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  The Latin Inspiration Behind One of Final Fantasy VII‘s Biggest Songs

  You’ve heard “One Winged Angel,” the memorable dark melody that plays during Final Fantasy VII‘s Sephiroth’s most chilling moments, but did you know that much of it was inspired by the Latin cantata Carmina Burana? Kotaku video editor Chris Person has put together this video showing some of the similarities between the two pieces.

  By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012
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  NFL Kicker Is Up, and It’s Good

  I figured I had the perfect last name for an NFL placekicker. I’d come in and toe an impossibly long game-winner in the Super Bowl, and the next day, over a picture of me with both arms raised, the banner headline would read “IT’S GOOD.” Of course I am. The truth is that the breed…

  By Owen Good Published March 9, 2012
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  Five People Playing the Tetris Theme on One Guitar? Sort Of…

  Either these five people look amazingly similar, or there’s some brilliant digital trickery going on. Either way, this clip is bound to remind you of a video game you used to play. Of course there’s video trickery going on here, but you’d be surprised how many people in the YouTube comments for this splendid little…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 9, 2012
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  Watch This, Play This Begins Now

  Stuff to play, stuff to see, here comes Watch This, Play This. Confused? Read this

  By Tina Amini Published March 9, 2012
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  GDC Notebook: Day 4: How Many Times Will They Play The Same Game?

  The Game Developers Conference is nearly done. And what have I learned? On day 4 I learned that the Valve console, should it ever exist won’t be out soon. So said Valve, proving that a little shoe-leather-burning can get you the answers you need. Thank goodness for the weeks when just about anyone who makes…

  By Stephen Totilo Published March 9, 2012
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  The Future Does Not Look Like Fun for Retail Chain GAME

  Trouble first appeared to be brewing for major games retailer GAME in February, when pre-orders of Mass Effect 3 were suddenly canceled. All other new EA titles followed suit, and reports began to surface outlining the company’s troubled financial state. GAME’s prospects have (perhaps unsurprisingly) failed to turn around as March progresses, MCV reports. The…

  By Kate Cox Published March 9, 2012
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  Retailer Shoots Down Grand Theft Auto Vita Rumors

  Earlier this week, we reported a rumor that retailer Play.com had accidentally leaked the existence of a Grand Theft Auto for Vita and three other games. In a statement to Eurogamer today, Play.com confirmed that this report was false. [Eurogamer]

  By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012
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  Mass Effect 3 Has Serious Intimacy Issues

  Don’t get commenter KillerIri5h wrong; he loves Mass Effect 3. He just wishes the game would love him back just as accurately. What does that mean? Find out in today’s Speak Up on Kotaku. Could someone ask Mass Effect 3 to stop looking away from me? Mass Effect. This series is one of the reasons…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 9, 2012
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Gather around, friends. We have the finest surgeons ready to take care of your every medical need, or we could just discuss video games in Kotaku‘s official forum, Talk Amongst Yourselves. Your choice! Pan1da7 makes his triumphant return to the TAYpic spotlight with this startlingly accurate commentary on American healthcare. You too can mix video…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 9, 2012
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  BioWare Says Mass Effect 3 Shipped 3.5 Million Copies

  Mass Effect 3 has shipped 3.5 million copies in its first week on sale, BioWare said today. The sci-fi action-roleplaying game has received a number of positive reviews across the board, boasting a 95 on Metacritic’s critic score aggregation. [BioWare]

  By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012
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  Can Manufactured Memories Be as Powerful as Experience?

  The gateway to the mind, the self, who you are, what you believe in—the most complex structure in the universe, allegedly—is resting on your shoulders. I speak, of course, of the brain, that strange, wondrous organ that has given rise to many of our crown jewels as a species—science, philosophy, dreams. Thought in particular is…

  Patricia Hernandez Published March 9, 2012
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  Sora Goes All 80s In These Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Screens

  Publisher Square Enix has released some new screenshots and artwork for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, the upcoming action-roleplaying game that it will release for Nintendo 3DS this year. As you can see from the shots, it looks like Sora and crew are headed back to the world of Tron, the 1982 sci-fi film…

  By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012
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  Tribes: Ascend‘s “Llama Island” Trailer Is Heartbreakingly Familiar

  Tribes: Ascend officially launches on April 12, a day when llamas will rain from the sky, filling multiplayer maps with fresh corpses until they’re nothing but islands of dead… oh! See what they did there? For those of you confused about llamas (we’ve all been there?), that’s what we call a Tribes player that rushes…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 9, 2012
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  How Does Metal Gear Look on the PS Vita?

  Like this! First mentioned last fall, Metal Gear Solid: HD Edition is coming to the PS Vita. Have a gander at the PS Vita versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 With the “transfarring” system, players can save and transfer play data between the PS Vita and the PS3 via WiFi…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 9, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Wait, Now China Is Ripping Off Underwear Fashion Shows?

  China has ripped off electronics. It’s ripped off video games. It’s ripped off Conan O’Brien. And now, apparently, it’s ripped off a Victoria’s Secret fashion show. A student fashion show at China’s Chengdu University of Technology wasn’t just inspired by Victoria’s Secret. No, it completely ripped off a Victoria Secret fashion show—something that was pointed…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 9, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Brand New Robot Wars Game for PS Vita. Not Much Info.

  Today, Bandai Namco revealed that it was working on a brand new Super Robot Wars game for the PS Vita. It showed no gameplay, no screenshots, and zero cutscenes. It did not even give a ballpark release date. Bandai did point out that the upcoming, already announced PSP Super Robot Wars game can be played…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 9, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Iconic JRPG Series Coming to the PS Vita

  The Legend of Heroes debuted in 1989 with Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes. Originally released on the NEC PC-8801, the title appeared on a slew of various hardware, such as the Super Famicom, the Mega Drive, and the TurboGrafx-16. With The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki Evolution, the series is now coming to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 9, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Announced for the PS Vita

  During tonight’s “PS Vita Game Heaven” online press conference, Sony announced Gundam Seed Battle Destiny for the PlayStation Vita. The sixth game in the best-selling Gundam Battle series, Battle Destiny looks to focus exclusively on the story of the 2004 anime Gundam Seed Destiny. Among the talking points mentioned were spacious battle fields, local multiplayer…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 9, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  You’re Responsible for This New PS Vita Title

  Dubbed Project Discovery, this upcoming title from Sony and Kadokawa Games showcases user generated content. While the above trailer is short on specifics, the generalizations (and large font) should hopefully clue you in. Discovery project for PS Vita [YouTube]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 9, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Sony’s UMD to Vita Transfer Service Gets Tutorial and Update

  During the “PS Vita Game Heaven” online press conference, Sony detailed the Japanese “UMD Passport” program which allows Vita owners re-buy their already owned UMDs on the PSN for a drastically reduced price. Step one has you log onto the PSN Store with a PSP and download the UMD Passport App. Step two is to…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 9, 2012