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  Kotaku’s PAX East Party: It’s A Happening!

  Are you in Boston, Massachusetts and attending PAX East? If you’re in the mood to have a wicked pissa of a night, head over to tonight’s Kotaku party at the lovely Rattlesnake Bar and Grill. We’re buyin’! Well, Alienware’s buying, as they’re sponsoring the thing, providing you with refreshments from 8 p.m until 2 a.m.…

  By Michael McWhertor Published March 26, 2010
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  Modern Warfare 2 Bigger than Lady Gaga and Transformers Combined

  No disc – game, CD, DVD, whatever – sold more in 2009 than Modern Warfare 2, in the U.K. anyway, where the game bested phenomena such as Lady Gaga and Susan Boyle, and standbys like James Bond and Harry Potter. Modern Warfare 2‘s sales triumph over all games of 2009 is common knowledge, but it’s…

  By Owen Good Published March 26, 2010
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  Summer Camp

  To: Owen From: Crecente Yesterday Tristan tells me that he wants to go away for a week this summer to a Science Summer Camp, a place where they will teach him to take care of animals, play with forensics and all sorts of other cool things. I’m sure he will love it, but man, he’s…

  By Brian Crecente Published March 26, 2010
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  Red Dead Redemption, Civ V And The Wil Wheaton Horde: PAX East Sightings From Day One

  Not many words for you about PAX East in this post. Just pictures and captions of some of the things we spotted on our first day at PAX East. The back side of Rockstar’s massive Read Dead Redemption booth. The side of Rockstar’s Read Dead Redemption, with a GTA sales pitch. EA’s Dante’s Inferno booth…

  By Stephen Totilo Published March 26, 2010
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  Troubled Star Left Out of NBA Jam Roster

  NBA all-star Gilbert Arenas, whose joking pistols-at-dawn challenge to a pissed-off teammate was no laughing matter to the league, is absent from fan voting on the NBA Jam roster. EA Sports says it’s not entirely because of his legal troubles. Speaking to The Sporting News‘ First Cuts blog, an Electronic Arts spokesman attributed Arenas’ absence…

  By Owen Good Published March 26, 2010
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  Comic Jumper Preview: This Time, It’s Comical

  The last video game from Twisted Pixel was a ridiculous exploration of how good a game you can get out of a character who only explodes. Their new hero has a worse affliction. He stars in a bad comic book. I watched a developer from Twisted Pixel play through part of the first level of…

  By Stephen Totilo Published March 26, 2010
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  What Are You Playing This Weekend?

  While you’re playing video games this weekend, I’ll be making ’em. No, I’m not graduating from the school of enthusiast press to go work in game development, I’ll be playing WarioWare D.I.Y. on my non-XL Nintendo DSi. I’ve got plenty of ideas, including bizarre Super Mario Bros. and Metroid mash-ups, as well as one in…

  By Michael McWhertor Published March 26, 2010
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  Hydro Thunder Hurricane Impressions: Bouncy

  Just about everything I know after playing the new Hydro Thunder is what you knew if you read today’s news about the Xbox-exclusive sequel to Midway’s speedboating series. I can add at least one thing: It feels good. Aside from Wave Race: Blue Storm and Wii Sports Resort’s jet-skiiing there haven’t been many chances in…

  By Stephen Totilo Published March 26, 2010
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  Nintendo President Explains Why You Need a DSi XL

  With the DSi XL hitting this weekend, smack dab between last year’s DSi and next year’s 3DS, is there a reason you should bother picking up this over-sized portable? Plenty of them, the head of Nintendo of America tells Kotaku. While Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is an obvious supporter of his company’s products,…

  By Brian Crecente Published March 26, 2010
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  The First King of Fighters XIII Screen Shots Bust Out

  SNK Playmore is going to keep this King of Fighters thing going, unveiling the latest version, The King of Fighters XIII, in Tokyo this week. The most notable addition? The return of Mai Shiranui, the series’ bosomy fan (service) favorite. Joining The King of Fighters’ bounciest ninja will be more modest newcomers King and Yuri,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published March 26, 2010
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  Attention PAX East: The Rock Band Freeplay Stage Needs A Drummer

  While the singer desperately tries to make up for the absence of percussion, the PAX East Rock Band Freeplay stage is clearly in desperate need of a drummer. I clearly remember there being a substantial line to play Rock Band at last year’s Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. Perhaps it’s just too early in the…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 26, 2010
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  Infinity Ward Points Finger at Activision For Modern Warfare 2 Pack Pricing

  Set to hit the Xbox 360 next week, the downloadable Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Pack brings with it five new maps and a just a touch more controversy to a studio recently embroiled in discord. The founders of Activision owned Infinity Ward recently were firedamid allegations of royalties being withheld by the publisher and the…

  By Brian Crecente Published March 26, 2010
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  The Limit

  Yesterday we considered that maybe breaking the rules is the best way to play video games. Because — or despite that — game developers have to set limits. So is this Heavy Rain clip, via reader Syptel, a tolerable limit? For those who haven’t played the game, this scene is from the game’s opening chapter.…

  By Stephen Totilo Published March 26, 2010
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  A Weekend Getaway For a Man And his Xbox

  We’ve all thought about it, setting aside an entire weekend to recharge the recently rocky relationship with have with our console of choice… right? Or is that just me and this guy? It’s going to be really nice,” the 33-year-old structural engineer said of the upcoming weekend. “No phone calls, no e-mails, no distractions whatsoever.…

  By Brian Crecente Published March 26, 2010
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  The Secret World Gameplay Isn’t So Secret Anymore

  Funcom promised something big related to The Secret World was coming today, and they’ve delivered, with the first in-game trailer for the upcoming modern day occult MMO. Crecente’s extensive preview of Funcom’s The Secret World from Tuesday ended with a trailer that suggested something big was coming on March 25, and so it has. Behold…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 26, 2010
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  Kotaku’s PAX Reader Meet-Up Tonight! [UPDATED]

  Venue change for tonight’s meet-up: the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill, 384 Boylston St., Boston, MA. Meet Kotaku editors in town for PAX East, then hang at the Alienware afterparty where you can eat, drink, and experience the new Alienware systems until the wee hours. 8pm-2am. See you there!

  By Gawkercreative Published March 26, 2010
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  The Making Of A Video Game Fanboy

  It’s nearly 2 p.m. Eighteen year-old Richard Stephen rolls out of bed in his Florida home and fires up his PlayStation 3 to play a round of PS3 exclusive God of War III. He spent the night before, flipping on his computer, wishing that Sony made an operating system so he didn’t have to use…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 26, 2010
• Reviews

  Cave Story Micro-Review: So This Is What The Excitement Was About

  So how does the WiiWare version of Cave Story stand up to the original? I couldn’t tell you, as I’ve never played the PC version. For those of you who, like me, have been in the dark, Cave Story is a shooting platformer along the same lines as Nintendo’s Metroid. The player awakens in a…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 26, 2010
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  PAX East: Kotaku Has Landed

  It’s 37 degrees outside in scenic downtown Boston, but Totilo and I are staying warm inside the John Hynes Convention Center, where the inaugural PAX East is slowly swinging into gear. Behold our first image gallery! The crowds are gathering; the badges being distributed, and the swag bags are being stripped of their Magic cards…

  By Mike Fahey Published March 26, 2010
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  Hydro Thunder Returns With All-New Xbox Live Arcade Sequel

  Midway’s classic arcade speedboat racer Hydro Thunder is getting a full-fledged sequel with Hydro Thunder Hurricane, exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade, promising all-new, over-the-top rocket powered speedboat action. (Which you can witness in the game’s first trailer!) Hydro Thunder Hurricane will come to XBLA this summer courtesy of Microsoft Game Studios and developer Vector Unit,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published March 26, 2010