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  Shift 2 Unleashed is a Demanding Driver’s Ed Class

  Learning to drive a stick shift on my mother’s BMW 325 was one of the most maddening experiences in a teenage life full of them. I just could not figure out what the hell that thing’s clutch wanted out of me. It defied all verbal instruction. It was a car of undeniable quality, and a…

  By Owen Good Published August 11, 2011
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  A Man in a Prinny Hat

  Nice Hat | TOKYO, JAPAN: An event for PS Vita title Disgaea 3 was held in Akihabara. (Photo: Game Watch Impress) The Destructive Video Game Art of Coro Kaufman We’ve got another Massive Black artist for you today, which is always a treat. Coro Kaufman is one of the studio’s co-founders, and also serves as…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
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  Last Day to Register for Free 3DS Games

  Just a friendly reminder that today is the last day you can register for Nintendo’s Ambassador Program. You know, the program for 3DS early adaptors who paid through the nose for the 3DS, so now are getting twenty free games. In Japan, the registration program involves you entering your serial number in a website, but…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
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  Hello Sexy Tron Inspired Costume

  The latest Tron, Tron: Legacy, was filled with attractive actors in fetching costumes. Here are some more nifty outfits—they’re not official Tron wear, but they glow. That’ll do. These outfits come via Etsy seller ArtificeClothing, and will glows in the dark after ten minutes of sunlight exposure. If you leave the outfits under a bright…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
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  Goodbye Pikachu Rip-Off! It’s Been Fun.

  Earlier this month, Japanese netizens noticed that a mascot created to promote the environment in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture looked a helluva lot like Pikachu. The character’s name is Eco-chan and was unveiled late last year. When the character’s wearable suit was created, a city staffer said that it looked like Pikachu. However, the person who…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
• Culture

  The Destructive Video Game Art of Coro Kaufman

  We’ve got another Massive Black artist for you today, which is always a treat. Coro Kaufman is one of the studio’s co-founders, and also serves as its art director. Needless to say, his stuff is great In this gallery you’ll see examples from many of the games he’s worked on over the past few years,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  This Is Why Games Are Going Free To Play

  Wondering why going “free to play” is so trendy right now? Consider MMO Age of Conan. In May, it launched a F2P version. It’s since doubled its revenues and increased subscriber numbers

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  The Ladies of Street Fighter Trade Face Punching for Wine and Coffee

  The delightful French artist Bastien Vives returns with another unconventional take on the Street Fighter universe. Be sure to check out his blog, linked below, for more of the same. Like Street Fighter characters dressed up like Battle Beasts. Yeah, that’s right. Battle Beasts vendredi… lorsque la rumeur dit que l’un d’entre eux ne s’est…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  The 3DS Launches at a Lower Price. Some Japanese People Buy It.

  Today in Japan, the 3DS went on sale with a new, lower price. Some people lined up at stores in Tokyo, but not that many. But that’s okay. When the 3DS first went on sale, hundreds of people lined up for pre-orders, and then hundreds more lined up to purchase the portable. Months later and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
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  Know Your Zelda Animals, Monsters, Beasts, Bird People and Weird Chicken Things

  Artist Jude Buffum has come up with this impressive (and informative!) piece called Magna Arbor Vitae Deku. It’s essentially a biology chart of the Zelda universe. The name means “The Great Deku Tree of Life”, and starting at said Great Deku Tree it branches out to include 200 species of creature, good, bad and in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  These TF2 LEGO Figures are so Small! They are Funny to me!

  It’s easy to take a LEGO minifig and paint it to look like something. What’s harder is taking a ton of actual LEGO bricks and turning them into the likeness of a range of cartoon video game characters. Matt De Lanoy has done just that, though, recreating the cast of Valve’s Team Fortress 2 in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  Sony and LG Kiss and Make Up over PS3 Patent Spat

  LG asked the International Trade Commission to block the sale of the PS3 in the United States over a patent dispute. Sony and LG have now settled this dispute, which hopefully means the Netherlands won’t seize any more PS3s! [Reuters]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
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  The PSP Is Going Out with a Bam (and a Vroom)

  With the PSP’s days numbered in North America, there won’t be too many more offers like this before the handheld is taken out back and shot The new, and wonderfully-named “Madden NFL 12 & Need for Speed SHIFT PSP Entertainment Pack” is a bundle that includes a PSP-3000 system, a 2GB memory card and copies…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  Mega Man Fans, Capcom is Reading Your Mail. All of it.

  Ever since Mega Man Legends 3 was canned, fans of the franchise have been going bananas, wondering how Capcom could ever do such a thing. (It may have something to do with the fact Mega Man fans aren’t as numerous as they think!) While that’s resulted in the expected amount of angry words typed anonymously…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  Alpha Centauri Trademarked, PC Gamers, Remain Calm

  Electronic Arts has re-applied for trademarks for the name Alpha Centauri, the classic PC strategy game from Civilization developers Firaxis it published back in the late 90s.

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  The Greatest Cosplay in the World

  Last weekend, cosplayers from around the world flocked to the Wold Cosplay Summit. This is more than simply the Olympics of posing and priming in character costumes. Cosplayers perform on stage, giving the competition an air of theatrics. Held since 2003 and supported by the Japanese government, the World Cosplay Summit invites cosplayers from across…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 11, 2011
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  No Filming is Allowed Inside Valve’s Offices

  If you ever get the chance to visit Valve’s offices in Bellevue, be sure to enjoy the trip. Just remember: no filming. There are severe consequences. Note, though, regular humans could get Team Fortress 2 statues as well. At least, I think I’m a regular human. You guys can fry an eggs on your bare…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  Man has Jaw Broken, PSP Stolen During London Riots

  One of the sadder stories to come out of this week’s London riots is that of Malaysian student Ashraf Haziq, who bleeding profusely from a broken jaw is helped to his feet by passers-by…before summarily having his PSP stolen right out of his backpack. It’s indicative of the kind of materialistic lawlessness that’s gripped the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  CultureTotal Recall

  The Secret of the Secret Nintendo Song

  When you talk about music in Nintendo games, the first person that pops into most people’s minds is the work of legendary composer Koji Kondo, the man behind the iconic scores for games like Zelda and Mario. We’re not talking about Koji Kondo today. Instead, we’re going to talk about Kazumi Totaka, who in addition…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2011
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  FortressCraft Breaks the $1 Million Barrier on Xbox Live Indie Games

  Last year, Minecraft made about a zillion kroner in the time it takes to nuke a Hot Pocket. This year, FortressCraft, the Minecraft knockoff homage on the Xbox Live Indie Games channel, has now bagged a cool million inside of the first six months it was available on the service. That’s a gross sales figure,…

  By Owen Good Published August 10, 2011