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  This Week’s Creepiest Birthday Celebration

  No, make that this month’s. No, this year’s. Virtual idol Chihaya Kisaragi from Namco Bandai’s popstar sim franchise THE iDOLM@STER had her birthday on February 25. People on the Japanese internet celebrated. “Creepy” is a relative term, and these celebrations are not entirely serious — however, they do provide an opportunity for diehard collectors to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  What Better Way To Say Yakuza 3 Than With Yakuza Movies

  Just because the West isn’t getting in-game hostess bars that doesn’t mean it won’t be getting other cool things. You know, like yakuza movies. On March 5, SEGA will be co-sponsored a sneak peek at Yakuza 3 at San Francisco’s VIZ Cinema. Besides checking out the game, there will also be a reception and a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Tekken Gets A Japanese Trailer

  Hollywood’s take on The King of Iron Fist Tournament hits theaters next month in Japan. The Japanese trailer is a slightly different edit of the U.S. trailer, minus all the “mom” references. Why you always gotta be talkin’ about Jin Kazama’s mom? Director by Dwight Little, the Tekken movie looks like…Tekken, the movie, complete with…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Tokyo Game Show Dated, Should Be Moved

  To the chagrin of Kotaku, this year’s Tokyo Game Show will be in September. Such a bad idea. But hey, they’ve been doing this show for twenty years. So that must mean they know what they’re doing. This year is the show’s 20th anniversary, and The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, the TGS organizers, hope to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Blizzard “Still Targeting First Half Of This Year” For StarCraft II

  After several false starts, years-in-development StarCraft II finally began closed beta testing. That probably means the game is still on track for release the first half of this year. Probably! “We were targeting three to five months for the beta, we’re really at a three month period of time for the beta at this point,”…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Southeast Asia League Of Legends Get Sudden Ban Hammer Action

  Riot Games, the game company behind action role-playing game League of Legends, has signed a deal to get the game distributed in Southeast Asia. That’s good news, but it’s also bad news. Now, it’s more bad news than anything else. “Attention, League of Legends players!,” starts a message on the League of Legends forum about…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Lara Croft Gets A Street

  Lucky her! Back in July, the city of Derby, UK asked for suggestions for new roads. After getting more than a hundred suggestions, the city council narrowed down the choices to eight, including Lara Croft Way. The BBC reports that other options were footballer Steve Bloomer and engineer George Sorocold. Those choices were voted on…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Battle The Borg In Star Trek Online

  Here’s the trailer for Star Trek Online’s first major content update, in which the Borg decide to give the whole Borg Queen thing another try, since it worked out so well the last time. It’s good to see Cryptic making good on its promise of regular updates to the Star Trek Online, seeing as the…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 26, 2010
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  God of War III Blow Out

  This March, action game God of War III comes roaring on to the PS3. Big bosses and graphic pyrotechnics, the game looks big and bad ass. GTTV takes a look behind the scenes at Sony Santa Monica, new moves like “Battering Ram”, new weapons like Hermes’ Boots and spectacularly huge in-game battles with Leviathan and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Itagaki And Tecmo Settle Legal Brouhaha

  Game designer Tomonobu Itagaki and Tecmo have reconciled the lawsuit the former Team Ninja head filed in summer 2008. In an issued issued statement, Itagaki stated that the agreement was “mutual” and the settlement was “harmonious”. Itagaki also gave a “heartfelt thanks” for all the fans who continued to offer support and encouragement during this…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Buggy Shooter Port Makes Game Exec Want To Die (Not Really Die!)

  DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label EXTRA, the Xbox 360 port by 5pb, was released with so many bugs that production was halted. It’s 2010, there’s still no patch, and now a game exec writes, “I want to die”. Cave’s bullet hell shooter DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou was ported to the Xbox 360 by Japanese…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  First Look At Transformers: War For Cybertron Gameplay Footage

  Cutscenes are nice and all, but gameplay is what we want to see. And gameplay is what we will see! Set before the Transformers had contact with Earth, multi-platform title War For Cybertron allows players to partake in the battle between Autobots and Decepticons. The game is being developed by High Moon Studios, best known…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  Warhawk Gets Cheap

  Always wanted to check out Warhawk on your PS3 but never had the time or money? Well today’s your lucky day! Lightbox Interactive founder, and Warhawk producer, Dylan Jobe is here to tell you about a sale of “inflatable gorilla proportions”. Starting today, U.S. residents can pick-up the online only land, sky and on-foot shooter…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 26, 2010
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  How Many Gigabytes Is FFXIII’s Xbox 360 Install?

  The Xbox 360 of multi-platform role-playing game Final Fantasy XIII is shipping on three discs. For those curious as to how much space installing the game on the Xbox 360, read on. According to website Ve3tro.com, the totally optional install for all three discs is: • Disc 1: 5.9GB • Disc 2: 5.8GB • Disc…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2010
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  The Exotic Locales of Japan Now With More Yakuza 3 Fighting

  Due to hit stores in the U.S. March 9, sans ancient Japanese history and hostess bars, Yakuza 3 isn’t just about beating people up, there’s also sightseeing. You will, according to this video, get to relax in Okinawa, spend time with the family, take the short trip to Tokyo, hit the streets and go shopping,…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 26, 2010
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  Please Describe The Ideal DRM

  An article on GamePro.com uses the controversy of Assassin’s Creed II’s PC copy-protection requirements to discuss the ceaseless debate over Digital Rights Management. Simple question: What would the perfect DRM be? That would make everyone happy?

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 26, 2010
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  U R *Not* “Mr. Gay” In Super Mario Galaxy 2

  Remember when someone stared at Super Mario Galaxy’s logo a little too long, deciphering the hidden message “U R MR GAY” cleverly encoded by Nintendo’s cheeky box art designers? Well, Nintendo has nipped that in the bud for the sequel. While the first Super Mario Galaxy logo featured twinkling star placement that some found suspiciously…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: Pick Up!

  This edition of Kotaku Off Topic is definitely not about video games. I mean, there is a Mac at the top of the post, which should make that pretty obvious. It can, of course, be about anything. But since I just got a new iMac from the FedEx man today it can be about recent…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2010
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  Valet Hustle: The Game That’s About Being Gay, But It’s Not

  “Valet Hustle,” a game currently available for iPhone and iPod Touch, is novel in that its playable characters have a gay-positive backstory that is completely independent of the gameplay’s purpose. In other words, it’s about gay people doing ordinary things. What is, however, a little tendentious and mildly exploitive is the fact the two protagonists…

  By Owen Good Published February 25, 2010
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  Firewalker With ME2, If You’re On The Cerberus Network

  Mass Effect 2 owners—specifically, original owners—will get all new downloadable content via the game’s Cerberus Network, with five new missions coming next month in the “Firewalker” pack. The downloadable mission pack features the Hammerhead heavy assault vehicle prominently, one that “hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2010