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  The Best Humble Bundle Just Got Better

  Today, Super Meat Boy, Braid and Lone Survivor were added to the fifth installment of the Humble Indie Bundle. Just when you think things couldn’t get more awesome. [HumbleBundle.com]

  By Nick Vannucci Published June 7, 2012
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  New Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance Trailer Showcases Mickey, Minnie, Dragons Riding Meteors

  Nintendo released this new trailer for Square Enix’s zany action-RPG last night. It’s looking pretty neat, particularly the Fantasia and Three Musketeers sections. And Mickey! Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will be out July 31 for Nintendo 3DS.

  By Jason Schreier Published June 7, 2012
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  The Wii U’s ZombiU Could be Stealing the Scene On Other Platforms

  Ubisoft’s new zombie game ZombiU really impressed me when I played it at E3. As it turns out, despite its reliance on the Wii U’s second handheld screen, the game might not be exclusive to Nintendo’s upcoming console after all. Speaking with IGN, Ubisoft’s Tony Key said that the game might at some point come…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published June 7, 2012
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  The Weekly Download is Some of the Best News Nintendo’s Released All Week

  LEGO Batman! Prince of Persia! The Last Blade! Curling! If Nintendo had announced this week’s downloadable titles during their E3 2012 press conferences, maybe we wouldn’t all be trudging around like sad puppies today. I mean check out that lineup! You’ve got the original platforming action hero, an SNK arcade classic, a sport that Canadians…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 7, 2012
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  E3’s Unsolved Mystery: Are Watch Dogs and Star Wars: 1313 Really Next-Gen Games?

  Are we actually seeing PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 video games at E3 and no one’s admitting it? That’s been a popular theory all week here in Los Angeles and reporters and game creators buzz about the extraordinary-looking gameplay demonstrations of Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs and LucasArts’ Star Wars 1313. Both games looked way too graphically…

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 7, 2012
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  Scribblenauts Unlimited is the First Wii U Game by a Kotaku Columnist. Take a Look.

  When Jeremiah Slaczka isn’t answering your questions here on Kotaku, he’s running 5TH Cell, the game development studio behind Scribblenauts and other interesting games. There’s a Scribblenauts on the Wii U and—wouldn’t you know it—he would like to show it to you. Here’s Jeremiah, with Scribblenauts Unlimited

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 7, 2012
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  How to Painlessly Play Max Payne 3 PC on Max Settings

  If you’ve been a gamer for at least a decade, then you will recognize Max Payne as the PC third-person shooter of the early 2000s. Notable for its film noir style and use of the bullet time effect (The Matrix), Max Payne’s character went on to surpass anyone’s expectations with several console ports, a sequel,…

  Steven Walton | Techspot Published June 7, 2012
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  Behold the Retron 2, A Machine that Is Both an NES and a SNES

  There is a machine called the Retron 3, released last year by the gaming hardware folks at Hyperkin. That thing was a combo Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. What comes after the Retron 3? The Retron 2. A little weird, right? But I guess some people only wanted the NES-SNES combo. Also…

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 7, 2012
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  I’ve Carefully Avoided Dancing Since Junior High. Dance Central 3 Broke My Streak.

  There are some things in the world that are always true: The sun rises in the east. Water is wet. Kate Cox does not dance, and you cannot make her. Not even with alcohol involved. My E3 schedule for Wednesday had “Microsoft / Kinect” on it. I arrived for my appointment and confirmed I’d be…

  By Kate Cox Published June 7, 2012
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  Ready Player One Is a Video Game Lover’s Only Summer ‘Must Read’

  Summer is nearly upon us, and it’s a real possibility that someone will forcibly remove you from the house in order to vacation, in which case, you’ll need a beach read to ward off the console cravings. Ready Player One, a novel about a dystopian future so bleak that people choose to live almost entirely…

  Sponsored post Published June 7, 2012
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  Lego City Undercover Is Basically Grand Theft Auto With Cops. And Legos.

  You can run around a very blocky open world in Lego City Undercover, an upcoming Wii U game with some cool new features. Don’t expect any blood or prostitutes here, but City Undercover really does feel a lot like a brickified Grand Theft Auto: you walk and drive around an open city, following missions and…

  By Jason Schreier Published June 7, 2012
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  Assassin’s Creed III Brings a Crafty, Fresh Take on King-Of-The-Hill

  At E3, I had a chance to play a couple rounds of multiplayer in Assassin’s Creed III. The general setup is about the same as in the last couple Assassin’s Creed games—the core of the game is to remain incognito while hunting your opponents down. There are many copies of your character model, so it’s…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published June 7, 2012
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves and the Pikmens

  The final official full day of E3 2012 is upon us, and you folks certainly have a lot to talk about in Kotaku‘s official forum, Talk Amongst Yourselves. Once again Pan_1da7 is on the cutting edge of TAYpic manipulation technology, infesting our Primavera with tiny plant creatures. I think I’ve been to that restaurant. Want…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 7, 2012
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  Transformers Trail-Holy Crap That’s Metroplex

  The music choice is…regrettable, but everything else in this trailer for the upcoming Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is almost perfect. Dear Michael Bay, This is what a Transformers movie should have looked liked. Regards, Kotaku. Mike got his hands on the game yesterday, so expect impressions and thoughts on it later today!

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2012
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  Square Enix Is Releasing A Brand New, Original, Old-School Final Fantasy Game

  It’s called Final Fantasy Dimensions, and it will be out for iOS and Android this summer. Looks like Final Fantasy IV or Final Fantasy V, no? It’s not: it’s a nostalgia-themed original game with touchscreen controls and some seriously classic gameplay. It was also released in Japan two years ago under the name Final Fantasy…

  By Jason Schreier Published June 7, 2012
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  And Now I’m a Frog. A Singing Demonic Frog

  Earlier this week Sony Online Entertainment revealed its new SOEmote technology, which enables EverQuest 2 players to map their facial expressions and mouth movements to their in-game character. This creeped many people the fuck out. I just had to try it. So I met up with the company’s resident frog and king of all things…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 7, 2012
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  Do Not Show Your Children This Trailer for Skylanders Giants

  It might be well-animated and feature the voice of someone I am relatively sure is Bobcat Goldthwait, but the only thing this trailer for Skylanders Giants is really good for is making your children annoying and your wallet ache. I mean look at that. Not only are there a ton of new toys to purchase,…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 7, 2012
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  Watch the Moga Change an Android Phone Into a Portable Gaming System

  Last week in advance of its E3 2012 debut, Power A’s MOGA mobile gaming system is a complete controller solution for mobile phone gamers and game developers. After a brief demonstration at Power A’s booth earlier today, I’m convinced they’ve got a better way to play mobile games on their hands, or in ours. For…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 7, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japanese Gaming’s Unexpected Influences

  In this week’s Weekly Famitsu, 12 game creators were asked what their 3 greatest influences were, from movies to books to other video games. Here’s what some their answers were: Katsura Hashino Game designer for Persona 3 and Persona 4, Hashino’s greatest film influence was the David Lynch film, Mulholland Drive. So much so that…

  By Toshi Nakamura Published June 7, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  They Actually Made a Free-to-Play Theme Song. This Is It.

  I guess we’ve reached critical mass for free-to-play? To promote free-to-play PS Vita game Samurai and Dragons, Sony and Sega roped in curvy bikini lady Ai Shinozaki to sing a theme song that’s actually called “Play for Free”. The b-side better be “Cool Armour Is Extra”. Skip ahead to 57 seconds in to watch Shinozaki…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 7, 2012