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  Metroid: Other M Starts A Lot Like 2001 Finishes

  Nintendo think that Metroid: Other M, being developed by Team Ninja, is the most cinematic Metroid game ever developed. We can’t argue otherwise on the strength of trailers like this. It’s a short cinematic sequence from the opening of the game, showing the “birth of Samus”. Long-time fans may baulk at the extra flesh Team…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  Another Chanbara Movie Ditches Cowboy Hat (And Clothes)

  Those hack-and-slash Onechanbara video games have been made into motion pictures that, like the games, mix violence and titillation. A spin-off Chanbara movie goes straight to the titillation. Out on home video this month in the West, Chanbara Striptease is what you’d expect from a movie called Chanbara Striptease. Though, the original Japanese title “Oppai…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 13, 2010
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  Square Enix Boss Says Japan’s Core Gameplay “Not As Strong”

  Yoichi Wada, boss of publisher Square Enix (Final Fantasy), has some stern words for Japanese developers in a recent interview with industry site Gamasutra. “I don’t think we can say Japan’s strong” in core gameplay, he tells the site. “Western developers have become much stronger, during the past five years, in this aspect — the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  A Nerdy Wedding Ring (Full Of Memories)

  Ray Arifianto, who works on the Xbox Platform team at Microsoft, is getting married. He’s got the nerdiest wedding ring to prove it. While his blushing bride is not a gamer or a nerd for that matter, she is totally cool with the idea of getting hitched with one. “So cool,” Ray writes, “that she…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 13, 2010
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  This Chun-Li Has Tiny Thighs

  My heart. It melts. As seen on Capcom

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  Nothing Says Xbox 360 In Japan Like A Grown Man In A Dress

  Like its previous title, Namco Bandai’s idol simulator THE iDOLM@STER 2 is coming to the Xbox 360. Time to celebrate! In drag. This is the latest in a series of wry ads depicting the members of “Xbox Mission Department” as they sign contracts with new titles and try not to barf. The commercials are somewhat…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 13, 2010
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  Keep Your Yakuza-Style Tattoos To Yourself

  Kazuma Kiryu, the hero of Sega’s Yakuza series, has a back full of yakuza-style ink. But it’s not only Japanese gangsters who tattoo themselves. Sometimes it’s voice actors. “Irezumi” (literally, “insert ink”) is the traditional Japanese form of tattooing by hand. Tattoos, traditional or Western, are still not mainstream in most of Japan. Among younger…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 13, 2010
• Reviews

  The Silver Lining: Episode 1 Micro-Review: Absence Makes The Heart Grow Colder

  The Silver Lining is a fan-made sequel (in episodic form) in all but name to Sierra’s beloved old adventure series, Kings Quest. It’s a legacy this new title wears proudly on its billowing, medieval sleeves. Despite lacking the humour of Space Quest, the attention to detail of Police Quest or the innovation of Quest for…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  China, There Will Be No Kinect For You

  Sorry, China! When Kinect is released later this year, you won’t be allowed to buy the motion control peripheral. At least, not officially. Why? Chinese readers will know this, but for everyone else, there are laws in place in the country that forbid the legal, official sale of just about every video game console currently…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  A Week In Comments

  Nintendo Believes The 3DS Can Stop Piracy Comment by: MissMarlo Nominated by: nago Well, yeah. Pirates can’t use a 3DS. You need BOTH EYES to get the 3D effect. The Expendables Gets The 8-Bit Contra Clone It So Richly Deserves Comment by: ChrisPBacon Nominated by: Andrew Wyatt You have to like the game to play…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 13, 2010
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  Dragon Age 2 Following In Mass Effect’s Footsteps

  Dragon Age 2 isn’t pulling just one page from Mass Effect’s book. It’s pulling several, including the ones titled “conversation systems” and “save game continuity”. Information from the latest issue of Game Informer has begin appearing online, and mentions that Dragon Age 2 is doing away with the classic “tree” dialogue system, where you’re presented…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  Day Of Defeat Now Available On Steam For Mac Users

  Hey, Mac owners, you can now play Day of Defeat, courtesy of Steam

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  Did Pikachu’s Voice Actress Really Die?

  The news that 44-year-old voice actress Ikue Otani – best known for voicing Pokémon character Pikachu – had died this morning has been spreading like wildfireonline. But has she? The rumor on various social networking sites is that Otani died suddenly this morning for no explicable reason. There is no news of her death on…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 13, 2010
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  Nintendo Won’t Change The 3DS’ Appearance Before Release

  When Nintendo first unveiled the 3DS, we were told that the design shown wasn’t final. Turns out that, yeah, it’s now pretty final. Unlike the DS, which went through a fairly radical redesign between first being shown off and hitting retail shelves, according to Nintendo the appearance of the 3DS will remain largely unchanged between…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  People Complaining About Blizzard’s “Real ID” Have Their Email Addresses Exposed

  Sometimes irony can be delicious. In this case, it’s a little bit tragic, with the ESRB publicly releasing the email addresses of people who had written to the board to protest…the revelation of private information. Blizzard’s decision (and ultimate reversal) this week to institute a “real names” policy on the company’s forums led to widespread…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2010
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  The Video Game Swag That Could Give You Cancer

  Klax cigarettes, a curious, dangerous choice of promotional item given to Japanese gamers by Atari. As seen at Incredibly Strange Games via GameSetWatch

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 12, 2010
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  Hulk Out!

  Open thread. Anything goes. Just don’t call it Kotaku Off Topic. Or do. You make the rules—well, some of them—in this post that’s not about video games, but might be briefly about game shows. Speaking of gaming, I was in Las Vegas this weekend for this year’s EVO fighting game tournament. Despite working some crazy…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 12, 2010
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  Your Only Chance to Pick Up This Achievement Comes Tomorrow

  Like an eclipse or an obscure comet sighting, tomorrow is the only day on the calendar you may pick up this Silver PSN trophy or 40 Gamerscore Xbox Live achievement, in MLB 2K10. So be ready when it comes. The trophy/achievement is “Mid-Summer Classic,” and all you have to do to collect it is play…

  By Owen Good Published July 12, 2010
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  From Final Fantasy V to Mother 3, A Brief History Of ROM Hacking

  What to do when your Japanese role-playing games take months, years or forever to get an English translation? Rip the ROM and hack-translate it yourself. 1UP takes a look at the origins and current state of the brute-force, fan-made localization.

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 12, 2010
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  ModNation Racers Gets More ‘Casual’ With Less Aggressive Update

  United Front Games will make playing its DIY kart racer ModNation Racers a little easier with its next update. The PS3 game is getting a less-challenging career mode option, according to the PlayStation.blog

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 12, 2010