cisitalia, Bizzarrini). Here, in a nondescript building near Modena, an Argentinian disciple of Leonardo DiVinci builds amazing Italian sports cars with the finest, hand-built German engines. Let's take a look inside Pagani Automobili S.p.A. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


This Incredible Video Shows All Roads, Air, and Shipping Routes on the Entire Planet

Scientists are thinking about starting a new geological era: the Anthropocene, the period of geological, environmental and biological transformation of the planet by humans. Cities, towns, shipping routes, global roads and air networks are all changing Earth. This video shows the extent of this change. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


This Trailer for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is Pure Torture-In Live Action

Raiden is beaten, bloodied and in trouble and somewhere, something's gone nuclear, not in a good way either. We have to wait until April 30 to find out who will, or even can, make it right. The tagline on this live action Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance trailer seems to put that on you, dear viewer. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Philip Humber Has Pitched Major League Baseball's 21st Perfect Game Of The Modern Era

Journeyman pitcher Philip Humber joined the list of hurlers to have completed pitching's most difficult feat when he shut down the Seattle Mariners and led his Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 win at Safeco with a nine-strikeout perfect game, the modern era's 21st. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


The Dudes of Mad Men Play Handsomest Bowling Game Ever

Did you know that in addition to being talented and handsome, Jon Hamm is also great at bowling and building dicks out of Play-Doh? He recently teamed up with Mad Men collaborators Matthew Weiner, Vincent Kartheiser and Rich Sommer to bowl for charity against Team Nerdist, headed by Nerdist podcast host/son of a professional bowler Chris Hardwick. The results are endlessly charming and entertaining. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Watch Kim Dotcom Race An F1 Driver In Video ‘Seized By The FBI'

Before Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom came under pressure from the feds he shot this video of himself and partner Finn Batato racing Germany's famed Nürburgring racing circuit in three of his crazy cars with F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen. According to Dotcom the final edit was "seized by the FBI." View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Ellen Degeneres Reads Aloud ‘50 Shades of Grey'

You know, an Ellen narration might actually be the key to making it through the 528 pages of E.L. James' crayon-drawn erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Stanley Kubrick Apparently Rose From The Dead To Direct Nike's Newest Ad

For a commercial that ultimately revolves around the selling of shoes and jerseys, there's a lot going on here: Marshawn Lynch, a wrecking ball, Troy Polamalu, a Larry Fitzgerald-branded sports car, Larry Fitzgerald, burning tires, Marshawn Lynch running, Darrelle Revis, a floating jet engine. View »



The Best Videos of the Week


Watch President Obama and Jimmy Fallon Slow Jam the News

President Obama's much hyped appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon got off to a great start when the two, with help from the Roots, slow jammed the news. Pure gold. View »



Kotaku
No Justice, No Peace, No Ring for the Lakers, Says NBA 2K12How important is Metta World Peace to the Los Angeles Lakers? Well, NBA 2K12 says the team would win the Western Conference with him in the lineup. As it is, he's suspended for the next six games, and that's exactly as long as Denver will need to dispatch the Lakers, according to the game.


In an all-background sim of NBA 2K12 with the most current roster, released yesterday—and its depth chart is adjusted to reflect the absence of World Peace—Los Angeles won the first two games at home, then lost four straight to the Nuggets. On the bright side, L.A., this concludes all of Artest World Peace's suspension, so you'll get him back in time for your next game, which will be around Oct. 30. He got the timeout when he went all Thunder-Punch He-Man on James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder last Sunday.


After getting 32 and 41 points from Kobe Bryant in games one and two, the Lakers gagged away a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of game four to knot the series, and utterly disintegrated in the thin Rocky Mountain air, losing 108-80 in game six.


Elsewhere in the first round of the simulation, the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers tip off at this moment against the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, on TNT. NBA 2K12 says the Sixers will go seven games before losing 107-97 in the finale; Orlando dispatches Indiana in six to set up an all-Sunshine State second round versus the Miami Heat, winning in six against New York. Boston eases past Atlanta in five.


In the Western Conference, San Antonio cruises by Utah in five; Memphis likewise defeats the L.A. Clippers 4-1. The big stunner, in addition to Denver ending the Lakers' season, is the Dallas Mavericks taking out second-seed Oklahoma City in 6 games. The Thunder suffer an eight-point third quarter and get walloped 120-78 in the clincher.


In the second round, NBA 2K12 calls for a four-game sweep of Memphis by the Spurs, to face Denver, which prevails in six over Dallas. In the Eastern Conference, Boston stuns the Bulls in seven to meet the Heat, six-game winners over Orlando, reprising their second-round matchup from last year.


Conference winners, according to the game, will be the Spurs in five and the Heat in five, an eminently safe call. Incidentally, the simulation with Artest in the lineup had the Lakers facing Miami in the finals.


I only simulated through the conference championships. I'll revisit this when the actual Finals pairings are set.


Finally, you may be wondering what happened to Biff Tannen's Sports Almanac. I got an email from the future, with a picture showing Biff's apartment totally trashed, pages from Gray's Sports Almanac shredded and littering the living room, a shattered Mr. Fusion hurled into the fireplace.


Biff was 20 games underwater and it seems his bookmaker sent some old-school thumb breakers from 1976 to collect. "o xant gelief theyd do tfis," Biff writes. "i swar i was gona hut it big w/nhl plaoofs." Sorry Biff.


Kotaku

Announced back in March, the Xbox Live port of Dragon's Lair was dated for May 18 by Microsoft yesterday. The game will feature Kinect support, allowing you to jump out of the way of the Lizard King and dodge the columns on the mechanical horse, if you so prefer. Digital Leisure is handling the port and the Kinect support.


Judging by that video I'm very skeptical that Kinect can make this game any more manageable. It'll be fun if by fun one means "dying a lot." Dragon's Lair is the product of an era when game experiences were designed to be short so that they kept sucking quarters from your pocket. Therefore, this features a ton of trial and error, even if you know exactly what to do. And I've beaten Dragon's Lair across multiple platforms at least a dozen times.


A premium theme and picture pack is available now on the Marketplace if you're that fired up about Dragon's Lair. Or check out the upcoming documentary on the game.


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