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  Duke Nukem Isn’t A Big Fan of Halo’s Spartan Armor

  Duke Nukem Forever, like the Duke Nukems before it, is a game packed with references. References to movies, references to news and, yes, reference to other video games. In this scene, which I snapped while playing through the opening of the game earlier this week, Duke calls out anyone who wears “green armor”, saying such…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 12, 2011
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  A Love Poem to Video Games

  This week, one of the men behind Electronic Arts’ and its founding question “Can a video game make you cry?” was awarded the lifetime achievement awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. He accepted his speech with an epic poem, spoken in perfect meter and to great response. The Golden Age of Gaming…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 12, 2011
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  Why Can’t Video Games Crash The Grammys?

  Say what you will about their relevance for popular music these days, but the fact remains the Grammys are still the world’s biggest music awards. So why can’t video games get their own nomination? Currently, the only way an original composition for a video game can win a Grammy is if its nominated alongside other…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2011
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  Reviews

  Bionic Commando Didn’t Really Need To Be Re-Rearmed

  In 2008, GRIN released Bionic Commando Rearmed, a remake of the original 1988 NES version of Capcom’s platformer. It was homage, and it was good. Why, exactly, did we need a sequel? I mean, Bionic Commando Rearmed was a remake of the first game. There was a point to that. A second “Rearmed” game, though,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2011
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  See How Portal’s Heroine Has Changed

  Chell, the player’s character in Portal, was never really the star of the game. You barely even saw what she looked like. Seems that approach is out the window for Portal 2. French PC mag Canard features Chell on the cover of its latest issue, and the dorky, jumpsuit-clad lass with the funny robot chicken…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2011
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  Some Winning Games You Better Keep an Eye On

  The Indie Game Challenge just wrapped up, handing out more than $200,000 in cash to a collection of some very deserving games and their creators. These are the next Portal, Everyday Shooter and Cloud. Here are your winners. Indie Game Challenge Winners $100,000 Grand Prize Winner – Professional Limbo $100,000 Grand Prize Winner – Non-Professional…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 12, 2011
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  Weekly Review Round-up

  It was a week of under the radar misfires, charming downloadable games, portable audio hardware and one mild-mannered Kotaku editor turned super villain. Miss any of this week’s reviews? Well, they’re all right here. Read our reviews of Square Enix’s multiplayer mash-up Mindjack, Double Fine’s quirky matryoshka adventure Stacking and Razer’s portable Ferox speakers, plus…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  Finally, The Tron Bambi Crossover Is Here

  Disney movies collide with the new Disney X CLOT vinyl collaboration, a Bambi in full Tron gear. This precious curiosity releases on Valentine’s Day at the Man Is In The Forest shop in Shanghai. Have a friend in Shanghai grab one for you! As seen at High Snobiety

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  We Are So So Tired

  Hoo boy! Thanks for sticking with us for the work week, die hard Kotaku readers. We’re zipping up our anatomically accurate sleeping bags and heading into the weekend well rested. Seriously, many thanks to you riding the wave with us, the Kotaku editors, on this rocky redesign. I don’t have much more to say on…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  The Whimsical, The Marvelous, The Amazing Indie Games of DICE

  Later today the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science, The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University and GameStop wrap up the second Indie Game Challenge. I spoke with the finalists earlier today to learn a bit about some of their games. That’s a lot of talent packed into these videos. Solace Confetti Carnival Fortix 2 Subsonic…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 11, 2011
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  Crysis 2 Leaked Online, Creators ‘Deeply Disappointed’

  Crysis 2 won’t be released officially for another month, but a playable version of Crytek’s ambitious PC shooter has already made its way online, much to the disappointment of its creators. According to those who have played it—we first heard about the leak via the Facepunch forums—that leaked build of Crysis 2 comes complete with…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  The New Mortal Kombat Spawns A New Electronic Album

  If you have fond memories of Mortal Kombat music by Belgian techno specialists The Immortals, the people behind the new Mortal Kombat have something just for you: an all-new album of thumping electronic music inspired by the gory fighting game reboot. Coming this April, right before the release of Mortal Kombat on the PlayStation 3…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  Reviews

  The Razer Ferox Are Sci-Fi Speakers That Fill A Room, Like It Or Not

  If you are going to use portable speakers, sparing your ears of headphones, you may have a few demands. These speakers need to be easy to transport, a cinch to connect, sound good and… that’s it? What if they emit sound in 360 degrees? The Razer Ferox are a pair of portable speakers that meet…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 11, 2011
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  Captain Commando, Reporting For Duty

  Jeffrey Cruz took Capcom’s “Captain Commando“, from the old school Arcade / NES era, and gave him a more modern look. Related Rampages: It’s time to Rock, man | 80’s Worlds Collide Captain Commando by Jeffrey ‘CHAMBA’ Cruz / lastscionz (deviantART) Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over to Justin…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  This Is The Summer Of Serious Sam 3

  2011 looks to be the year of explosive, testosterone-fueled, old-school shooters, now that Serious Sam developer Croteam has pegged its next game, Serious Sam 3, for a summer release. Roman Ribaric, CEO of the Croatian developer, made a brief announcement of an announcement on the official Croteam site today, writing “Just a quick note to…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  Remi Kart 2 Offers More Real-World Mario Kart Madness

  As promised, Mario Kart loving prankster Rémi Gaillard takes to the streets of France with kart, Mario costume and huge balls in tow, running from the cops and tossing banana peels and plush turtles at mini-vans. In the follow-up to Gaillard’s hugely popular original Remi Kart, the real-life Mario Karter takes the race indoors—and almost…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  Breaking Contraceptives Has Never Been So Entertaining

  This week on Xbox Live Indie Clips we’re taking a look at Spermatozoon, a game that’s all about inferior products and making horrible, horrible mistakes. While I’m sure I mention it in the video, I feel I must reiterate that this is not how contraceptives are supposed to work. If your preferred method of contraceptive…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 11, 2011
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  The Worst Games From The Best Big Game Makers of 2010

  We’re in awards season, a time of year when the likes of Mass Effect 2 and Read Dead Redemption are praised for being the best the gaming industry had to offer. Of course, the gaming industry also gave their worst last year. The “first annual” game publisher round-up over at Metacritic makes it easy to…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 11, 2011
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  The ‘Mother of Video Games’ Yu Suzuki Gets His Due At GDC

  Yu Suzuki, the man behind classic Sega video games Space Harrier, Out Run, Virtua Fighter and Shenmue, will be at this year’s Game Developers Conference to receive a prestigious accolade, this year’s Pioneer Award. That commendation, presented as part of the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards, is just one of the reasons Suzuki will be…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 11, 2011
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  This Is The Video Game Reinvention Of Toys, Or So The People Behind Call of Duty Hope

  The next big thing in action figures is “interaction figures.” That’s the pitch we heard today during a showcase event in New York City for a revival of the video game hero Spyro the Dragon as part of a band of toys that interact with video games. Spyro will be one of at least 30…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 11, 2011