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  Here’s the Fake Arcade Classic Disney’s New Video Game Movie Comes From

  Maybe you’ve seen the trailer for Wreck-It Ralph, the upcoming Disney movie about a video game villain who doesn’t want to be bad anymore. That clip’s got bad guys like Street Fighter‘s Zangief and Bowser from the Super Mario games opening their hearts in a support group. Those villains earned their bad reputations by body-slamming…

  By Evan Narcisse Published June 11, 2012
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  The Amazing Spider-Man Made Me Nauseous. This Pleases Me.

  As the Beenox representative controlling The Amazing Spider-Man during the game’s E3 2012 presentation launched Peter Parker off the top of a tall building in virtual New York City, my stomach heaved sympathetically. The piece of pizza I had consumed during a previous meeting (thanks, Sony Online Entertainment!) threatened to make an encore appearance all…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 11, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Avatar Facial Recognition Research Involves Lots of Head Bouncing and Suspicious Looks

  So you can dress up your avatar in an array of silly costumes. You can customize your avatar’s appearance. And now, gamers are getting better control of their avatar’s facial expressions—thanks to researchers like this dude. Using a PlayStation Eye and some fancy software, a Keio University group is working on software that will allow…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  This Isn’t Just a Gaming PC. No, It Transforms.

  There’s more than meets the eye with Asus’ latest Republic of Gamers gaming computer. Click on the “Turbo Gear” overclocking button and watch as this high end PC physically changes, revealing ten crimson fans that help the PC’s internal liquid cooling. Say hello to the Tytan. Officially dubbed the Tytan CG8890, the computer is outfitted…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Plastic Link, Just Take My Money

  My wallet is open. Just, seriously, just take my money—just the ¥3,800 (US$48) necessary to buy this Legend of Zelda Link figure. Going on sale this October in Japan, this Link figure is the latest in the Figma action figure line. This Skyward Sword Link is fully poseable and comes with a Master Sword and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
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  Half-Life’s Agonising Remake Still On, New Screens Released

  In development for around eight years now, the fan-made remake of the original Half-Life, known as Black Mesa, is almost a punchline for the torment followers of the series as a whole are feeling at its lack of updates. The developers of the project are still plugging away, though, and have this morning released a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 11, 2012
• Kotaku East

  One Day Metal Gear Solid Could Evolve into Metal Gear…Social

  Listen up, social butterlfies. Stealth series Metal Gear might eventually contain social game elements. According to creator Hideo Kojima, social and core games will evolve together, until they converge. “I think in the future maybe Metal Gear will change in certain ways to integrate social aspects,” Kojima told website CVG. “If you look at other…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Today’s Creepy Strangers Offer the Nintendo 3DS, Not Candy

  In the past, parents told children not to accept candy from strangers. They might want to add something else to that list: video game portables. Earlier this month in Hokkaido, Japan, an overweight man in his 40s or 50s called out to a grade schooler on her way home: “I’ll give you a 3DS, so…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  How To Cover Your Co-Worker’s Computer in Porn

  You’ve probably seen the clip of the young lady who played porn in a quiet library. And maybe you thought, hey, I’m an evil trickster, and I’d like to do something similar as a prank. Well evil trickster, here’s how*. Go Yoshiwara, vice-president of a Tokyo web design firm, rigged one of his employee’s computers…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
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  A Jumbo-Sized PS Vita with Humans in It

  Sony producer Keiichiro Toyama was in Mexico City, promoting his new PS Vita game, Gravity Daze. What better way to say “big Vita” game than with a really big Vita? Cosplayers posed for pictures with fans inside the huge Vita mock-up, but were subject to the same rules of gravity we all are. Read Kotaku’s…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
• Kotaku East

  New Persona Film Coming. It Won’t Be Dirty.

  The end of Persona 4 The Animation: The Factor of Hope teases an upcoming Persona 3 feature film. The teaser appears at the end of Persona 4 The Animation. While it was done in traditional 2D animation, it did not specifically state that the picture would be live-action or an anime. It’s safe to say…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Final Fantasy III Has Chocobos Fit for the PSP

  Have a look at the upcoming PSP version of Final Fantasy III. The game, which hit both the DS and the iOS, will allow players to play through FFIII with the game’s original music. It’s also has an “auto battle” feature that doubles the speed of the battles for automatic fighting. It’ll be out in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Random Stabbing Brings Tragedy to the Japanese Game Industry

  It started out as a typical Sunday. Shoppers crowded into Osaka’s Shinsaibashi, one of the city’s fashionable shopping and entertainment districts. By midday, it erupted into horror. A thirty-six year-old man (above, in stripes) went on a stabbing rampage that left two dead: 66 year-old female Toshi Sasaki, a bar manager, and 42 year-old Shingo…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now

  Kotaku East runs from 4am to 8am Eastern. For more info about Kotaku East click here

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  Why Does a Game About a Little Kid Need to be Scary? Can’t it be Fun, Like This?

  Among the Sleep got people talking last month when it was first shown off, because it was about a horror game starring a toddler. Interesting premise, but as the parent of a toddler myself, it also got me thinking. My daughter is just shy of two years old, and while she’s had the odd nightmare…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 11, 2012
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  Dudes, Pokémon and a Ginger Superstar Headline This Week’s Cosplay Roundup

  Look at that Lizardman, from Soulcalibur III. Just look at him. That’s not a statue. That’s cosplay. Is there a word we can use that goes beyond cosplay? Because that’s what this would be. Apparently, the right arm on the thing was “fake”; instead, the wearer’s actual right arm was inside the suit, and was…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 11, 2012
• Culture

  From StarCraft to WarCraft, This Concept Art Certainly Knows its Crafts

  Concept artist Graven Tung has, in over a decade working in the field, provided pieces for clients such as Blizzard, where he worked on both StarCraft II – right down to Gabriel Tosh concert posters – and World of Warcraft’s three major expansions. He also did some work on SOCOM II, as well as driving…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 11, 2012
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  Sega’s Game Gear is EATING ALL THE BATTERIES

  Slightly away from the chaos of E3, but still in LA, last week Giant Robot held another of its Game Over exhibitions, showcasing video game-themed pieces from some of the world’s (well, internet’s) favourite artists. Many of the originals, which you can see in the gallery below, are still available for sale if you’ve got…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 10, 2012
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  Street Fighter’s Characters Take a Punch (or Three) to the Face

  There was a silver lining to the dark, black clouds of defeat after you lost a Street Fighter II round: the post-game chit-chat. While the after-match quotes and character portraits are a fighting game staple, Street Fighter’s really went to town by showing the loser with a face that looked like a side of chopped…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 10, 2012
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  Because Portal 2 Always Needed to Look More Like Ren & Stimpy

  There’s already at least one Portal cartoon in production. That one, however, looks like something Dreamworks would come up with. If you’d rather a Portal cartoon look more like something Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi would dream up, though, you might want to take a look at these. These pieces are the work of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 10, 2012