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  Know How To Double Xbox 360 Sales In Japan?

  Japan isn’t only The Land of the Rising Sun. It’s also The Land of Xbox 360 Indifference. There must be a way to double weekly consoles sales. Turns out, there is. Well, at least once. In last week’s hardware sales tally, the Xbox 360 sold 2,214 units in Japan. By comparison, there were 28,758 PSPs…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  A Story About Ms. Pac-Man, Arkanoid And Machine Guns

  This starts off as a bit of a love story between Ms. Pac-Man and Arkanoid’s paddle. Then there’s machine guns and a giant, evil NES controller, and a boss battle for the ages. Look, just…watch it, it’ll make sense. “The Bug” was created by Yongsub Song for his thesis at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  Chesty Jake Seems Content With Chesty Jake

  With a Best Supporting Actor nomination under his belt, Jake Gyllenhaal’s status as a serious actor has been cemented. But he doesn’t necessarily want to only be a serious actor. Because in the upcoming Prince of Persia, he’s Chesty Jake. And Gyllenhaal seems to be totally contend with his role in the upcoming adventure flick.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  Beards Make Games Better!

  Fallout 3 knows the rules: beards make video games better. Take these pics as example, showing that even some of the all-time greats – like Mario, Metal Gear and Zelda – can be made greater by handing out beards. Look at Mario! He’s now got a face befitting his steadfastness. Snake? His chin is now…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  Capcom Profits Plummet 73.1 Percent

  Last year was a rough year. Just ask Osaka-based Capcom. The game company, which is best known for the Street Fighter series, sales profits down. Way down. According to an official statement, Capcom saw new sales down 27.3 percent to ¥66.8 billion. Net profit was down 73.1 percent from the previous year to ¥2.17 billion.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  What Are You Afraid Of, Gamers?

  I raised this in a recent night note, but since I got so many interesting responses, I figured I’d throw it out to the masses: is there anything in real life that scares you so much it affects your gaming? For me, it’s underwater monsters. Mostly when it comes to games, that means sharks, but…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  This Man Would Like To Make A Video Game

  George Romero’s name is synonymous with horror. Romero isn’t a huge gamer, but he’s interested in making a video game. If only a game company would allow him to do just that. There’s shit he’d like to hide and stuff. Romero is best known to moviegoers for his groundbreaking zombie films Night of the Living…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  Sir Ben Kingsley Goes From Prince Of Persia To Fable III

  Sir Ben Kingsley, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Gandhi in the 1982 film of the same name, will soon be playing a role a little less historical, landing a part in Lionhead’s upcoming Fable III. Kingsley – who many gamers are soon to be re-acquainted with thanks to his appearance in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  Get Drunk With Pac-Man

  It sure beats popping pills. To mark he 30th anniversary of Pac-Man, a set of French-made wine glasses will be go on sale in Japan on July 2010 in Japan. The set is priced at ¥5,250 (US$58) and comes with two Japanese-made cork coasters. Besides wine glasses, Pac-Man will also be getting leather wallets and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  China’s New Battle Against Engrish

  While the botched “Engrish” translations in video games like Zero Wing, the Ninja Warriors and Metal Gear have provided us with years of amusement and long-running memes, officials in China are trying to stamp out mangled English. The New York Times reports on the Shanghai Commission for the Management of Language Use’s efforts to scrub…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 7, 2010
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  Watch The Super 8 Trailer Right Now

  J.J. Abrams, the creator of television series Lost and the producer of monster flick Cloverfield, is teaming up with Steven Spielberg for a new feature film called Super 8. This is your first look at the picture. Directed by Abrams and produced by Spielberg, Super 8 was rumored to be either a prequel or a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  Capcom vs Nintendo vs Konami

  Capcom vs SNK is one thing, but a fighting game that pits Nintendo against Capcom, Irem, Sunsoft, Hudson, Taito, Namco, Konami and Sega? Oh boy. While this kind of cross-promotional stuff would have been pure fantasy in the days of the Famicom/NES, it’s the reality in this clip’s fantasy world, which sees most of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  So, What’s Happening With The Castlevania Movie?

  Right now? Not much. But that doesn’t mean things haven’t been happening for the flick or won’t happen in the future. In summer 2009, Saw franchise co-creator and director of Dead Silence and Death Sentence, James Wan, signed on to co-write and helm the cinematic retelling of the Belmont family vampire slaying saga. “That’s the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 7, 2010
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  These Nintendo Games Have Sold Over 20 Million Copies

  Since the launch of both the DS and Wii, five games published by Nintendo have sold more than twenty million copies. Can you guess which ones? If you said Brain Age, you’re close (18 million), but wrong. Mario Kart DS? Close again, at 17.9 million, but just as wrong. No, the five games to reach…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  Take A Fly-By Tour Of World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm

  With real humans stationed outside Blizzard HQ playtesting World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, Cataclysm, it was only a matter of time until some decent footage made its way into the public eye. These clips give you an unguided tour of two of Cataclysm’s new additions, the Alliance stronghold of Stormwind and the Orcish Ogrimmar. What…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 7, 2010
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  Kicking Ass & Taking A Fall In Nintendo’s Photo Dojo

  Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime believes that the soon to be released fighting game Photo Dojo might be the title that sells you on the XL-sized version of its Nintendo DSi. After competing in eight-player Photo Dojo tournament today, I’m not quite sold on dropping the $189 USD required to buy my fourth variation…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 6, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: ROFL

  Who’s ready for a laugh? You? Good, then let’s do this Kotaku Off Topic, where we should really talk less about video games and more about laughs. My day has been full of ’em and they’re just going to continue. I was planning on dropping a few favorite jokes of mine in here, but realize…

  By Michael McWhertor Published May 6, 2010
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  Apparently We’re the Refs of the Game Testers’ Speed Eating League

  This Sunday I facetiously suggested that an Activision game tester had claimed the world record fastest time for eating a horrible meat sandwich called the Double Down. Disney Interactive Studios wants it known they have just obliterated the mark. While I acknowledge this joke might be played out, the very last thing I want said…

  By Owen Good Published May 6, 2010
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  Nintendo’s Real World Easter Egg

  I found this spotted egg hidden on my front doorstep this evening inside a plain white box. Inside the Yoshi Egg? Appropriately enough, a tiny Yoshi and a SD card packed with some new images from Super Mario Galaxy 2. Enjoy the feast!

  By Brian Crecente Published May 6, 2010
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  Lucasarts President Resigns [Update]

  Kotaku has learned today that Darrell Rodriguez, president of Lucasarts, has resigned from his position, and joining him at the exit are several members of his executive team. The moves, announced earlier today at a Lucasarts staff meeting, do not impact the company’s development teams, or other aspects of its publishing business outside of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 6, 2010