• Reviews

  Need For Speed: SHIFT Micro-Review: Changing Gears

  Following a reboot of the long-running arcade racing series on consoles, EA Mobile shows the iPhone Need For Speed’s more serious side. After years of cop chases, arcadey controls, and Maggie Q, the NFS franchise took a more Forza-like path for its latest console iteration. The much needed overhaul was a hit with critics, and…

  matt cabral Published December 28, 2009
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Little known fact: Crecente was once a fencer – and not of stolen goods. At least I think he was; he spoke of it often back in our Denver days. He could have been bluffing against my rapier-like wit. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Owen Good Published December 28, 2009
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  Can The West Cosplay With The Best Of Them?

  There is a stereotype — an unfair stereotype — that Westerners cannot cosplay. “A Japanese friend of mine told me very casually, in a totally matter-of-fact kind of way, that the difference between Japanese and American cosplay is as clear as moeru and naeru,” says Patrick Galbraith, author of The Otaku Encyclopedia, University of Tokyo…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  NEW YEARS HERE I COME

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft Looking forward to heading back to Japan — really enjoy the New Year’s holidays there, much more than in America where New Year’s simply feels like a denouement to the December holidays. What you missed last night Something Modern Warfare 2 Got Wrong About Pakistan Call Him “Xbox 360 Kid” South…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  Terror at 30,000 Feet: Game-Free Transcontinental Flights?

  I found myself doing something strange as I prepared for a 14 hour flight back to the United States this week: Buying games. While games have long been my time-waster of choice for the frequent international flights I take, it’s usually video games I stock up on. Not so for my Sydney to San Francisco…

  By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2009
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  Something Modern Warfare 2 Got Wrong About Pakistan

  Pakistani reader Saad was thrilled when he heard that Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was getting a multiplayer map set in the city he calls home, Karachi. That is, until he played it. “I, being a Pakistani, was so excited at seeing a Karachi map and then immediately so disappointed when I…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  A Bayonetta You Can Touch And Pose

  Well, not quite yet. The unpainted prototype for Square Enix‘s Play Arts branded Bayonetta figurine was revealed at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. At the Jump Festa this month, a painted version was finally shown. Here you go. The fully poseable figurine, along with character Jeanne, has not yet been dated. One day, it just…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  What Are Japan’s Top Xbox LIVE Arcade Games of 2009?

  Another top whatever list — this time the top XBLA games in Japan. They are… …drumroll please… 10. Mega Man 9 9. The King of Fighters ’98: Ultimate Match 8. Ikaruga 7. Shadow Complex 6. R-Type Dimensions 5. Trials HD 4. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 3. Castle Crashers 2. Battlefield 1943 1. Virtual On: Oratorio…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  Underwear To Shoot ‘Em Up In

  Another Cave matsuri (festival), more Cave underpants. The event this past August brought sexy gothic lolita drawers. The recent December event? Dodonpachi final boss underoos. Danger, indeed. Yours for ¥4,800 — large size is already sold out! Other Cave goods were available as well, including keychains, cell phone straps and the like. Garage kit of…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  What Japanese Erotic Game Voice Actresses Look Like, Part 2

  It’s their voices that players fall in love with, but here is a look at the some of the biggest names in the eroge voice business. This is what they look like. Voice actresses have dedicated fan bases in Japan — and some are so well known among players that their voice acting is used…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  The Year I Appeared In A Comiket Doujinshi With Hideo Kojima

  As 2009 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect. A lot has happened, and a lot has not. Funny, that. But it’s not over yet, and there’s still things left to be done. Like appearing in a doujinshi at this year’s Comic Market — something I didn’t even know about until…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  The Top Thirty Games in Japan of 2009

  The year is almost over. Almost, but not quite. Still, that hasn’t stopped the number crunchers at ASCII Media Works from listing the top thirty titles of the year. Let’s have a look: 30. SD Gundam G Generation Wars Launch: 8/6/09 2009 Sales: 306,985 Life-to-date: 306,985 29. Gyakuten Kenji 5/28/09 313,891 313,891 28. Wagamama Fashion…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  Call Him “Xbox 360 Kid”

  The Nintendo 64 Kid has found his modern replacement: the Xbox 360 Kid. But pawing at the box has been replaced with “air running” and some box humping. Squealing, too. Kids, today! As sister site Gizmodo pointed out, if he’s this excited right now, just image him if he gets the Red Ring of Death.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  South Korean Criticism of Super Street Fighter IV Korean Stage

  For the first time in a Street Fighter title, there is a South Korean character: Juri. Not everyone is happy with the way South Korean is depicted in the SSFIV stage. According to South Korean newspaper The Dong-a IIbo, South Korean gamers who have seen Super Street Fighter IV’s South Korea stage feel disappointed and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  New Fist of The North Star Screens/Art Already Dead

  In March 2010, Tecmo Koei is bringing post-apocalyptic martial arts manga Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) to the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in Japan. The game has been titled Hokuto Musou, and is part of Koei’s popular “Musou” series of games. Besides new screens, there is new art of characters like…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 28, 2009
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  Geometry Wars Meets Project Natal?

  This is supposedly video of somebody playing Geometry Wars on Project Natal. Emphasis on the supposedly, in case you missed the italics first time around. A Destructoid reader reckons this was shot at a “Christmas Party”, though that’s where the information dries up. On the “could be” side of things, there’s lag at several points,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2009
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  Zelda Producer Wanted More Crossbow Training, “More, Better FPS” From Nintendo

  Eiji Aonuma, master of all things Zelda at Nintendo, was a big fan of Link’s Crossbow Training. So big, in fact, he wanted to make a sequel to the Wii Zapper launch title. “To tell you the truth, I actually wanted to create Link’s Crossbow Training 2,” he told gamesTM in an interview. “I thought…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2009
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  Paul McCartney Live Tracks On The Run Towards Rock Band

  MTV have announced that next week a collection of live Paul McCartney tracks will be made available for download in the Rock Band store. Called the “New York City” pack, it will include three songs from a recent live performance in NYC: Jet, Band on the Run and Sing the Changes. Or, as per usual,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2009
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  Sony Trimming More Costs

  2009 wasn’t the best year for Sony, at least financially. So the Japanese company is looking to trim a little more of its overheads, specifically with the way PlayStation games are distributed. Previously, Sony Computer Entertainment’s distribution arm and that of the rest of the company were entirely separate operations. In 2010, though, they’ll be…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2009
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  The Exploder

  To: Kotakuland From: Owen Re: What Do You Want From Santa? Mine is a family raised on bad puns and inscrutable inside jokes. We deliberately corrupt words and then use them in conversation without batting an eye. For example, dinner might be “country-style snake.” Or, salmon is “slalom,” (and a big portion is “giant slalom.”)…

  By Owen Good Published December 27, 2009