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  Xbox Japan Trailer Shows Off Its New Games

  At its Tokyo press conference, Microsoft showed off upcoming titles for the Xbox 360. Some of the titles, like Mass Effect, are localized games that have already gotten released outside Japan. Other titles aren’t. Games like visual novel TimeLeap or Mamoru-kun Has Been Cursed! are very much Japan Only. See anything that grabs your fancy?…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2009
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  Velvet Assassin Celebrates Gold Status With New Screens

  Southpeak Games has announced that Velvet Assassin, as every single game before it, has gone gold. The publisher celebrates this accomplishment with new screens, including one of heroine Summer Violette stabbin’ Nazis in the chest. While that may be enough to sell you on the World War II era game, the publisher’s proclamation that Velvet…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  A $500 PC That Can Kick Crysis’ Ass

  Even though the game came out in 2007, people still go all “boo hoo” over Crysis’ graphics settings. Say they’re prohibitive, use them as a benchmark. Well, you can murder those settings for $500. At least, you can according to Maximum PC, who cobbled together the following rig for $509 (a bit over, we know,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 22, 2009
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  Metal Gear Solid Touch Is Finally “Complete”

  Kojima Productions has put the finishing… touches on Old Snake’s iPhone shoot ’em up. Konami has updated Metal Gear Solid Touch to version 2.0.0, which the publisher plainly admits is the “Complete Version.” The original version, released in March, ended somewhat abruptly after the game’s third act, leaving hardcore Metal Gear fans wanting. The new…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Celebrate Earth Day By Playing These Games

  April is a busy month – April Fools, tax day, Hitler’s Birthday and of course that day where we all try and pretend our planet isn’t going to drift into the sun tomorrow: Earth Day. Earth Day got going back in 1970 with U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson declaring a teach-in to educate Americans about the…

  By AJ Glasser Published April 22, 2009
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  GameSpite Quarterly Gives Game Print Media 1-UP

  The video game magazine business is not a healthy one. Nor is there much in the way of competition anymore. Nor is there anything like GameSpite, which has been announced as going to print quarterly. 1UP editor Jeremy “Toastyfrog” Parish announced that the former online-only magazine—annual print collection notwithstanding—will be changing formats, with new issues…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Red Dead Redemption Box Art Redeems Stylishly

  Rockstar Games’ upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sequel to Red Dead Revolver is coming this Fall, four years after being unofficially announced by way of an E3 2005 teaser. Anticipation is high. So revelations as simple as Red Dead Redemption‘s box art are going to be of interest to fans of the first. The…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Finally, A Zombie Game For The Kids

  With Doublesix Games’ Burn Zombie Burn and Konami’s Zombie Apocalypse infesting PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this year, there is no lack of online undead destruction. But won’t somebody think of the children? Sierra Online has, reviving Zombie Wranglers for Xbox Live Arcade, due to land on Xbox 360s next month. The game was…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  How To Gift New Neighbors In My Neighborhood

  To: Bashcraft From: Fahey RE: Nice To Meet You, Here Is Some Detergent, Be Nice To Me What a quaint little custom, and your assumption that we have a similar custom is entirely correct, at least here in my Atlanta suburb. It’s almost exactly the same thing, only we call it “Be quiet moving in…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2009
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  Magna Carta II Artwork Is Anatomically Interesting

  Korean developer Softmax is bringing the Magna Carta role-playing game series to the Xbox 360. And we’re bringing you Magna Carta II artwork, which if you’re a fan of designer Hyung-tae Kim, you’ll probably adore. While Magna Carta II has only been announced for the Xbox 360 in Japan at this point, that doesn’t stop…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Mike Tyson Blissfully Unaware New Punch-Out!! Exists

  As you’re likely well aware, Nintendo is readying a new Punch-Out!! for the Wii. It re-introduces Nintendo fans to classic characters from both the NES and Super NES entries, but does not include Mike Tyson. In fact, according to an MTV interview with Kid Dynamite himself, Iron Mike seems totally unaware that Punch-Out!! is hitting…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Banjo-Tooie Trailer Brings Back Memories

  In case you’ve completely forgotten everything you remember about Rare’s bear and bird sequel Banjo-Tooie, the new trailer and screens for the Xbox Live Arcade version should jog your memory nicely. Isn’t it amazing how your mind flavors your recollection of older games? Thinking back to my time playing Banjo-Tooie on the Nintendo 64, the…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2009
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  Pure Devs Want To Revive “Dying” Racing Genre

  Pure developers Black Rock Studios feel that the video game racer, as we know it, is “in a dire way,” that the genre “is in many respects dying out.” What can save it? Why, Black Rock Studios own Split/Second, the explosive reality show-meets-street racing game, of course. “We’re all fans of street racing here, but…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Punch-Out!! Multiplayer Has You Seeing Double

  It’s Little Mac versus differently-colored Little Mac in these multiplayer screenshots from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Wii. It boggles the mind that in a game with such a great cast of characters, multiplayer is limited to a split-screen battle with Little Mac versus another Little Mac. Nintendo tries to mix things up by making one…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2009
• Reviews

  Demigod Review: Aspiring To Godhood

  Supreme Commander developer Gas Powered Games seeks to take online PC strategy games to a higher plane with the release of Demigod. Demigod is an action real-time strategy game with role-playing game elements that obviously takes a great deal of inspiration from the popular Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients. Instead of commanding armies…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2009
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  Pepsi Rock Band Contest Is A Reality

  Last month, we first told you about the upcoming Pepsi promotion that would see daily giveaways of Rock Band downloadable tracks, allegedly up to a million tracks. Details on that promotion have gone live. While the official site doesn’t make notable mention of the million Rock Band tracks rumored to be given away, it does…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  New LEGO Rock Band Details Reveal Giant Robot Battles

  Yesterday’s official announcement of LEGO Rock Band had just enough details to get the ball rolling on the teen and tween targeted band game. But it didn’t reveal much about the giant robot battles. The Xbox.com description of LEGO Rock Band—the Xbox 360 version, anyway—sheds a bit more light on what will separate the LEGO…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  First Impressions Of Left 4 Dead’s New Survival Mode

  If you plan on playing Left 4 Dead‘s new Survival mode, get a microphone. Communication, as already noted by Valve itself, is key. And if you are new to the game, don’t start with Survival. Because the new mode is rather difficult. My first go in Survival mode, on the newly released “The Last Stand”…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 22, 2009
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  Nintenducation – A New Take On Edutainment

  It’s a great time to be in grade school, if you live in Japan or Great Britain. Several dozen schools in both countries are putting Nintendo DSs in K-12 classes. Games are no stranger to schools, of course. Think back to the 80s when at least 30 minutes of every school day was given over…

  By AJ Glasser Published April 22, 2009
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  Supreme Court On Jack Thompson Appeal: No Thanks

  Jack Thompson‘s appeal of his enhanced disbarment from the Florida Bar hit a bit of a snag on Monday, as the Supreme Court refused to hear his case. The court’s decision not to grant Thompson a writ of Certiorari was pretty much a given, considering such a grant is reserved for only the most important…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 22, 2009