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  One Year After Release, Microsoft Moves Kinect Toward Business and Science

  While conceived as a device meant to expand the reach of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming platform by allowing people to play video games without the need for controllers, the Kinect has always been destined for a broader future. Last November, when the Kinect array of microphones, sensors and cameras was on the cusp of hitting…

  By Brian Crecente Published October 31, 2011
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  Two Girls, Two Arcade Sticks

  Ultimate | TOKYO, JAPAN: Capcom showed off the new Hori fight stick. (Photo: Game Watch Impress) Watch the First 23 Minutes of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Right Here The game might not be out yet, but those wanting to see how the opening moments of Skyrim go down, you can see it all in these…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  Will There Be a Grand Theft Auto First-Person Shooter?

  For your typical Western game developer, first-person shooters are bread and butter. Rockstar Games is not your typical Western game developer. “We’re deliberately avoiding that right now,” Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser told Japanese game magazine Famitsu. “It’s in our DNA to avoid doing what other companies are doing.” So, while other companies were making FPS…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  Why Battlefield 3 Has a Singleplayer Campaign

  Battlefield is a series long renowned for its multiplayer prowess, but for the latest instalment, developers DICE dropped in a fairly slick and expensive singleplayer campaign. Leading many people to wonder, uh, why? Normally it’s the other way around! Singleplayer games get multiplayer modes added because that’s where the longevity/money supposedly is, but adding singleplayer…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  Brad Pitt Is too Old, Mean for Video Games

  Never mind that 47-year-old actor Brad Pitt is married to Angelina Jolie, star of the Tomb Raider movies, the Hollywood actor is apparently worried that their children are playing too many games. A source told the National Enquirer that Pitt took the kid’s laptops and hid them in storage. “He [Pitt] wants them playing in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  Dante vs Star Wars vs Catwoman

  No offence to the few who do an amazing job with it, but I’m sick of Final Fantasy cosplay. There’s just too damn much of it. So for this week’s Fancy Pants, I’m going cold turkey. No Final Fantasy. No Kingdom Hearts either, for that matter. Filling the void will be some cosplay of games…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  How to Play BioShock Monopoly (For Free)

  Internet person KatMann has done something wonderful to an old Monopoly board: Developed a custom BioShock “mod”, letting you play a Rapture version of the classic game. Best part? Unlike other novelty Monopoly games you buy in a store, this one works with one you’ve already got, so it’s 100% (though to be honest, you…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  Is This the Digital Bike of Your Dreams?

  Dubbed the “Gladiator Bike”, this is concept art for a product that doesn’t exist. This is this stuff of fantasy. Mine, at least. Designed by artist Jaewan Jeong, the Gladiator Bike exists in 22nd century, with a widening gap between rich and poor. Racers battle it out on WipEout or F-Zero style tracks. The whole…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  Batman Hates Sharks. Real Bad.

  Artist kay-too sought to “emulate the art style of the marketing for Batman: Arkham City” with this cute piece. The black & white palette echoes that used on the game’s posters and cover art. The punching the shark echoes an unfulfilled dream I had for an entire section of the game. We’re gonna need a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  Portal Song Now Sounds like a TV Theme Song

  Roomie is, according to his YouTube page, “a Swedish guy who makes music videos.” He releases a new one every Tuesday. This past week, he released a cover of Portal’s “Still Alive”. It sounds like an American TV theme song from the late 1980s or 1990s. I kind of like that. Still Alive (Cover) –…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  iOS Game Helping Disabled Girl Walk for the First Time

  Grace Windrum, a five-year-old girl from the United Kingdom, suffers from cerebral palsy. At the moment, she’s unable to walk. But thanks to a charity drive from an iOS game publisher, she may soon be able to. Grace’s parents need £50,000 to pay for an operation in a US hospital that will almost certainly enable…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  Just How Many Japanese Women Work in Prostitution?

  In Japan, the term “fuzoku” refers to the sex industry. It’s different from the term “mizu shoubai”, which refers more to the type of hosting you’ll see in Sega’s yakuza games. Fuzoku is sex, in its many forms and flavors. According to an estimate by a woman’s fashion website, it’s possible one in ten Japanese…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  Big Weapons. Skimpy Outfits. Nerd Chaos.

  Two words: fan service. Queen’s Blade not only features some of the most famous females from fighting games, it features them in revealing poses. So you can imagine what Queen’s Blade cosplay looks like. Queen’s Blade was originally a Lost Worlds style “combat picture book game” and has been published in Japan for the last…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  Some Guy Built a 1:1 Replica Halo Sniper Rifle (Out of LEGO)

  LEGO builder Nick Jensen, who already has an impressive arsenal of replica Halo weapons to his name, has outdone himself with this 1:1 model of the series’ trademark sniper rifle. Based on the Halo: Reach incarnation of the weapon, it’s 63 inches long, weighs over ten pounds and features a removable magazine, moving safety and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  In Honor of Grand Theft Auto V, Here’s a Liberty City Walkathon

  Grand Theft Auto V is official. And while it’s not set in Liberty City, what better way to honor the game’s announcement than by pounding the iconic digital city’s virtual pavement. YouTube user GermanScientistTV and pal Scotty decided to tour Grand Theft Auto IV‘s Liberty City on foot. The ensuing result (and footage) is hypnotic,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published October 31, 2011
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  How Great Halo Cosplay is Made

  Costume builder Shawn Thorsson, whose work we’ve featured previously on Kotaku, has been filmed by Maker Faire TV in an episode devoted to explaining how some impressive tools and a lot of elbow grease can bring video game characters to life. Specialising in Halo gear, Thorsson’s advice is of more help to anyone wondering how…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  Watch the First 23 Minutes of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Right Here [Update]

  (UPDATE – Videos removed as a courtesy to Bethesda. –Ed.) The game might not be out yet, but those wanting to see how the opening moments of Skyrim go down, you can see it all in these two videos. Why’s the action split over two clips? This isn’t just the opening cinematic, it’s the whole…

  By Luke Plunkett Published October 31, 2011
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  Oh, Deer

  Oh, Deer | Wildlife officers in Florida killed a 16-foot Burmese Python that was a bit … distended. Inside it was the intact carcass of a 76-pound deer. [South Florida Water Management District, via AP] Are These Modern Warfare 3‘s Multiplayer Maps? Several outlets this morning have posted what appears to be the layouts of…

  By Owen Good Published October 30, 2011
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  Dungeon Defenders Offers Free Halloween DLC (for PC)

  A new mission, costumes and weapons and other good stuff await you in Dungeon Defenders‘ “Halloween Spooktacular” downloadable extension, available for free now but only on PC. The Spooktacular offers eight costumes and weapons, a Halloween-decorated tavern and a Halloween-themed challenge mission. But as of yet, no plans to offer this over PlayStation Network or…

  By Owen Good Published October 30, 2011
• Culture

  Uncharted Territory

  Uncharted 3 releases for the PS3 on Tuesday, along with GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, Sonic Generations and The Lord of the Rings: the War in the North. Batman: Arkham City and Gears of War 3 get downloadable content. Tuesday • GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (PS3, 360) • Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, PC) • The Lord of the…

  By Owen Good Published October 30, 2011