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  Kotaku East

  The Physics of… Face Slapping

  Nico Nico Douga user MuniMuni modeled Buddhist goddess Thousand-armed Kannon in a physics engine to see what would happen if the deity slapped someone in the face. Initially, MuniMuni created the goddess with all one thousand arms, but that turned each cluster of limbs into giant blobs. Instead, MuniMuni decided that 42 arms seemed a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2013
• Kotaku East

  A Father Took Seven Years to Draw This Maze. It Might Be Impossible to Clear.

  When not racking up scores on Konami music game Jubeat, Kya7y is on Twitter. And something she recently shared there, for lack of a better word, is amazing. Thirty years ago, she tweeted, her dad spent seven years and several months drawing this maze on a sheet of A1 paper that measures approximately 35 by…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2013
• Kotaku East

  Hello Gaijin-san Face, Open Wide!

  This week, Japanese restaurant chain Gusto started running a new series of commercials. It features the above woman, a “handsome foreign man” as the chain’s website says, and two comedians. So, what’s the problem? The two Japanese comedians in the commercial, Ungirls, can be funny—at times. For this spot, they are “disguised”. This is a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  Watch StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm‘s Opening Right Here

  StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is the upcoming expansion for StarCraft II. And as this opening cinematic shows, it starts with a bang. Heart of the Swarm will be out this March. The next expansion, Legacy of the Void, will be out at a later date. In case you missed it, check out Kotaku‘s…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 22, 2013
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  Uh, Link, You Might Want To Pick On Someone Your Own Size

  Artist Tom Kyster wanted to paint a picture of Skyward Sword’s Silent Realm Guardians for a recent Zelda art show. Sadly, he missed the deadline. Happily, he finished the piece anyway and sent it over, because it’s pretty damn good. You can see more of Tom’s art at his personal site and blog

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013
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  Mr. Devil May Cry “Fan”, This Is Not How Democracy Works

  The Obama administration has a lot of important things to do. Weighed against acts of governing the world’s sole superpower, the Devil May Cry series is not important, no matter what some crazy fans might argue. Don’t tell that to the creators of this petition on the White House’s official site, though, who plead with…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013
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  EA Was Out To “Trick” Gamers, Says Alice Creator American McGee

  The marketing for Alice: Madness Returns was dark. The game itself, though, was mostly just strange, with a dash of quaint. Why the disconnect? Well, according to the series’ creator American McGee, it’s all EA’s fault. In a Reddit AMA thread yesterday, McGee says that while Shy The Sun (a creative company brought in to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013
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  Lady Wants To Role-Play Star Trek, Posts Crazy Craigslist Ad

  Wanting to engage in the most literal type of role-playing there is, a woman has posted an ad on Craigslist seeking “2 or 3 women for Star Trek roleplaying”. The fact it has to end with the line “Nothing weird is going to happen” hints that, yeah, maybe some weird stuff is going to happen.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013
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  Nerd Artist Gives The Xbox A Long-Overdue Makeover

  Artist Cory Schmitz has, just for fun, taken the idea of redesigning the Xbox “brand” and run with it. I like where he’s ended up. Maintaining the green and prominent “X”, just about everything else we associate with the platform’s marketing is gone, replaced with something far cleaner and more distinct. Just, literally, an X…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013
• Culture

  How Many Arms Does It Take To Screw In A Sci-Fi Lightbulb?

  Jeong Shin is a concept artist who, having previously worked at toy company Mattel, is now employed at Ubisoft Montreal, where some of the projects he’s worked on include Far Cry 3 and Watch Dogs If you like what you see here, you can check out more of Jeong’s stuff on his personal site To…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  You Won’t Get A New Daytona, But This Is Probably The Next Best Thing

  For a lot of people, myself included, the arcade racer was at the peak of its powers in the 1990s. Games like Daytona, SCUD Race and a guilty pleasure of mine, Namco’s Ace Driver, hit a sweet spot of visual prowess, accessibility and the opportunity for public showmanship. So it’s nice to see someone else…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  Iron Man Cosplay Has A Real Laser Gun That Actually Shoots Stuff

  You know, I thought I’d seen the ultimate in Iron Man cosplay last year, and from a decorative standpoint, I probably have. But Anthony “Master” Le’s outfits don’t shoot real lasers like this thing does. AnselmoFanZero from Laser Gadgets has built this incredible “Functional Iron Man Laser Gauntlet”, which does exactly as it says. It…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  Game Boy Advance Sprites Look Great With Real Life Backgrounds

  Check out this tribute to a bunch of different GBA games, if not character sprites from that era. Kind of makes me wish someone would try a game that tried this aesthetic out in full, but alas, YouTube user The Pixel Kingdom’s video will have to do for now. Game Boy Advance [GBA] Games in…

  By Patricia Hernandez Published January 21, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  How To Survive A Semtex Grenade Plus Other Black Ops II Myths Put To The Test

  Finding out all the small, unexpected quirks of how different mechanics clash with each other in games is fascinating, and that’s basically the premise for all these Mythbuster-esque videos we regularly feature. Usually, it’s Halo 4. Not this time. Here are some Black Ops II myths put to the test by YouTube user defendthehouse, including…

  By Patricia Hernandez Published January 21, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  Sick Of His Lego Wii, He Upgraded To A Lego Wii U

  YouTuber Kooberz has a ridiculous collection of Legos, and he uses it to keep us entertained. This time, he’s upgraded his Lego Wii to a Lego Wii U, complete with GamePad—which he actually built as a shell for his iPad! How cool is that? Also, Donkey Kong Country music makes this video eternally rewatchable.

  By Jason Schreier Published January 21, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  If There Were An Ikaruga Movie, It Would Look Like This

  Brought to you by YouTube user bloodrunsclear, the impressive editor behind fake trailers for Day Z and Dishonored, this movie is based on footage from actual movies (and custom voiceover). Ikaruga, you may remember, was a shoot-em-up for Dreamcast in which you had to switch between red and blue polarities in order to take down…

  By Jason Schreier Published January 21, 2013
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  Uncategorized

  Killer App: The Vita (Finally) Gets Its Very Own Anime Fishing Game

  This is Let’s Fish! Hooked On, a new game for the Vita that lets you play as anime guys and gals who like to go fishing. Out on January 29 for $19.99, Let’s Fish! was developed by Japanese studio SIMS, one of the companies behind SEGA Bass Fishing and Ape Escape, among other games. Here’s…

  By Jason Schreier Published January 21, 2013
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  Unreported Bugs On The Sim City Beta Could Get You Banned On All EA Games

  Always, always, always read the fine print or the EULA. Not paying attention to the rules can get you in trouble, though in this case, ‘the rules’ are kind of absurd. So the point of alphas and betas are, ostensibly, to test games out and report bugs, yes? According to Ars Technica, the EULA on…

  By Patricia Hernandez Published January 21, 2013
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  Here Are A Bunch Of Wonderful Left 4 Dead 2 Mods Courtesy Of Steam Workshop

  Valve just recently moved Steam Workshop out of beta, and we’re already seeing a ton of great mods ready for your clicking. We’ve had access to mods before, that’s nothing new. But Valve’s Steam Workshop completely streamlines the process of adding them in, making the ability to have smarter AI, new weapons and newly skinned…

  By Tina Amini Published January 21, 2013
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  The Most Badass Dragons In Gaming

  Whether they’re allies or foes, tiny or towering beasts, robotic, undead or living, the kings of reptiles will always represent brutal power in any game. When they make their appearance, you can be certain that devastation, destruction, and, well, probably the end of the game, will follow. We have collected below some of the most…

  By Gergo Vas Published January 21, 2013