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  Microsoft Points Were Never Meant To “Mislead People”

  Like Nintendo’s currency of the same name, Microsoft’s “Points” have been confusing people since they were first released, humans being accustomed to think of money spent in terms of, well, money spent. Not some abstract points scheme. If it makes you feel any better, Microsoft never meant for MS Points to confuse you. To mislead…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010
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  Canned Natal Two-Finger Game Concept Art

  The French developer behind DS title Big Bang Mini, Arkedo, was thinking about making a game for Microsoft’s upcoming Natal motion system, but has decided against it. Arkedo boss Camille Guermonprez posted mock screenshots for a proposed (now dead) brawler called 2-Finger Heroes. Players were to use their fingers to control the characters’ legs. Flicking…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2010
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  Nintendo Launches Budget Wii Label In Japan

  Wii games, cheaper! Nintendo is introducing the “Minna no Osusume Collection” (literally, The Everyone’s Recommendation Collection), a line of cheaper Wii titles. But does low price mean low quality? Nintendo is including titles with high user scores from the Wii’s Minna no Nintendo Channel for the relatively low price of ¥2,800 (US$31). Each title is…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2010
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  Goodbye, Burnout Paradise DLC, You Will Be Sorely Missed

  Criterion Games today announced that there will be no more downloadable content made available for Burnout Paradise. Now is not the time for tears. It is a time for thanks. Burnout Paradise was released two years ago, and has been constantly updated with content – both free and paid – ever since. New areas, new…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010
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  Gran Turismo 5 vs Real Life

  Gran Turismo has long prided itself as a series built on realism, but how do you go about modeling that realism? Let’s compare a lap done in a real car to a lap done in a fake car, see how they stack up. This is a feature from Polyphony Digital on the game’s “Data Logger…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010
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  Final Fantasy I & II Coming To An iPhone Near You

  Square Enix announced today – rather quietly, may I add – that Final Fantasy I & II will soon be released for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As you can see, being what look like ports of the recent PSP re-releases, they’re looking nice and shiny (perhaps too shiny; what’s wrong with sprites?), but sadly…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010
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  Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Gets Its Own Wii Wheel

  Sega of Europe, perhaps seeing the sales boost a plastic shell that looks like a steering wheel and holds a Wii Remote can offer a game, is giving Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing the Wii wheel bundle treatment. Oh, but only in the UK, for now, where Sega seems more willing to offer bundles and…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2010
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  Kotaku Off Topic: Walking Dead

  Tonight’s Kotaku Off Topic is a little horrific, not for the faint of heart. Enter the non-video game related discussion… if you dare! Speaking of faint of heart, I used to be pretty squeamish when it came to horror films. Movies like The Return of the Living Dead and Poltergeist used to make my skin…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2010
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  Super Mario Bros., with Fake Boobs and Fake Bakes

  To satirize self-styled guidos (and guidettes) who better than Mario and Luigi? Dr. Coolsex, the group behind Mario Kart: The Movie, give us this send-up of TV fad Jersey Shore, and introduce to our lexicon the phrase “star-stealing koopa f***er.” [via Gay Gamer]

  By Owen Good Published January 20, 2010
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  Tetris Clears More Than 100 Million Mobile Downloads

  Alexey Pajitnov might just have something here with this Tetris thing. According to early word from EA Mobile and Tetris rights holder Blue Planet Software, mobile users have racked up more than 100,000,000 downloads. That’s paid downloads. The Associated Press reports that the 100 million milestone will be officially announced on Thursday, but that EA…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2010
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  Visual Effects Society Announces Video Game Nominees

  Uncharted 2, Fight Night Round 4 and Star Wars: The Old Republic are among eight nominees for awards recognizing outstanding achievements in video games and video game trailers, to be given by the Visual Effects Society in late February. The nominations, announced Saturday, are for “Outstanding Real-Time Visuals in a Video Game” and “Outstanding Visual…

  By Owen Good Published January 20, 2010
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  Green Day: Rock Band Not MTV’s Only Game For 2010

  Harmonix already has Green Day: Rock Band on its 2010 slate as a follow up to last year’s The Beatles: Rock Band, but the popular punk trio’s game won’t be the only music game from publisher MTV Games this year. Senior VP of MTV Games Paul DeGooyer tells Newsarama that Green Day’s release is “of…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2010
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  Report: Tebow Likely for Cover of NCAA 11

  Citing nothing deeper than industry chatter, a newspaper says the departing Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is close to finalizing a deal to appear on the cover of NCAA Football 11. EA Sports gave an expected no-comment to Kotaku, regarding the report in the Jacksonville Business Journal. But the selection of Tebow would be wholly unsurprising.…

  By Owen Good Published January 20, 2010
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  Nintendo Trademarks Luigi’s Mansion (Again)

  Nintendo of America has taken the somewhat unexpected step of reviving its Luigi’s Mansion trademark, either a sign of its very protective trademarking desires or a renewed interest in giving Luigi more face time with gamers. It may be nothing more than the former, as Nintendo already has seven Luigi’s Mansion trademarks—three “live,” four “dead”…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2010
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  Kotaku Talks About The Biggest Games Of 2010 On The Bonus Round

  The folks at GameTrailers invited us to take part in the most recent episode of Bonus Round, a chance to chat about (some of) the year’s biggest games hitting in 2010. This is that episode! At least, it’s part one of that episode, featuring host Geoff Keighley, Wedbush Securities prognosticator Michael Pachter, Shacknews editor Garnett…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2010
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  The Lawyer-Mans Can’t Help a Gamer Out

  A New York personal injury firm employs reverse psychology in this humorous TV spot, but it suggests that a power outrage forcing you to start over a level you were just about to beat doesn’t constitute pain and suffering. I wonder how law offices of Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman feel about the case of the…

  By Owen Good Published January 20, 2010
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  Pricey Bags

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Time to Buy Angel Wings Yikes! $700 for a kid’s backpack. That’s crazy talk. Tristan uses a Halo ODST bag for his school. I assume that wouldn’t fly in Japan. What you missed: How Cover Shaped Gaming’s Last Decade Ratchet And Clank Goes Vinyl The Rock Band Network’s Very Naughty…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 20, 2010
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  The Best Games of 2009 to Play With Your Kids

  Our finalists for Game of the Year have all been announced and continue to be hotly debated within Kotaku Tower as we try to come to a conclusion, but those three titles weren’t the only ones of note in 2009. We also have a slate of Editor’s Choice awards to go through. Totilo talked about…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 20, 2010
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  EA Sports Now Taking Nickname Suggestions for NCAA Football

  Kotaku’s in-depth pursuit of how and why NCAA Football 10 recognizes weird created-team nicknames – like Fightin’ Planets, Ingots and Orange Psychos – created enough fan reaction that EA Sports is accepting new nickname submissions through an official forum thread. Since the publication of Saturday’s Stick Jockey, I know I’ve been swamped with queries regarding…

  By Owen Good Published January 20, 2010
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  BioWare’s Greg Zeschuk Has A Massive Effect On Kotaku Talk Radio

  Our second studio episode of Kotaku Talk Radio is in the can! Listen now to hear one of Canada’s finest, BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk, discussing Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and beyond. Dr. Gregory P. Zeschuk kicks off this week’s episode of Kotaku Talk Radio by mocking Totilo’s winter wear, and it only gets better…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 20, 2010