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  Prisoner Builds Swords. Final Fantasy Swords.

  A prisoner serving a sentence in Monmouthshire, Wales has been found to be in possession of an extensive arsenal of bladed weapons. The thing is, they’re all fake. All made out of matchsticks. And some are based on the weapons of the Final Fantasy universe. The Governor of the prison, Steve Cross, told The Sun,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  This Coffee Shop Has Large Swords and Guns. Oh, and Pancakes

  Japanese visual novel Fate/stay night is coming to the figure maker Good Smile’s coffee shop in Matsudo City. The temporary cafe will run until Christmas and is called Fate/Type-Moon, a reference to the visual novel’s developer Type-Moon. Even if you aren’t into Fate/stay night, the cafe is pretty cool. There’s a life-sized Excalibur like the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2011
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  You Can Use StarCraft II’s New Units Right Now (Sort of)

  StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm will introduce a few new units to game’s tried and tested roster. Normally you’d have to wait for the actual game/expansion for this, but why wait when there are mods? An enterprising soul by the name of XenoX101 is working on a mod that, using both the details and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  When Cosplay Photography Is Sad and Melancholy

  The cosplayers get all the acclaim and adoration. Ask any cosplayer, though, and he or she will tell you: Good photographers are key. This is why some high profile Japanese cosplayers are reluctant to allow photographers that they don’t usually work with to snap their photos. Cosplay photography is an art in its own way.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2011
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  There Might Not be a LEGO Halo Game, But There Is a Movie

  Back in 2009, LEGO builder Alex Kobbs released a teaser for a movie he was making. About Halo. Using LEGO. Well, after two years of nothing, he’s back with another trailer, and a promise it’ll actually be out. And soon! The full movie will run for 27 minutes, and Kobbs says it’ll be out on…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  The Depressing World of Unemployed Nerds

  You might have a job. You might be between jobs or you might be out of one entirely. Same goes for many in Japan. But what they spend their unemployment checks on might differ from what their counterparts do elsewhere. According to one Japanese weekly, unemployed men in their twenties and thirties are apparently indulging…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2011
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  Hey, You’re Ripping Off The King of Fighters!

  Legendary fighter The King of Fighters is known for its stylish characters and tried-and-tested gameplay. KOF has made the leap from arcade to home consoles and, more recently, the iPhone. But it’s also on the Apple App Store where KOF is getting totally ripped off. Dubbed The Ultimate Fighters, this South Korean-developed game borrows heavily…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2011
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  Sony Thinking of Vitality Sensors for PlayStation Consoles?

  Maybe! A patent application, filed in 2010 but only recently uncovered, has Sony looking at biometric controls on devices that look like a DualShock, a PlayStation Move controller, and a handheld. What does that actually mean? It means the controllers would be able to measure your skin moisture, heart rhythm and muscle movement and use…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  Three Sony Photos You’ll Want To Photoshop

  The photos, courtesy of website Game Watch Impress, depict the Sony 3D headset—something we have seen before. What we haven’t seen is how goofy people look while wearing it and playing PS3 games—especially with peripherals. And boy, do people ever look goofy. These images scream “Photoshop me!” Kotaku‘s own Luke Plunkett got the jump on…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2011
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  EA Says it’s Totally Not Spying On You

  Publisher Electronic Arts has spoken out against allegations from German gamers—and the respected newspaper Spiegel—that its Origin online service is “spying” on consumers. Spiegel has highlighted the fact that some components of Origin’s license agreement could potentially violate German law, while gamers are upset following the posting of images that reportedly show Origin tapping into…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  The World-Destroying Indie Game Still Looks Awesome

  Tiny & Big, which I played at GamesCom and quietly thought was one of the best things at the show, has a new trailer as it inches towards a beta test. You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  Dota 2’s Beta is “Kicking Up a Notch”, Time for More Invites

  Having just finished their “first significant expansion of Dota 2 server capacity around the world”, Valve has announced today an enlargement of the Dota 2 beta, meaning more invites Beginning later this week, the company will be ‘handing out Dota 2 in increasing volumes”, with prospective testers/early players urged to complete a survey on the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  CultureTotal Recall

  So, a Giant Asteroid is Heading for Earth…Again…

  Later this week, the asteroid YU55 will pass close to the Earth. How close? Like, between the moon and the Earth close. PC gamers may remember the last time this happened, in 1995. Back then, it was the asteroid Attila, and unlike YU55 – which should pass by harmlessly – it was headed straight for…

  By Luke Plunkett Published November 2, 2011
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  Telltale Unveils Jurassic Park: The Game‘s Dino-Riffic Deluxe Edition

  After opening up the website for their upcoming Jurassic Park: The Game, Telltale Games has also detailed the contents of the game’d deluxe edition shown above. It will include: Welcome letter from John Hammond, creator of the theme park All four episodes of Jurassic Park: The Game on a single disc Replica Jurassic Park Staff…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 1, 2011
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  I See a Little Silhouetto of a Murderface

  Hello and welcome to another week of off topic-ing at Kotaku! I was gone last night, so I hope you found somewhere to talk about things. Maybe on your couch, with your roommates (or a therapist). Maybe sitting in front of a roaring fire speaking with your magic talking labrador. Maybe sobbed into your ex’s…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 1, 2011
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  Ubisoft on Rocksmith Reception: Critics Don’t Want Innovation

  Ubisoft’s real-guitar game Rocksmith has gotten a pretty mixed critical reception. Some writers enjoy the game’s take on the music game, while others (including me) have been critical. Speaking with Gamasutra, Ubisoft’s executive director for North America Laurent Detoc expressed frustration with critics and the broader gamer audience, taking issue with the tone of some…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 1, 2011
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  Thank Capcom These Hideous, Offensive Street Fighter Rejects Never Saw Life

  Did you know that Zangief’s original name was Vodka Gorbalsky? Do you realize how horrifically stereotypical some of the early Street Fighter character designs were? You will once you watch episode one of Machinima’s FighterPedia It’s not Japan’s fault that they don’t have a lot of African, Indian, or Russian people hanging about to model…

  By Mike Fahey Published November 1, 2011
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  Free-to-Play DC Universe Online, Arkham City Content New on the PlayStation Store

  Up this week at the PlayStation Store is the free-to-play addition of DC Universe Online, as well as Hydrophobia Prophecy and a demo for the upcoming Move game Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest The Arkham City Nightwing DLC pack is also available, as well as “various add-ons” for the just-released Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Finally, Saints…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 1, 2011
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  Check out SSX‘s Extreme Acrobatics, Survival Snowboarding, and Snowblind Sonar

  Each time I see SSX, I’m a bit more impressed with the wide variety of challenges and map types that’ll be in the game. From the avalanche-chase I saw at E3 to this latest video above, which details three of the locations in the game—Patagonia, Antarctica, and New Zeland. Creative Director Todd Batty walks us…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 1, 2011
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  Enough Zelda! Here Are 5 Less-Common Video Game Themes Orchestras Should Try

  From Zelda to Final Fantasy, we’ve seen plenty of dedicated video game orchestral concerts over the years. Only a week or so ago, there was a huge Legend of Zelda concert in Los Angeles, and next week will see the release of a collection of video game music from the London Philharmonic. I’ve listened to…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published November 1, 2011