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  You’ve Seen the Dead Island Trailer, Now Read the Book

  Inspired by the award-winning CGI trailer that sort of vaguely touched on the actual gameplay of Techland’s upcoming zombie survival game, UK author Mark Morris delivers his take on the tropical carnage with Dead Island: The Book While I’m certain the game itself will contain some sort of narrative, it takes a true novelist to…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 27, 2011
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Another week, another Wednesday…the heat wave is over (for now…) but just in case it sneaks back onto the radar we should probably stay inside and talk about video games. Just to be safe. Thanks to Incursor, who is staying safe from all weather, and keeping our TAY pic page well stocked. Follow suit, fellow…

  By Jen Schiller Published July 27, 2011
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  Twisted Metal Embraces Its Fantastic Split-Screen Roots

  So much has been made of Twisted Metal’s campaign, its bloody, live-action storyline and online multiplayer that it might be easy to forget the game’s amazing, couch-playing roots. An accident of publicity planning reminded me of that last week. When I showed up to check out Sony’s offerings in New York, Drew Bradford, the game’s…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 27, 2011
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  Ridiculous Video Game HealBot Turns World of Warcraft Into a Dream

  HealBot is a video game that you are supposed to play in order to get better at another video game. Imagine that. People debate whether video games can train people to be better soldiers and worse drivers in real life. How narrow their imaginations! Let us explore this idea that games can make us better…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 27, 2011
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  The Idolmaster Comes to Life in a Namco Game Center

  Super Duper | OSAKA, JAPAN: Cosplayers promote Namco’s idol simulator. (Photo: ファミ通) Did This Man Deserve This?　Japanese piracy law enforcement is tough. It doesn’t matter whether that’s the selling of customized figures or illegal uploading of games, the authorities are so not pussy footing around. Consider what happened to Takashi Matsuda. There’s a Half-Life On…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  A PS3 Controller. Busted in Half.

  I’ve never seen a PS3 controller broken in two parts. Then again, I’ve never destroyed mine in a fit of Super Street Fighter 4 rage after losing, like this Japanese gamer did. スパ4で負け過ぎて、コントローラー壊しちまったんだが・・・ [へちま速報＠ゲーハー板] You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  Is Japan Excited about Wii U?

  The Wii U is Nintendo’s new console. You might be excited about it. You might not be. But what do Famitsu readers think? Famitsu is Japan’s biggest gaming mag, and its polls provide insights into what readers are thinking. So what are Famitsu readers thinking? Here are the results, via 1Up: •38.3 percent said they…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  Level-5’s American Office Looks Shady

  From the outside, that is. It looks like a bail bonds office or a place you could cash check or maybe even pawn a wedding ring. Inside, well, that’s a different story. The inside of Level-5’s American office is rather stylish! It obviously doesn’t appear as sprawling as the company’s swish Fukuoka headquarters, where most…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  How to Customize This Site’s Navigation

  We’ve made a few small adjustments to our site today, including a new way to interact with stories in our right sidebar: You can now set the sidebar to a one- or two-paned interface, as demonstrated in the video above, made by our friends at Lifehacker We also gently pushed the maroon slider up towards…

  By Joel Johnson Published July 27, 2011
• Culture

  There’s a Half-Life On Viktor Antonov’s Video Game Art

  Artist Viktor Antonov has worked on a number of high-profile projects over the years. He’s recently published his own book, The Colony. He’s helping on a live-action adaptation of classic manga (and anime film) Cobra. He also did some nice art for shelved (yet promising) multiplayer shooter The Crossing Oh yeah. And he was also…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2011
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  Dragon Age II Disappears From Steam

  Valve’s online juggernaut and EA’s own upstart service Origin are having some problems of late. Problems continuing through to this week, with Dragon Age II—previously available on Steam—now being withdrawn from sale. The bone of contention seems to be Dragon Age II’s new piece of downloadable content, Legacy, which is only available as an in-game…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2011
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  Summer Is When Cosplay Gets Skimpy

  It’s hot and humid. Time to head to the beach, or don colorful costumes and hang out with nerds. Whichever! The bi-annual figure event Wonder Festival was held over the weekend in Tokyo. Cosplayers came out in droves. Kotaku already posted some creepy and cute highlights. This go-round, perhaps, features more skin, so take note…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  Now This Is the Female Shepard We Should Be Voting For

  I don’t like the new female Commander Shepard. Mostly because it’s stupid they’re changing her in the first place, but also because in all options she looks like a 19 year-old who’s angry the Ford Fiesta her parents bought her just got a parking ticket. But these pieces of fan art from Brazilian Rafael Grassetti,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2011
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  This Tekken 4 Statue Sure Is Cheeky

  Christie Monteiro is one of Tekken’s flashier characters. Maybe it’s her swivel kicks, the glitter, or the long hair. But with this new figure, it’s definitely the ass chaps. From famed figure maker Kotobukiya comes this new 1/7 scale Christie figure. It’s priced at ¥6,510 (US$84), and the figure is set to go on sale…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  The Godfather IV: Mario vs Angry Birds

  The kids these days. They’re takin’ a shit, and boom, they got a game in their hands. This clip, by The Game Station, shows the elder statesmen of the video game world joining forces to overcome the looming threat of iPhone games. Godfather-style. If all the chit-chat at the beginning gets you down, please, stick…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2011
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  The Neon Genesis Evangelion Bike You Can Buy

  Anime Neon Genesis Evangelion has spawned more than figures, posters, and booze. It’s also produced race cars, hybrid cars, and really fast motorbikes. Would you like to buy an Eva bike? Well, you can! On August 1, orders will start being accepted for the the Kawasaki Ninja 250R Eva superbike, which has previously competed in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  Find Room in Your Heart for Another Xenosaga Action Figure

  You’ve seen one Xenosaga action figure, you’ve seen ’em all, right? Well, sort of, since they’re always of KOS-MOS, but this one’s new! Following up from Masaki Asai’s take on the iconic character in 2010, this 2011 figure, from Alter, is a lot taller (34cm vs 22cm) but also a lot more expensive, coming in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2011
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  Metal Gear Solid 3D Delayed Down Under

  The 3DS line-up is kinda slim. The latest casualty? Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D. According to Kotaku Australia, it’s been delayed in the land Down Under from late 2011 to 2012—no explanation given. Kotaku is following up on the US release. [Kotaku Australia]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011
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  Yes, But Can a Ten-Core PC Run Crysis?

  According to reports from China, AMD will next year be releasing a new CPU called Piledriver. Appropriately, given its name, it may well go Zangief all over your games (or at least the games of the future that are actually coded for it), because it’s got ten cores. Yup. Ten. The catch? All those cores…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2011
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  Did This Man Deserve This?

  Japanese piracy law enforcement is tough. It doesn’t matter whether that’s the selling of customized figures or illegal uploading of games, the authorities are so not pussy footing around. Consider what happened to Takashi Matsuda. The 47-year-old company employee was arrested on the evening news for violating Japanese copyright law and was dragged away in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2011