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  The PS3 Slim Uses Less Power Than We (Or Sony) Thought

  Sure, it’s not as sexy a bullet-point as “new design” or “lower price”, but the fact the PS3 Slim was reported as running on 34% less power than the previous model was still appreciated. Thing is, that figure is wrong. Crave decided not to take Sony’s press releases at their word, and instead plugged a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 27, 2009
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  Amazon Germany Lists 250GB Xbox 360

  Online retail listings are largely a joke. A place where the hopes and dreams of unicorns are placed. Online retail listings on Amazon Germany, however, are something else altogether. In late July, Amazon Germany leaked listed a “PlayStation 3 Konsole slim”. We got a PS3 Slim. Maybe this was a lucky guess, but Amazon Germany…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 27, 2009
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  Joystick Junkies Teams Up With E4 For Gamer Geek Chic Search

  Street fashion designer Joystick Junkies is partnering with British TV channel E4 to find “the ultimate geek chic face of 2010” to appear in their Spring/Summer photo shoot. Those of us on this side of the pond too poor to afford Joystick Junkies‘ shirts and jackets might know the label’s work from their Saints Row…

  By AJ Glasser Published August 27, 2009
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  Approval Ratings: Batman Positive, by 2-to-1

  The second round of Kotaku Approval Ratings returned few surprises – especially for a title of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s eminence. But they continue to build a baseline understanding of who we are and how we game. Last Saturday’s survey covered your attitudes about the latest Batman title, from Rocksteady and Eidos, as well as your…

  By Owen Good Published August 27, 2009
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  Fairytale Fights Heads to PAX

  Well, that “Kill 1,000 Children” Achievement might be gone, but the M-rated gore-fest that is Playlogic’s Fairytale Fights will still be in blood red attendance at the Penny Arcade Expo. The game isn’t out ’til October 27 and we’re still waiting for word on an official demo — but if you happen to be in…

  By AJ Glasser Published August 27, 2009
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  No Amount Of Puffing Makes This NES Cartridge Play

  The Mega Man NES cartridge you see here is actually a… …500 GB hard drive. That’s according to a Russian Doll’s worth of links that point to a company called seller on tech crafts site Etsy which sells hard drives that masquerade as NES cartridges. And they won’t just do fake Mega Man cartridges for…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 27, 2009
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  Bring On The Price Drop Wars

  To: Bashcraft From: Crecente Lots of interesting things shaking off of the news of the Xbox 360 Elite price drop early this morning. I wonder if this could lead to some movement from Nintendo? The pressure from investors has GOT to be there. What you missed: PS3 Slim Vs. Xbox 360 Elite: Tale of the…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 27, 2009
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  Old News ’97: Sony Forces Nintendo Game Prices Down

  What does every gamer have to thank Sony for? Let’s jump back a dozen years to recall a happy moment when games got cheaper. You are reading Kotaku’s once-weekly (except for QuakeCon weeks and Gamescom weeks – sorry!) journey back to yesteryear. This week, I wanted to find some old price drop news to tie…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 27, 2009
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  Introducing Halo 3: ODST Firefight’s Black Eye

  The latest video documentary from the folks at Bungie give us a look at Halo 3: ODST‘s multiplayer coop firefight mode. Chockful of alien bastards and achievement opportunity, the coop sessions include a number of modes such as the grenade-happy Catch mode and Black Eye, which forces you to melee an alien to get health.…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 27, 2009
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  Star Wars’ Tatooine DLC Now Available For Two Consoles

  Outer-space DLC week continues as Mass Effect’s Pinnacle Station release is followed by the release today of a new mission for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, playable on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. The game’s new Tatooine mission is the second DLC level offered since last September. The original took…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 27, 2009
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  You Could Try To Turn Rock Band Into Rap Band (Or Klezmer Band)

  During the demo Harmonix gave me of its new Rock Band Network, I started imagining things: Lots of rap songs in Rock Band. Opera arias in Rock Band. Suddenly it all seems possible for those who want to try it. The Rock Band Network, which I described in detail earlier today, allows people to digitally…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 27, 2009
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  Wet’s “Sick and Sexy” Seventies Soundtrack

  Experimental, edgy, sick, face-melting, musical debauchery: And that’s just about the soundtrack. This short video gives us a taste of how and why the developers decided to go with seventies music for the soundtrack of Bethesda’s upcoming action shooter Wet. Don’t forget, you need to be at least 18 to click that play button or…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 27, 2009
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  Avatar PSP Boosts Avatar PS3

  According to the latest issue of PlayStation the Official Magazine, owners of the PlayStation 3 version of James Cameron’s Avatar game will be able to augment their characters using the PSP version. The PSP installment of James Cameron’s Avatar places the player in the role of one of the giant, blue-skinned Na’vi warriors after the…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2009
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  Rockstar Finally Shows Beaterator Played In Timbaland’s Hands

  For years Rockstar Games has been developing a PSP successor to Beaterator, its 2005 web-based beat-producing application. Beaterator finally emerges in September. But you can see it in action here on a PSPgo, with music producer Timbaland at the helm. I recently got an advance demo of Beaterator in action and will have coverage of…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 27, 2009
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  Get Action in Three Dimensions with Dissidia: Final Fantasy

  Do you self-identify as a Cosmos person, or are you more of a Chaos-type? Choose your allegiance and enter the endless battle between harmony and discord that is Dissidia: Final Fantasy. In Dissidia: Final Fantasy, the latest 3-D power game from Square Enix, all of your favorite Final Fantasy characters come together to duke it…

  By Chrissie Lamond Published August 27, 2009
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  Microsoft Taking Action Against Those Who Buy and Play Halo 3: ODST Early [Update]

  Microsoft is investigating how copies of next month’s Halo 3: ODST went up for sale at a French retail store, officials told Kotaku. “We are investigating a very small breach in our distribution process around the early delivery of ‘Halo 3: ODST’ units,” a Microsoft spokesman told Kotaku. “We are also investigating Xbox LIVE accounts…

  By Brian Crecente Published August 27, 2009
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  Serious Sam HD Contains “Digital Awesome”

  How are Croteam and Devolver Digital transforming Serious Sam into Serious Sam HD? By injecting it with "Digital Awesome" until it runs at "6,005 polygons per krundle." I have no earthly clue either.

  By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2009
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  Mass Effect, Joker DLC Asterisks: Play Before You Play

  I had played 29 hours and 56 minutes of Mass Effect, but last night I could not reach the new content in the game’s add-on release, Pinnacle Station. I had forgotten one of the common complications of downloadable content. In this era of common downloadable content releases for big games, it’s worth remembering: You can’t…

  By Stephen Totilo Published August 27, 2009
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  Is EA Holding Back PS3 Cross-Game Voice Chat?

  A post on the N4G forums has rumors swirling that PlayStation 3 cross-game voice chat was held back due to threats made by EA. Kotaku spoke to EA and Sony regarding this rumor. The post, written by N4G forum-goer Super_Secret who claims to be a Sony employee, explains that Cross-Game voice chat ran into a…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2009
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  Here’s What Bethesda Is Bringing To PAX 09

  Bethesda is gearing up for PAX 09 next week, packing up playable demos of upcoming titles and a healthy dose of Brink for the long cross-country trek to Seattle. Brink will be a highlight at Bethesda’s PAX booth this year, with live demonstrations of Splash Damage’s first-person action adventure title being held on an hourly…

  By Mike Fahey Published August 27, 2009