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  Viva Las Vegas

  With the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show beginning, in a sense, tomorrow, portions of Kotaku are already in Las Vegas, ready to eat, drink and write—just no gambling. So, let’s talk about Vegas. As we do (almost) every night, take part in a little off-topic conversation while Mr. Crecente and I find some steakhouse or sushi…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  Could This Be The Best Gaming Headset Of CES?

  The Consumer Electronics Show kicks off tomorrow, and there Turtle Beach will be showing off the new Ear Force PX5 Programmable Wireless Surround Sound Headset, among other things. Is this Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 headset really worth $250? Hopefully McWhertor or Crecente will get a chance to check out the PX5 during the show…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 4, 2011
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  PlayStation Store Update: High Definition Tetrominoes

  The PlayStation Store of North America rings in 2011 with a sample casual, addictive downloads, including seminal puzzle game Tetris for the PlayStation 3 and smash hit Angry Birds for the PSP. While the appeal of high-definition, 5.1 surround sound Tetris may have you opening up the wallet, other efforts like surgical shooter MicroBot for…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  Colorbind Is The Excellent iPhone Game I Meant To Buy

  When I misheard a friend’s iPhone game recommendation, I wound up accidentally buying Colorblind. Today, Kotaku’s iGame of the Day is the game my friend was actually recommending: Colorbind Colorbind is a puzzle game that has you drawing ribbons over circles. That’s as complex as it needs to be. You’ll see. You can download the…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 4, 2011
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  What If Metroid Was Really Sad? And Had Hints Of Portal?

  You’d have K.O.L.M., a Flash-based, Metroid-style adventure about piecing together a sad little platforming robot. And while K.O.L.M. may feel heavily inspired by some great games, its audio-visual style helps to set this game apart. There’s traditional “Metroidvania” item collecting, shooting, and puzzle-solving, but the tilting camera, the somber soundtrack and a few neat audio…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  Reviews

  Pinball FX2: Marvel Pinball Tingles My Silver Ball Sense

  I am not a pinball wizard. I never have been. But here I am, with itchy flipper fingers, rarin’ to shoot that silver ball. Pinball FX2: Marvel Pinball is ready to scratch that itch — comic book style. A paid add-on for the free download Pinball FX2, it features four Marvel-themed tables: Spider-Man, Iron Man,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 4, 2011
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  The Making of Tron Legacy Goes Beneath The Skin

  Disney’s Tron: Legacy may have been about as good as the original—which is to say that it’s exceedingly average—but the 2010 follow-up to the ’80s video game adventure was certainly visually dazzling. Thank Digital Domain for that. “The Making of Tron: Legacy” gorgeously shows how some of that movie magic was achieved, like the virtual…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  Viva Prey Tree

  To: Ash From: Crecente I’m hanging out at Denver airport right now, waiting to catch a flight to Vegas and CES. The art installation in the video above always reminds me of Prey… Denver has such a great airport. What you missed Stunning Pictures Only a Gamer’s Eye Could Have Captured At Long Last, The…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 4, 2011
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  No More Heroes For PS3 Boasts Big Beam Katanas

  No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise is coming to North America only on the PlayStation 3 and bringing PlayStation Move controls right along with it. Here’s a new look at Travis Touchdown and Bad Girl of the hi-def No More Heroes. Publisher Konami hasn’t locked down a release date beyond 2011, but we hope they find…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  Why Mega Man Doesn’t Use The Toilet

  I realize that Mega Man technically doesn’t have to use the bathroom, but if he did he’d likely run into problems like this. Click to view I’m just glad there were no saw blades or air cannons involved.

  By Mike Fahey Published January 4, 2011
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  Two Ryus Ready To Square Off On The Grid

  Two more challengers emerge from Kode Logic‘s excellent TRON / Street Fighter collection. RyuTRON takes on his devilish counterpart Evil RyuTRON Related Rampages: Street Fighter TRON | BisonTRON RyuTRON | Evil RyuTRON by Bosslogic (deviantART) (Twitter) Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over to Justin Page’s Rampaged Reality and get…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  This Is The Killzone Card Game

  The Killzone card game is not official. A fan made it, and now you can play it. The game was created by a person who goes by the name pineapple1. He/she writes to Kotaku that “I’m a big Killzone fan. And I also was a big fan of Eye of Judgment. After Sony pulled the…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 4, 2011
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  Chiptunes Artist Dr. Octoroc Doubles Down On 80s Nostalgia

  The man behind chippy video game crossover greats like the Jersey Shore RPG, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Game and the best console war fight ever is assaulting your nostalgia with a new project, chiptunes remakes of 80s themes and jingles. Doctor Octoroc’s “After These Messages” was released last month, containing dangerously retro 8-bit remakes of themes…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  An Iconic Tournament Finds Its True Voice In A Video Game

  You can’t bring The Masters to a video game without CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz, who will be the lead announcer for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters. Nantz vouches for the authenticity of the virtual course, playable for the first time in high definition. EA Sports has used a laser scanning technology, taking three…

  By Owen Good Published January 4, 2011
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  The Rift Opens In March

  Trion World’s fantasy-flavored massively multiplayer online role-playing game Rift now has a release date of March 1, which sounds like a lovely day for PC gamers to get their Rift on or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

  By Mike Fahey Published January 4, 2011
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  More Spy Shots Of Rumored ‘PlayStation Phone’ Sneak Out

  Seemingly more evidence that Sony Ericsson’s long-rumored PlayStation Phone (aka the Xperia Play?) has emerged today in the form of a handful of new shots of the still unannounced device. What’s new? Xperia and PlayStation branding have found their way onto the PlayStation Phone, for one. The device’s menu system also seems to indicate that…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 4, 2011
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  Are You A Video Game Hoarder?

  Today in Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter Floppy McWiggle wonders if keeping large amounts of video games around the house is hoarding or just love. I spent the weekend building a custom entertainment center for my TV and consoles. I swear it took all weekend, but it was very worth it. This brings me to my…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 4, 2011
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  Some People Would Rather Not Call Video Games ‘Video Games’

  Susan Orlean has written wonderfully about an orchid thief and sundry other topics, but she’s avoided video games. Hadn’t played one since Pac-Man. Somehow, she got a Kinect. She likes it for what it’s not. (Hint: What it actually is.) In a December piece for the New Yorker, she describes her brave dip into video…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 4, 2011
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  What Good Is A Computer Processor That Does Bad Math?

  One of the core functions of a computer processor is to perform the basic arithmetical functions of the system. Why would we want a processor that gets those basic calculations wrong? Carnegie Mellon’s Joseph Bates has the answer. Your standard computer processor is on the larger side and consumes a fair amount of power, but…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 4, 2011
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  The Illustrated Guide To MineCraft

  In the spirit of the new year and all things gaming, I bring to you the Illustrated Guide to MineCraft. This is an instruction booklet meant to capture the spirit of the gaming manuals of old. The intent here is more artistic and for storytelling purposes, as opposed to a technical manual. As such, much…

  Armand Kossayan Published January 4, 2011