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  THQ Smacksdown Jakks Over WWE Suit

  THQ is claiming victory over partner Jakks Pacific in the most recent match of the long-running no-holds-barred legal battle royal the two have been in over the licensing rights for World Wrestling Entertainment. In a binding arbitration between the two companies announced today, an arbitrator has ruled that Jakks is only entitled to six percent…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 27, 2009
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  Arkham Asylum’s Scarecrow Design Is BioShock Creepy

  This Friday, GameStop revealed their preorder exclusive Scarecrow Challenge Maps for Batman: Arkham Asylum, and the villain’s new look certainly coincides with his fear-inducing powers. Players who preorder Batman: Arkham Asylum from GameStop will gain access to the Dem Bones Scarecrow Challenge Maps for the game, which pit Batman against a horde of skeletal hallucinations…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 27, 2009
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  The Other Real-Life Inspiration For The Saboteur’s Hero

  Pandemic’s art director Chris Hunt found the inspiration for The Saboteur‘s main character at a concept artist convention, but not how you’d think. Saboteur protagonist Sean Devlin may have been inspired by real-life Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent William Grover-Williams, but Grover-Williams’ look didn’t quite fit what Pandemic was looking for in…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 27, 2009
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  Video Games Inescapable At Comic-Con

  The San Diego Comic-Con draws more than a hundred thousand people from around the world each year to revel in all things pop-culture. But last weekend’s gathering also highlighted the strengthening connection between comic books and video games. Half a dozen comics and two new cartoons based on video games were announced at the show…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 27, 2009
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  The Nintendo Download: Pirates And Musketeers, Living Together

  Pirates and musketeers battle card sharks and…Sudoku this week in the once again Virtual Console-less Nintendo download. This marks the second week in a row that we’ve seen no classic games added to Nintendo’s Virtual Console, but with Guybrush Threepwood making his WiiWare debut in the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island (1,000 WiiWare…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 27, 2009
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  2009 San Diego Comic-Con Round Up

  In case you had trouble following our flurry of coverage from the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, we’ve gathered it all together into one giant mass of cosplay, toys, previews, comics, and gaming news. Pre-Show Warm Up Sony Bringing Ratchet, Clank & Drake To Comic-Con Valve Brings Left 4 Dead 2 To Comic-Con, Reveals “Swamp Fever”…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 27, 2009
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  Steampunk Pac-Man

  [As seen on Technabob, via Mary Rice Schuyler]

  By Brian Crecente Published July 27, 2009
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  Q: Would you please comment here about video games? A: 1) Sure! 2) Of course. 3) In a sec. 4) As long as it unlocks a new side quest. Confused about commenting on Kotaku? Read our FAQ.

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 27, 2009
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  I’m No Doug Williams

  To: Crecente From: Luke The first game of American Football I ever saw was the Redskins v Broncos Super Bowl in 1988. Being Australian, Doug Williams’ “I’m goin to Disneyworld!” line at the time made no sense to me. I thought he was actually speaking from the heart, and that his victory had somehow set…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  Ghostbusters Out In Europe In October

  Ghostbusters is out in Europe right now. Provided, that is, you want it on PS3 or PS2. If you want it on PC, 360, Wii or DS, though, it’s not out now. You’ll have to wait until October. Atari have today announced that the versions of the game not covered by their controversial partial-publishing deal…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  British Sales Charts: Nintendo’s Iron Fist

  It’s been a fun few weeks for publishers not called Nintendo in the UK. But now that Fight Night and Harry Potter have come and gone, it’s time for Wii games to return to their usual spot: atop the charts. Last week, Wii Sports Resort surprised absolutely nobody by finishing its first week on sale…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  Ayane, Your Face Looks A Little Different

  Dead or Alive character Ayane makes an appearance in Ninja Gaiden II Σ just like she did in Ninja Gaiden II. Though, she’s changed slightly. On the left is how Ayane appears in NGII Σ and on the right is how she appears in NGII. As it’s been pointed out back when she was revealed…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2009
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  These Songs Will Be In Rapstar [Update]

  Like all music games, 4mm’s Rapstar will live and die on the strength of its tracklist. Convenient topic, that, since we’ve got hold of the names of seven of the game’s tracks. Before we go on, it’s important to note that this is only seven tracks. And all appear to be for the game’s contemporary…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  Europe Finally Getting PSN Cards?

  Asian markets have had them forever, Americans have had them for a while, and hey, even Canadians can now purchase PlayStation Network pre-paid cards. But what about Europe? Looks like European markets may finally be getting them as well. A report on PS3-Sense points out a retailer listing for a European PSN card, complete with…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  Erotic Dragon Quest Homage Has Sexy Posing Battles!

  The developer that brought the world Rapelay, Illusion, is working on an erotic game with rip-off Dragon Quest III characters. The designs might not be original, but the battle system sure is. PC game Yuusha kara wa nigerarenai (You Can’t Escape From The Hero) has its female character duke it out with…sexy poses. The posing…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2009
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  Monkey Island Comes To Wii…Today!

  Pretty sure that regardless of where you are on this rotating ball of dirt, as you’re reading this, it’s Monday, July 27. And that means the new Monkey Island will be out on Wii today. And by “new” we don’t mean the new version of the old game, we mean the proper new one. Telltale’s…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  Football Game Sponsoring Football Team

  We’ve seen video game publishers sponsor a football team before. Sega & Nintendo have been doing it in Europe for years, and even the Xbox 360 is in on the act. But I can’t remember ever seeing a game sponsor a team. Yes, Pro Evo sponsored Lazio for a game last year, but that was…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  This Odin Sphere Figure Is Pointy

  Watch out! Those rocks Odin Sphere homeless princess character Velvet swings around will poke your friggin’ eye out, kid. This PVC figure of her will be released this December in Japan for around US$100 and is manufactured by Yamato Toys. Odin Sphere Velvet non-scale PVC figure by Yamato [Neko Magic]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2009
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  EA Working On Not Just Dead Space 2, But Dead Space 3 As Well

  The Variety report from earlier today that said there’s a live-action Dead Space movie in the works also has some video game news. Namely, that EA are working on two more Dead Space games. The report states “EA launched [Dead Space] in 2008 and is working on the second and third installments”. Sounds clear-cut, but…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009
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  Microsoft Introducing Age-Based Xbox Live Lockdown (In New Zealand)

  Kinda strange development taking place over in New Zealand, with Microsoft taking the rather drastic step of blocking every single under-18 user in the country from downloading paid content on their 360’s. Even kid-friendly stuff. Kotaku AU first noticed the move last week, and when we contacted Microsoft for comment, were handed this rather vague…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 27, 2009