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  Sony Presents NBA Players With Custom PS3s

  Sony helped outfit the NBA Player’s Lounge during the recent NBA All-Star weekend. As part of the whole affair, a bunch of NBA players were given custom, laser-etched PlayStation 3 consoles. Seems the economic crisis has hit Sony’s marketing budget, as these are nowhere near as impressive as those seen at earlier sporting tie-ins, like…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2009
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  Dead Rising Creator Gets His Halo Butt Whooped By His Son

  Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man and Dead Rising, enjoys playing video games with his son. His son enjoys kicking his father’s ass. According to Inafune, his son is now in a rebellious phase. “So, he should really dislike me, but thanks to games,” Inafune said, “we communicate quite well. Halo 3, Monster Hunter 2nd…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2009
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  Hollywood Killed the Video Game

  A Slate.com article blames something other than the economy for video game industry layoffs and studio closings. Now that’s news. N. Evan Van Zelfden, who has written for Reuters and the Economist, may be onto something when he says that game publishers routinely spend more than they make. But I wonder if his pitch toward…

  By AJ Glasser Published February 17, 2009
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  Lost & Damned Reverts Australian GTAIV Censorship

  In 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV on console was released in Australia in a censored form. No blood pools, no sexy camera angles. In 2009, though? All is forgiven, all censorship, removed. How? Well, let’s just say that for all the complicated legal issues that make Australia’s classification laws more cumbersome than most Americans realise,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2009
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  Microsoft To Buy Motion-Sensing Company

  Here we go again. Fresh off speculation Microsoft were working on a motion-sensing controller for current generation hardware, seems the company is now in talks to buy a firm specialising in motion-sensing tech. Israeli site Haaretz reports that the makers of the Xbox console are in talks to buy locally-based company 3DV for $35 million.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2009
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  Mega64 Takes Elite Beat Agents To The Streets

  The guys at Mega 64 are up to their old tricks again, this confusing the non-gaming public with a live-action performance of hit Nintendo DS rhythm game Elite Beat Agents. Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out if Mega64′ series of live-action video game performances is a work of genius or a work of…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2009
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  Next Week On Live Arcade: Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

  Next week we’ll be able to choose between three different flavors of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, with the game hitting Xbox Live Arcade a day after the PC and Nintendo DS versions ship. The Xbox.com page for Infinite Interactive and D3 Publisher of America’s follow-up to 2007’s fantasy roleplaying game / puzzle game mash-up has been…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2009
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  Brutal Legend Gets GDC Airing

  Short and sweet. San-Francisco-based Double Fine studios will be previewing Brutal Legend during next month’s Game Developers Conference. It sounds like the event won’t actually be at GDC, but instead at the studio itself. Pretty psyched.

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  D.I.C.E. Kicks Off Tomorrow

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: There Is No Tooth Fairy In Japan D.I.C.E. kicks off tomorrow just outside of Las Vegas. While the show often has a lot of interesting talks, we’ve decided not to send someone this time round. It’s all about resource management and I just couldn’t justify the expense, in both cash…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  Cuts Hit X-Play, Show Drops to Thrice Weekly [Update]

  Deep cuts have hit G4’s flagship show X-Play, sources tell us, and the five-day-a-week program has been cut back to three times a week. We’ve heard that us much as half of the staff of the X-Play show have been laid off. We’ve emailed and spoken with G4 officials, but they were not yet able…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  Nirvana Stumbles Blindly Onto Rock Band Wii

  Wii Rock Band owners get a healthy does of angsty mumbling today, as seven old tracks from grunge pioneers Nirvana make their way onto the Wii Rock Band Music Store. The new Nirvana songs for the Wii versions of Rock Band are the same as the ones that appeared on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2009
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  Get a Good Deal on Games

  The Wall Street Journal, well aware of the current state of economic affairs, ran a story today about all of the ways you can get a deal on video games. The story walks people through everything from trade-ins, to bartering, sales hunting and rentals. It’s a fast, worthwhile read that introduces readers to half a…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  Screens And Scenes For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4

  Naruto becomes a young man in next months Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4 for the PlayStation 2, and Namco Bandai celebrates his growth with a trailer and new screenshots. Ultimate Ninja 4 marks the first North American video game based on the popular anime program’s Shippuden series, which kicks off with an older Naruto returning…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2009
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  Western Europe Home of Most Active Pirates

  Western Europe is home to some of the world’s most active countries engaged in online game piracy, according to Entertainment Software Association. “Piracy is the single greatest threat to the innovation, artistic commitment and technological advancements enjoyed by millions of consumers worldwide,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  Team Fortress 2 Scout Update Hitting Hard Next Week

  The next Team Fortress 2 class update is only a week away, as Valve officially announces a February 24th release date for the Scout update, with new features revealed on a daily basis. Yes, the speedy Scout is finally getting his due next week, and Valve has launched the official website for the class update,…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2009
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  Mario Land Invades Florida State Fair

  The Mushroom Kingdom isn’t just a place you find when you turn on your Nintendo console. No, it’s also an IP-busting amusement ride at this year’s Florida State Fair. Revel in reader Zack’s snaps of the poorly painted, and potentially trauma-inducing “Mario Land.”

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  StarCraft II In The Final Stretch

  Dustin Browder, lead developer for Blizzard’s StarCraft II, took some time out of his busy schedule yesterday to assure visitors to the game’s official forums that the game was “in the final stretch.” Browder, who posts on the official Blizzard forums under the handle Cavez, actually posted a Frequently Asked Questions article in the forums…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 17, 2009
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  50 Cent Talks Blood, Sand and Music

  In this new video interview, 50 Cent talks about how involved he was in the making of his upcoming shooter, Blood in the Sand. Once again the game will be supplemented by quite a huge selection of 50 Cents music, likely guaranteeing at least decent sales.

  By Brian Crecente Published February 17, 2009
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  The Face Of The New Gaming Economy

  Video games are not recession proof. With the cratering global economy, the game industry is certainly feeling the effects — most notably, those making the games. “The environment creates stress and strain on all fronts,” an insider told Kotaku. “Management finds themselves unable to maintain the funding for their staff, and employees find themselves working…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 17, 2009
• Reviews

  Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned Review

  The Lost And Damned is Rockstar Games’ first downloadable episode for Grand Theft Auto IV, an Xbox 360 exclusive expansion to the blockbuster 2008 release that introduces players to all new lowlifes and scumbags. Gone (well, almost) is GTA IV leading man Niko Bellic, replaced by a gang of Liberty City natives with their own…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 17, 2009