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  I Can’t Believe This is an Indie Adventure Game

  I lost my shit a little while ago when I first saw Stasis, an upcoming indie sci-fi horror game on the PC. I’m losing a little more today, because there’s a new trailer for it. While it looks like an isometric Dead Space, it’s actually an adventure game. A proper, old-fashioned, point-and-click adventure game. That…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 5, 2012
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  Imagine Your Balls Are a Control Pad And You Can Beat Cancer

  This poster is part of a new series of ads put together by the Liga Contra el Cancer in Peru, urging men to play with their balls more often in an effort to help stop testicular cancer. Not that many men will need the encouragement, but the “give your fingers a better use” motif is…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 5, 2012
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  Commander Shepard Hasn’t Recorded Any New Mass Effect 3 Dialogue. Yet.

  So Bioware is giving us a “modified” ending to Mass Effect 3. While details are scant, the safe money is on not a changed ending, but an epilogue of sorts. Something more If you were hoping that would mean something more from a certain Commander Shepard, well, it doesn’t sound like it will. Speaking with…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 5, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  Thirty Years in a Loft and This Console Still Looks Gorgeous

  It might be dusty, and the games might be more than a little dog-eared, but according to the photographer it all still works, despite having sat in a loft for over thirty years. They sure don’t make ’em like they used to. True Vintage [sj9966 @ Flickr, via it 8-bit]

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 4, 2012
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  You Can Call Me Fletch

  Aloha Kotaku and welcome to the mid-week open thread. It’s all downhill from here! Gathered from around the web are a bunch of things that you may or may not want to read and/or talk about. Up to you! This Samantha Brick thing has gotten firey – I liked this take on it. Whatever happened…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 4, 2012
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  Microsoft Registers Several “Halo Infinity” Domains, but haloinfinity.com Remains in the Hands of a Japanese Baldness Clinic

  The domain registry watchdog Fusible reports that Microsoft’s brand protection partner snapped up the full monty of HaloInfinity-dot-whatever domain names—except for a big one—which likely tips off some kind of activity or release involving that title. Joystiq hilariously notes that haloinfinity.com, not among them, is from the looks of it a placeholder site that for…

  By Owen Good Published April 4, 2012
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  Marvel Pinball Tries to Control the Raging Spirit That Dwells in World War Hulk

  Revealed about three weeks ago, Avengers Chronicles is the next series of tables that Zen Studios is making for its Marvel Pinball and Pinball FX 2 downloadable games on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, respectively. Here’s the first trailer for one of those tables, World War Hulk It looks absolutely huge, which is intentional, I’m…

  By Owen Good Published April 4, 2012
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  Now These Here Are Some Rockin’ Mass Effect Leggings

  Chicagoan Alexandra Threw has posted the above Mass Effect-inspired N7 Leggings to Etsy, where you can buy a pair for $75. As video-game themed leggings go, these are pretty damned cool. I wonder if Threw could get an endorsement from the Commander. “I’m Commander Shepard, and these are my favorite leggings on Etsy. Wait, what’s…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 4, 2012
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  Homophobes Slam EA With Thousands of Letters Over Same-Sex Romance

  The past year has seen a great deal of discussion about the existence of same-sex romance options in EA and BioWare’s Mass Effect franchise and their MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic One recent, particularly irrational anti-gay “family values” campaign has kicked off a wave of thousands of letters to EA disapproving of the addition…

  By Kate Cox Published April 4, 2012
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  Stealthy Divorcés and Killer Astronaut Bears: Some Peter Molydeux Game Highlights

  Since writing it up on Monday, many more games have been added to the full list of playable prototypes from the goofy, high-energy Peter Molydeux game jam. I haven’t had time to play even a fraction of the nearly 300 game prototypes available for download, but I have had a chance to play some of…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 4, 2012
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  Machinarium Follow-Up Botanicula Gets Release Date, Looks Adorable

  Man, I want to play Botanicula. Amanita Design won me over forever with their splendid adventure game Machinarium, and I’ve been looking forward to its follow-up Botanicula ever since I first heard about it. Today, Amanita announced that Botanicula will be released for Windows, Mac and Linux on April 19th. No word on an iOS…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 4, 2012
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  Midweek Moneysaver: Xeno-philia

  This Wednesday edition of Kotaku’s The Moneysaver catches all the offers, promotions and bargains that can’t wait until the weekend. The Midweek Moneysaver is brought to you by Dealzon. Software • Friday April 6 release Xenoblades Chronicles (Wii) is up for pre-order on GameStop.com at $49.99 plus shipping. No discounts yet but nice to finally…

  dealzon Published April 4, 2012
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  GameStop Begins Buying and Selling Used Skylanders Toys

  GameStop might not accept your band game instruments as trade anymore, but the company does have its eye on another sort of colorful plastic toys. Gaming website Pixelitis recently received information about a Skylanders trade-in program being tested at several U.S. GameStop locations. Having spent the months following Christmas 2011 fielding calls from desperate children…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2012
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  Deus Ex Arrives on Mac Later This Month

  On April 26, Square Enix will release Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Ultimate Edition on the Mac, which packs the original game, its DLC, an art book and making-of documentary all in the one box.

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 4, 2012
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  The Spooky-Smart Platformer Closure Is All About Shadowplay

  Lots of indie platformers these days are basically Mario with a twist. The quality of the game, then, relies hugely on that twist. Braid was an incredible game because the time-manipulating twist so fundamentally changed the template set forward by Super Mario Bros. that it became its own whole thing. Closure is a new downloadable…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 4, 2012
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  USC’s Song Girls Finally Immortalized in a Video Game

  News and notes from around the world of sports video gaming: Do little jugs get your attention? No? Well, how about the Song Girls of USC, or the Texas Pom Squad. Or a guy from Michigan staring up the crotch of Paul Bunyan. Trophies and university-specific cheerleaders are part of the coat of polish the…

  By Owen Good Published April 4, 2012
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  Retired Pro Football Players Get the Go-Ahead to Blitz EA for Using Likenesses in Madden NFL

  Like a quarterback scrambling in the pocket, Electronic Arts has been dodging court cases related to its sports titles left and right. In recent years, the litigation’s been initiated by athletes—both college and professional—that would have the publisher dole out a cut of profits for using their likenesses. The latest one could potentially involve thousands…

  By Evan Narcisse Published April 4, 2012
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  Reviews

  Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13: The Kotaku Review

  Last year’s sports video game of the year, the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series this year faces what NBA 2K12 did in October—a nearly impossible encore. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 at last delivered The Masters, reviving a series that had plateaued and giving longtime golf fans moments and memories that were legitimately emotional. How…

  By Owen Good Published April 4, 2012
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  Sportaku Starts Now

  From the Worldwide Leader in Sports … Video Games, your 6 p.m. Sportaku begins now.

  By Owen Good Published April 4, 2012
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  Sonic‘s Co-Creator Joins Nintendo

  Well this is a line-crossing worth taking note of. Gamasutra reports that Hirokazu Yasuhara, co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, has taken a job at Nintendo. Because it’s never the wrong time for a Ghostbusters quote: Dogs and cats! Living together! Mass hysteria! Yasuhara has joined Nintendo’s Software Technology devision, an American-based second-party developer that has…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published April 4, 2012