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  This Collection of Old Apple Hardware Is Heroic

  If you are super old like me (hello old friends!), you’ll remember using some of these Apple computers. If you are a young whippersnapper (hello young friends!), you might not—but you should still enjoy perusing the retro hardware that’s on display. You are looking at a Russian collection of Apple computers, which website English Russia…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012
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  Rumor: First “Leaked” Kinect 2 Image Shows Fingers and Head Patting

  An image that allegedly shows off Kinect 2 has hit the internet. It not only shows improved depth perception, but a higher level of detail—such as being able to read people’s fingers and discern clothing. There’s head patting, too. As Kotaku first revealed, the next Xbox is codenamed “Durango”. Previously, insiders told Kotaku that the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Does this Japanese Soccer RPG Look Better on the 3DS? Yes.

  Level-5, the folks behind Professor Layton, are bringing the first three Inazuma Eleven Nintendo DS games to the 3DS with sharper graphics. Above, you can see how the original graphics stack up to the 3DS ones. As part of Inazuma Eleven‘s fifth anniversary, the three games will be out this winter as a single compilation…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Robot Children, Here Are Your Backpacks

  Every Japanese grade schooler lugs around a big leather backpack called a “randoseru” (ランドセル). They’re sturdy and pricey, because they’re supposed last all six years of primary school. Girls usually get red or pink randoseru, while boys get black or blue. Robots? Well, they get randoseru from retail chain Nitori—complete with a six year warranty!…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012
• Kotaku East

  How Dragon Quest X Could Forever Change the Gaming Landscape in Japan

  MMORPGs are far from popular in Japan, especially when compared to the West. There have been a few MMO successes—e.g. Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy XI—but the MMO market is so small in general that even MMO juggernaut World of Warcraft has never been released here. On one level, this is because most MMOs…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 10, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japan’s Ugliest Console Game Delayed. Again.

  There are three things you can count on: Death, taxes, and Daisenryaku Perfect: Ruler of the Battlefield being delayed. A real Japanese game studio with a real office and real desks and real computers is developing this absolutely crappy-looking game. The game is slated to be released on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 for…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012
• Kotaku East

  A Bastion for Bigots and Shameless Racists

  Yesterday in London (early this morning in Japan), the US women’s soccer team played against Japan for Olympic gold. It was a squeaker, but America won 2-1. While the Associated Press interviewed Japanese fans who said things like, “Given that the United States is such a good team, the result is not surprising” or that…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012
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  Steampunk Xbox 360 Pad is Queen Victoria’s Controller of Choice

  Reader Devin has turned a regular ol’ Xbox 360 controller into something a little fancier: this steampunk pad, which not only coats the controller in a rusty finish but adds a lot of neat touches like new buttons. I like the little screws replacing the “start” and “select” buttons the best, but the toxic green…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  This PC Game Has Some of the Best Robots (And Boss Fights) I’ve Ever Seen

  Intrusion 2 is an indie platformer for the PC that, at first glance, looks like a game of Scribblenauts where someone typed “big guns” and “giant robots” then the ability to enter anything else just disappeared. Which is just fine. Because Intrusion 2 is splendid the way it is, thanks. It’s got great robot design,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  The Only Thing Cooler Than a LEGO Batmobile is a Motorised LEGO Batmobile

  Genius human Peer Kreuger has built these LEGO replicas of vehicles from The Dark Knight Rises, which not only look just like their on-screen counterparts, but act like them as well. The motorised Bat doesn’t really fly, it’s far too heavy for that, but faking it makes for a nice touch in the surprisingly professional…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  Warframe, The Next Game From The Darkness II’s Developers, Looks Interesting

  In case you missed it last time, Warframe is a “cooperative 3rd-person action free-to-play game” from Digital Extremes, the team behind The Darkness II. I’m still sceptical, because free-to-play shooters require a balance only a select few developers can manage, but for something with an art style that looks this cool, I’ll keep an open…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
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  What a Video Game Olympics Could Look Like

  Earlier this week, Stephen wondered if video games could ever be considered as an Olympic sport. He meant the medium as a whole, but if they ever did make it, they’d need specific events. Which is where artist Jay Lee Walsh steps in. Designed to look like retro Olympics posters, these pieces take common video…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  You Can’t Really Sell a Console Showing Humans Trapped in a Glass Box

  I get it. The GameCube was a cube. So you can show stuff happening inside a cube. It’s an advertising brief that writes itself. But for every awesome shot in this old Nintendo commercial – like samurai doing battle, or the world’s only Tie Interceptor living in captivity – there’s something silly. Unnecessary. A little…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  What is This Weirdly Sexual Mario Image I Don’t Even Um OK

  The live-action Mario movie is like a giant scab on your knee. It’s gross, and an eyesore, yet for whatever reason many of us just can’t resist picking at it. Most of the time that invokes painful memories, but not today. Today it’ll provoke some different, much stranger emotions. Witness Golden’s Super Mario Bros. The…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Commander Shepard’s $350 Statue Looks Lonely Without Tiny Plastic Space Hamsters

  Sideshow Collectibles will next year be releasing a $350 statue based on Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard. The default male Shepard, in case you hadn’t somehow already seen the image up top (or the glimpse we caught of him at this year’s Comic-Con). Standing 19″ tall, and including an omni-tool and assault rifle, you can pre-order…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
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  Prom Couple Ditch Corsage For Minecraft Swords

  Seeing as the boutonnière I wore to my “prom” (we call them “formals” down here) pierced my jacket then flesh and went straight for my heart, I’m 100% down with alternatives to small fake flowers adorned atop enormous metal spikes. Like these Minecraft swords. Tacky, perhaps, but much safer. My friend and I decided we…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012
• Culture

  This Halo Concept Art is so Old it’s Drawn on Paper

  Lovers of Halo (or of art in the most traditional sense) should dig these images from artist Eddie Smith, who over the years has worked on several games in the epic sci-fi saga. The more recent the games are, the more modern the art, but my favourites are Smith’s pieces for the first two Halos,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 9, 2012
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  Skyward Sword‘s Golden Nunchuk Comes to North America

  Late last year Nintendo made a gold Nunchuk, matching the golden Wii remote for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, available for Club Nintendo members in Japan. The company’s now decided that North American members can pick up one, too. You’ll need a balance of 900 coins in Club Nintendo’s rewards program to claim it.…

  By Owen Good Published August 9, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  Crysis 3 Will Make me Upgrade my PC, if This Beautiful Trailer is Anything to go on

  This clip, which is masquerading as a Crysis 3 trailer but is really a showreel for the game’s engine, is beautiful. It claims to be running in real-time, and to have been captured from Crysis 3 the game, not Crysis 3 the tech demo. Unless it’s a clip full of lies, this would have to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 9, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  Grand Theft Auto’s Liberty City Has Been Buried in Sand, And it Looks Incredible

  While most Grand Theft Auto IV mods do little more than add a stupid character to the game or mess with the visuals, this mod – called Desert Storm – does something way more drastic. It covers the city in sand. Like, it buries the entire city in the stuff. In a very Spec Ops/Dubai…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 9, 2012