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  Obsidian is Sorry that Fallout: New Vegas Was So Buggy

  [NowGamer]

  By Mike Epstein Published May 9, 2011
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  The Happy Cloud Speeds Up Video Game Downloads, But is Faster Better?

  Within a minute of logging into my trial account at games-on-demand service The Happy Cloud I was playing the full PC version of LEGO Batman. “Instant gratification” is a phrase the company likes to toss about, and it certainly fits the bill. “Happy Cloud brings gamers instant gratification,” says Eric Gastfriend, Vice President and General…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 9, 2011
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  PS3 Brink Release Won’t Be Affected by Hack

  Brink will still hit the Playstation 3 as planned despite the ongoing Playstation Network outage, the developer tells Eurogamer. While the game mostly lives online, it does have the ability to be played with bots and in single-player mode. [Eurogamer]

  By Brian Crecente Published May 9, 2011
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  We’re on the Brink of All Out War

  The battle to save and/or escape The Ark kicks off tomorrow when Brink launches for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Which side of the struggle will you be on?

  By Mike Fahey Published May 9, 2011
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  The Extraordinary, Underground Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

  Back in 2007 I read an article on BoingBoing about a small “museum” of Soviet-era video games that had been opened by a couple of students in the basement of a small technical university about 30 minutes outside the center of Moscow. The article was accompanied by awesome pictures of hulking consoles that looked like…

  Connal Hughes, A Dangerous Business Published May 9, 2011
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  Do You Crave Sequels or Something Entirely New?

  Commenter Monsieur Froid returns to Speak Up on Kotaku once more to ask readers whether they want daring new intellectual property or games that build upon the tried and true. Alrighty, Speak-Up, here’s a question to tickle your brains. Which do you prefer: continuations of your favourite series or new and original IPs? I’m looking…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 9, 2011
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  BioWare’s First Third-Person Shooter Comes to WiiWare

  While BioWare may be known for its epic role-playing games, back in 2000 the developer was responsible for crafting the sequel to one of the greatest third-person shooters of all time, MDK, and today that sequel comes to WiiWare. The original MDK, developed by Shiny Entertainment of Earthworm Jim fame, followed the adventures of Kurt…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 9, 2011
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  What Game of Thrones‘ Intro Looks Like in StarCraft 2

  David Zhou noticed the resemblance between the open titles of HBO’s Game of Thrones and the maps of an RTS. And what do you know? A StarCraft 2 movie (created by Zhou) set to the GoT intro music looks pretty great. StarCraft: A Game of Thrones [Wellplayed.org]

  By Joel Johnson Published May 9, 2011
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Like most Final Fantasy games, Talk Amongst Yourselves is turn-based. Like most FFs, TAY is full of lots of text dialogue. Dare I say this, but like most Final Fantasy games, Talk Amongst Yourselves seldom has an awesome plot. So cast Blizzaga and comment here about video games. Thanks to reader Goldfuzzy for today’s image.…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 9, 2011
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  Is the bin Laden Kill Game Cathartic, Educational, or Just Ghoulish?

  Osama bin Laden hunches quietly in the darkness of an Abbottabad basement, rifle clutched in his hands. He swivels smoothly left. Stops. Then swivels smoothly right. His face is frozen in a thousand mile stare, eyes unblinking. “We found him.” The game developer sounds relieved. The virtual bin Laden, created over a rush of all-nighters…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 9, 2011
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  First Touch Football is Full-Featured Footy

  Typically, upon hearing that a sports game is unlicensed, I expect completely generic teams populated by bland rosters. First Touch Soccer is hardly gimped in such a way. Yes, the team names themselves are altered. But draw up a match with “Manchester Red,” and sure enough, there is “Rooney” at forward. You can expect this…

  By Owen Good Published May 9, 2011
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  Those Are Some Nice Sleeves

  KEY MOMENT | TOKYO, JAPAN: A festival for visual novel Rewrite kicks off in Akihabara. (Photo: Akiba Blog) PlayStation Network Return “Uncertain”, May Not be 100% Back Until May 31 The PlayStation Network has been down for a while now. We’ve been warned that it may be down for a little while longer. Now Sony…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2011
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  Hawaiian Shirts Covered with Anime Girls

  Understated Aloha shirts are for classy island residents. Gaudy ones for the tourists. But Hawaiian shirts covered in anime girls? Those are for Japanese otaku. Japan’s Cospa, seller of otaku costumes and threads, is ready to dress you in K-On!, My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute, Angel Beats! and Twin Angel 2 Ahola shirts.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2011
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  Will They Ever Run Out of Pokémon?

  There are 650 Pocket Monsters. That’s a lot. So Game Freak, the studio behind Pokémon, should be running out of ideas for new Pocket Monsters any day now, right? Wrong. Pokémon: Black and White art director Ken Sugimori told the Official Nintendo Magazine that there are still new Pokémon ideas. “It’s not only myself designing…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2011
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  Sleep with This Voice Actress (Again)

  When voice actress Rie Tanaka isn’t capturing the hearts of otaku, she’s snuggling up next to them vicariously through her hug pillow. One Rie Tanaka hug pillow has been available for purchase. Until now. Hug pillows are called “dakimakura” with “daki” referring to “hug” and “makura” meaning “pillow”. Dakimakura covers typically show anime-type characters. Like…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2011
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  Cosplay is All About Beautiful Teamwork

  In this week’s showcase of the best in cosplay, teamwork is the key word of the day, with two of the better shots involving not one or two fans in costume, but entire video game casts. Those casts are from BioShock and Final Fantasy XIII, the former showing a motley crew of splicers, the latter…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2011
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  PlayStation Network Return “Uncertain”, May Not be 100% Back Until May 31

  The PlayStation Network has been down for a while now. We’ve been warned that it may be down for a little while longer. Now Sony says it could be weeks still before the PSN is fully operational. Sony’s Shigenori Yoshida has told Bloomberg that his company’s deadline for the full return of all PlayStation Network…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2011
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  Episode IV: A New Earthbound

  This piece, throwing Nintendo’s classic Mother RPG series (known as EarthBound in the West) and the original Star Wars together, is just too damn cute for words (via 4CR). Earthbound Star Wars by lauramw

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 9, 2011
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  Alice: Madness Returns Is Adults Only in Japan

  According to an online image doing the rounds, Alice: Madness Returns will be out on July 21 and rated “Cero Z”, Japan’s “Adults Only” equivalent. It’s not uncommon for violent games to get Cero Z. Xbox 360’s Gears of War and Wii’s MadWorld both snagged Cero Z ratings. [はちま起稿]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2011
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  He Co-Wrote Portal 2. Who Is His Favorite Character?

  Valve lead writer Erik Wolpaw lent his clever pen to sci-fi shooter Portal 2. If you’ve played the game (this post has spoilers!), you might have your favorite character. Wolpaw does. According to Wolpaw, his favorite character (co-writer Jay Pinkerton’s, too) is Rick the Adventure Sphere, the jabbering AI sphere with a Texas twang. “The…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 9, 2011