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  The Avatar Video Game Disappointment

  I was ready to like Avatar: The Game, the official video game of the movie like I’ve liked no other movie-game before. I said so when I reviewed the movie last month. And then, well… I feel I owe readers of that review an update. How was virtual Pandora, you might wonder? Hey, I’ve been…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  After Burner Climax XBLA Screens Barrel Roll Online

  The reality of After Burner Climax making the leap from arcade to consoles becomes that much more clear, thanks to a new batch of screens from the game, reportedly of the Xbox Live Arcade version. While we’d heard about the newest After Burner game coming to the PlayStation Network, according to new shots of the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 19, 2010
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  Gamer Comes Home To Blu-ray, DVD

  You can now own (OK, rent) last year’s video game turned mind-controlling futuristic bloodsport, Gamer on handy DVD and Blu-ray formats, giving you a chance to enjoy the movie that Crecente called “more Second Life than Counter-Strike.” Before you go ahead and buy this thing—or more likely, add it to your Netflix queue—you can see…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 19, 2010
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  Fans Localize Fatal Frame 4

  Nintendo’s decision to withhold Fatal Frame 4 from Western release didn’t sit well with fans, so a group of them has produced an English patch that translates the game for players in North America and Europe. Fatal Frame 4, known in Japan as Zero: Tsukihami no Kame, won’t see a U.S. retail release any time…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2010
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  2009 Game of the Year Finalist Debate: Demon’s Souls

  The brilliantly immersive Demon’s Souls, unfortunately known better for its brutal difficulty than its rebellious game design, is my choice for the title most deserving of the accolade “Game of the Year.” From Software’s original role-playing game is admittedly challenging. The constant cycle of death and rebirth is not the escapist entertainment that’s often expected…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 19, 2010
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  Section 8 Makes With The DLC

  The first downloadable content for Section 8 is now live, bringing three new maps and 10 new achievements to TimeGate’s first-person shooter in the Seek and Destroy Map Pack. Four months and change after SouthPeak Games released it, and Section 8 is finally getting a dose of downloadable content. The Seek and Destroy Map Pack…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2010
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  Mass Effect 2 Is Latest EA Game To Sweeten The Deal For “Original Purchasers”

  In the war against used game sales, publisher EA appears to be favoring one tactic: Adding value for those who purchase the company’s games new. The publisher announced such a tactic today for Mass Effect 2. With Mass Effect 2, as with last fall’s Dragon Age: Origins and The Saboteur, EA will reward “original purchasers”…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  3D Dot Heroes Does Not Need More Dots

  Atlus has dropped off the first localized screens for Silicon Studio’s 3D Dot Heroes for the PlayStation 3, and I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t point out how blocky the graphics are. Then again, I suppose that is the point. Call it a Zelda ripoff, or call it a tribute to retro…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2010
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  Kotaku Programming Reminder: Talk Live With Mass Effect 2’s Greg Zeschuk On Wednesday

  As noted yesterday, Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of role-playing-game powerhouse BioWare, will be our guest on tomorrow’s live Kotaku call-in podcast. Show time’s 11am MT, 1pm ET. Call-in and listening details will be live on the site at show time.

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  Preorder BioShock 2 PS3 From Amazon And You Get This

  PlayStation 3 owners who put their money down on BioShock 2 at Amazon will find themselves the proud owner of this excellent Big Daddy outfit for PlayStation Home. The Big Daddy costume for PlayStation Home is the creation of Heavy Water game production, the company responsible for many of Home’s more creative personal spaces. Perhaps…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2010
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  Boston School Training The Next Video Game Composers

  Composers working on video game soundtracks seem to either be veterans of game-making or TV/movie folks crashing the medium. Take note, then, of schools like Berklee Music College in Boston that just might train people to compose music for games. The Boston Globe reports: Berklee is offering five classes this semester in video game audio…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  And The Nominees For The 10th Annual GDC Awards Are…

  The nominations are in for the 10th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, with Uncharted 2, Flower, and Assassin’s Creed II dominating the nominating. Naughty Dog could win big at the 10th annual awards show, held every year during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has been nominated for no less…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2010
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  Bioshock 2’s Chief Creator Against A Tide Of Skeptics

  Jordan Thomas has no overall map for Rapture, the majestic underwater city in which the BioShock series is set. He doesn’t have blueprints or a population figure. He works a little more by instinct. Thomas is the creative director of Bioshock 2. He’s got one of those dream gigs in games, overseeing a major release…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  Catch Ho-Oh Or Lugia When You Preorder Pokémon

  Nintendo gets your Pokémon collection started with these figures of Ho-Oh and Lugia, yours when you preorder Pokémon HeartGold or SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS. Starting February 1st, select retailers will be offering these two limited edition figures for customers who preorder these latest Pokémon remakes, with HeartGold customers scoring Ho-Oh and SoulSilver pre-purchasers walking…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2010
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  Best Video Game Cut Scenes of 2009

  We’re not just debating the best video game of 2009 this week. We’ve got other awards to dole out. Today, I declare which ’09 game had the best cut scenes and which was the runner-up. Winner: Little King’s Story The obscure Wii-only Japanese role-playing game mixes city-building with Pikmin-style roaming-gang action with unexpectedly touching storytelling…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Talk is cheap, unless you’re talking here about video games. That’s the kind of talk we value highly. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 19, 2010
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  Intern At Kotaku

  We’re looking for a few good folks, people hoping to one day enter the realm of journalism and cover video games. If that’s you, then maybe you should consider an internship at Kotaku. It will mean lots of hard work, almost no perks and zero pay. If that doesn’t dissuade you then here are a…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 19, 2010
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  Suggestions

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Night Flyer WATCH THAT BOB DYLAN DOCUMENTARY. What you missed last night Pocket God Micro-Review: Heaven or Hell? Why Is Square Enix Raising Cash? Rock Band Network Launching Tomorrow U.S. Army Trains with “SimCity Bagdad” Unpaid Internet Bill Leads to Game-Blamed Stabbing

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 19, 2010
• Reviews

  Pocket God Micro-Review: Heaven or Hell?

  You are god. That’s the premise of iPhone app Pocket God from the two-man developer team Bolt Creative. But is it a heavenly experience or a hellish one? In Pocket God, players are a divine hand. As the first sentence of this review explains, you are god. And, as god, you can do pretty much…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 19, 2010
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  British Sales Charts: You Dance

  It seems our warnings were for naught. And now Britain suffers, with Ubisoft’s Just Dance the best-selling game in the country. You’ve nobody to blame but yourselves. Well, not literally you lot. You probably went out and bought Army of Two, or Bayonetta, or Darksiders. No, you’re looking for somebody to blame, blame your mum.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2010