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  There’s A New Playable Race In Asheron’s Call

  After nearly 11 years of humanoid player characters, Turbine updates ancient MMO Asheron’s Call with a new playable race, with three more on the way this year. Every time I see news about Asheron’s Call, my initial reaction is surprise. They still run this game? I played for a month or so after the game…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 15, 2010
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  Samus Vandals Vs. Samus Censors

  A couple of days ago, on the subway platform for the F-train in Brooklyn, some pixel art of Metroid heroine Samus appeared. But the lady hero was not wearing enough clothes. This morning, the pixel art looked different, less complete but obviously less scandalous (and then we went and added a fish, to further protect…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 15, 2010
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Add some sunshine and talk here about video games. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 15, 2010
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  How Not To Play Games On TV, From Someone Who’s Been There

  Tell an actor to play the part of a butcher and what you see on screen will be a butcher, chopping slabs of meat as if he’s done so his entire life. But put a real butcher in front of a camera and what happens? He turns into a bad actor. Good actors excel in…

  Lisa Foiles Published April 15, 2010
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  Of Course, Japan Isn’t All The Same!

  To: Totilo From: Bashcraft RE: The Last Magic-Marker Day Note I must say Totilo. Your handwriting looks like a serial killer. :/ Right now, I am watching Himitsu no Kenmin Show. The program is about all the differences in various parts of Japan. So stuff that people think is “normal” to people, let’s say, Nara…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  What Happens To An Xbox 360 Game With Long Loading Times?

  In Japan, it languishes in the discount bin. Hokuto Musou, which is based on the Fist of the North Star series, was released in Japan. While the game looks great, the Xbox 360 version features loading times that can only be described as brutally slow. Or you could describe them as embarrassingly slow. Take your…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  iPhone Street Fighter IV Gets New Challenger…For Free

  Fighter Cammy is finally joining the iPhone/iPod Touch fray. How…cheeky? The character will be added via a free update. The release date is still TBA, however. The iPhone/iPod Touch version was released this past March with eight characters. Soon that will be nine. This post originally appeared on Kotaku Japan.

  Taro Kanemoto Published April 15, 2010
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  Watch Civilization’s Creator Build A Game In 48 Hours

  Here’s an inspiring way to start your day, as Civilization co-creator Sid Meier builds a video game in under 48 hours. It was part of a competition known as the Wolverine Soft 48 hour Game Design Contest, held every year at the University of Michigan. Meier, a former graduate of the university, was in town…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 15, 2010
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  Sony Launching 3D Games This June

  This June, Sony will be rolling out its range of 3D wares, including its first 3D television the Sony HX803, the Sony stated in an official release. But what does that mean for gaming? ” Timed to complement the launch of the HX800, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will release four 3D stereoscopic PS 3 game…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  Cosplaying Around the World Looks Like This

  The logical follow-up to otaku rooms? Cosplay. Out this month, The second book in the Otacool series is about worldwide cosplayers. Perhaps it will settle the East vs. West cosplay debate? Perhaps not! 世界24カ国のコスプレーヤー　OTACOOL2発売　「クオリティ高ぇ…」 [アキバBlog]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  Nintendo Sued Again, This Time Over Wii Fit

  That damn Wii Fit. Always getting itself into trouble. If it’s not turning people into sex addicts, it’s attracting lawsuits from companies that make interactive fitness equipment. IA Labs, based in Potomac, Maryland, is suing Nintendo over Wii Fit, claiming it has been “irreparably harmed” by Nintendo’s alleged “continued infringement” of patents IA says it…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 15, 2010
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  One Piece Localization or Censorship? [Update]

  Cigarettes into lollipops, guns into water guns, wine into water. These aren’t religious miracles, but rather, something else entirely. Hooray! Japanese anime One Piece has been localized for the U.S. market, and that localization isn’t limited linguistic translation, but a cultural localization with things like cigars and cleavage erased. Bathing, which in Japan is done…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  Obama Administration Wants Microsoft To Make A Video Game

  The Obama administration has sounded out Microsoft’s main man, CEO Steve Ballmer, on the possibility of the company producing a video game which would task players with balancing the US budget. Not as fun as tearing up a desert nation looking for weapons of mass destruction, I agree, but it’s just as important. Erskine Bowles,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 15, 2010
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  You Can Look Up This King of Fighters’ Skirt

  In The King of Fighters XII, character Athena Asamiya donned an impenetrable school skirt. In upcoming arcade game The King of Fighters XIII… …fighter Yuri Sakazaki gives players an upskirt buffet. She specializes in SNK’s fictional fighting style, kyokugenryu karate, and typically wears a white gi and blue tights — though, her outfits has varied…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  The Original Xbox Live…LIVES! (For Now, At Least)

  The original Xbox Live service was supposed to have been shut down at midnight. But midnight has now passed, and the people playing Halo 2 online in anticipation of its demise are…still playing Halo 2. We don’t yet know whether this is a last-minute hiccup or whether Bungie and Microsoft have made a deal with…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 15, 2010
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  Just Look At That Super Mario Swag

  An in-store New Super Mario Bros. Wii “coin battle” that Mini-Bash sadly did not win. (The tallest kid did!) As seen by me.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  Rumor: BioShock, The MMO

  According to a “a mysterious source”, game site Destructoid is reporting that 2K games is planning to release a massively-multiplayer online title based on the world of BioShock. It is of course not the first time we’ve heard this; indeed, the last time we heard about it was from 2K itself, when back in 2008…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 15, 2010
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  Teenage Boy Charged With Killing His Father With Sledgehammer

  Near Russia’s Black Sea, a 14-year-old boy has been charged with killing his father after a row over computer games. After the killing, he then played said computer games for several hours. The boy is currently being held in a pre-trial detention center. He has no criminal record. According to regional investigators, on April 12…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010
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  What’s The Big Deal About A New XCOM?

  Yesterday, 2K jumped out from behind a bush, wearing a bloody clown suit, and surprised the crap out of us with a press release revealing a new X-Com game was in development. I was happy! Many of you, however, are not. It’s not the game’s seemingly retro aesthetic that has people upset. Nor is it…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 15, 2010
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  Nintendo “Piracy” Store: Now You See It, Now You Don’t

  Well, that was quick. Real quick. On April 11, retail shop Otacon Village was slated to open for business. The store, located in Osaka’s geek area of Den-Den Town, featured two banners on the front of the shop that read, “R4, Majikon, TT DS”. As Kotaku posted previously, the R4 cartridge itself is not a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2010