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  These Were Their E3 Promises, This is What Came True

  For each of the last two years I’ve checked the E3 promises of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Sure, they make June/July tradition of telling us exciting things that will surely, definitely happen with the PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, 3DS, PSP and Wii. But do their E3 promises of one year turn out to…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 30, 2011
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  Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Is A Dead RPG Revived With the Spirit of Tekken and Call of Duty

  “Combat!” That’s the thing that differentiates 38 Studios and Big Huge Games’ Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning from your typical role-playing game fare, says the game’s lead designer. It’s the primal stuff extracted from games like God of War, Tekken and Call of Duty and injected into this high fantasy world. “We’ve failed if we haven’t…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 30, 2011
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  I’m In Awe of FIFA 12’s Precision Dribbling

  Our dive into all things FIFA 12 last week at Electronic Arts started out with a blistering critique of everything wrong with FIFA 11 by one of the people involved in both games. The team wanted to deliver more of a revolution than an evolution with the coming of FIFA 12, we were told, but…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 30, 2011
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Yawn. Carried off on the arms of a Monday holiday (kinda like today’s TAYpic—thanks Prof.Gast). And for those of you working retail jobs and other unkind professions, I say: let today’s gaming discussion be in honor of you! Would some of you like to spend your Memorial Day creating TAYpics? Be our guest: #TAYpics (Read…

  By Drew Cohen Published May 30, 2011
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  The Heist is a Great Brain Robbery

  The Heist is bookended by two spoiler-riffic features I simply can’t give up, but they help bundle a series of logic puzzles into a package that is brilliantly and uniquely executed on the iPhone. Suffice to say, The Heist‘s heist is not entirely metaphorical. Yes, you’re trying to break a vault by completing a series…

  By Owen Good Published May 30, 2011
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  Sarah Palin on a Hog

  I’m with Leather | ARLINGTON, VA: Former candidate Sarah Palin checks out the Rolling Thunder Rally over the weekend. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla | Getty) Link is Dreaming of Some Creepy-Ass Pokémon Cosplay can be great when a piece is a painstaking recreation of the original. There is, however, nothing stopping it from being great when…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 30, 2011
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  Crysis 2’s Engine Will be Training American Soldiers

  Crytek’s CryEngine 3 technology, which we’ve seen most recently in the company’s own Crysis 2, is the driving force behind a $57 million project from the US Army aimed at teaching its soldiers how to fight. While virtual battlefields have long been a staple of military training, the new Dismounted Soldier Training System (DSTS) looks…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 30, 2011
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  End of Nations Is Packed With Unrealized Potential

  The promise of blending a real-time strategy game with legions of gamers around the world in a persistent online environment is great. But pulling that off remains a challenge. Earlier this month, I had a chance to sit down with End of Nations, Petroglyph Games’ attempt at cracking the code for a working, successful MMORTS.…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 30, 2011
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  Link is Dreaming of Some Creepy-Ass Pokémon

  Cosplay can be great when a piece is a painstaking recreation of the original. There is, however, nothing stopping it from being great when there’s a bit of gender-bending going on, either. Rmthompson1979’s shot of Abigail here, dressed as Zelda’s Link, is proof of that. She’s far from the only amazing picture we’ve got this…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 30, 2011
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  Japan Gets the Best PS3

  When big PS3 games are released, Sony often launches a limited edition PS3, either with a special design or in a unique color. Role-playing game Tales of Xillia is no different. Out on September 8, the game will be sold as a stand alone title in Japan or bundled with a Tales of Xillia PS3.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 30, 2011
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  The Beginning And End Of Western Action Role-Playing Games

  Over on Hardcore Gaming, there’s a new timeline up for reading called “A Brief History of Western Action RPGs”. Brief? Are you kidding me? Spanning over thirty years of role-playing games (mostly) free of teenagers with stupid haircuts and over-sized swords, the timeline begins with the likes of Adventure and Dungeons of Daggorath and ends…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 30, 2011
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  Metal Gear Creator Sitting Out E3

  Metal Gear Solid 5 isn’t the only thing sitting out this year’s E3, the stealth series’ creator Hideo Kojima also won’t be at E3. Last year, there was a flurry of MGS news at E3. This year? Probably not. [@hideo_kojima]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 30, 2011
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  The PS3’s New Headphones Look Awesome

  Headphones. You’ve seen one pair you’ve seen them all. Unless they’re Sony’s new official wireless PS3 headphones, in which case, they look different, and great as a result. The standard headphone design of “buds and band” is dominated by two massive panels over the earpieces, one there to hide the microphone which can retract within,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 30, 2011
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  Being Hard Gay for Laughs and Cash

  In 2005, comedian Masaki Sumitani became the most popular funny man in Japan. He dressed in a PVC hotpants, thrusting his pelvis as he exclaimed, “Fooohhh!” Little kids imitated the catchphrase, and Sumitani conquered the country. You probably know him better as “Razor Ramon HG” or simply “Hard Gay”. Gay, he’s not. Japanese comedy is…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 30, 2011
• CultureTotal Recall

  The Origins Of Pokémon

  As the creator of Nintendo’s Pokémon series, Satoshi Tajiri is one of the most important (if not well-known) developers working in video games today. Like another Nintendo legend, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Tajiri’s most popular work has been directly inspired by his childhood experiences and hobbies. While Miyamoto’s Zelda was the product of boyhood explorations,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 30, 2011
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  Is Sony’s New Handheld Called “Vita”?

  It’s the week before E3. There are rumours buzzing around like flies on a turd. Here’s the biggest fly, then, from the weekend: that the NGP has a name. And that name is “Vita”. Now, there’s a sordid tale behind this, beginning with “leaked” snaps from a supposed marketing brochure and ending with the original…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 30, 2011
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  Slingshot AI

  Free the Indianapolis 500 | The U.K.’s Dan Wheldon won on the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 today, zipping to the checkered flag first when rookie J.R. Hildebrand crashed in the final turn of the final lap. (Photo: Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images) Bankrupted Studio Says Square Enix Demanded Code by Fax, Didn’t Recognize…

  By Owen Good Published May 29, 2011
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  Reaching for the Brass Ring on NCAA Football 12‘s Coaching Carousel

  Ben Haumiller’s got a job for me. Several jobs, actually, but they’re all in NCAA Football 12‘s new career mode, the “Coaching Carousel.” Haumiller, the game’s producer, explains it all using an offensive coordinator named Owen O’Cain as an example. Who the hell is Owen O’Cain? More on him in a moment. The real story…

  By Owen Good Published May 29, 2011
• Culture

  A Quiet Week for Games

  Holiday weekends and the period around E3 typically are slow, and this coming week fits both bills. The big drops: Hunted: The Demon’s Forge; BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II comes to PSP and 3DS; PC players get the BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den and Call of Duty: Black Ops-Escalation expansions. Tuesday Hunted: The Demon’s Forge (PC, PS3,…

  By Owen Good Published May 29, 2011
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  Practice Your Marksmanship with This Gears of War 3 Target Poster

  Microsoft sent out a big thank-you email to every participant in the monthlong Gears of War 3 beta, noting the outrageous stats it compiled and directing everyone to a set of desktop wallpapers and a printable target-practice poster. That might come in handy, as it took 25 rounds per kill, on average. The email went…

  By Owen Good Published May 29, 2011