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  What’s Haruhi Suzumiya Doing In Your Chewing Gum?

  Not only does Lotte’s gum make your breath minty fresh, it also turns all the ladies around you into moé anime characters. Chew on that. Lotte’s television ad campaign features the girls of manga/anime franchise Haruhi Suzumiya popping up all over the place. Wonder who the old lady turns into… Light novel The Melancholy of…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  Report: How Much Erotic Voice Game Actors Cost

  The popularity of Japanese erotic games does not rest solely on the game’s concept, story or illustrations. The actors who lend their vocal talents to the game are important, too. But they’re not free! According to Japanese bulletin board 2ch (via website Canned Dogs) the average rate per word is ¥100 (US$1), and popular voice…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  Activision Dividing Modern Warfare 2’s Booty

  Activision community man (and former games writer) Dan Amrich has taken to Facebook to chat with people about his employer’s recent public relations issues. I don’t think he’s helping things. Attempting to shed light on the legal mess surrounding the fate of bonus payments due to Infinity Ward staffers – especially deposed bosses Vince Zampella…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  Video Games Have A “Prime Time” Too, You Know

  There’s a “prime time” for TV, and it’s after dinner. There’s a “prime time” for radio, and it’s when people are driving to or from work. But what about gaming? Yes, gaming has a prime time as well, according to research done by Nielsen, which indicates that the peak time for playing video games is,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  Jet Skis For Japanese Geeks (Jet Skis!)

  In Japan, cars covered with stickers depicting anime and game characters are called itasha, or literally “painmobile”. Bicycles covered in stickers are called itachari (“paincycle”). And jet skis? Jet skis! They’re called “awesome”. These ita-jet skis were on display at the recent Moe-Haku 2010. The Yamaha booth even had a waverunner featuring vocaloid character Hatsune…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  Gran Turismo Creator Takes To Top Gear’s Test Track

  Continuing a partnership begun with the game’s prologue, Gran Turismo 5 is once again teaming up with British TV series Top Gear, with the inclusion of the show’s famous test track in Sony’s PS3 racer. Die-hard fans of the game (or show) may remember a fleeting promise of this all the way back in 2007,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  This Gamer Is A Good Driver, Real Good

  In December 2009, a special version of Gran Turismo hit the PS3 as a download. The twenty fastest drivers then competed for a chance to enter the GT Academy bootcamp. Only two were selected. And now one has won. France’s Jordan Tresson was been declared the winner of GT Academy 2010. The Frenchman underwent a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  New Fable III Screen Adds A Touch Of Dapper

  Yes, dapper. He’s like a cross between the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Piett. For more of our Fable III coverage, click here Fable III, the third game in Lionhead’s role-playing series, will be out for the Xbox 360 later this year.

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  Resident Evil Movie Director Ready To Develop Games

  Paul W.S. Anderson is famous for two things: Being Mr. Milla Jovovich and making movies based on video games. He’s now keen to spread his wings and create video games. “In the future,” the filmmaker told MTV News, “I want to be developing intellectual properties that will occupy both spaces simultaneously.” Anderson has brought survival…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  Left 4 Dead’s Survivor Party Isn’t Going So Well

  Left 4 Dead 2’s “The Passing” will bring together the survivors from Left 4 Dead 1 with the survivors of the second game. Just because they’re all surviving, though, doesn’t mean they’re going to get along. The Passing will be out later today on both Xbox 360 and PC. It’ll be 560MSP on Microsoft’s console,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  Talk About Depressing

  As seen on i.imgur via digg

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  Weed + Rap + Chrono Trigger

  Many rappers rhyme about marijuana. But how many of them do it to the Chrono Trigger soundtrack? Grass-roots (geddit?) rapper Wiz Khalifa, perhaps best known for his “Say Yeah” single, has released a mixtape dubbed Kush and Orange Juice for free online. That was nice of him. And this song is, as one commenter points…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2010
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  PS3 Gets Major League Baseball Games

  According to the New York Times, Sony will tomorrow spill the beans on a deal that will see Major League Baseball games streamed live to PlayStation 3 consoles. Yes, by the end of the week Americans will be able to turn on their PS3, sign up to the league’s MLB.TV service, and watch “out of…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  Your First Look At Steam Running On A Mac

  Valve’s PC gaming platform and online store, Steam, is coming to Apple’s Mac. And while it’s not yet available to Joe Everyman, some people are already messing around with it, giving us our first look at it in action. And, surprise! It looks just like it does on PC. Only, it’s running on a Mac…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  PS3 Update Readies Console For 3D Gaming

  At first glance, the PlayStation 3’s latest firmware update – which brings the system to v3.30 – seems inconsequential. Some trophy reshuffling. But it’s the behind-the-scenes stuff that’s more interesting, as it readies the console for 3D gaming. Yes, while most of the release accompanying the update bangs on about how it will “make it…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2010
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  In The Xbox Future, Your TV Will Know If You Are Yelling, Booing

  Why have been people yelling at professional athletes who fumble and fall and anger them when those athletes are on their TVs and can’t hear them? Because these people have been getting ready for the Xbox 360’s Project Natal. From an interview with Xbox 360 project manager Marc Whitten, who discusses some non-gaming applications of…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 21, 2010
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  The Narrow Definition of Experimental

  One of the major perceived advantages of being an indie developer is the freedom to be experimental with one’s games. As opposed to their mainstream brethren, indie developers do not need to deal with the pressures of making multimillion dollar AAA titles that necessitate huge sales and thus need to appeal to the widest possible…

  Michael Lee Published April 21, 2010
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  Kotaku Off-Topic: Ruh Roh, Mom’s on Facebook

  Well, the party’s over. Mom joined Facebook this week, which means I officially have to dial it back and be nice, also sit up straight, ask to be excused, and not clack my teeth on the tines of my fork. Mom did so reluctantly and only because a group she’s involved in set up a…

  By Owen Good Published April 21, 2010
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  “I Told You, Ho, Do Not Expect Much Wisdom From Him”

  Some video game voice-acting isn’t very good. Thank goodness there’s a website that records the worst of it. The excellent site Audio Atrocities has some wretchedly great clips from role-playing game Two Worlds. Here’s one: Click to view Itoldyouho sound bite Odd use of “ho,” if I do say so myself. Go to Audio Atrocities’…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 21, 2010
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  Danica Patrick Enlightens Us on the Concept of ‘Power-Ups’

  Indy’s It-girl Danica Patrick has a role in Activision’s Blur, which I didn’t know before today, and Danica’s giving interviews to highlight the fact gamers now race online “against people in different places,” which she didn’t know before today either. What’s more, “It’s not just cars against cars,” Patrick told USA Today. “It’s cars against…

  By Owen Good Published April 21, 2010