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  Everywhere You Look, You See Tetris

  You know you’ve been playing too much Tetris when you start seeing coloured, falling blocks when you’re away from the computer. This Flickr group, Tetris Tetris Everywhere, mixes instances where actual Tetris blocks have been placed in the real world with real world images that look like they’ve come straight out of Tetris. Shipping containers,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Mario Is Good At Spanish, Really Good

  From first grade until college, I studied Spanish…and since I moved to Japan, I have forgotten it all. Kaput, gone, bye-bye. But not Mario voice actor Charles Martinet. He totally remembers it. At a recent presentation, Martinet not only showed his Mario voice acting skills, but his mastery of the Spanish language. Since Mario speaks…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  Drive The A-Team Van Around A Poorly-Rendered Cityscape

  Google Earth has already been used for a few games, like cheap flight simulators. Know what it hasn’t been used for? A giant map to let you drive the A-Team’s black van across. There’s no score to beat, no time to race, no objectives you have to accomplish, all you have to do is…drive around.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Watch Pac-Man Gobble Up The Minutes

  Another chic Pac-Man product for the heap. We’ve got leather wallets, a zippo and wine glasses This limited edition stainless steel Pac-Man watch is priced at ¥18,500 (US$201). Pre-orders start this summer with the watch being released this October. So wakka wakka. Yeah. What Pac-Man goods does the future hold? Pac-Man Watch [lalabit market]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  Empire Strikes Back, The 1950 Production

  Quick refresher: The Empire Strikes Back, like me, was released in 1980. Explains the haircuts. And the whole “Luke” thing. If it had been released in 1950, however, it would have looked a little different. Believe it or not, aside from the on-screen graphics this footage is all from real movies, including instalments from the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Multi-Platform Final Fantasy Versus XIII Remarks Cleared Up

  At a Tokyo investors meeting, Square Enix president Yoichi “Imperial Hot” Wada stated that the company was “looking into” bringing PS3 exclusive Final Fantasy Versus XIII to the Xbox 360. As previously posted, publisher may consider a multi-platform release. But there’s some “looking into it” to be done, so don’t expect an announcement of that…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  Katamari vs. SimCity vs. Pixel Art

  The Prince of all Cosmos gets busy reticulating splines. As seen on Coolvibe

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Red Dead Redemption’s Truly, Truly Dastardly Achievement

  Take a cowboy, a damsel in distress and one speeding train. What do you get? Red Dead Redemption is from Rockstar, the folks behind the Grand Theft Auto series — so don’t be too surprised. Though, we are certain this poor lady would get caught in the train’s cow catcher It’s there to clear obstacles…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  Exclusive Showdown Reveals…Pointlessness Of Exclusives

  Here’s something to fire your synapses on a Tuesday night: a comparison of the average review scores of Xbox 360 exclusives vs PlayStation 3 exclusives. The figures, of course, do nothing to somehow magically settle the argument over which console has the “better” exclusives. So don’t go into this expecting them to. What they do…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Gundam, In Cell Phone Form

  This year is the 30th anniversary of Gundam plastic models (aka “Gunpla”). So, Gundam is getting a cafe, a large plastic figure and a life-sized counterpart (again). You know what this calls for? Yes, a Japanese cell phone. Japanese cell phone carrier Softbank will be releasing a Sharp 12.1 mega-pix OLED “Gunpla” cell phone this…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  From Total War To “Casual Sports Games” [Update]

  The Creative Assembly, best known as the studio behind the Total War series of PC strategy games, will soon be putting down the history books and picking up what appears to be a pair of football boots and a…spreadsheet. A job advertisement over on Gamasutra reveals that the company’s studio in Brisbane, Australia (the team…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Another Countdown Clock Sorta Ruined! But Hey, Virtual-On!

  Earlier, a SEGA countdown clock appeared. Ungh, we know. Countdown clocks are annoying! We hate them. Thank goodness this week’s leaked Famitsu is here to steal its thunder. Ka-pow! Virtual-On Force is the upcoming Xbox 360 action game from SEGA. It will be released not as a downloadable title like Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram, but a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  Halo: Eurotrash

  The fight is finished. Humanity is saved, the Covenant dispatched to the far reaches of the universe. What’s left for Master Chief, now he’s hurtling alone through space? Why, pop music, of course. German pop music. Look, Germany, as a nation, you build a lot of great stuff! Cars, trains, weapons, watches, video games, elevators,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  If You See This Gamertag, RUN

  Daigo Umehara, fighting game superstar, isn’t only tearing up tournaments. He’s also kicking ass on Xbox LIVE. Beware! Daigo is, of course, famous for this clip. Let’s have a look at the Super Street Fighter IV worldwide “Player Point” rankings. Hrm, number one is Japan. “gameinn”? Now, let’s have a look at the global “Battle…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010
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  Ubisoft: Half Of All Games To Be 3D In Two Years

  Dusting off its corporate crystal ball (The UbiBall®), publisher Ubisoft has predicted that in just two years time, half of all games will be capable of straining your eyes by appearing in 3D. Or, as they’ll call it, ThreeDee™. The company made the claim earlier today during an investor’s conference call. “We will see more…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  You Just Got An Extra Day To Play Halo: Reach

  While originally scheduled to end tomorrow – May 19 – Bungie has decided to keep the Halo: Reach beta open a little longer. “Our official plans as of now are to turn off the Reach beta on Thursday, 5/20 at 10AM PDT”, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard told Joystiq. Since an exact time for the beta’s shutdown…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: —··· · · ·—·

  Say, what time is it? Oh, it’s time for Kotaku Off Topic, which usually hits right around now, at exactly beer o’clock. Pop open a drink and join us, while we talk about things video game related and not. I’ll be spending the rest of my evening on a Skype meeting for my other job,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 18, 2010
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  The New Call of Duty: Black Ops Trailer: ‘Everything You Know Is Wrong’

  Activision and Treyarch are done teasing, releasing an extended, gameplay-filled look at their next inevitable blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops, one minute and forty-three seconds worth of shoot ’em up spectacle. Now that Treyarch has moved well past World War II and onto Vietnam and war-torn locations far beyond, the developer gets a…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 18, 2010
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  EA Closes Out Double Down Challenge By Raising $1,000

  Enough. I am officially declaring this Double Down-eating developer competition over. Electronic Arts may not have really set the land-speed record for consuming Kentucky Fried lard, but it did raise $1,000 for – wait for it – cancer research. You may remember that when Disney Interactive claimed the record two weeks ago, its champion eaters…

  By Owen Good Published May 18, 2010
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  Big Fat Gears Of War 2 Update & Cheap ‘All Fronts Collection’ Incoming

  Changes are coming to Epic Games’ Gears of War 2, showing that the title hasn’t been at all forgotten about now that the focus has shifted to Gears of War 3. Better still, there’s a Gears 2 deal inbound. The upcoming title update for Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 fixes a long…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 18, 2010