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  Toll Booths Are Not Fantasy, Final Fantasy

  Final Fantasy games are just that, fantasy. You know, guys with amazing hair swinging big swords around in mystical locations. Part of the setting for Final Fantasy Versus XIII is a little less fantasy, though. A little more ordinary This is not a bad thing! In fact, what makes the Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 19, 2011
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  PS3 Breathes Life Into Prison Contraband

  Crims locked up in a Scottish prison have found a novel use for their PS3s: employing them as charging stations for the mobile phones they’re not supposed to have. Prison officials say that the inmates had been stealing computer mice from their labs (used for training and teaching courses), re-wiring them then slipping them into…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2011
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  Forget Dragons, Japan’s Biggest Quest Is For English

  While marveling at the scenery, soaking up pop music or playing video games, you can’t miss it. In Japan, English is everywhere. And the country seems, at times, obsessed with learning it. Of course, most of the English visitors and residents alike come into contact with isn’t really English, but Japan’s spin on the language.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 19, 2011
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  CultureTotal Recall

  Nothing Sega Has Done To Sonic Is This Horrific

  You may have seen these cheap LCD games offered as McDonalds Happy Meal toys before. They’ve been run in several territories around the world. But you’ve never seen them advertised like they were in Pakistan. Back in 2004, what must surely be one of the world’s least popular McDonalds outlets tried a unique method of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2011
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  Reviews

  PS3 Assault Rifle Misfires Even With Move

  In multiplayer shooters, I’m the worst, and peripherals offer the seductive idea of an advantage. CTA Digital’s Assault Rifle Controller, for PlayStation Move, looks like something that could point-and-shoot me to pwnage, or at least not sucking. Specs Price: US$59.99 Platform: PS3 What’s in the box: Assault rifle controller, PlayStation Move controller cradle, two AA…

  By Owen Good Published January 19, 2011
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  The Arcade Game That Posts To Your Facebook Page While You’re Drinking

  I’ve only ever seen Golden Tee Golf in places where beer is served, and played by people drinking it, so maybe letting the latest version of the arcade classic communicate with Facebook isn’t the best idea in the world. Golden Tee LIVE 2011 will let players sign into Facebook before playing, and once they drop…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2011
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  Xbox Changes Coming This Week

  Xbox 360 users, two things: one, you’re getting back the option to boot your console straight to a disc, and two, your Xbox.com Gamercards are in for a change. That is all.

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2011
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  Activision Can Take Its Black Ops And Go Home, You Know

  A huffy customer support worker at Activision, no doubt fed up dealing with people complaining about Call of Duty: Black Ops’ poor online performance, has snapped over an email exchange with tech blogger Jason Koblovsky. Koblovsky, who for months has – along with many others – experienced connection issues with the game when attempting to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2011
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  Google Yanks GameStop’s Arcade App From Android Market

  Kongregate Arcade, the Flash game app released earlier today for Android, has been pulled from the service’s online marketplace. Why? Kongregate owner GameStop doesn’t know, nor is Google saying. But all hope is not yet lost… “Tens of thousands of users successfully downloaded the new app but, due to unknown reasons, Google has pulled it…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Uncategorized

  This Snake Walks Into An IKEA…

  Maybe the next Metal Gear should take place in an Office Max or supermarket in Sweden. Maybe it shouldn’t. Maybe we should talk about thoughts like these in tonight’s open thread. While our nightly off-topic post is normally less about video games than the rest, I was curious to know what other video games are…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Even U.S. Vice Presidents Play Angry Birds

  This Angry Birds thing goes all the way to the White House. Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney reveals he’s dabbled in Angry Birds on the iPad. Pray he’s better with a slingshot than a shotgun…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 18, 2011
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  Live Coverage From Nintendo 3DS Event Starts Tomorrow Morning

  If you’re a Nintendo fan, tomorrow’s kind of a big deal. Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe are expected to blow the lid off their 3DS launch plans on Wednesday morning at two special events. Nintendo is launching its brand new platform, the Nintendo 3DS, across the globe over the next two months. It’s…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Uncategorized

  Play Halo’s 8-Bit Ancestor Now

  What would Halo: Combat Evolved look like if it had been made for the Nintendo Entertainment System? Expert de-maker Eric Ruth answers that question with his own version of Halo, a side-scrolling shooter that looks transported straight from the 80s. Ruth, creator of 8-bit versions of Left 4 Dead and DJ Hero, has released his…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Left 4 Dead Patch Brings Your Xbox 360 Achievements Back To Life

  Valve has updated Left 4 Dead for the Xbox 360, matching the patch the PC version received last October. The better news? Your Xbox Live achievements busted by “The Sacrifice” may have also been restored. Details here

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Taking Double Dragon To The Streets

  There is no need to worry with brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee keeping your city streets clean. Aled Lewis brings Double Dragon II into the real world! Keeping The Mean Streets Clean by Aled Lewis / fatheed (Flickr) (Twitter) Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over to Justin Page’s Rampaged…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  PlayStation Store Update: We Got Mass Effect Too

  Put your internet connection to the test with this week’s North American PlayStation Store update. There’s 12 gigabytes worth of Mass Effect 2 for the PlayStation 3 out there, just waiting to be downloaded to your console’s hard drive. If that’s too bandwidth intensive for you, there’s EA Brightlight’s cooperative robot game Spare Parts and…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Uncategorized

  Where Do You Game?

  This is where I sit and game; quietly, contently. Where do you park it when you’re gaming? Also, Kimokawaii!!! What you missed Who Knew Dead Zombie Hookers Were So Fun? Kinect Hacked To Perform Surgery The Uncanny X-Men At The Mercy Of One Of Games Journalism’s Greats Heroic Company Of Heroes Dev Lives On In…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 18, 2011
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  Uncategorized

  Do You Think Halo: Reach Is Severely Lacking In Dinosaurs?

  Then perhaps you’ll find the game Orion: Prelude of interest. It combines Tribes and Counter-Strike influence with a feature few sci-fi shooters are brave enough to include: Tyrannosaurus rex. Perhaps you’ll be interested enough to fund it. The developers of Orion: Prelude, a multiplayer shoot ’em up that includes familiar space soldier armor, but also…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 18, 2011
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  Magic the Gathering’s Secret Sci-Fi History

  Magic is usually thought of as a fantasy game filled with wizards and elves and swords. Science-fiction has always been a part of the strange world of Magic, though, from the earliest artifacts to the upcoming expansion Mirrodin Besieged. Clockwork Avian. One of the first Magic expansions was called Antiquities, and it was heavily focused…

  By Ed Grabianowski Published January 18, 2011
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  More Than 300 Million Dead In 24 Hours

  A real-world tragedy is a triumph for Activision and developer Treyarch. Dutch infographic makers Spijkermat average the stats from Call of Duty: Black Ops’ multiplayer lobby in order to paint this grim picture of death and destruction. [Infographic] 24hrs COD: Black Ops [Spijkermat]

  By Mike Fahey Published January 18, 2011