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  Ich Bin Gamer

  To: Ash From: Crecente Mike and I are settled in a hotel next to a mammoth cathedral in Cologne today. I popped over to GDC Europe today to see what was going on and sat in on an interesting post-mortem for PS3’s Flower. Hanging out for dinner and drinks tonight we ran into a bunch…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 17, 2009
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  Elite 360 No Longer Ships With HD Cables

  One of the things I appreciated most about my Xbox 360 Elite was that it shipped with an HDMI cable in the box, letting me get the most out of my system’s visuals without the need for further expense. Thing is, I got my Elite years ago. If you plan on picking one up in…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 17, 2009
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  Carmack OK With Id Not Becoming An Epic Or Valve

  John Carmack said he’s a reason id Software didn’t become more like Epic. He doesn’t regret his company’s graphics tech no longer being a go-to system for the industry. “There is a lot of good to be said about Epic and Valve and the tacks that they’ve taken,” Carmack told me during an interview in…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2009
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  Getting Around In Champions Online

  The Champions Online open beta is now in full swing, and here’s a look at how you’ll be swinging, flying, and burrowing your way through the new superhero MMO. My favorite feature of Cryptic’s last superhero game, City of Heroes, was the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, teleport about the city,…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009
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  iPhone Bethesda Project Still Brewing

  Back in February, during a panel I co-hosted, one of my very special guests, Bethesda’s Todd Howard said he was cooking up an iPhone game. I asked him last week for an update. The game is “getting closer,” the Fallout and Oblivion game director told me during our interview at QuakeCon in Dallas. “I put…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2009
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  The Table Problem

  Ever walk into a room and get stuck on a table? No? How about in a video game? If so, Paul Wedgwood has a solution for you. Yesterday, I posted about the greatest feeling in video games as determined by Splash Damage’s Paul Wedgwood. I explained how he hopes his studio’s next game, the team-based…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2009
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  Guild Wars 2 Hype Machine Rumbles To Life

  Amidst all of the sound and fury surround the impending release of Aion, NCsoft has been quietly gearing up for a big reveal of Guild Wars 2. The teasing has begun, the website is stirring, and the official Guild Wars 2 Twitter is now active, pointing the said web page, where the above image hovers,…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009
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  Don’t Have Time For MotionPlus’ Three Minute Instructional Video?

  We’ve shown you the three minute instructional video Nintendo uses to explain how to attach and detach Wii MotionPlus. Recognizing you busy people don’t have three minutes to spare, a GameTrailers user chopped that down to seventeen seconds. WMplus instructions straightforward [GameTrailers]

  By Andrew Freedman Published August 17, 2009
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  Why Does The EyePet Box Art Look Different From Other PS3 Games?

  The box art for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s EyePet recently made its way out to retailers—like Amazon.co.uk—a new branding treatment for PlayStation 3 games that downplays the console’s previous branding. In particular, the “PlayStation 3” portion. While we’re not clear that EyePet’s box art is final, the assets that Amazon UK has features a slightly…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 17, 2009
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  Bethesda Clarifies No Elder Scrolls V Statement

  Last week at QuakeCon 09, Bethesda’s Todd Howard was quoted as saying the company had “no current plans” for a fifth Elder Scrolls game. According to Bethesda, that’s not what Howard said at all. The developer’s Pete Hines posted a statement on the Bethesda Blog today, clarifying Howard’s comments regarding the future of the Elder…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009
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  Gearbox’s Amazing Offices, The Sights We’re Allowed To Show

  On Friday I strolled three of the four floors Borderlands development studio Gearbox occupies atop an office tower in Plano, Texas. Some wondrous sights did I see, including Aliens game concept art I can’t show (sorry!) and all of this… (Click each thumbnail to enlarge) My tour guide was Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford, who walked…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2009
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  Kotaku Gets To Gamescom, GDC Europe

  We’ve touched down in Cologne, already set foot in the Kolnmesse and had a brief taste of GDC Europe. But tomorrow is when the action starts, as Gamescom kicks off in its new location. We’ll miss you Leipzig! Tomorrow, expect big announcements from Electronic Arts and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Both companies will be holding…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 17, 2009
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  Champions Online Open Beta Leaps Into Action

  Time to put Cryptic’s latest massively-multiplayer online superhero game to the test, as the FilePlanet open beta for Champions Online launches with only a few slight snags. Right now FilePlanet subscribers and those with preorder codes for Champions Online can download the game and start playing immediately, as long as they don’t run into any…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009
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  PS3’s Satin Silver Dualshock

  The Playstation’s Dualshock 3 is getting three spiffy new colors this fall: Satin Silver, Deep Red and Metallic Blue. The silver controller, shown here resting in my knobby hands, is already available at GameStop through September. Then in October all three colors will be available at most retailers.

  By Brian Crecente Published August 17, 2009
• Reviews

  Shadow Complex Review: Genre Upgrade

  Chair Entertainment’s Shadow Complex is a rare entry in the genre trail-blazed by Nintendo’s Metroid, the side-scrolling action-adventure-explore formula later successfully aped by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. In Shadow Complex, our hero is Jason Fleming, a hiker who starts ill-equipped on his girlfriend-saving quest with little more than a flashlight and a fancy belt…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 17, 2009
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  A Sight-Slicing Tour Of Muramasa’s Locales

  We know we’ll be killing tons of strange creatures when Ignition releases Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the Nintendo Wii, but where will we be killing them? This locations trailer has the answers. They will fight in the forests…the will fight on the beaches, and in the fields, and on the rooftops…the two main characters…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009
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  Poker Game Kept Gabe Newell From Naming Valve “Gearbox” [UPDATE – Story isn’t true.]

  We know large rodents helped determine the name of game companies. We now also know that Randy Pitchford vanquished Gabe Newell in a poker match on a riverboat to win the name of the house of Borderlands. [UPDATE: Valve denies.] So reports Joystiq, in a new series that looks at the secrets behind the names…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2009
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  Earthworm Jim Coming To Wii, PS3, and 360

  Seems like your vote for the 20th anniversary Sega Genesis title to hit Xbox Live might not matter much, as Gameloft and Interplay announce Earthworm Jim for WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and the PlayStation Network. Interplay has granted Gameloft exclusive rights to develop, distribute, and publish Earthworm Jim as a downloadable title across the current…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009
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  Bayonetta Still Turning On Game Reporters

  Before beating up a towering boss, Sega’s new hard-bodied heroine told the monstrosity to save the pillow talk for later. The games reporter sitting next to me, watching this cutscene, then said something. “She’s a bitch!” the reporter exclaimed. Then he paused and re-phrased that: “A sexy bitch.” I’ve been to two demos of the…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 17, 2009
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  Academy Of Champions Got Moves

  Check out Altair performing his Eagle Strike and the Rabbids’ Plunger Shot in this batch of Gamescom clips and screens of Ubisoft’s Academy of Champions. Ubisoft’s magical cartoon soccer academy game basically does what Nintendo did with Mario Strikers and gives it an Ubisoft spin, with characters from your favorite titles appearing amongst generic children…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 17, 2009