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  Mario Kart Never Looked This Wondrously Fearful And Insane

  A few too many mushroom pickups and Mario Kart transforms into a seriously strange and gorgeous 1930-style grand prix, courtesy of artist José Emorca Flores, Mario re-imagineer extraordinaire. But where’s Waluigi? With all this insanity going on, he would probably look nice guy in a fuel-efficient family car. Flores’ prints are up for sale here,…

  By Gergo Vas Published June 7, 2013
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  What Time Does The Xbox One Actually Check To See If You’re Online?

  Persona fans know the answer. Everyone else: you’ll want to be asleep when it happens

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
• Kotaku East

  The Tales of The Abyss Anime Captures the Heart of the Game

  This past weekend marked the yearly celebration of all things Tales with Tales of Festival 2013. I had such a good time that after coming back from the event I decided to sit down and watch the anime adaptation of my favorite game in the series: Tales of the Abyss And while it is not…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published June 7, 2013
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  Gunpoint’s Achievements Are The Best

  We really like Gunpoint here at Kotaku. Those of us who have the game can’t stop playing it. Kirk’s gone over why the game is so great in his review, but I think there’s one area in particular that deserves a little extra attention: its achievements. They’re practical. Poignant. Hilarious. Self-aware. Everything you want from…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
• Kotaku East

  Stephen Hawking: Devil Summoner

  For decades, Stephen Hawking has been one of the world’s most famous scientists. But despite that, I wasn’t expecting him to make an appearance in a game about capturing devils. While not actually named “Stephen Hawking,” Shin Megami Tensei IV’s STEVEN is about as close to being the man as you can be without inviting…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published June 7, 2013
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  Turtle Cosplay Will Stop You Ever Jumping On Bowser Again

  Jennifer Olivarez made this cute little crocheted outfit for a pet turtle, tunring the little guy into the sweetest Bowser you’ll ever see. For crafty types and/or turtle owners, there’s directions on how to make your own. Don’t have a turtle? Maybe it’ll fit your kid. Or Roomba. Make It! Challenge #5: Crochet Bowser Sweater…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
• Kotaku East

  Japanese Fans Weigh in on Their Favorite Tales Games

  This past weekend in Yokohama, 25,000 Japanese fans gathered for Tales of Festival 2013 over the course of two days. And since the conversation at an event like this turns to all things Tales, we at Kotaku East decided to give voice to a few fans about their favorite Tales games and more. As you’ll…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published June 7, 2013
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  When Will Gamers Say Enough Is Enough?

  I’ve seen some very similar responses to today’s Xbox One news, whether it be the mandatory 24-hour “check-in” or the restrictions on game lending. It’s a defensive sort of reply, brought up by somebody who doesn’t see the news as downright terrible. “But they’re still letting us trade games!” “We can still play games if…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
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  What The Hell Is This I Don’t Even

  Hey, look, it’s another trailer for Spin the Bottle, an upcoming Wii U game that wants you to get some friends, turn the TV off, use the Wii U controller’s screen and do…things to each other. Or with each other. Amazing.

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
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  Had A Rough Day? This Loving Game’s About Hugging It Out

  So many games about hate! Death! Violence! Sometimes, you just want to play something that’s about loving your fellow man instead of putting a knife in his face. Something like Hugatron. A little indie project being worked on by Andrew J Smith ,Andrew Roper and Ewan Brock, it involves two players spinning a wheel, Twister-style,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
• Culture

  In Destiny, Mars Is Dead (But Also Alive)

  Dorje Bellbrook is a concept artist at Bungie, who has previously worked at FASA and Red Storm Entertainment. His Bungie work means he’s been one of the more public contributors to the art we’ve seen so far for Destiny, the studio’s first game since leaving the Halo franchise behind. Indeed, you might recognise the image…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
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  As Expected, Francis Is Not Happy at All About Today’s Xbox One News

  Think you’re mad about tonight’s flood of controversial news from Microsoft about the Xbox One? Your rage pales next to Francis’ fury. Francis’ reaction to the unveiling of Microsoft’s next home game console was something to see. But, in this one, he takes the current-gen Kinect into his big, meaty hands and tries to break…

  By Evan Narcisse Published June 7, 2013
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  Classic PC Franchise Quietly Purchased For $7500

  Freespace was the world’s last great space combat series, a genre you may not even be aware of if you’re under the age of 20. Yet it’s still quite active today; the amazing Battlestar Galactica mod Diaspora is built on Freespace 2’s engine. Given its popularity, reverence and continued practical uses, it seems insane to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 7, 2013
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  Game Gets Gay Marriage, Because Kickstarter

  Double Fine’s strategy game Massive Chalice will let you get married, and make babies. But wait a minute. What if two dudes/ladies want to get married? Well, the game didn’t originally support it. “That was something I got kinda blindsided by”, Double Fine’s Brad Muir tells Rock Paper Shotgun. “That was really unfortunate. It kinda…

  By Luke Plunkett Published June 6, 2013
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  This Live Reading Of DayZ Chat Is Hilarious And… Poignant

  A live reading of an actual DayZ chat window from a single session. Serious business. Poignant. Beautiful. Terrifying. Inane. I have no idea if this was shot for an upcoming episode of Good Game or if the show’s presenter ‘Bajo’ simply got bored, turned off the lights, dressed like a beat poet and got freaky.…

  Mark Serrels Published June 6, 2013
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  Arrested Development Gags Make BioShock Infinite Hilarious

  Imagine, for a moment, that you play through Infinite not as Booker DeWitt, but rather as Michael Bluth. Okay. Now imagine that you still have Elizabeth around, only her characterization is less “Disney Princess” and more “Gob Bluth.” Still with me? Because this isn’t just an idle thought experiment, as you might’ve guessed from the…

  By Patricia Hernandez Published June 6, 2013
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  Here’s Why You Should Play State of Decay

  Between DayZ, ZombiU, Left 4 Dead 2 and The Walking Dead, I thought I was burnt out on zombie games. Well, it turns out I was wrong. In the video above I quickly show you around the world of State of Decay, the open-world zombie game released yesterday for XBLA that’s been slowly winning me…

  By Chris Person Published June 6, 2013
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  A Pair of Kings: NBA 2K14 Gets LeBron James for Its Cover

  Solidly established as professional basketball’s best player and a mortal lock for the hall of fame, LeBron James, after 10 years as an A-list superstar, will finally appear on the cover of a video game when NBA 2K14 hits shelves this autumn. 2K Sports has made a practice of luring MVPs of the present and…

  By Owen Good Published June 6, 2013
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  Here’s A Pretty Crazy Conspiracy Theory About Metal Gear Solid V

  Many Metal Gear Solid fans aren’t exactly happy that David Hayter will not—as far as we can tell—be reprising his role as Snake in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V. That much isn’t surprising. Amusingly, the inability to let Hayter go has led some fans to concoct a ridiculous conspiracy theory about what’s actually happening…

  By Patricia Hernandez Published June 6, 2013
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  Can Your Network Handle The “Optimal” Xbox One Experience?

  Along with today’s clarification of the online requirements of the Xbox One, Microsoft also gave us an internet speed target: “For an optimal experience, we recommend a broadband connection of 1.5Mbps.” That doesn’t seem unreasonable. Let’s see how we do! A quick trip to Speedtest.net will tell you how your network is doing, and while…

  By Mike Fahey Published June 6, 2013