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  Fleeing Foreigners Hurting Tokyo’s Geek Mecca

  “Fly-jin” (aka, the foreigners who fled Japan after the quake) are sending ripples through Tokyo. Big-spending Chinese tourists are apparently absent in Akihabara, and maids report fewer foreign customers at maid cafes. More in the link. [via Japan Probe]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  Could We Have Gotten A Second Jade Empire Game?

  Rafael Brown, a designer who now works at Doom creators id but once worked for Mass Effect creators BioWare, has an interesting project listed on his resume: he says he worked on Jade Empire 2 Jade Empire was a Chinese-themed role-playing game released by BioWare in 2004. An entirely original IP, it was the developer’s…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  The Deadly, Sexy Guns Of The Mass Effect Universe

  You might think Mass Effect is all about the chit-chat, but it’s not. The talking and running and sexy times are just filler between lots and lots of shooting. Really, then, it’s all about the guns. So let’s take a look at them. These weapons were all designed by Brian Sum, a concept artist currently…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  Seeing Mario From A New Perspective

  The world’s most famous plumber certainly looks…hairier from down here. A Star Is Born by David Shearer

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  Microsoft’s Official Kinect Software Is Better Than Most Hackers’

  Looking to remind people, hey, we made this thing, Microsoft’s upcoming Kinect software development kit for the PC (which anyone can grab) will include a variety of features most hackers and code enthusiasts haven’t been able to manage on their own. One of those features is the ability for the camera to track the skeletal…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  This Year’s Most Unusual Action Game Gets A Japanese Cafe

  El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron not only has God on speed dial, in Japan, it’s got its own cafe. The game, which features a pre-fall Lucifer, already has its own designer blue jeans, so this is par for the course, really. The cafe is a temporary cafe at the Nakameguro Longue in Tokyo’s Nakameguro.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  No, This Isn’t Box Art For A PS2 Game

  Mysterious Wii game Pandora’s Tower gets box art and black box packaging – which Japanese netizens are saying looks PS2-esque. The Nintendo published title will be out in Japan on May 26. No word on Western release. Wii『パンドラの塔』のパッケージから神ゲー臭がする

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  2011’s Prettiest Platformer Will Be Out In Two Weeks

  Outland, a platformer from Ubisoft that looks like the product of Tron and Flashback spending a sexy evening together, will be out on April 26 (PSN) and April 27 (XBLA) respectively.

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  There’s A Nice Lady In That Cyborg Suit

  Omi Gibson is not only a talented cosplayer, she’s the queen of Metal Gear cosplayers. Her latest photo set of a Cyborg Ninja prove exactly why she earns that moniker. The outfit she wears is killer, but while it looks fantastic, Omi blogs that it was incredibly difficult to see out of the helmet –…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  These Killzone Action Figures Are As Gray As You’d Expect

  Only six years after the release of the first Killzone, you can finallybuy action figures based on Sony’s sci-fi shooter series. These two 6.5 inch figures constitute the entirety of Killzone Series 1 from toy company DC Unlimited. They’re a Helghast Assault Infantry soldier and a Helghast Sniper (those buying the fancy edition of Killzone…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  What This Man Really Wanted Was To See Breasts In 3D

  Senran Kagura aims to please. So does game designer Kenichiro Takaki. According to Takakai, what inspired the game is probably what will inspired players to buy it: boobs. In a post over on the game’s official site, Takaki, who also developed PSP game Half-Minute Hero, talks about how this is the age of 3D games.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  Your NGP Games May Look More Like This

  While Sony wowed the crowds with the quality of the NGP’s graphics at the handheld’s unveiling last year in Tokyo, this clip may give us a more realistic idea of what to expect from the PSP’s successor. It’s a technical demo for Trinigy’s Vision Game Engine running on the NGP, showing off the kind of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  Are You Ready To Party With Famous Japanese Warriors?

  Capcom’s Sengoku Basara features famous figures from Japanese history like Date Masamune and Akechi Mitsuhide, but re-imagines them as hot anime dudes. No wonder Japanese ladies love this stuff! The Sengoku Basara, which already has a stage adaptation, is hitting Japanese cinemas this summer as a feature length anime called Sengoku Basara: The Last Party.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  Cardboard Robot Game Delayed By Japan’s Earthquake

  The build-your-own-robot PSP game Cardboard Senki (which actually comes with plastic robot parts) was supposed to be out in May, but it’s been pushed to June 16 because of the Tohoku Earthquake. The game is made by Level-5 of Professor Layton fame. [via ゲームメモ]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  So How Far Along Was Duke Nukem Forever Before It Was Binned?

  In 2009, Duke Nukem Forever was cancelled after over a decade in development. It’s now famously back from the grave, but if you’ve ever wondered how far the original developers were from actually finishing it, Triptych president David Riegel has your answer. “When 3D Realms shut its doors in May, I would say the game…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  Sometimes Help Comes From The Most Unlikely People

  It’s been over a month since a 9.0 magnitude earthquake rocked northeastern Japan. Within minutes, a massive tsunami pounded the coast. Tens of thousands were either dead or missing, with many more homeless. Popstar Gackt felt compelled to do something, but turned to what many Japanese would view as an unlikely ally to help –…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2011
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  Sonic Really Is Like A Shitty Hamburger

  So, there’s a new Sonic game on the way. Are you excited? You shouldn’t be. You should have learned your lesson by now. And if you haven’t maybe this clip will teach you.

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  Modern Warfare Actor Arrested, Charged With Hitting His Wife

  British TV star Billy Murray – who many of you will recognise as the voice of Captain Price in the Modern Warfare series – has been arrested in the UK and charged with assault after allegedly attacking both his wife and daughter. The 69 year-old, who is famous in Britain for his roles on long-running…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  CultureTotal Recall

  The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of PlayStation Advertising

  The Sony PlayStation was the first ever console to truly pitch itself at an adult market. This meant that the machine’s advertisements set a more mature, often strange tone that continues through to this day. The PS1, PS2, PSP and PS3, all have had their share of kooky advertisements, and all have had their share…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2011
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  One of the 360’s First XBLA Hits is Delisted

  Xbox Live Arcade was available for about a year on the original Xbox, before relaunching with the Xbox 360. When it did, a game named Marble Blast Ultra became one of the first breakout hits on the downloadable service. It has now been delisted. The studio behind the game told XBLA Fans that the title…

  By Owen Good Published April 13, 2011