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  I Am Alive Lives Up To Its Name Once Again, Winter Release Imminent

  Having survived numerous delays and a total re-engineering, Ubisoft’s post-apocalyptic survival adventure I Am Alive is heading to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network this winter, unless it doesn’t. Considering the game’s history, I can’t help but be skeptical when Ubisoft announces a release window. Hopefully this time around they’re really, really serious, and…

  By Mike Fahey Published September 29, 2011
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  In Japan, Wrestling Masks Aren’t Just for Half-Naked Dudes in Boots

  It began, as so many things do, with sweaty men in tight underpants. And they wore masks. Let’s not forget the masks. Lucha Libre masks. Those masks might have started in Mexican professional wrestling, but they live on in Japan, whether that be in fashion, manga, pornos and, yes, video games. “You want to know…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2011
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  Decide-O-Tron 8000 Extrudes My Ten Favorite Games

  Penny Arcade’s game-suggesting iPhone app, Decide-O-Tron, is starting to showcase the favorite games of folks perhaps familiar to gamers. They’ve got the favorites of PA’s Gabe and Tycho, Xbox 360’s Major Nelson and now Kotaku’s me. My list of favorite’s went up last night. I’ve never been very good at this list-making thing because my…

  By Brian Crecente Published September 29, 2011
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  Twenty-Three Blissfully Lag-Free Minutes in Battlefield 3‘s Caspian Border

  Yesterday I showed you all what Battlefield 3’s massive Caspian Border map looked like through the haze of server lag. Now YouTube user jeffriseden gives us a lengthy lag-free look at the gorgeous contested landscape. I’m a bit jealous, to be honest. I’ve managed to hop on a couple of speedier Caspian severs, but nothing…

  By Mike Fahey Published September 29, 2011
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  They Believed In Their Game Enough to Go Homeless, But It Didn’t Come to That

  “We literally put our mortgages to it…It was a big deal. It needed to be good.” The future of Klei Entertainment rested on the success of Shank, last summer’s side-scrolling beat-em-up. The indie developer had seen moderate success in the past with games like N+, but Shank was another beast entirely. It had the power…

  Russ Frushtick Published September 29, 2011
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  Zelda and Mario in One Nintendo Download? Is It Our Birthday?

  After several weeks of completely forgettable downloadable game offerings, Nintendo drops a free Zelda game, a Super Mario sequel, and a particularly intriguing WiiWare title, all at once. I might faint! Technically the free Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition dropped yesterday, but I’m feeling charitable today, so we’ll accept its inclusion in the…

  By Mike Fahey Published September 29, 2011
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  He’s Getting Too Old For This First-Person Shooter Shit

  In today’s rapidly aging edition of Speak Up on Kotaku, old man commenter AcornPop hangs up his first-person shooter guns, unless a loose cannon of a young partner can drag him back in. The Murtaugh Effect: I am now 40 years old. Been playing games since even before the Atari 2600 days. All types of…

  By Mike Fahey Published September 29, 2011
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  Jackal Canyon Is Not A Friendly Place

  This final Rage gameplay video gives us a look at Jackal Canyon in id Software’s upcoming Rage. There’s a lot going on here, lot of folks scampering towards you, zip-lining around and tossing… barrels? You can contact Brian Crecente, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and…

  By Brian Crecente Published September 29, 2011
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Hello Kotaku faithful! How are you all today? I hope you are enjoying the Battlefield 3 Beta, or maybe playing your new copy of FIFA 12. I, personally, am doing both of those things, as well as playing NHL 12. But enough about me, lets hear about you. It’s time to talk amongst yourselves! Many…

  By Matthew Buzzi Published September 29, 2011
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  While Syndicate’s New Trailer is Amazing, I Still Wish It Was For a Different Game

  Same cool concept, same cool aesthetic, very tired genre. I’m a shooter fan, a HUGE shooter fan, but sometimes it would be nice if when a storied, beloved franchise gets a reboot it didn’t turn up as a shooter, or an action shooter, or an RPG shooter, or a fill-in-the-blank shooter. Syndicate looks lovely, it’s…

  By Brian Crecente Published September 29, 2011
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  The First Two Dreamlike Hours of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

  At times, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword feels a bit like a dream, one of those vivid ones that’s all colors and sunshine, freedom and flying. Earlier this week I played the first several hours of the game at a Nintendo press event and came away impressed with the complexity of the controls, the…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published September 29, 2011
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  Books or Games? PICK!

  Flying | JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Eagles relaxed in the stands in Feb. 2005 during the annual Media Day. (Photo: Shephan Savoia | AP) Going to War Like Only Nintendo can Even though Zelda has killing and even Mario has head-stomping, when you think about it, nearly all of Nintendo’s first-party properties are harmless affairs.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2011
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  Gears of War 3 Tops 3M Sold in One Week

  Gears of War 3 sold more than three million copies in the first week since its release, publisher Microsoft said today. The Xbox 360 exclusive is now the top grossing game of 2011, a record that more than a few games will be gunning to topple in the coming months.

  By Brian Crecente Published September 29, 2011
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  Making Curling Fun is Like Putting Earrings on a Pig

  Can we have a moratorium on pigs in iPhone games? Please? I’ve seen enough of them, and they no longer communicate fun, quirky or cute as much as they do “a focus group told us to use this,” whether one was actually hired to or not. Pig Curling is another gaming app seeking to capitalize…

  By Owen Good Published September 29, 2011
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  Fall In Love with Zelda All Over Again with These Skyward Sword Screens

  Dammit, Nintendo. Just when everyone is ready to write you off and declare the Wii as totally irrelevant, you do this This, of course, is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The Wii is showing its age, sure, and, yes, the graphics have jagded edges. But this is a proper Zelda game, and it shows…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2011
• Reviews

  Subtle Branding, Sensory Overload; This is What I Want in Modern Warfare 3 Earbuds

  I’m not the sort of gamer who likes to wear his playing predilections on his sleeve. When I wear or use something game-branded, I prefer the enigmatic over the brazen. Give me a Meat Bun tee over a Hot Topics design, a pair of Invader shoes over Super Mario kicks any day. That’s one of…

  By Brian Crecente Published September 29, 2011
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  Yes, Sixteen Hours Is Enough for a PSP Demo

  The upcoming PSP version of the popular online juggernaut Ragnarok is offering a demo that allows players to finish the game’s first ending. According to Famitsu, that took the publication around 16 hours to do. Sixteen hours, for free! The game has multiple endings, so this does have a whiff of freemium content (neat to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2011
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  Skydiving and Swordplay Abound in Skyward Sword‘s Dramatic New Trailer

  The newest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword teases many of the events and characters seen in the first few hours of the game — the village of Skyloft, the Wing Ceremony, Zelda and Link, and the general dream-like beauty of the game. It also shows a few things that I wasn’t able…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published September 29, 2011
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  Game Shows Need More Commercials

  Level-5 rented a big space at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, but then got cold feet and missed the biggest TGS ever. Doh. Instead, Level-5 is holding its own event, which is called Level-5 World. It will run from Oct. 15 to Oct. 16 at Tokyo Big Site. Admission is free. Honestly, I cannot ever…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 29, 2011
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  Culture

  The Dark, Moody Metal Gear Art of Ashley Wood

  If you like Metal Gear, chances are you’ve heard the name Ashley Wood before. While these days the Australian artist is kept busy with things like comics, art books, toys, TV and movies, he’s also had a long-running and very successful stint as an artist for Konami’s blockbuster stealth franchise. What’s cool about Wood’s Metal…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 29, 2011