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  What Life As A Sim Might Look Like

  You’ve seen what it looks like to control The Sims, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Sim? This graduate thesis project looks pretty close to us. The work of student Julia Yu Tsao, this is called “Curious Displays”, a network of “½ inch display blocks” that, if ever…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  Should Japanese Arcades Worry About 3D Goggle Bacteria?

  Upcoming arcade title Metal Gear Arcade is in 3D. If this game is a hit, it could start a 3D arcade gaming trend. And just like 3D Hollywood films shown in theaters, gamers wear 3D goggles. Just think of all the people who have worn the goggles before you! Like this lady. Her nose grease…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  Jungle Strike Street Theatre

  For those under the age of 25, all you need to know is this: Jungle Strike is one of the best things to happen to both the Genesis/Mega Drive and its publisher, Electronic Arts. It also had a great intro. An intro that’s been faithfully reproduced here. With real people and everything. Carlos is pretty…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  Nintendo Reminds Us DSi XL Makes Games XL

  After a slow pitch to the old people, Nintendo has launched a new DSi LL (XL in the West) ad campaign in Japan. This one’s for the gamers. The voice-over says, “Because the screen is big, Dragon Quest is big. Final Fantasy is big. Mario is big. Love Plus is big. Zelda is big.” And…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  Warner Buys Batman: Arkham Asylum Devs

  Looking to lock down one of the most promising developers in the business, Warner Bros. has purchased a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, the developers behind Batman: Arkham Asylum. Warner lent a hand on the first Batman, and will be publishing the sequel, but that obviously wasn’t enough for the film studio, which in recent…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  Why Apple Declared War on Titilation (For The Women and Children)

  Apple has taken swift action against applications in the iTunes Application Store. The reason: Apple says that it has done so because some women and parents have complained. As revealed by Wobble iBoobs developer Jon Atherton via website TechCrunch, here is the Victorian laundry list of no-nos in apps: 1. No images of women in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  Some Retailers Not Happy With EA’s “Project Ten Dollar”

  EA’s “Project Ten Dollar” (or, “Project $15 dollar”) seems like a good idea to combat the retail industry’s reliance on used game sales. But some retailers have pointed out it’s not all beneficial to the publisher. “EA’s Project Ten Dollar move is aiming to stifle pre-owned games sales, but what they don’t factor in is…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  Subtitles or Dubbing, Which Does Japan Want?

  Not every Western game is subtitled. Remember the irritation from Japanese gamers over the dubbing Modern Warfare 2 got? Japanese gamers wanted to play the game with its original voices. But do all Japanese gamers want that? From April 2007 to December 2009, Japanese game company Spike polled over 6,000 users via postcards included with…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  Force Unleashed: Seven Million Served

  Sure, it wasn’t the greatest of Star Wars games, but The Force Unleashed didn’t suck. Which in terms of recent Star Wars releases, made it special. So special it’s sold a ton. Lucasarts announced today that since going on sale almost 18 months ago, the game has sold over seven million units worldwide. I only…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  Tales of Graces Recalled!

  Namco Bandai has recalled Wii title Tales of Graces for being too buggy. The company has confirmed ten defects in the title and has set up an exchange program for those who have purchased the title. Bugs include the inability for players to acquire certain items, music glitches, walking in place, freezing and more. Buggy…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  Uncharted 2 Wins Writers Guild Of America Award

  Five games were nominated by the Writers Guild of America for the award of “Best Video Game Writing”. Only one could win. And no, it wasn’t Modern Warfare 2. Even though Activision’s shooter was nominated (perhaps based on the quantity rather than quality of the game’s writing), along with Assassin’s Creed II…X-Men Origins and…Wet, the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  Ready To Fall In Love With Love Plus Manga?

  Konami’s popular love simulator Love Plus is getting a handful of manga, it seems. Japanese publisher Kodansha hints that it will be launching five new manga series in five different magazines, reports Anime News Network. While nothing official has been announced, the advertisements for these new manga feature silhouettes of the Love Plus girls. What…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  BioShock 2’s PC Widescreen Problems Getting Patched

  Steamed that 2K screwed up BioShock’s PC widescreen not once, but twice? S’OK, PC users, a patch will soon be with you. 2K will release tomorrow an update for the game that will fix the burning issue of mouse clicking in multiplayer matches. Oh, and also the game’s widescreen problem, which again has seen the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  A Week In Comments

  Ubisoft On The Campaign Trail Over New PC DRM Measures Comment by: miquonranger03 Nominated by: Tarr First they raised the console game prices, but I did not speak, because I was a PC gamer. Then they started using StarForce, TAGES, and SecuROM, but I did not speak, because I was not a software pirate. Then,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2010
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  Street Fighter IV’s iPhone Roster, Lineup Revealed

  When Street Fighter IV lands on the iPhone in March, it won’t be as full-featured as 2009’s console versions. Then again, it won’t cost $50, either. Capcom confirmed today that there will only be eight fighters available in the handheld version of the game, those being Ryu, Ken, Guile, Blanka, Chun-Li, Dhalsim, M. Bison and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  How Australia’s Proposed Internet Censorship Will (And Won’t) Affect Video Games

  While the lack of an adults-only rating for video games hogs all the headlines when it comes to gaming and Australia, there’s a far more sinister threat lurking on the horizon: internet censorship. But how does this affect gaming? Proposals currently working their way through the system (it’s important to note these aren’t law yet,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 23, 2010
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  The Simple Math Of The Nintendo DSi XL, As Explained To The French

  Truth in advertising as seen at Ads of the World.

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 22, 2010
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  Kotaku Off-Topic: D-FENS

  Let’s all just relax with a big swig of Kotaku Off Topic, shedding our individual cases of the Mondays with some random chatter, whether it be video game related or not. Like, we could even talk about traffic. See, I spent a little time on the road today, a trip down the 101 to the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 22, 2010
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  IRS Plane Crash Flash Game is Quick and Tasteless

  The gentleman who created this Flash adaptation of last week’s civilian divebomb attack on an IRS building says he enjoys “making stupid games in 24 hours or less.” Mission accomplished. This is “Tax Time!” based on Joe Stack, who on Thursday crashed his civilian airplane into a government building in Austin, Texas, housing the Internal…

  By Owen Good Published February 22, 2010
• Reviews

  Plants Vs. Zombies iPhone Micro-Review: Touch The Dead

  PopCap Games’ unlikely match up between the walking dead and the powerful flora that keeps your brains and well-kept lawn intact is more than just an attention-grabbing title. Plants Vs. Zombies is simply an excellent “tower defense” game. And now it’s on the iPhone. Trading towers and cannons for stalks and stems, Plants Vs. Zombies…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 22, 2010