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  The Sims 3’s Occult Connection, Plus New Screens

  Ghosts push aside alien abductions, werewolf infections and nightclubbing vampires to become the sole element of the occult in The Sims 3. There’s always something supernatural in every Sims game. From werewolf babies in the Sims 2 Pets expansion all the way back to alien abductions in The Sims (which did not result in pregnancy),…

  By AJ Glasser Published February 25, 2009
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  Xbox Live Sadly No Place For Lesbian Gamers

  (Former) Xbox Live gamer Teresa found herself on the receiving end of a ban from the service for a surprising reason. She identified herself as a lesbian in her Live profile. That resulted in a ban from the service after her Xbox Live peers complained about her profile, according to a letter to the Consumerist.…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Welcome Your New PopCap Overlords In 2009

  If you’re not already on board with PopCap Games‘ brand of casual thrills, you’ve never played Peggle. But you will bow before PopCap, as the publisher is expanding its casual efforts in a big way. Forbes writes of PopCap’s plans for 2009, some aspects of which we’re already aware of. It’s bringing Peggle to the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  The Onion Asks: Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Our Kids For The Apocalypse?

  Video games can be beneficial. They better our children’s hand-eye coordination, spatial relationship understanding and teach the basics of strategy. But are they doing enough to prepare them for a nuclear future and zombie infestations? The Onion’s “In The Know” program touches on this extremely topical debate, questioning whether our violent video game-playing youth are…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Is It Time For a New PSP?

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Today, I Dropped My Car Keys In Doggy Doo-Doo Lots of interesting information hitting today about a possible new Playstation Portable 2. Not sure why Acclaim’s David Perry would be spilling the beans, but I can’t imagine he’s just making it up. Besides, I’ve been hearing from other folks now…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2009
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  Saints Row 2 Cameo Might Be A Good Example Of A “Don’t”

  Showtime’s newest television series, United States of Tara, seems achingly desperate to court controversy. Maybe that’s why this Saints Row 2 cameo feels so inappropriate and out of place. In this clip from a recent episode, in which the son and daughter of the titular Tara—a woman with dissociative identity disorder resulting in four distinct…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space Taught EA Hard Lesson About Release Dates

  Electronic Arts has reflected on the ups and downs of 2008, realizing that, like the movie industry, not every single title needs to ship right before the holidays. You know, like every other game does. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, EA Redwood Shores GM Glen Schofield says that the company may be more choosy about what it…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Dead to Rights: Retribution Coming This Year

  Namco Bandai today officially unveiled Dead to Rights: Retribution for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, calling the 2009 game a gritty crime drama third-person shooter. The game will be set in Grant City where vice-cop Jack Slate is thrust into the epicenter of an “intensely dark, dangerous and tragic narrative” along with his dog…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2009
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  Home’s New Siren Lounge: A Great Place To Cabbage Patch

  Sony’s giving Japanese PlayStation 3 owners a place to chill—a PlayStation Home “lounge” dedicated to the horror game Siren. Looks like a lovely place to have a Home dance party! According to my shaky translation of the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announcement, the Siren lounge will feature title-appropriate mini-games, including a hospital that your Home…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Frankenreview: Halo Wars

  Twenty years before Halo: Combat Evolved the war between humanity and the Covenant was a much more strategic affair, as proven in Ensemble Studios’ swan song, Halo Wars. Halo Wars takes the familiar setting of the first-person shooter series Halo and translates into a console-based real-time strategy game, in which players build up and army,…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 25, 2009
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  Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Details, Trailer, Screens

  Ubisoft today released the first trailer and game details for their upcoming western-shooter Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, due out this summer on the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The game, in development by Techland, will tell the story of the McCall brothers and take place in a variety of settings from “a…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2009
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  Worms Armaggedon Decades Coming To Xbox Live Arcade

  Looks like Xbox 360 owners will get to eat more worms, as Australia’s classification body has rated Worms Armageddon Decade, a release that appears to be a Live Arcade remake of the ten-year-old strategy title. While XBLA already has one Worms release, now about two-years-old, Worms Armageddon Decade represents a highlight for the series. The…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Warhammer Online’s Severely Limited Free Trial Offer

  After months spent catering strictly to the game-purchasing crowd, Mythic has released a free 10-day trial for their massively multiplayer online role-playing game Warhammer Online. As part of Mythic’s plan to draw new players to Warhammer Online in the face of their Call to Arms live expansion, the company has launched a free 10-day trial…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 25, 2009
• Reviews

  The House Of The Dead: Overkill Review: A Blast From The Past

  Sega’s classic shooter franchise meets 70’s exploitation horror in The House of the Dead: Overkill for the Nintendo Wii. Developer Headstrong re-imagines the House of the Dead franchise in Overkill, a prequel to the series that takes us back to a simpler time, when men were men, women were half-naked, and black policemen use the…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 25, 2009
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  Team Fortress 2 Scout Update Live, Now Ridiculously Cheap

  The newest update for Team Fortress 2 is live, bringing three new unlockables—the Sandman, Bonk! Energy Drink, and the Force-A-Nature—to the Scout class along with much, much more. The better news? The price! Team Fortress 2 is currently, like Left 4 Dead was last week, now 50% off for a limited time. That’s just $9.99…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  Braid Coming to Steam

  Indie darling of 2008, Braid is heading to Steam next month for $15. We loved it. The Interactive Achievement Awards loved it. And now on March 31 you can love it too. “Braid is arguably the strongest example of what can be accomplished by an independent game designer,” said Jason Holtman, director of business development…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2009
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  Perry: PSP 2 is Real, Could Hit This Fall

  The UMD-free PlayStation Portable 2 is indeed real and could hit as early as this fall, David Perry, chief creative officer at Acclaim, told Kotaku today. “I spoke to a developer who is working on it right now,” he said. “I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 25, 2009
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  Michael Jackson’s Arcade Collection Is Insane

  You thought Michael Jackson’s arcade fetish started and ended with Sega’s R360 and Namco’s Ms. Pac-Man? You have no idea how much hardware this man owned. The gloved one had a massive arcade. While Jacko’s arcade collection was briefly touched on by the mainstream media previously, the full auction catalog provided by Julien’s Auctions reveals…

  By Michael McWhertor Published February 25, 2009
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  World Of Wacraft Patch 3.1 Hits Test

  The biggest patch since the release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion has hit the test realm for World of Warcraft, revealing tier 8 armor sets, legendary weapons, and the Argent Tournament. Among the expected changes such as dual talent specs and the ability of mounts to swim (hooray) comes a slew of…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 25, 2009
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  Street Fighter Star Chris Klein On Becoming An Action Hero

  Actor Chris Klein pontificates on the trials and tribulations of becoming an action star in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, opening this weekend in theaters across the country. Klein plays Charlie Nash, who in the movie is a police officer on the trail of Bison, as opposed to the Air Force lieutanant he is…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 25, 2009