Good thing living out of the city? It's beautiful — jaw droppingly so. The mountains are great. Bad thing? The area's native residents. There's a spate of FLYING ANTS recently. I've seen flying ants before, but not like this. Gobs of them sticking to windows — delightful!

Lots of creepy bugs, too, bugs I've never seen before. Temple of Doom kind of bugs.

The upside? There are no mosquitoes. I'll take creepy bugs over mosquitoes any day of the week.

What you missed last night
Dragon Quest IX Is Gonna Be Hard, Yo
Korean Developer Responds to Team Fortress 2 Rip-Off Claims
Take A Tour Through Michael Jackson's Private Arcade Game Collection
Waiter, There's Some Final Fantasy In My Serbian Pop Music Video
You Don't Have As Many PS2 Games As This Guy

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While at E3, Ubisoft's Maxime Bernard's told Official Xbox 360 Magazine in a recently published article: "He [Spielberg] had an entourage... and he said to his friend 'it gives us a lot of ideas, it's very inspiring.' I was thinking, like, wow. If we made a game that inspires Spielberg then [censored], we're doing something good here."

That censored word is going to bug me all day. What ever could it be?

Ubisoft: Spielberg inspired by Splinter Cell [OXM via VG247] [Pic]

We make the game to be quite hard. It's harder than any of the previous titles, and the enemies are also powerful... We strengthened the bosses, stuff like that.

The rationale for the amped up difficulty is that these days people can always find out information on the internet　— like that's part of the game experience. A harder DQIX is compounded by the fact that there is only one data save slot. Ouch!

社長が訊く　『ドラゴンクエストIX 星空の守り人』 [Touch-DS via オレ的ゲーム情報]

Best part? They're all sold out.

Nintendo has been fighting the R4 piracy flash carts and fighting them hard. There's a court injunction against the Chinese R4 makers for "violation under Japan's laws". Yahoo! Auctions is prohibiting the device's sale.

Retailers in both Akihabara and Den-Den Town do continue to carry the R4 devices. However, stores are apparently trying to liquidate their inventory before it becomes illegal to sell R4 devices in Japan.

マジコン販売の最先端はマジコン自販機 [Ota Road]

Well, what are they?

According to Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, the top 15 games in Japan between December 28, 2008 and June 7, 2009 are:

15. Kirby Super Star Ultra: 250,437 copies
14. Mario Kart Wii: 254,631
13. Animal Crossing City Folk: 256,057
12. Style Savvy: 285,944
11. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: 313,668
10. Tales of the World Radiant Mythology 2: 316,797
9. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of the Sky: 338,568
8. Dynasty Warriors Multi Raid: 382,191
7. Rhythm Heaven Gold: 384,191
6. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days: 385,799
5. Wii Fit: 432,191
4. Resident Evil 5: 467,191
3. Ryu Ga Gotoku 3: 485,630
2. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best): 556,650
1. Mario & Luigi RPG3!!!: 631,165

H.A.V.E. Online is being called "an embarrassment" to the Korean game industry. Check out this comparison clip and judge for yourself.

Last week, we reported that its publisher SK iMedia has not commented about the likeness. Well, the company finally has made a statement. Korean web portal DC News did a phone interview with the publisher. "Debating (as to if it's a rip off or not) is like having blind men touching an elephant and describing what it looks like," said SK iMedia. "We will reveal the gameplay soon. Other than that, we have no comment at this time."

신작 게임 'H.A.V.E.', '팀 포트리스2'와 비슷하다? [DC News Thanks, Torokun!]

"Xbox 360 as a business is doing better than the old Xbox," Tecmo Koei boss Kenji Matsubara tells game site Kikizo. "They have a good opportunity for growth, but of course Sony is a Japanese company and Microsoft is known as a business software company, so brand image is one point."

Matsubara adds that "Microsoft is doing well" — especially in regards to how difficult the game market is these days.

"I think they have good growth potential for the future depending on the titles," he says. "We have a close relationship with Microsoft so I hope we can be a part of that."

Interview: Tecmo Koei CEO, Kenji Matsubara [Kikizo]

In Japan, those pre-ordering Heart Gold will get a Ho-Oh figure, and those pre-odering Soul Silver will get a Lugia. Pre-order both, and you'll get a Arceus figure. The games are bundled with a pedometer.

Heart Gold and Soul Silver are DS remakes of Pokémon Gold/Silver and are slated for release this fall.

Don't worry. Microsoft will get em all back within a year or so.

Hey Americans, Why The BBQ? Why? Why? Why?
Comment by: monkeysaresilly
Nominated by: (Zombie) Jolan

I doubt there was any actual symbolism with the cookout. Can you imagine Franklin and Jefferson hanging out, having their slaves slather ribs with some secret Liberty sauce, going,
"I do say Benjamin, this meat is delectable! Note how the tomato-based marinade perfectly symbolizes the blood shed from our fallen brothers in the great fight for freedom. We roast it, just as we *fired* upon our hated redcoat rivals!"
"You're an idiot, Tom."

President of Russia in Erotic Game
Comment by: Leave it to Japan to come up with craaazy ideas. A woman president.
Nominated by: Dangeresque the Observer

Leave it to Japan to come up with craaazy ideas.

A woman president.

Toast Your Cursed Existence With The Legendary Lich King Stein
Comment by: The most ornate container you will ever pee into because you couldn't abandon your raid.
Nominated by: svenhoek: Still Happy Pitt Won!

The most ornate container you will ever pee into because you couldn't abandon your raid.

Congrats! You Win An Xbox 360 With A Messed Up Slot
Comment by: zach a mac rack alack
Nominated by: (Zombie) Jolan

Well, Molyneux had to exaggerate it somehow, and in this case it was the functionality.

Video Game Question For The Advice Columnist
Comment by: Southrncomfortjm
Nominated by: NeoStarr

Here's what you do: you ask the kid (1) what he learned at school that day and then you ask him (2) what he learned at his friends house. If the answer to (1) is "nothing" and (2) is "how to get a prostitute to blow me and then get my money back without the cops catching me" then you *might* have a problem. However if answers to both (1) and (2) are "nothing" then you have a perfectly normal boy.

Want to nominate comments? Send to tips any insightful or funny comments you read from other commenters. (Read: NOT YOURSELF). Be sure to include the post's URL, the commenter's page, the actual comment and your commenter page.

Here's a handy guide to commenting. Read it, learn it, live it, love it.

Today, right now at this very moment, it's Friday. Can you feel it? That means one thing and only one thing: It's time time to talk. Let's TUD it up, you and me and that guy over there. Together.

This is TELL US DAMMIT. What is TELL US DAMMIT? This is TELL US DAMMIT.

Here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person.

You probably know oodles about us - more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob - and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban ya. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion.

Question: Do you game during national holidays?

All three are limited to a production run of one hundred and priced at US$125. The statues are cast in bronze — bronze is heavy! For example, the Boomer weighs a whopping 11 pounds!

All three are Comic-Con 2009 exclusives.

Exclusives! [Comic-Con Thanks, Matthew!]

It includes a soundtrack CD, an original accessory set and a special sleeve. Those who pre-order can get a "Starter Set" that includes a Ninja Gaiden guide book.

According to Gearbox's Mikey Neumann, "We talk about a demo every day. We would love to do a demo. There's obviously factors there. If and when we do one, I don't know if it'd be pre-launch or post-launch, because ...there's a lot of factors there."

There are a lot of factors? There must be — Neumann said that twice.

"We would love to promise a demo, we can't quite yet, we just want to get the game done," he adds. "That's always the hardest thing for developers to do—you never quite know how the time's going to work out. We're doing really well, but I can't promise it."

Borderlands will be out this October.

Borderlands Interview: Gearbox's 'Games Are Fun' Epiphany and Why It's Already Thinking DLC [ShackNews]

The game can be downloaded here. Enjoy!

生存確認 [Sugeno's Blog via Canned Dogs]

Happy Independence Day! Mrs. Bashcraft wants to know why Americans BBQ or have cook-outs on the Fourth of July. So, why? Is it symbolic?

Side note: OH! One more thing, buddy just informed me that illustrator Chinatsu Kurahana is at the AnimeExpo — she's illustrated several best selling titles from Nitro+ like LAMENTO. Check out her site!

What you missed last night
Korean PC Game Rips-Off Team Fortress 2
GameStop Out Of Its Ducking Mind With New Wii Bundles
How One Man Spent $17,500 On A Video Game
Sony Motion Control Patent Shows Coffee Mug Gaming
Milla Jovovich Confirms "Number Four"

These promo cards are available at Japanese retailers like Sofmap and Gamers and features illustrations from famed artists. They also feature boobs. You know, boobs?

Queen's Blade is originally a Lost Worlds style "combat picture book game" and has been published in Japan for the last couple of years. Queen's Blade features only female characters, and its spin-off series Queen's Gate has showcased the likes of Iroha (Samurai Shodow), Mai Shiranui (The King of Fighters) and Dizzy (Guilty Gear).

Queen's Blade has also been spun off into an anime and the upcoming PSP game Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos, which will be released December 17 in Japan.

『クイーンズブレイド スパイラルカオス』店舗特典が判明 [Famitsu]

This new patent filing reveals a Sony motion controller that uses a mapping system to incorporate everyday objects such as "coffee mugs, drinking glasses, books, bottles, etc." as a motion controller. In the drawing, those everyday objects are illustrated by that horse-shoe-looking U in the man's hand.

Basically, this tech appears to allow players to use a variety of real world items in game play.

To map the object, players show it to the camera and rotate it so that the object is captured and saved as a file. The system can then identify this object and respond to its movements.

The manner in which the object is held can affect game play. For example, in the illustration below, the object is held "up" which reveals the lightsaber-like sword. Holding the object down turns the sword "off".

Sony Patents A Motion Control System That Uses Ordinary Objects As Controllers [Siliconera]

We're going to start shooting at the end of the year.

It's hard to hear exactly what Jovovich was asked to prompt that response. (Though the minute of footage of her droning on and on about her child? We can here that just fine.)

A paprazzi follows up Jovovich's reply by asking, "Which one is this?" Gesturing, Jovovich said, "Four."

One insider reports that Jovovich confirmed to him directly that she has signed on to do Resident Evil: Afterlife and filming will start at the end of the year.

Jovovich: Resident Evil 4 Shooting By End of '09 [ShockTillYouDrop]

Her name is also a reference to a Grand Duchess of Russia.

Putin is appearing in upcoming ero title My Girlfriend Is The President. There's also the President of Nippon — a character named "Obama". (There is also an "Obama" surname in Japanese.) This open has orange hair, green eyes and big ribbons.

The realism and accuracy are astounding. My Girlfriend Is The President is swore into office this fall. Previously, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso appeared as a character in the ero title Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!

幼なじみは大統領 [ALcot - NSFW]

Basara 3 is the "decisive battle", and new and returning characters will be appearing in this upcoming hack-and-slash.

Platform is undecided.

Sengoku Basara 3 [Capcom]

But Gears designer Dude Huge (aka "DH" aka "Cliff Bleszinski") is ready to move on.

"Stylistically though," he says, "I'd love to play in a different field in the near future in regards to what your typical expectation of a Gears of War game actually is." Lots of pastels, please!

Gears of War 2 is a slight departure visually from the first game — nothing radical, though.

Huge currently has "five projects going on right now" and says that he and his company Epic Games are going to take more risks in the future as well as make "a few safe bets that people won't be surprised to see coming." Gears of War 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, anyone?

Cliff Bleszinski: shifting gears [Develop]

An homage?

Even with the otaku toy twist, the game is a little too close to Team Fortress 2 for some on the Korean internet, where the game is kicking up a mini-controversy. The game is being called "an embarrassment" to the Korean game industry.

H.A.V.E.'s publisher SK iMedia has not made a comment about the Team Fortress 2 likeness. Check out the trailer comparison shots and wonder to yourself why they called this game H.A.V.E. and not Toy Fortress Story.

Missed opportunity, that.

팀 포티리스 2 표절 + 오덕화 ‘피규어 TPS' H.A.V.E 영상·스크린샷 공개 [The World is just awesome Thanks Torokun!]

Besides the throngs of DQ fans expected, series creator Yuji Horii and DQIX producer Ryutaro Ichimura will be in attendance. The store opens at 6:40am on the 11th, and if you're like, you might get to meet either luminaries. You might not, and hey, that's a-okay.

Mini-Bash fell off his bike on to his chin. Big gash, blood everywhere. Mrs. Bashcraft took him to the hospital — doc said he didn't need stitches.

Just glad he didn't *knock on wood* break a bone. I've never *knock on wood* broken a bone. Why the hell do people knock on wood anyway?!

What you missed last night
Miyamoto: New Zelda Won't Be "Radically Different"
Congrats! You Win An Xbox 360 With A Messed Up Slot
Starcraft II's Campaign Is Certainly Trying Something Different
Microsoft Comments On 360 Dash Advertisements
Microsoft Sued Over Xbox Live

Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

Both were stuck at their grandmother's house all day long, both itching to play Team Fortress 2. But his grandmother's house doesn't have internet or television!

"So, we decided to use our imaginations for once, and along with my brother," explains Steam user [TPG] Wade Wilson, "we decided to kinda go with the flow and create our own Team Fortress 2 RPG- Dungeons and Dragons style."

Wilson acted as dungeon master, and the game they created must have been enjoyable enough to warrant play when they got back home — AKA the land of internet and television.

"We played for around 8 hours when we had to go back home," he adds, "and I decided to stay over my cousins house and actually try to develop a full fledged game."

It's still in beta testing, and they're working out the kinks, but so far, so good says Wilson.

The Team Fortress 2 RPG (Unofficial!) [Official Site]

An insider has told ShockTillYouDrop.com that an internal studio memo is pegging Resident Evil: Afterlife for a theatrical release by September 17, 2010.

No word on whether star Milla Jovovich has officially signed on for this picture.

Resident Evil 4 Arriving in Late 2010? [ShockTillYouDrop via Latino Review]

"Why we locked the characters originally was that in the arcades, it was kind of to extend the life of the game by gradually unlocking characters," Harada explains. It factored into home consoles as a way to "protect" against renting games.

"That's kind of outdated now though, especially with online play," says Harada. "If we were to have locked characters it would irritate a lot of people, to be playing against others online and to not have all the characters available. So I think it's no longer useful."

Tekken 6 features 40 characters — all of them available from the start. Good thing? Bad thing? YOU DECIDE.

Unlockables are outdated, says Tekken chief [Videogamer via 1Up]

The game will be priced at ¥3,990 (US$41) and is slated for release on August 27.

"We developed No More Heroes with the Wii remote in mind," says series designer Goichi Suda, "but now I want to think about games with Natal in mind. I have to ask myself, as a game designer, what new games can be done with this, what can be an interesting experience and challenge, and I'm looking forward to that."

Suda adds, "It's hard to really understand it unless you use it, and it remains to be seen what you can do with it, but I think it'll be a huge device."

Japan's Game Creators Spout Their Takes on E3 [1Up via Kombo]

Since the last console Zelda, Twilight Princess, was originally developed for the GameCube and ultimately released on the Wii. The upcoming Zelda would be developed for the console from the ground-up.

Guess that means we'd be getting a brand new Zelda experience? Well...

"I don't think it's going to be that radically different," Shigeru Miyamoto told Nintendo Power.

Ah, crud.

Fingers crossed Miyamoto is simply being humble and lower expectations so Zelda hype doesn't spin out of control. Then again, maybe he's just being honest.

Read-a-Long with Nintendo Power #244 (August 2009) [Aeropause via VG247]

Before we get to a Level 97, have a look at Akira Toriyama's Level 20 character. Ready to go onward?

Here's the customized Level 54 character from Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii.

And finally, Koichi Sugiyama's Level 97 character. Nice crotch guard.

すぎやまこういちさんが誰よりも早く『ドラゴンクエスト９』をやりすぎな件 [オレ的ゲーム]

The customized console is wrapped in a first generation casing. The innards seem new, but the shell is not. Below is a picture of the A/V slot for a first generation Xbox 360.
Compare this with the HDMI-equipped A/V slot of the Xbox 360 Elite.
Now look at this Frankenconsole mess.
The A/V and HDMI slots are shoehorned into a casing designed for only an A/V Slot. Meaning? It's not possible to plug the A/V cable in and difficult to even get the HDMI cable in there. Last we checked, being able to plug your console in is kind of important.

Thanks Toast for the tip!

Joshua Carter (18), Patrick Early (16) and Derrick Henson (13) have all been arrested on felony charges for stealing a neighbor's Wii. According to Early, his mother, 41-year-old Maxine Law, helped them unload the console at a local pawn shop — even though she knew it was stolen.

The Florida state attorney's office is looking into the matter, and Orlando's WFTV reports that it is possible that Maxine Law could be charged with dealing in stolen property and contributing to the delinquency of minors. You'd think that someone named Law would know better.

Kids Steal Wii, Mom Arrested After Pawning It [WFTV via Destructoid]

Out this fall in Japan, God Eaters also offers goodies like character creation and the ability to customize and make weapons (sound familiar?), and like MH, this PSP titles has four player co-op. Just be glad they didn't call it God Eater Hunters.

Or maybe, shame they didn't!

So if you are going to really learn StarCraft, then ByunTae wants you to learn it from an "authentic Korean". That's right, not a fake Korean, an authentic one. From his Craigslist posting:

Hi, my name is ByunTae from South Korea. I have been playing Starcraft since 1998 and I was born and raised in Korea. I'm 100% full blooded Korean, meaning I have been gifted with unparallel talent to master any video game, particularly, Starcraft: Brood War. I'm also experienced in Counter-Strike, I am able to perform bunny hops, my best score on a public 32 player game was 171-2 with 170 kill streak. I'm offering my expertise in Starcraft to be taught to non-Koreans that wishes to have the skill of a Korean player.

ByunTae goes on to claim he's advised and coached Korean pros and will teach you unit management, map strategies, how to use in-game bugs to your advantage, and even basic Korean "to communicate with Koreans on Battle.net". He goes on to add:

My lessons will result in:
Faster APM (actions per minute) - average professional gamers range from 250-550. Average player is about 100.
Better Win/Loss Ratio
Chance to become a professional gamer in Korea - Celebrity status, especially for foreigners, like Guillaume Patry (Grrr...) and Bertrand Grospellier (Elky)
Bragging rights, that you're as good as a Korean in Starcraft
You will be called a hacker because you're so good.
Korean girls will be intrigued that you're such a good Starcraft player.

My lessons are offered to only non-Koreans or American born Koreans because they lack the blessing from the Gaming God, Norazi.

The price of this "authenticity" starts at twenty-five bucks an hour.

Starcraft lessons from authentic Korean (richmond / seacliff) [Craigslist Thanks AJ!]

Officially, China's Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Commerce said that in-game monies "will only be allowed to trade in virtual goods and services provided by its issuer, not real goods and services."

According to a release from the two bodies, "using virtual money for gambling will be punished by public security authorities, and minors may not buy virtual money." Sure, the Chinese government hopes to curb gambling and illicit trade, as well as money laundering via virtual money, but this ruling is not a ban.

Professor Richard Heeks of The University of Manchester explains:

This is a government restriction on the use of the quasi-Paypal-like currencies (mainly QQ coins) that are used extensively in China to pay for virtual game stuff. As announced they can now only be used to pay for virtual stuff, and you can't buy real things with them as game companies were allowing to happen, nor can you gamble. This therefore is not about what gold farming clients do: use real money to buy these virtual currencies; it's the mirror image. And it's not about the major trade in gold farming such as World of Warcraft, which relates to other types of virtual currency. And it's not about buying/selling in-game items. And it's not about the power-levelling of avatars. Bottom line: it's not about gold farming.

China Bans Gold Farming!! … Er … But In Fact It Hasn't [ICTs for Development via IncGamers]

Oh yeah, I grew up in Dallas. Been to Fort Worth a gajillion times. No, a gajillion and one. Who's counting?

Speaking of air conditioning (smooth, eh?), Japanese buildings don't typically have central air — but rather, individual air conditioner units you put on the wall near the ceiling. We have several of these... Haven't turned them on yet. Probably should, it's getting hot and muggy. Wonder how long I can go without A/C....

What you missed last night
Ads Coming To Xbox 360 Dashboard?
Damnation Developers Laid Off
PS3 Slim Entering Production, Ready By July
Why Is There A Tanned Fairy In Dragon Quest IX?

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