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  Watch Robots Explode In This Hawken Teaser

  Here’s a new teaser for Hawken, the great-looking free-to-play mech shooter that will be out this December for PC. Because really, what’s a Friday morning without exploding robots?

  By Jason Schreier Published March 2, 2012
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  With only a few days left before the Reaper invasion, it’s a good time to gather with your friends, loved ones and total strangers to discuss video games in Kotaku‘s official forum, Talk Amongst Yourselves. Snake56 does amazing things to the brand-spanking-new March TAYpic. I’m almost convinced this was the artist’s original intent. You too…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 2, 2012
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  These Guys Are Building All Of Game of Thrones In Minecraft

  A crew of dedicated Game of Thrones fans has set out to re-create their own Minecraft version of the series’ detailed fantasy world. Project lead Jacob Granberry sent over a whole bunch of awesome pictures from the re-creation, although he says some are outdated. Their Minecraft server has been invaded and harassed by more than…

  By Jason Schreier Published March 2, 2012
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  War is Not a Video Game to President Barack Obama

  Defending his preference for peace in an in-depth interview with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, President Obama updates the tried-and-true ‘war is not a game’. Eventually we’ll have a president that’s played a first-person shooter. It’s pretty much inevitable. Perhaps one day a president will sit down with a reporter and talk about how much the…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 2, 2012
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  Nintendo’s Official Spokesdog Is The Cutest Thing Ever

  This is Uggie. He’s Nintendo’s official canine representative. He’s also the most adorable thing ever Just look at him playing with that 3DS. How does he even know what to do? Can he see 3D? Can dogs see 3D? What are his favorite games? I guess the obvious answer is nintendogs + cats, but I…

  By Jason Schreier Published March 2, 2012
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  Reviews

  The Last Story: The Kotaku Review

  In 1987, a young director by the name of Hironobu Sakaguchi was charged with making a game for his small game company, Square. Up until this point the company had had moderate success with racing and platforming games, but it was clear to all that Sakaguchi’s game was likely to be his—if not the company’s—final…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 2, 2012
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  DC Universe Online‘s Battle for Earth Begins March 13

  Brainiac is going down, but he’s not going down without a fight. Players looking to help serve the metal menace his final comeuppance should hit up DC Universe Online on the PlayStation 3 or PC March 13, when The Battle for Earth expansion goes live. With new earth-based powers and epic battles to fight, The…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 2, 2012
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  Hitting Maids on the Head with Foam Swords

  Eternity | TOKYO, JAPAN: A maid cafe promotes the latest The Spirit of Eternity Sword game. (Photo: Famitsu) The Hardcore World of Japanese Tattoos Will Make You Stronger “I used to be into video games during the PS2 era,” Benny Her says, as he buys a green tea espresso at convenience store in Osaka’s fashionable…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japan’s Doll Festival with Little Kids

  Tomorrow is the Hinamatsuri, or Japanese Doll Festival. During the festival, dolls are displayed on stands against gold leaf backgrounds. This evening while I was working (and making things for you to read), Mrs. Bashcraft and my two kids went to a friends to celebrate it. The holiday is for girls—and a good excuse for…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Let Gundam Rock Your Face Off

  The Gundam VS series has been headlining Japanese arcades for almost a decade now with its fast-paced Virtual-On-style robot-on-robot gameplay. The upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam VS Full Boost is the latest iteration in the series. It sports a roster of over 50 mobile suits, with at least one suit from every single Gundam series—it even…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Let’s Look Inside a Chinese Factory. A Chinese Condom Factory.

  The world has heard about the conditions in the Chinese factories where gaming hardware is made. But what about the factories where, um, condoms are made? They look like this, apparently! Website Buzzfeed is running a series of Reuters images of the Safedom condom factory in Zhaoyuan, China. Safedom is the fourth largest condom marker…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Cosplay Isn’t Just About Costumes. It’s about Shoes.

  It’s easy to forget, but shoes can make or break an outfit—especially a cosplay. Good shoes, whether you’re dressing as a soldier or Sonic the Hedgehog, matter. That was evident at the recent Comic World in Busan, South Korea, where some fancy footwear was on display. Comic World is a huge fan-based comic convention held…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  The Most Frightening Lunch Ever

  Most Japanese bento lunches are either cute (for little kids) or boring (for adults). This one is…different. Online in Japan, some are saying it’s based on Detroit Metal City, the popular Japanese manga about heavy metal. However, as Kotaku reader lone_wolf99 pointed out, it’s based on The Evil Dead Lunch has never looked so horrifying.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Gal☆Gun in Three Words: Tentacle. Monster. Orgasm.

  At TGS 2010, just inside the media entrance, there sat a van owned by Inti Creates (a game studio formed by ex-Capcom staff). As I came upon it my first day, I saw Kotaku‘s own Brian Ashcraft standing beside a crowd of Japanese photographers who were fighting for position in front of the van. I…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Spider-Man, Like You’ve Never Eaten Before

  Remember when Japan got meat buns shaped like the Slime character from Dragon Quest? Well, now your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is getting his own bun, too. Ditto for Hello Kitty. There will be Snoopy buns with custard in them, instead of meat. Starting March 14, they’ll be available at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka for…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  The Hardcore World of Japanese Tattoos Will Make You Stronger

  “I used to be into video games during the PS2 era,” Benny Her says, as he buys a green tea espresso at convenience store in Osaka’s fashionable youth district, Americamura. “But then I started apprenticing and didn’t have any free time.” That apprenticeship was a huge gamble. And Benny Her didn’t look like a gambler.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Metal Gear …Arcade!? It Can’t be!

  While Metal Gear Online‘s servers will be shutting down soon, there is one last place to get your Metal Gear Online fix: Japanese Arcades. Developed by Kojima Productions, Metal Gear Arcade is a light gun-FPS released in Japan on December 20, 2010. Much of Metal Gear Arcade is identical to Metal Gear Online with many…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 2, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now

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

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012
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  Coach, Not Community, is to Blame, Says Female Fighter Striking Back in Sexual Harassment Controversy

  The fighter inside the controversy that stirred allegations of sexism and misogyny in fighting video games says that its community, fans and star performers do not deserve the collective blame they have endured, and vows that she will not leave her sport despite the alienating remarks of the man who once coached her. Miranda Pakozdi,…

  By Owen Good Published March 2, 2012
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  Watch Tim Schafer’s Screw-Ups, Bloopers, and Outtakes

  Last month, Tim Schafer took to the internet with a very funny video for a Kickestarter funded game. The video pitch was a smash, and Schafer raised over US$2 million—well over the planned $400,000. This video documents the flubs and bloopers—or as Schafer calls them “acting”! The clip is yet another reason—among many—to love this…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012