Hoecs Games

/ In this latest Skate 2 developer diary-style video featurette, online producer Brian Lindley reveals new online multiplayer modes for the game before storming off set and ultimately killing a guy with eldritch energies.

Brian does a fine job of detailing Skate 2’s new online features despite being obviously uncomfortable in his role of straight man to Cuz, who comes off as so annoying that he’s almost enough to make me not want to buy the game. The ability to create your own spaces and share them online with other users is definitely nifty, as is the mini-game that rewards the most hideous falls - the only one I can ever see myself winning. I just wish I hadn’t spent the entire video muttering “shut up, shut up, shut up” under my breath while rocking back and forth in my chair like a patient in a psychiatric ward.

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Eidos has just launched Battlestations.net, the community-focused website for their upcoming follow-up to Battlestations: Midway, Battlestations: Pacific, and they’re celebrating by bombarding fans with new screens and trailers.

The Battlestations.net website will play host to new screenshots, movies, developer blogs, podcasts, and just about everything Battlestations: Pacific you can imagine. Fans will be able to chat with other fans about the series, offer the developers their helpful input, and even participate in Eidos-hosted Battlestations: Midway competitions in order to polish their skills for the sequel, due out this spring.

While I’m not a big fan of Battlestations’ particular brand of strategy, I have friends who swear the first game was the best thing since World War II. Not going to argue, as they’re a bit off-balance, and armed. Check out the latest screens and the new trailer below.

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Battlestations.net Weighs Anchor

Battlestations: PacificTM community-focused website launches today

Tuesday 6th January/… Eidos Interactive, creator of some of the world’s leading video game properties, today announced the launch of a new community-focused destination site for Battlestations: Pacific™.

Sequel to 2007’s critically acclaimed Battlestations: Midway™, Battlestations: Pacific™ picks up where its predecessor left off. Pitching players into the might of World War II’s Pacific conflict, the game delivers intense, action-packed combat and strategic warfare on an extraordinary scale and features two distinctly different single-player campaigns. A historically accurate US Campaign puts players in command of the US fleet through The Battle of Midway to Okinawa as they try to secure peace in the Pacific. Or play as the Japanese and take control of the Imperial Japanese fleet with the unique chance to fight at Pearl Harbor before attempting to change the course of history and take full control of the Pacific Ocean. Players can also take the battle online with an enhanced multiplayer, offering five new and innovative co-op and team-based modes.

“Battlestations offers a blend of action and strategy unlike any other videogame on the market and as such has a dedicated and committed community of fans,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Eidos Game Studios. “The launch of Battlestations.net as a destination site for both information and discussion on the game comes as a direct result of listening and interacting with our communities.”

Launched today, the new Battlestations.net site offers a feature-rich destination for information, entertainment and discussion on this anticipated sequel. News, screens and movies on the game will be accompanied by in-depth developer blogs, podcasts, exclusive website competitions and Eidos-hosted Battlestations: Midway™ multiplayer sessions, allowing fans of the game a chance to brush up on their skills before the launch of Battlestations: Pacific™.

Those interested in enlisting can join the discussions at www.battlestations.net.

Battlestations: Pacific™ is set for release on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in spring 2009.

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Seeing joke character Dan Hibiki fight Dan Hibiki in the home console version of Street Fighter IV?

Pretty darn cool.

Hearing the English voice work?

Not so cool. No worries, there’s still time for Capcom to fix. We think. We hope.

Exclusive Street Fighter 4 Console Character Videos [1Up]

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As an impassioned Madball fan, seeing Oculus Orbus appear in a video game, no matter what the quality, is cause for celebration. Even if the personally enduring 80s fad is simply being slapped on.

That’s the case with Madballs In Babo: Invasion, it seems, formerly known as just Babo: Invasion from Playbrains. With guest appearances from Orbus and Horn Head, the marketing geniuses at Playbrains and Madballs license holder American Greetings, have sold exactly one more copy of their competitive spherical shooter to this Kotaku editor.

The Madballs appearance was announced in late 2008, but we were blissfully unaware until the trailer came our way.

Curse you and your blatant appeal to my inner ten year old!

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This may not quite have the lip-syncing down and the level design leaves a bit to be desired, but the idea is wonderful. And let’s not forget how awesome LittleBigJackson looks in sack cloth.

Here’s hoping for more LittleBigPlanet Machinima and music videos.

[Thanks Harold]

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In quite possibly the most bizarre clip of 2009, the cast from Metal Gear Solid 4 improvises a scene in which they’re “suffering from delusions of being the characters they portray in the game.”

Voice actors David “Solid Snake” Hayter, Jennifer “Naomi Hunter” Hale, Paul “Colonel Roy Campbell” Eiding, Christopher “Otacon” Randolph, and Quinton “Raiden” Flynn do an off the cuff, fifteen minute session for Sadie’s Gaming Infection, one that really must be seen to be believed.

Like most improv, it can be painfully awkward at times, surprisingly hilarious in others. There’s lots of “Snake? Snake! SNAAAAAAAKE!!!” and “I love puppies” and even more general weirdness. Watch. Or Listen. Then try to figure it out.

Thanks, RazielPrime1!

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Dead Rising Wii was at TGS. Was almost the worst thing there. Truly awful. Yet at the same time, it was almost the best thing there, because this clip was playing at the demo booth.

We’d forgotten all about it, but Capcom Japan have seen fit to release the clip - performed by Gagaga SP, in-engine zombie models and all - so here you go. Enjoy, it’s amazing stuff.

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Drummer virtuoso Andrea Vadrucci beats out a super drum medley of the “Super Mario Bros 3″ theme in this stunning three minute and 45 second video. Just watching makes my arms and foot hurt.

[Thanks Travis]

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Waaay back in 2005, this European commercial was minted to help promote the launch of the Xbox 360. It was promptly banned for encouraging violent behaviour. The ad’s auditions, however, aren’t anywhere near as troubling.

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Many of you, hopefully most of you, sat down and watched our Very Special Kotaku Holiday Podcast. But how many of you caught the director’s uncut of each in-game podcast?

Over the past week we’ve been running a new unedited in-game podcast each day. Because I know some of you don’t have the time or ability to watch the podcasts in their entirety, I had Adam go through them and break out some of what happened in each.

Media Molecule Talks LittleBigPlanet Moderation, New Pitches and How The Found Out About That Recall

Media Molecule’s Moo Yu talked to us about the stunning depth of user-generated content found in LittleBigPlanet as he showed off a few examples. Despite the relatively low sales, Yu says that Media Molecule is happy with how the game was received.

He also talked about how new moderation tools and interface design changes are coming to make moderating games easier. Top of the list is feedback to the creator of the level so they know when their game was cut.

Finally, Yu says that Media Molecule continues to support LBP and isn’t even sure if they will need to make a LittleBigPlanet 2.

Resistance 2 Podcast: Multiplayer Tweaks Coming

The folks from Insomniac were kind enough to show us that you can indeed make it through an entire level of multiplayer coop if you don’t suck at Resistance 2.

While protecting us and gunning down the bad guys they talked about their design philosophy, how the game is different from other shooters and why multiplayer is the future of gaming.

The team also expressed their frustrations over what they believe are reviews written well before the reviewer actually finishes the game.

Call of Duty: World at War: Balancing Historic Realism With Fun

The Treyarch folks talk about their next Call of Duty and whether their really is a rivalry between their studio and Infinity Ward. They also talked about what goes into making a World War II game authentic and what care they take in dealing with what for manyis a sensitive topic.

Finally they touch on their decision to give the game a darker tone this time around and how adding zombies into multiplayer fit into that.

Castle Crashers with Major Nelson

Major Nelson joined us in Castle Crashers to talk about the stability of Xbox Live and make a little bet about whether servers will crash this holiday like they did last holiday.

He also talked about the future plans for New Xbox Live Experience avatars, his opinion of the VGA Awards, and compared Microsoft’s paid online experience to Sony’s free one.

And what that Zune phone we’ve been hearing about?

Chet Faliszek Talks Left 4 Dead’s Future

Valve writer Chet Faliszek joined us in the PC version of Left 4 Dead to reveal that the zombie game actually does have a back story that no one outside Valve knows. It details the start of the infection. They use this for reference to deliver what we see in the game now. Chet isn’t really interested in ever having the player play this story. He’s interested on how the world reacts to it, how it falls apart.

After talking about how the story is delivered without a story in the game, Chet drops some news, telling us that new downloadable content is on the way for both the PC, and the Xbox 360. He says it will include versus maps and “new stuff.”

Then he ruins it all by pretending he’s never heard of Portal 2. Oh Chet.

Home Could Remain in Beta Indefinitely

Home’s director Jack Buser invites us to his digital Home to talk about the Playstation 3’s free virtual world. Home, he tells us, may actually never leave beta.

New clothes and designer furniture is on the way to Home with some San Francisco stores even making an appearance in the world.

Buser tells us that the most important things in Home are mini-games and dancing… dancing The Robot if I have anything to say about it. He says he considers home a separate entity than the XMB. It’s a community, not a replacement. He even likes to be able to just turn on the console and play a game. Game announcements in home and themed areas will be making an appearance soon too.

Finally he says that Sony is looking at forums to see what people want to see in Home.

Jaffe: Gears of War 2 Versus God of War 3, PS3 Versus Wii

Playstation developer David Jaffe solidifies his position as one of Kotaku’s favorite developers in this podcast where he discusses what he likes about Gears, how God of War 3 will compare and his take on the Playstation 3’s successes and failures in 2008.

Despite being exclusive to Sony, Jaffe even talked about his interest in developing a Wii title.

The famously outspoken developer also talks about the ups and downs of blogging on his own site and how he too missed prom. We almost even got him to spill some beans on his next big project for the Playstation 3, but it sounds like we’re going to have to wait for an update on his blog for that.

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