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  Bubble Safari Goes Mobile, Under the Sea

  Suddenly hip to the fact that folks love the hell out of some colored bubble popping, Zynga launches a pair of new games in the seven-month-old Bubble Safari series. Is it still a safari if it’s underwater? First off we’ve got the promised mobile version of the original monkey-powered Bubble Safari, available for free on…

  By Mike Fahey Published December 13, 2012
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  You Can Finally Get a Taste of Rayman Legends in This Week’s Nintendo Download

  I really freakin’ loved Rayman Origins when it hit consoles last year. And I loved the Rayman Jungle Run mobile game that showed up on iOS and Android a few months ago. Remember that I raved about the music in those games, too? So, you can probably guess that I’m psyched for Rayman Legends on…

  By Evan Narcisse Published December 13, 2012
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  Kotaku Timeline: The Last Guardian

  The question whether video games are art has been bothering gamers, journalists and critics alike for a long while. Proponents might say that art is subjective, that anything capable of eliciting a deep emotional response could be considered art. Then, perhaps, there is no greater argument for calling video games art than Team ICO’s work.…

  András Neltz Published December 13, 2012
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  Kotaku Gallery: The Last Guardian

  January 24, 2008 click here to return to our last guardian timeline! June 10, 2009 click here to return to our last guardian timeline! June 10, 2009 click here to return to our last guardian timeline! June 10, 2009 click here to return to our last guardian timeline! February 1, 2010 click here to return…

  András Neltz Published December 13, 2012
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  Old Hitman Games to Get HD Treatment

  Confirming rumors that emerged this summer, Square-Enix tells us that we can soon expect high-definition re-releases of the earlier games in the Hitman franchise. Both Hitman Trilogy HD and Hitman Trilogy HD Premium Edition are slated to arrive January 29, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, respectively. The compilations will feature: 3 classic Hitman titles…

  András Neltz Published December 13, 2012
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  How Much Does This Guy Love Street Fighter? More Than You Do, Probably.

  Before you decide to snicker at this guy, just know that he’s the reason you’re getting a new Mega Man game. The gentleman channeling Dhalsim is Seow Zong Hui, the pro gamer who also goes by the name “Sonic”. These pictures came up while doing a search for Hui as prep for the interview about…

  By Evan Narcisse Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  A U.F.O. Crashed in Japan? Ha, Ha, Ha. That’s Rich.

  Earlier this week, there was a report on a couple of English language sites that a U.F.O. crashed in Japan, and the country’s navy released a photo. Maybe you don’t believe in aliens. Maybe you want to believe. Or maybe you just like to be amused. The story originated on website In Other Newz, a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Two Similar Franchises Become Even More Similar With Simultaneously Announced “Charge” Weapons

  Monster Hunter, the franchise that breathed life into the PSP, and arguably one of the biggest reasons that the 3DS outsells the DS in Japan. In the latest incarnation of the series, Monster Hunter 4 players will be able to wield not just one, but two new weapons with which to combat giant predators: The…

  By Toshi Nakamura Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japanese Textbook Gives Sega The Cold Shoulder

  Sega. Founded in 1940, the company has come a long way from its origins as a jukebox and slot machine maintenance firm. Until the boom of the PlayStation console, Sega stood alongside Nintendo as one of the Big Two video game console manufacturers. Long after its retreat from the console market back in 2001, Sega…

  By Toshi Nakamura Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japanese Cop Arrested for Illegally Filming a Magical Girl Anime

  While it seems like Japanese police are arresting people for breaking the country’s copyright law, now one of their own has been busted… for breaking the country’s copyright law. A 38 year-old police sergeant in Fukushima has been charged after allegedly using his digital camera to illegally capture the latest feature film version of anime…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Here’s What Japanese Gamers Suggest for Holiday Gifts

  The Christmas season is upon us once again (as was frightfully apparent from the Christmas songs that started playing sometime around, oh, November 1st… (seriously, at least wait for Thanksgiving to be over)), and soon gifts will be piled under the Christmas tree for all to see and wonder at what goodies are contained within.…

  By Toshi Nakamura Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Colin Powell’s Advice for Japanese Youth: Eat Protein

  In an interview with Asahi, respected general Colin Powell was asked about Japanese youth—namely those young men who are called “herbivores”. It seems Powell might have taken the term literally. The Japanese phrase is “soushoku-kei” (草食系), and it’s come to refer to a generation of less masculine males who are less interested in pursuing dates…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  China’s Pepsi Flavored Potato Chips Actually Make Perfect Sense

  Just as cooking with beer works extremely well, cola is used in cooking throughout China—and beyond. Coca-cola is perhaps the most common in China, but Frito-Lay isn’t a division of Coke. It’s a division of PepsiCo. Thus, Pepsi-Cola chicken-flavor Lay’s potato chips. The chips launched earlier this year, and the flavor is less fizzy, more…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2012
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  Here Are the Next Two Studio Ghibli Anime

  Next summer, Studio Ghibli is releasing two films in Japan: Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises) and Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya). Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, will direct Kaze Tachinu, while Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) will helm Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, Eiga reports (via tsk06 and ANN). As…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2012
• Kotaku East

  This Japanese Meme Is an Eyeful

  Sponsors make television possible. And in Japan, those sponsors dominate the commercial breaks. During each show, they even get one shout out right before a commercial break, with an announcer saying that the program is brought to you by whatever. Normal enough, right? The ensuing meme is anything but. Welcome to the world of “sponsor…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2012
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  A Sad Reminder That Some Kickstarter Games Don’t Work Out As Planned

  Back in February, a Kickstarter game called Code Hero won a lot of hearts with its promise of teaching players how to actually make a game. It also won a lot of money, with backers pledging $170,000 to get it made, $70,000 over the game’s original target. Since then, though, things haven’t exactly gone according…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2012
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  Paying Tribute to the Coolest Girls In The World (Even If They’re Not Real)

  Girls: Fact + Fiction is an exhibition running at the Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis which will be running through January 4. It’s awesome. Since most of you won’t be able to make it in person, though, here’s a selection of some of the best pieces, most of which are available for purchase. The…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2012
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  Gamespy Says, No, They Totally Did Not Cut People’s Multiplayer Games Without Warning

  Earlier this week, Sniper Elite developers Rebellion posted a message claiming that the termination of their game’s online multiplayer was the result of providers Gamespy pulling the plug without warning. Their claims were echoed on the provider’s Facebook page, where gamers began complaining that some of their favourite titles had suddenly and without warning had…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2012
• Culture

  Paying Tribute to Some Movie Stars (And Vampires)

  Joshua Black is a concept artist who has worked on games like the adaptations of Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 In the gallery above you’ll see a selection of his work, both professional and personal. If you like what you see, you can find more at his personal page and CGHub site

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2012
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  Judgment Delivers the Multiplayer Feature Gears of War Fans Demanded

  Beast Mode vs. Horde Mode. Gears of War fans started batting around that concept even before Gears of War 3 introduced Beast Mode two years ago. Hell, some folks thought that’s what they were getting in Gears of War 3 “Everyone kept saying, ‘Wow, why can’t we do both of those?'” said Chris Wynn, the…

  By Owen Good Published December 13, 2012