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  Next Yakuza Game Is PSP Bound

  Project K is the newest entry in SEGA’s Japanese crime franchise known as Yakuza. Unlike previous titles, it will not be a home console game. It is also getting a new protagonist. According to the latest issue of Japanese game magazine Famitsu, the tentatively titled Project K does not star series regular Kazuma Kiryu, but…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2010
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  Xbox Live Getting A TV Channel?

  According to sources speaking with Bloomberg, Microsoft is in talks with former News Corp. President Peter Chernin (who’s currently got a gig at Fox) over bringing a TV channel to its Xbox 360 console. Beginning earlier this month, the discussions revolve around bringing a full channel of programming to the 360, which would include both…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Now Robots Can Play Tetris Without Us

  That’s it. Pack up the fine china, stock up on tinned soup and start digging a bunker, because this great dance we call humanity is done for. First they play Tetris, then they play Madden, then we all die in a nuclear fire This Tetris-playing robot consists of a camera and a three-fingered robotic hand.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Xbox 360 Fans, This Sports Jersey Is For You

  The Seattle Sounders, the Major League Soccer team of choice for Xbox 360 fans, today released a new shirt, one that brings the team’s strip more in line with the colour scheme of the side’s sponsoring console. It’s called “Electricity” (yes, these things have names), with a “Rave Green” trim. Lovely stuff, marketing team, but…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Yet Another Study: Brain Training Games Don’t Improve Intelligence

  First it was French scientists who said brain training games like Brain Age do not work. Now, it’s UK scientists. As part of a nationwide study for a BBC television program, over 11,000 individuals used the “brain training” games for six weeks. Those in the study were up to the age of 60 years old…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2010
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  Blizzard Bans 320,000 Cheaters From Warcraft, Diablo

  Blizzard, the company behind the Warcraft and Diablo franchises, does not screw around when it swings the banhammer, booting 320,000 online accounts tonight from some of its most popular games. “We’ve recently banned over 320,000 Warcraft III and Diablo II accounts that were found to be violating the Battle.net Terms of Use”, a statement on…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Years Later, Argentina Bans Rape Video Game

  Argentina has banned controversial adult computer game Rapelay. Rape games have been banned in Japan. So what gives Argentina? According to the country’s justice ministry, the game is a “clear apology for the crimes of sexual abuse, rape, torture, discrimination against women and paedophilia”. “Necessary measures are being taken to prevent the release of the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2010
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  Online Gaming, In Pictures!

  The statistics involved in online gaming – whether that be on PC or console – can be overwhelming when presented as raw numbers. Thank heavens for infographics, then. You may have seen some of these before, you may not have, doesn’t matter. They always look better in green, with controllers and ODST troopers pastered all…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Not All Yakuza Girls Are “Just” Hostesses

  One at least is a porn star. But not Sayaka Araki. She’s a fashion model, a DJ and a business tycoon. Japanese crime game Yakuza allows players to visit night clubs and chat with hostesses. Araki, who appeared in Yakuza 3 as a hostess, is the president of her own beauty products company that sells…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2010
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  What Is This, Lords Of Ultima, Or Star Wars?

  EA released some screenshots of browser-based Lords Of Ultima overnight. We were quite surprised to find Natalie Portman reprising her role from the Star Wars prequels. Above is a screenshot from Lords Of Ultima showing your advisor at the very outset of the game. Below is Portman in her Padmé Amidala costume from Attack of…

  David Wildgoose Published April 21, 2010
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  Who Wants To Play With Kim Kardashian?

  Kim Kardashian is famous for several reasons, none of which we fully understand. While she has used her ability to hold things for evil in the past (see above), she is now using it for good. Phew. This Kim Kardashian Xbox 360 is part of Microsoft Australia’s drive to auction off one-of-a-kind game consoles for…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2010
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  The Best Game I Played Today Was Over Ten Years Old

  Today, Outcast was released on retro downloadable games service Good Old Games. It’s only $6, so I’m going to recommend it to almost everyone. And not because it’s a good game. No, the thing that struck me after returning to Adelpha was how ahead of its time it was, something you can only notice having…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Do Not Trust This Magazine’s Review Scores

  The biggest Japanese game magazine, Famitsu, has awarded its highest score to stealth game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Deserved or undeserved, in the process of reviewing the game, the publication has shown that, as a source of objective game reviews, it cannot be trusted. Here’s why: Some would say that Famitsu has sold its…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2010
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  Ladies, Do Not Try And Sell A Nintendo Wii Over Craigslist

  A pair of women from Toledo, Ohio thought it would be a good idea to try and sell their Nintendo Wii consoles via Craigslist. Ladies: it is never a good idea to conduct video game business over Craigslist. In two completely unrelated incidents, one woman was assaulted when a prospective “purchaser” came to her home.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  For Hitler’s Xbox Live, The War Is Over

  In 2007, Adolf Hitler and Xbox Live helped start an internet meme that started the whole world laughing. Three years on, the distributors of the film the clip is based on have yanked it from YouTube. The clip, and countless others that have been posted in its wake, took footage from the award-winning 2004 film…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 21, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: Left 4 Las Vegas

  You Kotaku Off Topic talkers won’t have me to kick around tomorrow. You’ll have to discuss whatever it is that strikes your fancy without me, as I’ll be in Vegas where people will be talking about video games. What will I see? Your guess is as good as mine. Go on, guess. Do it in…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 20, 2010
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  My Other Hoody Makes Me Look Like Tron Guy, Only Cooler

  Are you wicked psyched for Tron Legacy? Or anything Tron for that matter? Then Threadless’ new t-shirt and hoody combo, inspired by the Disney film and capable of turning any guy or girl into a casually dressed Program, is for you. The “My Other Ride Is a Light Cycle” t-shirt and zip up hoody, designed…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 20, 2010
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  This Drunk Driving ‘Game’ Actually Has a Message

  As Kotaku’s resident deplorable alcoholic, expectations for me are low enough that not only can I post something this reprehensible, it’s practically expected. So here’s the problem of drunk driving imagined as a 1990s-style game – note, this game doesn’t exist. Brooklyn comedy quintet POKYPAC is responsible for this foray into dark humor, produced last…

  By Owen Good Published April 20, 2010
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  Steam Gets Its Big Overhaul Next Week

  Developer Valve is wrapping up the beta for its big changes to the Steam UI this week, promising to roll out the still-in-beta version of its PC gaming service to everyone next Monday. The beta version of Steam’s new UI kicked off in February, bringing with it a slick new interface, future compatibility with the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 20, 2010
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  Team Fortress 2 Tweaks the Drop System

  Items in Team Fortress 2 will drop more frequently under changes Valve just rolled out, ones that the publisher hopes will discourage standing around idly in the game waiting for them to happen. The old system would determine, at random intervals, if you would experience an item drop. Now it determines at random when the…

  By Owen Good Published April 20, 2010