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  Is This a Pikachu Ripoff?

  One of the Japanese media’s favorite topics is how China copies everything, whether that be giant Gundams or toys. But Japan is no stranger to ripping off the creative work of others. This is “Eco-chan”, the mascot for an environmental community center in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture. Let’s not screw around, Eco-chan sure as snot looks…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 2, 2011
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  Your Handy Map of Half-Life 2’s City 17

  Reader Michael sent us an image he’s been working for a while. It’s a map of Half-Life 2’s City 17 done in an “authentic” style. That means no easy-to-read Google Maps style of cartography. City 17 is in Eastern Europe, and the world is a mess, so all the Resistance have to go on would…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 2, 2011
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  Infamous Studio Is Now All Sony’s

  Sony Computer Entertainment has acquired Sucker Punch, the studio behind titles like Infamous and Sly Cooper, the Tokyo-based game giant revealed today. Sucker Punch was previously an independent studio. However, it has worked only on PlayStation titles since 2000. “Sucker Punch Productions is one of the most highly acclaimed development studios in the industry and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 2, 2011
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  Square Enix, Your iPhone Pricing Is Bananas

  Awesome news: after a long wait, Final Fantasy Tactics is on its way to the App Store, with the classic strategy title due out this Thursday. Only, there’s a catch: it’s expensive The iPhone is a different market than other handheld gaming platforms. Nintendo is finding this out the hard way. Games are normally sold…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 2, 2011
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  Rhythm Heaven is Where Idols Go to Press Buttons

  This week, the biggest game in Japan is Rhythm Heaven. It was created by a man who was at one time the biggest record producer in the country: Tsunku. The Osaka native produces tracks and makes music for a variety of artists, such as Morning Musume (vintage pic above), who were the most popular idol…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 2, 2011
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  Can You Possibly Have too Many Batmans? Batmen?

  Maaaaaaybe. At least, the number of preorder skins currently available for Batman: Arkham City is certainly pushing the envelope. A British fan site has put together all of the skins available for customers in the UK (some of them are available outside Europe, others not), and it’s a little bananas. There are five available, most…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 2, 2011
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  There are Other Games to Play On a Laptop (at an Airport) Besides Diablo III

  As a man about to embark on a 20-hour flight, comments like this—from Blizzard’s Rob Pardo in response to the news Diablo III requires a constant internet connection—make me pull little sad faces. Diablo 3 Will Require Players to be Online When Playing [1UP] You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 2, 2011
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  CultureTotal Recall

  Horror Comes In Many Forms (Including Tiny Ellipsoid Cocks)

  There was a PC game released in 1994 called Escstatica. It’s notable for two things: it was scary, but it was also a technological marvel. It doesn’t matter that the technology in question never really went anywhere. It was cool for the time, and this feature is all about looking back in time! Ecstatica was…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 2, 2011
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  Could This Graphics Tech Revolutionize the Way Video Games Look?

  Or is the technology that powers Euclideon’s “Unlimited Detail” graphics engine another contender that hopes to unseat the traditional way of modeling and rendering things in 3D (with polygons)? Whatever Euclideon’s fate, it’s potentially a very exciting development. Euclideon’s Unlimited Detail tech, which uses “tiny little atoms” to display 3D objects instead of polygons, is…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 1, 2011
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  Go Get ‘Em, Robo

  Happy Monday, Kotaku readers. You’re free to contain your excitement for another workweek in tonight’s open thread, where we can talk about the EVO 2011 Championships, Las Vegas or debt ceilings if you’d like. Anything goes here. I spent much of my weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio Hotel and Casino—an establishment I…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 1, 2011
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  Rhythm Heaven Wii Ascends to First Place in Japan

  The delightful Rhythm Heaven series has come to the Wii—in Japan, at least—arriving to divine reception from the Nintendo loving masses. Rhythm Heaven Wii (aka Minna no Rhythm Tengoku) is Japan’s bestselling game. The latest entry in Nintendo’s simple rhythm game series bested two newcomers, Capcom’s Sengoku Basara Heroes Chronicles for PSP and Grasshopper Manufacture’s…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 1, 2011
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  Fans Picked the Blonde in a Controversial Video Game Beauty Contest, But That’s Not a Bad Thing

  Commander Shepard, the hero of the popular Sci-Fi franchise Mass Effect, can be a man or a woman; the player chooses. That kind of customization is one of the most appealing aspects of the series, which is preparing to launch its third installment in early 2012. Since the series debuted in 2007, Mass Effect‘s boxart…

  By Kirk Hamilton Published August 1, 2011
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  Just Dance 3 Let’s you Bust Custom Moves Via Facebook

  Ubisoft is upping the Kinect dancing game ante with Just Dance 3‘s “Just Create” mode. “Just Create” lets you record your own dance moves using Kinect then challenge your friends to recreate them. You can use your custom moves to serve your friends in person or online through Facebook. Videos of people playing Just Dance,…

  By Sam Winstrom Published August 1, 2011
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  This Thursday Retro Game Master Takes On The Mystery of Atlantis

  This week on Retro Game Master The Kacho takes on the side-scrolling platformer The Mystery of Atlantis The Mystery of Atlantis was released by Sunsoft for the Family Computer in 1986. In it, players control a boy named Wynn as he explores the mythical land of Atlantis and fights to defeat and ancient evil. The…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 1, 2011
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  These Catherine Zippos Are Smokin’

  Can’t get enough of the titillating title character of Catherine? Now Zippo is releasing Catherine and Katherine-themed lighters to really light your fire. I mean, get you hot. Erm, that is, they light up your night. Sorry, it’s too easy to make bad puns with this one. They’re only for Japan for now, and currently…

  By Max Abrams Published August 1, 2011
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  2-Inches Of Space Marine

  Jun, Carter and Kat Fit For Your Nostril – Halo minimates. (Photo by Diamond Select Toys) Are Gaming’s Biggest Portables Becoming Its Smallest Niche? Last week’s drastic, surprising price drop for Nintendo’s 3DS gaming portable brought turmoil not just to the last major dedicated gaming hardware company in the world, but also the notion of…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 1, 2011
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  Hear Body Count’s Thrash Metal Love Song to Gears of War 3

  Renaissance man and Gears of War fan Ice-T will lend his acting and musical talents to Epic Games’ new shooter, Gears of War 3. The rapper, actor and voice of Gears 3‘s Griffin has gotten the band (Body Count) back together for a special musical tribute, appropriately titled “The Gears of War.” Ice-T’s thrash metal…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 1, 2011
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  Farmville Maker Has One More Lawsuit to Worry About Now

  FarmVille and Mafia Wars maker Zynga, has been slapped with another lawsuit, this time for patent infringement. New York-based Segan wants to get paid for a 2006 patent it holds—”system for viewing content over a network”—claiming Zynga is violating it. Sound like patent trolling to you? [Bloomberg]

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 1, 2011
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  Capcom Quashes Hopes of Mega Man Legends 3’s Return

  Despite a push by tens of thousands of fans to revive recently canceled Capcom game Mega Man Legends 3, the Japanese developer tells Kotaku that they have no plans to resume development. “We are aware of the fan created Facebook page requesting that we resume development of Mega Man Legends 3,” Capcom spokesman Brian Keltner…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 1, 2011
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  Halo‘s Blonde Space Marines Have More Fun

  Drake Tsui dropped an amazing “The Babysitter” (HALO Legends) episode fan art illustration! You can follow Drake here on his Tumblr Related Rampages: Dark Knights | Versus (Scott Pilgrim) (More) Cal-141 by Drake Tsui (Tumblr) (Facebook) (Twitter) via: quirkilicious Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over to Justin Page’s Rampaged…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 1, 2011