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  MLB 2K11’s New Broadcast View Features Kotaku’s Camera Work

  As you tour the 30 ballparks of Major League Baseball 2K11, you’ll see games there from a center field camera view unique to each stadium. I can vouch for this feature’s authenticity – because I did the work behind it. MLB 2K11 will feature a new broadcast-style presentation in which the angles of the center…

  By Owen Good Published January 21, 2011
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  Go ‘Beyond Black Mesa’ With This Great Half-Life Fan Film

  A group of hardcore Half-Life fans with a pretty good camera, twelve hundred bucks and years of their lives have completed their short film Beyond Black Mesa, a tribute to Valve’s dystopian sci-fi shooter. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know what to expect. Explosions. Attractive members of the resistance. It has so much more…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 21, 2011
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  The New Mortal Kombat Is Killing It In April

  Mortal Kombat goes back to its brutal roots when it comes to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on April 19, 2011.

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 21, 2011
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  This Is One Elegant Video Game Museum

  A joystick sits in repose at the newly-opened Computer Game Museum in Berlin, Germany, where computers and consoles from 1971 on up are displayed geometrically for the viewing public. Find out more at the museum’s official website

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011
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  Boom, Checkmate!

  Some people watch clips of shooter video games, marveling at each amazing gunshot. Some watch replays of races. Let us enjoy a more refined batch of video game victories. Checkmates. In computer chess. These checkmates occurred at Gameknot.com, an online chess site which offers a mesmerizing and seemingly infinite reel of recorded checkmates. Our version…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 21, 2011
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  Reminder! Play Gran Turismo® 5 Online for the Chance to Become a Pro Racecar Driver

  Thousands will enter, but only one will live the dream. Register for GT Academy to compete in a series of Gran Turismo® 5 online time trials for a chance to become a real professional racecar driver. After you register, race one of the pre-selected Nissan vehicles on Gran Turismo 5 tracks. This is where it…

  By Gawkercreative Published January 21, 2011
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  Kinect For Minecraft Just Got More Impressive

  Inserting yourself into the blocky world of Minecraft, via Microsoft’s Kinect camera, has been taken to a new level. This impressive Kinect hack does more than just make statues, it now animates them. Here’s cat versus laser pointer video proof. Nathan Viniconis’ ongoing project has been seen in stills before, but new video of his…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 21, 2011
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  A Nintendo Argument Against Achievements

  “We’re not opposed to Achievements,” Nintendo’s Bill Trinen told me earlier this week, even as he confirmed that his company’s next system, the 3DS, won’t have one of the more popular features in Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC gaming. Perhaps Nintendo has found a trend worth bucking. Since the launch of the Xbox 360,…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 21, 2011
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  What Are You Playing This Weekend?

  Dead Space 2, bitches! Wow, sorry, that was way out line. That kind of language just isn’t appropriate for our weekly What Are You Playing This Weekend? informal poll. Apologies. But I’m really excited about Dead Space 2. So much so that I might finally go out there and invest in a DualShock 3, you…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 21, 2011
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  There’s A Dragon Age Prize In Every Copy Of Dead Space 2

  Are you a Dragon Age II fan that wasn’t planning on purchasing Dead Space 2? Perhaps a free limited edition suit of armor can change your mind. Arise, Sir Cross-Promotion! Back when Mass Effect 2 came out, players that had also played the original Dragon Age: Origins scored a special suit of Blood Dragon armor.…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011
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  The Very Short And Entirely Fictional Movie About Nintendo 64 Cheat Codes

  In this short film, the Nintendo 64 controller is so amazing it can input cheat codes that do the dishes and upgrade the N64 to an … Xbox 360? Then a guy in a V for Vendetta mask shows up. The Cheat Code To Life [Vimeo]

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 21, 2011
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  2010 Game of The Year Finalist: The Readers’ Choice Award

  You’ve read why Mass Effect 2 deserves to be game of the year. Also why Red Dead Redemption, Call of Duty: Black Ops and NBA 2K11 deserve the nod. Now it’s your turn. We spent the week publicly debating Kotaku’s four finalists for game of the year. Before that we spent a month internally discussing…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 21, 2011
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  FarmVille Giant Buys One Of New York’s Best Indies

  The people who make FarmVille and CItyVille (Zynga) now own the people who make Drop 7 (Area/Code). The result: Area/Code is now Zynga New York and the game-design credentials of Zynga just got another upgrade.

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 21, 2011
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  Teaching Robots To Walk The Baby Way

  Why do human children learn to walk so much easier than robots do? Because babies learn to crawl before they walk. University of Vermont robotics expert Josh Bongard demonstrates how robots develop faster when their bodies change with their brains. Walking is harder than it looks. Do a YouTube search for walking robots and you’ll…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011
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  Your Mama Plays ‘Dead Space 2’

  Mom and gamer Winda Benedetti writes why she’s not a big fan of Electronic Art’s mom-centric Dead Space 2 marketing campaign. I have four words for Electronic Arts: Leave the moms alone. That’s right, I’ve got my mom jeans in a pinch thanks to the new “Your Mom Hates This” advertising campaign the company has…

  Winda Benedetti Published January 21, 2011
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  Reviews

  The Chameleon X-1 Wireless Gamepad Mouse Gets It Half Right

  It’s a wireless mouse. It’s a wireless gamepad. The Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 is both of these devices rolled into one. Are these two great tastes that taste great together? Specs Price: US$55 Platform: PC What’s in the box: Mouse/Gamepad Device, Instructions, Driver Disc, USB Wireless Dongle, 1 AA Battery. Combining two or more devices…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011
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  1,000 Spikes Is More Than Enough To Kill You

  Rarely has playing through a game for Kotaku’s Xbox Live Indie Clips hurt quite as badly as playing through Aban Hawkins & the 1,000 Spikes hurt me. I’m sorry for the language, should any crop up in this video. I can’t quite remember if it did or not, and I don’t want to look, as…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011
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  Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo Hits Xbox 360 on Jan. 25

  Starting Jan. 25 Xbox 360 gold members will be able to check out a Crysis 2 muttiplayer demo. The demo will include the Skyline map and two game modes: Team Instant Action and Crash Site. The first is essentially team death match, the second has you fighting for control of alien drop pods. No word…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 21, 2011
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  My Unexpected Desire To Play More 3DS Games In 3D

  It is impossible to fairly judge the Nintendo 3DS, the next hot thing from the people who brought us the Wii, until you see it in person. I’ve seen it — I’ve played it — in June, in October and again this week. The results are mixed; the surprises are plentiful. On Wednesday I played…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 21, 2011
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  Is The Walking Dead Creeping Towards A Video Game Tie-In?

  When an entertainment property becomes as hot as comic book and television series The Walking Dead a video game is sure to follow, but from where? Telltale Games might be readying an adventure series based on the zombie survival epic. They’ve got Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, so why not The Walking Dead…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 21, 2011