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  The Man Who Wants to Re-Invent Toys Before Video Games Destroy Them

  A few years ago, Paul Reiche and his team of game developers in Northern California were given a purple dragon and asked to make something cool with it. They were being asked to make a new game about Spyro the Dragon, an old PlayStation favorite created by a different group of California developers who had…

  By Stephen Totilo Published November 7, 2011
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  Check Out the Smirk on the Sonic the Hedgehog Thanksgiving Day Balloon

  Not only is the fleet-footed Sega mascot getting an all-new game this year, but he’s also getting a new balloon for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This video features the balloon being takien out for a test drive this past weekend in preparation for the annual Turkey Day festivities. It’s a great design that…

  By Evan Narcisse Published November 7, 2011
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  My How Marvel’s Mightiest Have Changed in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

  Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 isn’t just an additional twelve characters and a few new game modes, it’s a chance for Capcom to tweak the mechanics and balance of the original game in such a way that it requires four videos to detail the changes to just the Marvel side of the cast. Remember a…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011
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  A History of Battlefield Versus Call of Duty

  Battlefield 3 hit stores late last month, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hits tomorrow. The two series, delivering different takes on first-person shooter warfare, both have a storied history. This mammoth graph charts the history of both series, their games, the sales, the review scores. Which is series is better? That’s really about personal…

  By Brian Crecente Published November 7, 2011
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  This Xbox Live Indie Game Gets Your Goat And Let it Escape

  Hedgehogs. Jackrabbits. Earthworms. They’ve all had their day as video game heroes. Now indie developer Magical Time Bean has decided that it’s the humble goat’s turn. Watch the trailer for the retro platformer Escape Goat and then tell me you don’t want to save that horned animal’s life. It’s available on Xbox Live now for…

  By Evan Narcisse Published November 7, 2011
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  Battlefield 3 Sweepstakes Weekend Thanks Players (for not Playing Modern Warfare 3)

  We’ve seen what Battlefield 3 can do, and now it’s Modern Warfare 3‘s turn, or is it? EA is hosting a special sweepstakes weekend for Battlefield 3 players, giving everybody that plays between November 11-13 a chance to win a trip to DICE’s Stockholm, Sweden headquarters, a game system of their choice, or $5,000 cash.…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011
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  Listen to the Best New Album of Video Game Music Right Now

  Last week, we streamed a recording of the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing the theme from Modern Warfare 2. This track was from the orchestra’s upcoming album named “The Greatest Video Game Music.” Today, the album was released, and the nice folks at the London Philharmonic have allowed Kotaku to exclusively stream the entire album for…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 7, 2011
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  Put Some Tomb Raider Art on Your Chest for a Good Cause

  Over the last few months, Crystal Dynamics has been commissioning artworks in celebration of the 15th anniversary of Tomb Raider, with artists from the video game and fine art worlds delivering visions that riff on Lara Croft’s new design. These drawings have only been available in an online gallery but fans will now be able…

  By Evan Narcisse Published November 7, 2011
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  Frogger Pinball is a Surprisingly Entertaining Way to Waste Time on Facebook

  While it might not be the first-person road crossing epic I crave, Konami’s Facebook version of Frogger Pinball is an entertaining way to break up the hours spent sending funny pictures to your friends on Facebook, plus you get to play with frog balls, always a plus. Accompanied by high-spirited banjo, fiddle, and accordion music,…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011
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  Call of Duty Elite is Now Open for Business

  Unless you’re one of the several thousand people playing early, you’ll be waiting until midnight to get your hands on Modern Warfare 3, but Activision’s Call of Duty Elite service is now rolling out, ready to keep you occupied until then.

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011
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  ‘The Video Game Industry Have Profited From Fear and Anxiety About Terrorism,” Professor Says

  Suffolk University Professor Nina Huntemann is probably not calling in sick tomorrow to play Modern Warfare 3. She’s no fan. Amid all the hype for the release of this year’s huge first person shooter, she wants anyone who will listen to know what’s wrong with Modern Warfare, Battlefield and the rest of video game’s interactive…

  By Stephen Totilo Published November 7, 2011
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  Recognize These Video Game Faces? Here’s the Guy Who Drew Them

  Darwin Yamamoto’s not that different than other gamers. He spends a lot of time looking at the faces—or, more accurately, the backs—of the medium’s heroes and heroines as they open up new worlds on his TV screen. But Yamamoto’s also an artist and user experience designer who’s done work on the look of Valve’s Steam…

  By Evan Narcisse Published November 7, 2011
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  Here’s The New GamePro Mag: It’s Quarterly, Bigger and “Kicks a Lot of Ass”

  GamePro magazine recently went quarterly but that doesn’t mean you should count it out. The folks over at GamePro just dropped their cover on the net, saying that the new “periodical” is the last great video game magazine. Going quarterly means it forces a magazine to be more thoughtful, less tied to time pegs, and…

  By Brian Crecente Published November 7, 2011
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  Not Even Cable TV Male Prostitutes Can Resist the Call of Dance Central

  In the latest episode of the HBO original series Hung, Thomas Jane’s latest paid-per-conquest introduces him to the joys of dancing in front of the Kinect sensor, and then spoilers happen. You hear me? Spoilers! Reader Chfuji tipped us off to this television show game cameo, introducing me to my favorite Thomas Jane role since…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011
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  A Video Game Company Wants to Turn Virtual War Into Our Next National Pastime

  Baseball, hockey, football… Call of Duty? If the people behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 have their way, the next big sport people around the world will be obsessing over will involve virtual soldiers killing each other in perpetual warfare. With more than 25 million copies of their last Call of Duty game sold,…

  By Brian Crecente Published November 7, 2011
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  Nitronic Rush: Everything You Like About Arcade Racing in One Glowy Neon Package

  With Skyrim and Minecraft both out on this Friday, [Editor’s note: As folks have said in comments, Minecraft‘s out next week. My bad.] the next two weeks are already shaping up to be a David-vs.-Goliath showdown. But, as indie as Mojang’s hit sandbox construction game is, there’s something even indier than Minecraft coming out on…

  By Evan Narcisse Published November 7, 2011
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  BioWare’s Next Big Thing Makes an Explosive First Impression

  While fans occupy themselves waiting for the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic and the third Mass Effect game, BioWare is busy working on something new — something that looks like this. That’s right, BioWare is working on Rage. No wait, that can’t be right, but a little over a month since id Software’s…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011
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  30 Seconds of Skyward Sword: Link’s Indiana Jones Moment

  I’m 25 hours into The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword I can assure you that there are some cool moments in the game. At least a few! Over the next few days, I’ll share some short ones. I won’t give much away, but they’ll provide you a flavor of what’s in Skyward Sword from someone…

  By Stephen Totilo Published November 7, 2011
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  Registration for PAX East 2012 Is Now Open

  If you’re itching to get your single-day or three-day passes for the 2012 Eastern Time branch of Penny Arcade’s fanfest, then head over to the registration page. Next year will be the third year for PAX East, which is scheduled for the weekend of April 6th-8th. You can contact Evan Narcisse, the author of this…

  By Evan Narcisse Published November 7, 2011
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  Has Call of Duty Driven Hundreds of Teens into Military Service?

  In today’s installment of Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Tony Danza suggests the Call of Duty series from Activision is responsible for countless teenagers deciding to join the military and be all that they could be in the games. If there’s one thing Call of Duty has done right, it’s trick hundreds of teenagers into…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 7, 2011