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  Starcraft II Launches Around The World

  Today is the day Starcraft II is released, a whopping twelve years after its predecessor. People are excited. Join us, then, as we show you images of midnight (and daytime!) launches from around the world. We’ll update this post throughout the day and night as more and more stores open and more people get to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  Blizzard On The Real ID Brouhaha

  Blizzard, the studio behind StarCraft and World of Warcraft, was planning on rolling out a compulsary “Real ID” system, requiring gamers to use their real first and last names on Blizzard’s forums. Gamers went bananas, and Blizzard ended up scrapping the requirement. How did Blizzard think the whole thing went down? It was good feedback.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
• CultureTotal Recall

  Where Were You In 1998?

  The first StarCraft game was released in March 1998. That was twelve years ago. So much has changed. So have I. And the smart money says so have you. In 1998, I was a student at Cornell. I hadn’t really used email before college, and I didn’t use online sources for any of my papers.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  A Beginner’s Guide To Starcraft II’s Online Portal

  If you play World of Warcraft, or still play Starcraft or Diablo online, don’t watch this. You’ll learn nothing. But for the hordes of people signing up to Blizzard’s online service for the first time today, this is most helpful. It’s a beginner’s guide to Battle.net, the online authentication, matchmaking and social service that runs…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  First, Brief Look At Dragon Age II In Motion

  Courtesy of a Game Informer visit to the studios of developers BioWare, here is your first look at Dragon Age II in action. You’ll have to work for it – stuff from the game is sprinkled throughout, and doesn’t really kick off until around three minutes in – but what you do see should allay…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  How Is StarCraft II So Far?

  Some of you have purchased StarCraft II. Some might have been in the beta. Some might not. But to those who have picked up the game and began playing it, what do you think? Hit us up in the comments.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  There Will Be No $450 Rockstar Book Collection

  I hope the ultra-wealthy portion of the Kotaku readership didn’t get their hopes up for one of those $450 tomes collecting the history and art of Grand Theft Auto devs Rockstar. Because they’re not actually going to be made. At the time of our original story, a representative from publishers Steidl told us exact information…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  What Is Nintendo’s “CrossPass”?

  Nintendo has registered several trademarks in Japan, including the titles 3D Challenge, 3D Paddleball or 3D Hopper. Those could be actual games (mini-games?) or they could be tech demos for the upcoming 3D-glasses-free Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo also registered CrossPass, CrossPass Mode, CrossPass Network, and CrossPass Connection, which sound as though they are related to the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  Religions Weren’t Designed With Video Games In Mind

  Video games may nor may not be dangerous, they may or may not be art, but I don’t think I’ve ever stood back and wondered whether they were permissible under Islam. Blogger Ebrahim Saifuddin has, and has penned a fascinating catalogue of the litany of instances in which he believes video games violate certain teachings…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  Capcom Is Going To Make Games *Quicker*

  Capcom, fresh off months of sluggish sales, is keen to make more video games. More video games might mean more sales! According to an article on Nikkei.com, Capcom is speeding up the development cycle on its games from 4 years to 1 ~ 2 years faster. The company currently releases about 2 name Capcom franchise…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  PlayStation Shot Glasses? PlayStation Underwear?

  Sony has kicked off today the “PlayStation Logo Licensing Program”. Translation: you’ll soon start seeing all kinds of miscellaneous crap turn up sporting the PlayStation logo. The idea is that Sony wants to see the PlayStation brand and logo (as well as the iconic controller button symbols) appearing on all kinds of “lifestyle products”, which…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  This Is Not Just An Umbrella!

  It’s an umbrella that looks like a sword. Or maybe it’s a sword that looks like an umbrella. The umbrella, which is over 3-feet long, is modeled after the sword carried by the heroine Saber of the “Fate/stay night” visual novel. Yours for ¥10,000, or US$114. The official release is this August. Saber’s Excalibur Umbrella…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  The Midnight Ride For StarCraft II

  Three hours sleep plus recording with my iPhone 4 while driving on a dark and rainy night equals one mildly dangerous StarCraft II midnight launch video. As I mention in the video, I already had a copy of StarCraft II waiting for me at home, but I promised my nephew I would take him to…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 27, 2010
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  Starcraft 2’s Installation Tells A Story

  Starcraft has a fairly well-known story, but it’s also a game that came out in 1998. People’s memories may have gotten a little fuzzy since then. If that’s you, Starcraft II’s installer is here to help. When you’re installing the game, it does something few other sequels bother with, but so barely need: it provides…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  Not Everyone Is Going StarCraft II Crazy [Update]

  StarCraft II is out. People are buying it. People are playing it. Not everybody, though. Japan, for example. Amazon rankings are sample set of Amazon customers, but they are also a good measure to see what has captured the imagination of the buying public. Here is Amazon.com: Amazon UK: Amazon Canada: Amazon Germany: Amazon France:…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  The Game Without Polygons Or Sprites

  OK, there’s a sprite or two in the mouse cursor. But that’s about all you’ll find in The Dream Machine, an adventure game made entirely out of “clay and cardboard”. Two Swedish developers, Erik Zaring and Anders Gustaffson, are behind the game, which is unique in not only its art style, but also its delivery;…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  Gears Of War Movie “More Like District 9”

  Third-person shooter Gears of War looked set to get the Hollywood treatment until the movie’s director Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard) decided to focus his attention on another motion picture. Wiseman’s take on Gears of War was budgeted in the US$100 million neighborhood. As website Cinema Blend points out, the movie’s R-rating and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  Where To Find Animals In Red Dead Redemption (So You Can Shoot Them)

  A key timewaster in Red Dead Redemption is hunting animals. Statistics prove that many of you have done quite a bit of it. But where to find those pesky beavers, bats and unicorns? There are no unicorns. Sorry. There should be, but there aren’t. The beavers and bats though, you’ll find them “west of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010
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  A Week In Comments

  Going Out Of Style Comment by: SarahDot Nominated by: DeepFriar Oh sure, there are people who disagree with the serial comma—people who say it is optional or unnecessary. Well, those people are dirty Communists. Stalin never used the serial comma. Castro never uses the serial comma. The New York Times discourages the serial comma. Need…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2010
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  All Systems Are Go

  The West Coast was the last region to have to wait to unlock Starcraft II’s retail release. That 100%, from Mike’s computer, means the wait is over, and the game is now officially out

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2010