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  Koei Tecmo Working On Corporate Cross Over Game

  Japanese game makers Koei and Tecmo have merged, officially forming Koei Tecmo Holdings as of this April. But does that mean their games will merge as well? According to the summer issue of industry publication Nikkei Corporate Information: “Tecmo and Koei are combining titles to launch a new game. The aim is to bring in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2009
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  How You Might Kill Someone Important In Mass Effect 2

  BioWare probably showed a little too much of Mass Effect 2 to press at E3, at least in terms of important plot points that readers may not want to know about. If you don’t mind touching on some stuff that otherwise may be considered “spoiler” territory, read on! If you do mind, though, don’t read…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2009
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  Harold Ramis “Glad” He Turned Down Super Mario Bros. Movie

  With classic comedies like Caddyshack, Groundhog Day and Analyze This, Harold Ramis has an impressive film director resume — which was almost tarnished by that disastrous Super Mario Bros. flick. “(Producer) Roland Joffe wanted me to direct the Super Mario Bros. movie,” says Ramis. “I took the meeting because I loved the game… I’m glad…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2009
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  Lucasarts “Want To Do” More Adventure Remakes

  After what feels like a decade of asking for it, Lucasarts have finally begun to re-release their classic adventure games, starting with Fate of Atlantis on Wii (albeit bundled with Staff of Kings) and a Monkey Island remake. But now we’ve had a taste, we want more. Full Throttle. Day of the Tentacle. Loom. And…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2009
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  England In The Middle Ages FIGHT!

  Who likes history? We do! Channel 4 has followed up its own 1066 historical drama with a flash game — a flash game that has been occupying way too much of our time, we might add. It set in the year 1066. England is in turmoil, invaded from the outside. Players try to outflank and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2009
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  GameStop Easing Off On Used Games Push?

  Used games sales are the lifeblood of GameStop’s revenue, so previously owned titles aren’t going anywhere. But according to new internal communications, the push to put a used game in the hands of someone seeking a new game may soften. According to a GameStop manager who forwarded us details of that internal e-mail, the company…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Fan-Made iPhone Wallpapers Look Familiar

  Surprisingly, there’s more than just Street Fighter in this lineup of fan-made Capcom wallpapers. Mega Man, Duck Tales and Lost Planet feature prominently plus some games I’m not even sure I can name. Capcom blogger CurlehMustache put these wallpapers together to celebrate the release of the new iPhone 3Gs Friday. Here’s the instructions for getting…

  By AJ Glasser Published June 17, 2009
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  Microsoft Pulls Plug On Xbox Originals

  First launched in 2007, Microsoft’s “Xbox Originals” scheme seemed an easy way to re-release old Xbox titles on the 360 as a digital download, and make a buck off them in the process. Hasn’t worked out that way. After an initial flurry of titles, releases for the service soon slowed to the point where most…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 17, 2009
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  Surgeons Using Wiis to Hone Their Skillz

  We’ve heard of Wiis in medicine before — but now instead of handing out Nintendo’s little white giant to burn victims and physical therapy patients, some doctors are using them as training tools. LiveScience reports that surgeons in training at what I assume to be an Arizona medical facility are testing out ways to use…

  By AJ Glasser Published June 17, 2009
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  SOCOM, Ghostbusters Move Into Home This Week

  It’s moving day over at PlayStation Home tomorrow, as the PlayStation 3 virtual hang out space welcomes some high profile new additions: SOCOM: Confrontation and Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Both are functional and fun! The SOCOM-themed space, dubbed the SOCOM Tactical Operations Center, not only gives fans of the tactical military shooter series special things…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Let’s Tap Arrives, Sans Dedicated Tapping Peripheral

  Sega and Prope’s Let’s Tap has shipped for the Wii, a mini-game compilation that requires players to lightly tap or firmly rap whatever surface the Wii Remote rests upon. Sadly, Sega did not provide North American consumers with cardboard boxes. They’re still on the cover, mind you, taunting us with their gorgeously orange hexahedral shapes,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Flash Mob

  To: Bash From: Crecente Re: Wait, Turkey’s Not In Europe?! I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a big fan of Flash Mobs, they always make me grin. This MC Hammer one is no exception. I wonder how freaky it is to be in the middle of that, like for the first half a…

  By Brian Crecente Published June 17, 2009
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  New Xbox 360 Arcade Units Appear With Double The Built-In Storage

  Microsoft may have stealthily released a new Xbox 360 Arcade configuration this Spring, as members of the XboxHacker forum point to a new “Jasper” model shipping with a built-in Memory Unit with double the storage capacity. By way of Xbox Scene, the new-ish Xbox 360 motherboard, sporting an April 2009 manufacturing date, features the more…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Fan-Favorite Mai Definitely Not In Next King of Fighters, Could Be DLC

  We have dutifully inquired about the whereabouts of one Mai Shiranui in SNK Playmore’s The King of Fighters XII and halted an analogy to ripening fruit. While it’s been established that I know little about The King of Fighters series, I am not without a sense of reportorial obligation to cover the series well. So…

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 17, 2009
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  Marvelous Entertainment On Wii Game Sales: T_T

  The Wii may be king of the console market, but some publishers, like Marvelous Entertainment of Japan, are having a hard time recouping their costs to the point of tears. Huh?! There’s no crying in video game publishing! Marvelous isn’t necessarily publishing the kind of Wii fare that targets the “blue ocean” consumer. Instead, the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Does Ghostbusters: The Video Game Look Better On Xbox 360?

  Online head-to-head comparisons of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Atari’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game indicate that one of those high-def consoles is offering a less “feel good” experience. Game blog Lens of Truth put both the PS3 and 360 versions of the game under the their… lens of truth, achieving results that…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Possible NES In-Store Kiosk Sighting

  An eBay seller says this is a kiosk was used in stores to sell Nintendo Entertainment System games back in the day. We were young then. Our memories are fuzzy. Anyone want to verify? This item’s for sale on eBay. Thanks, Jon!

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 17, 2009
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  Left 4 Dead 2 Box Art Digital Gore Dialed Down To Appease ESRB

  Thanks to the official Left 4 Dead blog, we now know the ESRB’s rules for how many gnawed of human fingers one can highlight on a video game box: exactly one. According to an update to the official blog, courtesy of “L4D Team,” the Entertainment Software Ratings Board apparently thought that having a chewed off…

  By Michael McWhertor Published June 17, 2009
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  Dressing Up In Pangya PSP

  Tomy takes us through some of the multifarious ways you can dress up your adorable anime golfers in the upcoming Pangya: Fantasy Golf for the PlayStation Portable. It might be some sort of horrible disease I contracted while working security at local anime conventions many years ago, but for some reason I enjoy the game…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 17, 2009
• Reviews

  Swords & Soldiers Micro-Review: Violence Included

  WiiWare had been hurting for games about killing. But the originators of de Blob have released a cartoon-violent battle between Vikings, Aztecs and ninja monkeys to more than compensate. As an interruption from a WiiWare line-up of bonsai barbering, beanbag-tossing and goo-fueled bridge-building we now can download Ronimo Games’ Swords & Soldiers, a side-scrolling real-time…

  By Stephen Totilo Published June 17, 2009