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  The Hardest Games Only Truly Open Up When You Get Better At Them

  Think about some of the hardest games you’ve ever played. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Guaranteed at least a considerable portion of those games must have come from your childhood days, on consoles long forgotten. When I think back to the games I’ve found most difficult, I remember how, with time and practice, they seemed to…

  By Tina Amini Published August 21, 2012
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  In Remember Me, Social Networks Are Being Used Against Us. You Know, More Than They Already Are

  What if a game let you go inside of the heads of characters and manipulate their memories? A year ago a small Paris-based studio called Dontnod revealed a game called Adrift that let you do just that. Adrift separated itself with the pack with the concept of manipulating, stealing, and even creating memories as a…

  by James Pikover Published August 21, 2012
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  Everyone Needs Companion Cube Women’s Briefs. Everyone.

  The fine folks at Jinx have rolled out a fresh batch of Valve products, featuring some amazing Portal 2 shirts and a pair of underwear that you’ll need to incinerate to earn your freedom. I showed the Companion Cube underwears to a female friend of mine this morning, who responded with “OMG everyone needs those.”…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 21, 2012
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  Warhammer Slaughters Its Way From The Tabletop to The Handheld

  Games Workshop’s vintage tabletop series Warhammer is trying once again to leave a memorable impression on the video game world, this time with a mobile title called Warhammer Quest. While its sci-fi sibling 40K has had a number of high-profile success stories, the original fantasy series has struggled when it comes to digital entertainment, with…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend is More Than Just Another Music Game

  Hatsune Miku, the virtual idol, is truly a star in Japan. From a lowly beginning as a piece of music composition software, she now does everything from TV commercials to live concerts via hologram—in addition to “singing” thousands of fan-made songs across the internet. Since 2009, Miku—and her many virtual idol friends—have starred in a…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  No, Really, There Is One Piece Perfume

  For those of you who’ve always wanted to smell like One Piece, you’re in luck! Namco Bandai is offering perfume crafted in the image of One Piece characters Luffy, Boa, and Ace. Luffy smells fresh and green, Boa smells fruity and floral, and Ace smells of citrus and lavender. Bandai’s online shop is currently sold…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Funny, I Don’t Remember Digimon Being This Sexy

  My memory is foggy. I’m getting older. But I sure don’t remember Digimon being this sexualized. Do you? Today, Namco Bandai announced some new Digimon content, including touch-based mobile title Digimon Crusader. The game, which is an RPG, seems way more adult than the Digimon games I remember. Maybe because the first wave of Digimon…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  The Adulterous Shame of Green Hats

  Luigi has it rough. He has to play second banana to Mario, save for those occasional movements when he can strike out on his own. But, heck, the new Luigi’s Mansion game was delayed to next year. But that’s the least of the character’s troubles. See, Luigi wears a green hat. In China, Luigi’s get-up…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Why Hatsune Miku is the World’s Most Popular Virtual Idol

  Hatsune Miku is more than a little big in Japan. She appears on billboards, in TV commercials, and gives sold-out concerts to legions of fans the world over. Of course, being a popular singer in and of itself isn’t something that out of the ordinary. However, what makes her unique is the rather large obstacle…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Rent iPhone 5 Parts Right Now for Under $8,000!

  According to Chinese site NetEase, iPhone 5 parts are floating around Shenzhen, where the device is supposedly assembled. Floating around for a price, that is. The site has numerous photos of what’s purported to be iPhone 5 parts, but it adds (via MIC): “…taking a peek at it will cost you money. If you want…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Watch Hatsune Miku Sing and Dance to Call Me Maybe

  Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend is a music game starring virtual idol Hatsune Miku. It plays similar to most music games. When a shape lines up with its corresponding shape-outline, press the button on the PSP that matches the shape. The game also includes an edit mode which not only allows you to remake the…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Report: Internet Cafe Forces Humiliation on Japanese Customers

  If you’re Japanese and you’re in Korea, you might want to check your email or play some computer games. Good thing the country has thousands of net cafes (called PC bang). Too bad this one is run by a jerk. The above image is making its way through cyberspace in both South Korea and Japan.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Is It Possible to Make Pokémon More Adorable? More Beautiful? Yes, It Seems.

  Because, let’s face, it: Pokémon are already pretty damn cute. Yet, Japanese artist Ginger Ale is turning up the adorable meter up to ten (eleven?) for this series of Pocket Monster art. Love the pastels, and the whole watercolor look. There’s a nice children’s book vibe going on that really doesn’t exist in the games…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Man Arrested for Being King of All the (Fake) Pirates

  Tokyo police arrested a 21 year-old Chinese man for violating Japanese copyright law. The man, a student at a Japanese vocational school, was taken into custody for selling phony One Piece figurines. Since February 2011, the man allegedly sold approximately 1,300 fake One Piece figures via online auctions, earning ¥5 million (US$63,000). The man got…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2012
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  EA is Working to Shut Down a FIFA “Hack” Loophole That Made The Company Millions

  Last year, a ton of Xbox 360 owners began complaining that they’d been “hacked”, and because much of the money stolen ended up being spent on EA’s FIFA 12, it was believed the game was somehow responsible. It wasn’t, of course. The truth, at least in some small part, was far more complicated than that.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012
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  A Pretty Little Game Trailer to Finish Off Your Day

  Or, depending on where you are in the world, start it! This clip is for Toybox, an interesting combination of a puzzler and a shooter that can best be described as the video game equivalent of trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time. It looks fun, but part of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012
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  An Arcade Cabinet That Looks as Good as it Plays

  Tom Goodfellow’s custom arcade cabinet, christened the Replay, isn’t here for the games inside it, or the things it can do. It’s here because it looks terrific. Call that vain if you must, but that’s the point. It’s a designer arcade cabinet. Goodfellow sums it up as: A design of simple clean lines that has…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012
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  Pokémon vs Zombies: Now With “Gameplay” Footage

  No doubt inspired by these recent gifs on the very same topic, reader Steve has gone and made a video with “gameplay” footage of the greatest game that never existed: Pokémon vs Zombies. What makes it great isn’t just the fact it’s combining two blockbuster series. It’s that it’s combining two series that, as you…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012
• Culture

  The Art of Paul Chadeisson

  Frenchman Paul Chadeisson is a concept artist who has worked on games like Shootmania, card games like Star Wars Galaxies and cartoons like Tron: Uprising. You might have seen his name last week, though, for the work he’s done for Dontnod on Capcom’s upcoming Remember Me, which we once knew as Adrift You can see…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  Racism, Violence & Madness Make This Awful Hong Kong Game One to Remember

  Sleeping Dogs has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. Part of the game’s appeal is the fact it’s set in Hong Kong, which raises the question: why aren’t more games based around one of the world’s most iconic and populous cities? The answer may well be that this old thing scared…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 21, 2012