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  Halo Meets Appleseed Meets Cowboy Bebop

  In case you missed the Halo Waypoint preview of “The Package”, the Halo Legends short created under Shinji Aramaki of Appleseed fame and written by Cowboy Bebop’s Dai Sato, here’s a short clip of the CGI Spartans in action. I missed the Waypoint preview, and now I’m kicking myself. I love the art style used…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 8, 2010
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  What Are You Playing This Weekend?

  Since Brian and I will still be roaming the halls of CES and the casinos of Las Vegas this weekend, it’s doubtful that I’ll be playing much beyond games on the convention hall floor and quarter slots. Of course, there are still some interesting games still left to be played by Team Kotaku at CES.…

  By Michael McWhertor Published January 8, 2010
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  Court Puts A Stop To CTA’s Mature Video Game Ad Ban

  The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted the Entertainment Software Association a preliminary injunction in its suit against the Chicago Transit Authority, temporarily lifting the CTA’s ban on mature game advertising. The ESA filed the lawsuit against the CTA in July of last year, following the Grand Theft Auto IV…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 8, 2010
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  The Old Republic’s Home Where The Empire Roams

  Welcome to rainy, dark, electrical storm-plagued Dromund Kaas, the Sith Empire’s seat of power during the time of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Sith Empire colonized Dromund Kaas in ancient times, eventually losing track of the hyperspace coordinates to the world, which is just the sort of wacky thing you’d expect the Sith to…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 8, 2010
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  The Company That Paid $300K To Not Make Millions on Guitar Hero

  Guitar Hero is a franchise that catapulted Red Octane and Harmonix directly into the money pit, but not everyone associated with the launch of the popular rhythm game came out of it crazy rich. There was a reason the original Guitar Hero only launched on the Playstation 2, and that reason was Mad Catz. “Guitar…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 8, 2010
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  Heavy Rain Release Date Trudges Sadly Into View

  Don’t be sad! Quantic Dreams’ interactive cinematic exploration of sorrow now has an official release date of February 23rd. At least don’t be sad now. From what I gathered from Stephen’s impressions of the game, there’ll be plenty of time for that once Heavy Rain is spinning half-heartedly inside your PlayStation 3. I’ve already bought…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 8, 2010
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  In A Twist, It Was Capcom’s Cheerful Wii Game That Flopped

  Despite sharp graphics, fun gameplay, creative Wii controls and unprecedented use of a weird shirtless cartoon boy to demonstrate said controls, Capcom’s 2007 Wii game Zack &Wiki never sold big. Hey, it’s only the 13th best-reviewed Wii game ever. The news comes via Gamasutra’s coverage of the struggles third-party companies continue to face on the…

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 8, 2010
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  Toobin’ Controller? Super Hang-On Motorcyle? What isn’t Mad Catz Working On

  Mad Catz, once known for concentrating more on quantity than quality, is turning over a new leaf, the company’s president told Kotaku. “Mad Catz used to do high-end quality, all of the controllers had rubber grips and all of those kinds of things and then in the early 2000s we became kind of became the…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 8, 2010
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  Would You Be A Pepper For EA DLC?

  Starting this week, specially marked 20 ounce bottles of Dr Pepper will contain codes good towards exclusive downloadable content for popular EA games, including The Sims 3, Spore, and Mass Effect 2. Dr Pepper isn’t a soft drink you’d normally associate with video games. The soda brand and EA are looking to change that now,…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 8, 2010
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  There is a time and place to talk about video games. That time is now. That place is right here in the comments section. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Stephen Totilo Published January 8, 2010
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  The Littlest Fight Stick

  This snazzy Mad Catz Street Fighter fight stick keychain doesn’t just keep track of your keys, it also includes a slide away allen wrench perfect for popping open a life-sized fight stick case.

  By Brian Crecente Published January 8, 2010
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  Bwah, Today is Friday?

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: See. Eeeeee! Es? I…honestly had no idea. Did you know? What you missed last night Neill Blomkamp “Stressed Out” By Idea of District 9 Game So, Who’s Behind Microsoft’s New Game Room Service? More Hands-on Details From Xbox 360’s Game Room Rumor: Dead Or Alive 5 Heading For PlayStation 3?…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2010
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  Brutal Legend’s Eddie Riggs, Now In Action Figure Form

  To cash in on the launch of Brutal Legend last year, EA had 1000 statues of the game’s star, Eddie Riggs, made up. They were nice, but then…they were too nice. Too clean. Not metal enough. Reader Hugo thus decided to take matters into his own hands, and built himself an Eddie Riggs figure that…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2010
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  EA Looking to “Take On” Modern Warfare

  Right now, Modern Warfare is top of the war shooter hill. The game’s publisher Activision stands atop that hill — a hill rival companies like Electronic Arts are eager to climb. “In March we will launch Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which is our first strong attack on Call Of Duty,” EA Europe boss Jens Uwe…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2010
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  Darksiders Banned In The United Arab Emirates?

  Darksiders seems to be the flavour of the month so far, its rugged charms leading to good review scores and media opportunities. Just don’t tell that to the United Arab Emirates, who have reportedly banned the game. No reason was given (because it seems no reason is ever given by the authorities), but if this…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2010
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  Target To Offer $99 “Video Game Setup” Service

  We’ve been told by helpful sources that Target will later this month begin offering you the chance to allow somebody else to install your brand new console for you. All for the low, low price of $99! No joke now; they’ll come to your house, plug it in, set up some accounts and any relevant…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2010
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  Lost Planet 2’s CES Screens Stick To The Formula

  Perhaps mistaken that the Consumer Electronics Show going down in Las Vegas this week is all about giant bugs and robot suits, Capcom have released some new screenshots for upcoming shooter Lost Planet 2.

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2010
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  But Is Infinity Ward Doing Modern Warfare 3? [Update]

  With two games, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its sequel, Infinity Ward brought shooters out of the World War II ghetto and into the modern era. Rumors are swirling that the developer won’t be developing the inevitable third MW. Each year, publisher Activision releases Call of Duty games like clockwork. Set during World War…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2010
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  Ninety-Nine Nights II Dated for Japan

  Xbox 360 hack-and-slash exclusive Ninety-Nine Nights II has been dated for Japan. According to the title’s official site, the game will be out this spring — expect the exact date to be announced later. The game is developed by feelplus, a Japanese development studio with close ties to Microsoft Game Studios. Sporting the tagline “The…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2010
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  The Latest Ar tonelico III Trailer Looks Like This

  Ar tonelico III, the third Ar tonelico…game, has a new promotional trailer. You can watch it! The trailer is cutscene and animation heavy, but there is footage of in-game combat and costume options. The potboiler also features plenty of melodrama and underpants. The voice actress who voices Pokémon’s Pikachu will be lending her talents to…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2010