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  How One Fistfight Influenced a Lifetime of Video Games

  “I was all bloody,” Keiji Inafune said recently. The game developer, best known for titles like Dead Rising and Mega-Man, was recalling a time before he made video games, the time he was in junior high school, growing up in one of Japan’s toughest areas and getting punched. Sitting in his brand new office with…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  The Day That Xbox Live Customer Service Cared

  We only ever hear negative things about customer service, because a satisfied customer rarely spends time gushing over their experience on the internet. Commenter KillerIri5h is an exception, raving about his Xbox Live customer service experience in today’s Speak Up on Kotaku. So like many people, I’ve fallen on hard times financially. I’m an artist…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 16, 2011
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  Chrono Trigger Warps Your Wii Back to 1995

  The Wii Virtual Console travels back in time this week to a time when a much softer Square made games that were consistently excellent. It’s not that Square Enix doesn’t put out good games. There are plenty of excellent modern games out there bearing the company’s brand. It’s just that back in the days when…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 16, 2011
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  Plants Vs. Zombies Coming to Android for Free (for a Day)

  Buried in a businessy press release from PopCap are two gems: That Plant Vs. Zombies and Chuzzle are coming to Android via the Amazon market-and that they’ll be free apps of the day. PvZ for free is quite good. Chuzzle is tomorrow; PvZ “later this month”. [PRNewsWire]

  By Joel Johnson Published May 16, 2011
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  “Bro, Check Out This Portal Gun!”

  Nice effect out of a paper-mâché portal gun, but where’d the car in the back go? (Thanks, Zach!)

  By Joel Johnson Published May 16, 2011
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  The Talk Amongst Yourselves Files

  It’s time to talk about video games, right here. But we know what you’ll already going to write, because it was all leaked to us. With screenshots. Be that as it may, carry on. Thanks to ShinLord for today’s image. Submit your image to #TAYpics (Read this thread for directions on how to do a…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 16, 2011
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  The Rich-Person’s Edition of Gears of War 3 Includes a Statue and a Will

  On September 10 20, 2011, you will be able to buy Gears of War 3 for $60. But maybe that’s not enough for you. Maybe you’ll want more Gears in your life than a boring game disc. Maybe you’ll want some Gears paraphernalia. And an artbook written by a smart man. And a statue. And…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 16, 2011
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  Siege Hero Returns Fire Against Birds

  Once upon a time, Armor Games published a flash game called Crush the Castle, and it was quite good. Then another studio came along, replaced the trebuchet with a slingshot, the ordnance with birds, and made off with all the gold in the land. Armor Games strikes back, sort of, with Siege Hero, an iPhone/iPad…

  By Owen Good Published May 16, 2011
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  No Problem. Everything’s Fine.

  大丈夫だ、問題ない | JAPANESE ARCADES: Enoch from El Shaddai is coming to Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. (Photo: SEGA) When Monsters Hunt Kids In Costume, Pokemon Simply Sit & Watch Well, if it isn’t Kirin from Monster Hunter. Who says the series isn’t popular in the West. It’s popular enough for somebody to dress up as…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  Don’t Lend Strangers Your Game Handhelds, Kids!

  On May 12, a 10 year-old grade-schooler in Kochi City and her friend waere playing with her Nintendo game portable along the city’s waterway. A 23 year-old man named Akira Nakamura appeared and said, “Let me see your game machine.” According to Yomiuri Online, the girl lent her handheld and two games to the unemployed…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  It’s Like Dragon Quest, But in TV Drama Form

  This June, actor Takayuki Yamada, known for the Densha Otoko movie, stars in his latest television drama, Yuusha Yoshihiko to Maou no Shiro (Hero Yoshihiko and the Devil King’s Castle). Writer-director Yuuichi Fukuda penned the original script—it doesn’t look original, though. If you’ve played a Japanese role-playing game in the past twenty years, the drama…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  Duke Nukem’s Gay Sidekick Was Nixed

  In Duke Nuke: Forever, a wide variety of heterosexual tropes get probed. “Sexuality is part of Duke’s personality,” game designer Randy Pitchford recently said at the BAFTAs in London. It’s part of the games, too. Pitchford and his studio Gearbox Software considered adding a “gay robot” sidekick (not pictured) to the upcoming shooter. The reason…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  When Monsters Hunt Kids In Costume, Pokemon Simply Sit & Watch

  Well, if it isn’t Kirin from Monster Hunter. Who says the series isn’t popular in the West. It’s popular enough for somebody to dress up as a Monster Hunter character! Other notable mentions from this week’s cosplay roundup include a convincing Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, double the Devil May Cry and a dark, very furry…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2011
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  It’s Portal Time, Come on Grab Your Friends

  As Jake is saying, “this is awesome”. Via Gamefreaks

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2011
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  One of the Oldest Video Games Makes a Comeback

  Lunar Lander is about as old as video games get. You’d nearly all have played a variation of the game at one point or another, but soon you’ll be able to play one that’s a little fresher Indie developer Sean Edwards is working on a PC game called Lunar Flight, which is a modern take…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2011
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  Huge Angry Birds Game Created in Spain

  To promote Angry Birds, Deutsche Telekom and game developer Rovio joined forces for a video in the Spanish city of Terrassa, reports Spanish site Hasta los Juegos. There was a giant Angry Birds set-up, with explosive pigs and destructible structures. A jazz group was on hand to blast the game’s theme. According to Hasta los…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  Where Studio Ghibli Meets Minecraft

  The modders at Oz Workshop have achieved something remarkable: recreated something in Minecraft that is not mildly amusing, but genuinely awe-inspiring. They’ve produced in block form the most famous locations (and in some cases characters) from Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli films, like Castle in the Sky, Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle While it helps if…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2011
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  Male + Male Relationships Finally Available in Mass Effect 3 [Update]

  Up until now, Mass Effect has been about shooting bad guys and sowing your wild oats. In the series’ third game, however, your oats will be planted in more familiar ground. BioWare has told PC Gamer that there are no new romance options in Mass Effect 3, the emphasis in the final game being on…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2011
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  These Star Wars and Gundam Dioramas Will Melt Your Face

  As a kid, I was always impressed with models. I was more impressed with full-blown dioramas—still am. These dioramas, though, aren’t merely impressive; they’re brain-destroying. At the recent Shizuoka Hobby Show, Star Wars and Gundam dioramas nearly stole the whole damn show. The level of detail in these miniature masterpieces is stunning. They’re like those…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 16, 2011
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  Your First Look at Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

  Here’s the first footage from PES2012, Konami’s latest attempt to wrestle back the top spot in the world of football games. And it looks…well, sadly, at this early stage as stilted and wooden as the last few versions. Fans of the series or hardcore football fans will still want to check out the clip, though,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 16, 2011