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  Netflix Looking For Console Programmers

  Hey, Netflix. We get it. If two surveys weren’t enough to get us ready for it, this job listing certainly has us convinced you’re interested in streaming moves from the PS3 and Wii. The position is for a “Engineering Leader-Gaming Platforms”, who will be responsible for “prototyping, testing and building the Netflix experience for gaming…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2009
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  Wii Sensor Bar Stand Is Totally Patented

  Two-and-a-half years after the Wii was released, the Nintendo sensor bar stand patent has been approved by the U.S. government. On April 7, Nintendo’s patent for “Base Stand for Sensor Bar” was approved for a 14-year patent. The stand is described as an “ornamental design for a base stand for sensor bar.” That’s an ornamental…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2009
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  PC Sales Charts: Tales Of (Sales) Valor

  A new Company of Heroes expansion is out, and it’s doing well on both Direct2Drive’s and Steam’s sales charts. Probably will on the NPD ones, too, when they catch up. But those ones take longer to put together, so until then, you’ll have to look at a retail chart topped by…The Sims 2. And a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2009
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  Bayonetta Out Fall 2009 Worldwide

  Today in Tokyo, SEGA announced multi-platform title Bayonetta will be ready to magical giant boot kick you in the face this fall. The game, designed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya, follows main character Bayonetta as she casts magical spells, shoots the shotguns in her high heels and wields four handguns and a katana.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2009
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  Microsoft In Talks With Gay Rights Group Over Xbox Live Policies

  Microsoft took a lot of flak last year for the way they handled some gay-related stuff on Xbox Live. And rightly so. But time heals all wounds, and Microsoft are trying to make amends. In the latest “Major Nelson” podcast, Microsoft’s Larry Hryb and Xbox Live cop-on-the-beat Stephen Toulouse reveal that the company have been…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2009
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  The Amount Of PSN Games Will Bust Your Sack

  There are a great many PSN games. How many? Enough to tear a hole in your shopping bag — at least, according to this TV spot. This is the first PlayStation Store ad in Japan. It’s got added Final Fantasy VII appeal.

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2009
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  What Hollywood Game Adaptations Does Japan Want?

  Big time movie studios have been going game crazy of late. For better or worse, game titles are making the leap to big screen. Japanese online polling site Secret Survey has quizzed 5,000 users about which video game title they’d like to see turned into a major motion picture. Drumroll please, because… Here’s the top…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2009
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  Malaysian Kids Set New LAN Party World Record

  Last year, 203 attendees at Nvidia’s Nvision ’08 set an official Guinness world record for the world’s longest LAN party, clocking up 36 hours of non-stop gaming. That record has now been broken. Over the weekend, 300 kids at the Cyber Fusion 2009 event in Malaysia set a new mark (a new “official” one, at…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2009
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  From Girly Idol Group To Hit Nintendo Game

  Prolific Japanese music producer Mitsuo Terada (aka “Tsunku”) is best known for producing idol J poppppp group Morning Musume and helping to launch the career of singers like Aya Matsuura. He also created Rhythm Heaven. How did candy pop wizard Tsunku add smash-hit game designer to his already impressive resume? Terada tells Wired that it…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2009
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  Gearbox Explain Cel-Shaded Borderlands

  Gearbox. It’s OK. So you changed the art style of Borderlands. It’s well within your rights! You are, after all, the ones making the game. You don’t need to fall over yourselves justifying the decision. Posted on the game’s official forums in response to what they must perceive to be an uproar, a statement attempts…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 14, 2009
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  Traces Of PS3 Tales Of Vesperia Character In Xbox 360 Version?

  The PS3 is not only getting previous Xbox 360 exclusive Tales of Vesperia, but also a new ToV pirate girl character named Patty Fruel and a bunch of other stuff. While other stuff like “full voice” seems 100 percent unique to the PS3 version, there are doubts about the new character. Patty was referrenced in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 14, 2009
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  6 Year-Old Buys Porn-Infested PSP From Wal-Mart

  Hey, parents: if you’re buying a games console from Wal-Mart, do the right thing and check it out first yourself. That way, you’ll avoid what happened to poor little Eliso Tovar. See, Eliso was treated to a late, late Christmas present from his mum last week. She took him to a Wal-Mart in Manatee County,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2009
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  Famitsu’s Latest Columnist Is…

  Former Morning Musume singer Mari Yaguchi, apparently. The first of her “blog-like” serialized columns will appear in the issue going on sale May 1. Yaguchi often touches on gaming in her personal blog — writing about extremely important issues like whether she looks like Final Fantasy XIII characters. Japanese game magazine Famitsu, which has been…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2009
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  Lost & Damned Sells 1 Million Copies

  Microsoft have boasted that Grand Theft Auto IV expansion The Lost & Damned has broken Xbox Live revenue records. But what does that mean for unit sales? The Cut Scene reckon that, according to “a good source”, the add-on has sold “around one million units on Xbox Live”. Microsoft can’t confirm this number, but it…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2009
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  SEGA Of America’s Invented Sonic The Hedgehog Origins

  In 1991, SEGA of America whipped up “The Sonic Bible”, an internal document that provided a history and philosophy for Sonic and his universe. Based on nothing from SEGA Japan, the end result of this entirely localized and invented character origins is fascinatingly awesome (think corporate fan fiction). One draft is like Charles Dickens-meets-I-don’t-know-what-the-fuck: Sony…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 13, 2009
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  Dueling Analysts: Chinatown Wars Sales Show Mature Game Risk (or Huge Opportunity)

  Depending on which analyst you ask, first month sales of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars are either a worrisome indicator that Mature-rated content simply can’t sell on the Nintendo DS—or a great success. That’s because two analysts who follow the video game market, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter and EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich, have wildly different estimates…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 13, 2009
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  Ant Nation DS Preview: Baby’s First Strategy Game

  Konami’s Nintendo DS game Ant Nation raises some serious questions about ethics, aliens and why you’d want to craft a strategy game around pests. UPDATE: Konami has gotten in touch to clear up some misconceptions about Ant Nation that I got from my twenty minutes of hands on time: 1) The “alien ants” as well…

  By AJ Glasser Published April 13, 2009
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  Activision Leaves PC Gaming Alliance

  Despite being one of the founding members of the industry awareness board, it’s been revealed that Activision have now left the PC Gaming Alliance. Over the weekend, a couple of readers noticed that the company’s logo no longer appeared on the PCGA’s website. Contacted for comment, the PCGA confirmed that “a few members have decided…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 13, 2009
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  EA Sports Bets Boston Bruins Will Win Stanley Cup

  Boston-based hockey fans will be wicked psyched to learn that their own Boston Bruins will win this year’s Stanley Cup, according to EA Sports‘ simulation of the 2009 NHL playoffs. Electronic Arts has run the numbers in NHL 09, calling the Bruins to win the cup in six games, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks for their…

  By Michael McWhertor Published April 13, 2009
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  The Bigger The Gundam The Harder They Fall

  The Psycho Gundam from the upcoming Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 might look intimidating, but as long as you aim for the glowing purple parts you’ll be okay. The Psycho Gundam is certainly larger than anything I recall fighting in the original Dynast Warriors: Gundam, but this clip takes a whole lot of the intimidation factor…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 13, 2009