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  Mario? There’s An App For That

  For a limited time (ie until lawyers take it down), you can get an app for the iPhone that lets you walk around pretending you’re stuck in a Mario game. It’s called iRwego (un hunh hunh), and is $1 (the $1.19 listed above is for the Australian store). My extensive hands-on impressions follow. Click to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2009
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  Japan’s Top Ten “Crap Games of the Retail Shop”

  One game shop has listed the top ten letdowns of 2009. The retailer isn’t talking about the buggiest or worst titles, but rather, the games that didn’t do as expected. In short, this is a list of titles that fell short sales-wise. 10. Persona Retail expectations were high, but the game got off to a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 3, 2009
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  Hey, Hellgate Is Back!

  Proving you can’t keep an ill-conceived MMO down, the Hellgate series is back. And it’s moved on from London. And the English language. And now finds itself in Japan. Speaking Korean. March 2010? Best of luck to you, Hellgate.

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2009
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  Japanese Stores Rev Up For Final Fantasy XIII

  Final Fantasy XIII will be released in Japan soon. Pre-orders have commenced, and retailers are going all out. It’s a Final Fantasy frenzy! Check out these shots from shops in Tokyo’s Akihabara. もうすぐ発売ＦＦ１３　アキバはこんな感じ [アキバBlog]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 3, 2009
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  New Alan Wake Screenshot Is Comfortable Following A Well-Worn Path

  Remedy Entertainment released a single screenshot for Alan Wake today. Just the one. Here it is. Alan, torch, darkness…yeah, it’s much like everything else we’ve seen from a game that will see you spending most of your time in the dark, with a torch in your hand. Love the Twitter advertisement, too. It was only…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 3, 2009
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  Even Pikachu Uses The ATM

  As seen on Kirai.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 3, 2009
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  More Brink Videos Show Some Gunplay

  That Brink video the other day was nice, but there wasn’t much shooting. Not very helpful for a game where you’re meant to be shooting things. So here’s two more. Shooting included. These are from the same demo we saw at E3. Back in June. Was kind of hoping to see something else by December,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 2, 2009
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  R-Type in Diecast

  Side-scrolling shooter R-Type is ready to blast up in diecast model form. Diecast — bringing back childhood memories of metal. The model is of R-Type’s “Madou Gokin RWF-9A Arrow Head” and will be released in Japan next March. It’s 5.11″ long and fully painted. And there’s a force pod, too! Pre-orders start at US$129.90. Merch’Em…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 2, 2009
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  What Did Japanese People Search For Online? You Will Be Surprised

  Before we get to that, let’s talk about what Americans searched for. Here are the top ten “Fastest Rising” words of 2009 according to Google: 1. twitter 2. michael jackson 3. facebook 4. hulu 5. hi5 6. glee 7. paranormal activity 8. natasha richardson 9. farrah fawcett 10. lady gaga As we previously posted, Google…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 2, 2009
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  Detroit Shopper Gets Cray-Cray When He Can’t Return a Console

  The ancient Chinese curse reads, “May you live in interesting times.” So when a GameStopper says “It was an interesting day here,” you know he’s not talking about big sales. Four cops in a Detroit suburb overpowered a 43-year-old man who tried to return an Xbox without a receipt and, once rebuffed, got so PO’d…

  By Owen Good Published December 2, 2009
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  Which Games Made Google’s 2009 “Best/Worst Of”?

  As is customary at this time of year, Google have released their “Zeitgeist” lists for 2009, highlighting the fastest-growing and fastest-falling search trends over the past year. As you’d expect, video games feature. According to the seach giant, here are the ten most popular gaming searches, which as you’ll see, have no bearing whatsoever on…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 2, 2009
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  Medal of Honor Soldier Evokes Real Afghanistan Warrior

  As many have noticed, the title man for the newly announced Medal of Honor is reminiscent of another Afghanistan fighter, the amply bearded “Cowboy” photographed by LIFE in 2002. Chris Plante at UGO noticed the similarities and I have to say, he’s not off by much. Facial hair – especially to that depth – is…

  By Owen Good Published December 2, 2009
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  Merry X-mas: Get The Witcher For $20

  You know what, I think I can get behind this Advent Calendar thing if it means I get free and/or cheap stuff every day between now and the 25th. Today’s tantalizing holiday prize is The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut. Direct2Drive is having a 24 Days of Christmas sale which today slashes The Witcher’s price…

  By AJ Glasser Published December 2, 2009
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  Edge of Twilight Development Will Continue Next Year, Says Fuzzyeyes

  Yesterday, a handful of former Fuzzyeyes Studios employees told Kotaku that steampunk-style role-playing game Edge of Twilight had ceased development and that the developer had been hit with substantial layoffs. Today the developer responds. Fuzzeyes reps deny that the developer is shutting down and that Edge of Twilight development will continue in January. Reps confirm…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 2, 2009
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  Conan O’Brien Leaks Tiger Woods PGA Update

  Tiger Woods status as EA Sports’ top golf pitchman is probably safe. In fact, his “personal failings’ might be grist for a new direction in his namesake video game, as Conan O’Brien (or his writers) shows. You have to go through about a minute of this video to get to the germane portion. In all,…

  By Owen Good Published December 2, 2009
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  Reviewing A Game On Their Terms: The Increasingly Prominent “Review Event”

  My room had a private balcony, a calming view of the Pacific, and beaches a few hundred feet away. Like dozens of guests who stayed at a Santa Barbara resort in October, I was there to play a video game. Over the course of two days, I gazed upon California’s beaches from a distance. I…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 2, 2009
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  Voice of Roxas Tweets Kingdom Hearts PSP Localization

  Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep hits Japanese PlayStation Portables January 9, but so far Square Enix has been mum on a US release date. Luckily, American voice actors sometimes Twitter their exploits, which gives us KH fans some hope. Jesse McCartney, the voice behind Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II and the recent Kingdom Hearts: 358/2…

  By AJ Glasser Published December 2, 2009
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  I Had One Good Tiger Woods Anecdote (Emphasis On *Had*)

  To: Ashcraft From: Totilo Re: Hate The Air Conditioner, Hate It Whoa. Those long-neck people/things are creepy. But it does remind me that stretchable limbs have been way underdone in games. What was the last breakthrough: Dhalsim? Wasn’t he the first breakthrough in that field as well? Terrible, terrible, game developers. And don’t give me…

  By Stephen Totilo Published December 2, 2009
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  Johnny Cage Explains: Mortal Kombat Is Not A Tournament

  Participating in a Mortal Kombat fight to the death is scary enough as it is, but Johnny Cage’s explanation of how a tournament works, apparently lost on Shang Tsung, is a good public service announcement. That is, if you plan on holding your own Mortal Kombat contest any time soon and plan on letting a…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 2, 2009
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  Exploiting MW2’s ‘Javelin Glitch’ Will Get You Banned, Says XBL

  While Infinity Ward works up a fix for the infamous suicide-bombing “javelin glitch” in Modern Warfare 2, Xbox Live’s chief lawman vows that anyone caught doing it in his jurisdiction can expect a daylong banhammer, minimum. Said Stephen Toulouse (Stepto) over Twitter earlier today: While IW works on getting the MW2 glitch fixed, people we…

  By Owen Good Published December 2, 2009