• Culture

  Sister…This Storyboard Artist Has a Twin Sister…

  That Darth Vader line has always creeped me out a little. This stuff, though, featuring a pair of storyboard artists working in the games industry, does nothing of the sort. After I ran that Crysis 2 art last week, I was contacted by Trudi Castle, another artist who worked on the game. Unlike the static…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  An Army of Video Game Fans in the Dragon Con Day Three Cosplay Gallery

  It’s the fourth and final day of Dragon Con 2011, but I’m not there. The final day of a convention like this is a sad affair. Instead, let’s revel in the glory of yesterday’s cunning cosplayers. Dragon Con isn’t a video game convention, though it’s trying to be. There’s a MMORPG programming track that consists…

  By Mike Fahey Published September 5, 2011
• Reviews

  The Rockus 3D 2.1 Speaker System Sounds Nice, But At What Cost?

  When one thinks of quality computer speakers, several names come to mind: Logitech, Altec Lansing, Bose, and Creative Labs, to name a few. Soundscience isn’t a name that comes to mind. Neither is Antec. In fact, when one thinks of the name Antec, they think PC cases and power supplies. Hit up the company’s Wikipedia…

  By Mike Fahey Published September 5, 2011
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  Another Mario and Dragon Quest Board Game Video Game

  Itadaki Street are a series of board game style video games that mix Dragon Quest with Mario. This December, the latest one, Itadaki Street Wii is coming to…guess! [ファミ通]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  Get Ready for Valve’s “Meet the DOTA Heroes”

  Valve’s series of “Meet the…” videos for Team Fortress 2 are some of the smartest, funniest clips this industry has ever seen. So it shouldn’t surprise you that the company is looking at doing something similar for the upcoming DOTA 2 “There are a lot of heroes in DOTA 2—105 so far, and we’re gonna…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  Dead Space? It’s For Kids!

  Dead Space’s Isaac is normally running around in the dark scared out of his mind. Here, he’s just a kid. Kickin’ it on the playground. Maybe with an imaginary friend. Note I said imaginary friend, which is good times. Not imaginary dead girlfriend. Which is bad times If the style looks familiar, it’s another giant-headed…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  I was Long the Terror and Scourge of Mario Land. The Stalin of Marios.

  There’s a place called “The Gun Store” in Las Vegas where you can shoot a real AK-47 at different targets (including zombies and Osama bin Laden, though I suspect the latter has been discontinued). It’s expensive, over a dollar per round, and as you can imagine, those will mount up pretty quickly when you are…

  Maria Bustillos Published September 5, 2011
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  Rumor: PS Vita Will Be Out in Japan on November 12

  That’s according to French site GamAlive. The site also stated that the Vita will be out in the West before March 31. Kotaku is following up. [GamAlive]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  Battlefield 3 Has Magical Tanks

  I didn’t notice this during my time with the game last month, because I was either rolling along blissfully or exploding disgracefully, but EA’s upcoming Battlefield 3 has magic tanks. And they are magic, because they’re capable of doing something no actual tank has ever been capable of: healing themselves. Yes, in Battlefield 3 tanks…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  This Final Fantasy Figure Excites Me More Than the Game

  After the whole Final Fantasy XIII hullabaloo, a FF break was in order. The world didn’t get that. It got Final Fantasy XIII-2 Perhaps, FFXIII-2 is fantastic—I haven’t played it yet, so I wouldn’t know. There’s some much hanging over the title, like Final Fantasy‘s good name and the crushing disappointment of FFXIII This Lightning…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  A Look At 41 of Iran’s Best Video Games

  Last week I found myself in a back row of one of Gamescom’s business hall with a few minutes to kill. Turning a corner I discovered a sizeable booth set up to showcase the computer and video games of Iran. We’ve recently written a bit about Mir Mahna and I’m always fascinated with how different…

  By Brian Crecente Published September 5, 2011
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  Stop What You’re Doing and Get Jetpack Joyride for Your iPhone Now

  Surprisingly, flying with a jetpack powered by a pair of mini-guns strapped to your back is not even remotely the most enjoyable thing about Jetpack Joyride. The iOS game from Halfbrick Studios, creators of Fruit Ninja, is one of the most refreshingly simple and unexpectedly replayable downloadable games for Apple devices. Macho mascot Barry Steakfries,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published September 5, 2011
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  Happy Labor Day, American People!

  Hard Hat | PITTSBURGH, PA – An Iron Workers of America’s float at a Labor Day Parade. (Photo: John Heller | AP) This Metal Gear Lady Drinks too Much Coke In May 2008, Hideo Kojima held a press conference for Metal Gear Solid 4 that was noteworthy for three things: The first MGS4 gameplay was…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  Blue Slime, You Can Eat. But Will You?

  Everyone loves the Dragon Quest slime. Meat buns are incredibly popular, too. But a meat bun Slime? More importantly, a blue meat bun? This November, meat bun Slime are coming soon to Family Mart convenience stores across Japan. One blue Slime bun for ¥170 (US$2.20). Even Japanese gamers seem to be a little weirded out…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  European Retailer Stops Selling Busted Old 360 Consoles

  Two of Europe’s biggest games retailers, Game and Gamestation (the latter owned by the former), have stopped selling old models of the Xbox 360, according to a report on Eurogamer While Game told the site that this was simply due to a focus on new hardware, a more likely reason came from a contact at…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  Deus Ex Was, at One Stage, Meant To Be Even Bigger

  Deus Ex: Human Revolution is, by today’s standards at least, a pretty big game. It took me around 35 hours to finish it. But did you know at the planning stage it was meant to be even bigger? Much of your time spent with the game is running around its two “hub” worlds, the streets…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  This Metal Gear Lady Drinks too Much Coke

  In May 2008, Hideo Kojima held a press conference for Metal Gear Solid 4 that was noteworthy for three things: The first MGS4 gameplay was shown, Hideo Kojima arrived with a silly haircut, and young model Akina Minami graced the stage. Besides the stealth and the guns, a Metal Gear mainstay is the pretty ladies.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  Poster Says Battlefield 3’s Xbox 360 Version Comes On Two Discs

  A Japanese promotional poster for the upcoming Battlefield 3 contains a few extra details we weren’t aware of before. Like, say, the fact the Xbox 360 version of the game will ship on two discs. That’s all the info that can be gleaned from the pic, so there’s no idea just what content is spread…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 5, 2011
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  Some Hate It, Some Love It. Here’s a Look at Dragon Quest X.

  Years in development, and here it finally is, Dragon Quest X. It’s an online game. It’s for the Wii and Wii U. This is what it looks like. Dragon Quest VIII was dazzling. For 2004 and 2005, it was truly a beautiful game. DQVIII was a leap forward, it was a fresh take on an…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011
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  Dragon Quest X Has a Subscription Fee?

  Dragon Quest X is an online role-playing game. Know what online role-playing games have? Subscription fees, and DQX appears to be no different. On the game’s official site, it lists standard info like platform, release date, and price. Here’s a look: Platform: Wii/Wii U Release Date: (Wii) Planned for 2012/(Wii U) TBA MSRP・User Fee: (Wii/Wii…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011