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  Farmville Maker is Hemorrhaging Players

  Caught in an apparent pissing match with Facebook, Farmville creators Zynga seems to be losing. Two weeks ago Zynga lost 3.1 million monthly active users. Last week they lost 4.2 million of them. SecondShares reports that every one of Zynga’s major games but Treasure Isle lost users last week. The losses hit after Facebook revamped…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 11, 2010
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  GameStop Employee Loses His Job Over Rape Game? [Update]

  A GameStop employee interviewed for a piece on Japanese rape simulator RapeLay suddenly finds himself without a job. Was he fired for his comments on the controversial game? We’ve got the employee’s and GameStop’s sides of the story. RapeLay is a Japanese point-and-click game that follows the story of a spoiled rich kid who takes…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 11, 2010
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  The World United As I Played Mass Effect 2

  On Sunday, May 2, at 11am Eastern Time, I was playing Mass Effect 2. My wife took a photo. At the same time (15:00 U.T.C.), around the world, more than 10,000 other people snapped photos too. This is what they were doing while I played: In Hawley, Pennsylvania, one person was solving a Lost jigsaw…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2010
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  Steam Comes To Macs Wednesday With Portal, Torchlight

  Valve’s dominant games-downloading service Steam comes to Macs tomorrow, bringing with it Diablo-style indie hit Torchlight and Valve’s very own first-person puzzle hit Portal. If you bought Portal or Torchlight via Steam on your Windows-based PC then you may in fact already be the proud owner of tomorrow’s releases. Portal (and possibly Torchlight — the…

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2010
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Treasure is buried everywhere. For example, nestled within this post are your comments about video games. Jewels and gems, some of them. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ

  By Stephen Totilo Published May 11, 2010
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  Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition Cashes In Its Chips

  Bethesda gambles on an extravagant Collector’s Edition for Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas, packed with poker chips, playing cards, and other exciting accouterments from the post-apocalyptic Sin City. It’s no lunch box and bubblehead, but it’ll do in a pinch. The Fallout: New Vegas Collector’s Edition comes packed with Vegas-themed goodies, from a set of “Lucky…

  By Mike Fahey Published May 11, 2010
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  Street Fighter, Resident Evil Publisher Wants to Dip Toe in Facebook

  Social networks can no longer be ignored by game publishers, Capcom president Haruhiro told BusinessWeek, so the company plans to release its first game on Facebook as early as this fiscal year. “Gaming on social networks is poised to impact the traditional video game industry and is a presence that cannot be ignored,” Capcom President…

  By Brian Crecente Published May 11, 2010
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  Hello, Teacher

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Mother’s Day This afternoon, Mini-Bash’s teacher stopped by the house for a parent teacher meeting. Was very happy to hear that the kid raises his hand in class and always seems to be paying attention and is generally well-behaved. Of course, when I was in first grade I was doing…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  Where Are Gundam Plastic Models Made?

  Would you like to know? Would you? Okay, then. As Japanese site Gigazine points out, this year is the 30th anniversary of Gunpla (Gundam plastic model kits) with the first one going on sale in July 1980. The made-in-Japan Gundam plastic model kits are, according to robot expert Matt Alt, the rolex watches of plastic…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  Donkey Kong Action Figures Get Mean (And Chesty)

  Toy modder fugayzie has some ideas on what Donkey Kong should look like. Gone are the big eyes, pixels and damsel in distress; in their place is a surly Mario, a scary ape and one slutty Pauline. This diorama was made from the bones of other action figures, cannibalised and re-painted to match the stars…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 11, 2010
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  PlayStation Hacker Won’t Do Hard Time

  The teenager who got so miffed at Sony over a game of SOCOM that he hacked the company’s website has been sentenced for his crimes. He will not be hung, drawn or quartered. Instead, the boy must now serve 250 hours community service, and also pay Sony Computer Entertainment the sum of $5000. If that…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 11, 2010
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  Backbreaker Shows Madden How To Run The Football

  Tired of Madden’s arbitrary approach to contact? How its running looks, and feels, more like ice skating? Upcoming football game Backbreaker is, which is why it does things a little differently. This clip, showcasing the running game, does a better job than any previous video for the game in showing how Backbreaker doesn’t deal in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 11, 2010
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  The Monster Hunter…Credit Card?

  Joining THE iDOLM@STER credit card is this: a Japanese Monster Hunter branded credit card. Popular in Japan, Monster Hunter is an action role-playing game that allows players to, wait for it, hunt monsters. The franchise sell millions of copies in its native Japan with games on the PS2, the PSP and the Wii. There is…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  How Chesty Jake Prepared For Being Chesty Jake

  In the Hollywood version of video game Prince of Persia, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Chesty Jake Prince Dastan. How did he get ready to play the part? Preparation for the role began when Gyllenhaal was a small boy. “I used to play the side-scrolling version of The Prince of Persia on the first Mac computer in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  What Did Nintendo Call Super Mario Galaxy 2?

  When it was developing the upcoming Mario game, the character’s creator Shigeru Miyamoto says that the game had a *slightly* different temporary title: Super Mario Galaxy 1.5. But as Nintendo was making the game, the developers kept coming up with new and interesting level designs and ways to play. The game features new spins on…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  Microsoft Saudi Arabia Dates Project Natal [Update]

  In an interview with Saudi television, Microsoft Saudi Arabia marketing guy Syed Bilal Tariq has given a release date for Microsoft’s motion controller, Project Natal. That’s right, Microsoft Saudi Arabia. “I do have great news to share with everybody that Project Natal will be launched in Saudi Arabia and in the world that is going…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  South Korea Gets 3D Xbox 360 Gaming

  Nintendo is getting a glasses-free 3D handheld. Sony is updating PS3 consoles to full 3D. And Microsoft? South Korean electronics giant LG has joined forces with the Xbox 360 to bring 3D gaming to Korean gamers. LG will be marketing its 3D capable LED televisions alongside 3D capable games in South Korea, reports website Engadget.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010
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  Say Hi To The Best-Selling Games Of 2010 (So Far)

  Courtesy of Nintendo, let’s take a look at the thirty top-selling games in the United States so far this year. As a bonus, we’ll look at the top 30 from Europe, too. These figures, covering January 1 to March 31, were part of Nintendo’s recent fiscal results report, and while they’re not as handy as…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 11, 2010
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  Nintendo’s Lovable Code Names For Consoles

  The 3DS isn’t the first Nintendo console to enter the public consciousness with a name that’s never actually used. Plenty of other machines have also been revealed with names never destined for a retail shelf. Yes, we know, Nintendo isn’t the only company to do this. Pretty much anyone and everyone involved in making anything…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 11, 2010
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  Fallout: The Movie (With Hookers)

  Desert Story is a fan-made short film set in the Fallout universe, in which a transaction over hookers goes a little pear-shaped. You may be wondering why there isn’t a dog or a blue jumpsuit in sight, or how nice the lighting is, or how weird the guy’s accent is. Me? I’m just wondering how…

  By Luke Plunkett Published May 11, 2010