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  The Fate Of Free Radical Has Been Decided

  The final fate of Timesplitters developer Free Radical will be revealed this week, with a formal announcement from the company’s administrator ReSolve Partners to take place later this week. Free Radical went into administrator late last year, following several canceled projects and the dismal performance of their PlayStation 3 exclusive, Haze, earlier in 2008. After…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 2, 2009
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  Madden NFL 09’s Super Bowl Prediction Eerily Accurate

  The dust has settled and the Pittsburgh Steelers again return to Pennsylvania with some lovely new Super Bowl rings on their fingers, as prophetically predicted by Madden NFL 09. A yearly tradition, EA has been using the Madden football franchise to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl since 2004, when it forecast the New…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 2, 2009
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  iPhone Gets Its GTA (Knock Off)

  I’ve been playing around with Payback on my iPhone for the past week or so. The game is a top down action game very reminiscent of the original Grand Theft Auto. Did I say reminiscent? It’s really closer to a copycat. I haven’t really played it enough yet to write up a formal review, but…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 2, 2009
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  Weekly Wii Update – Snowboards, Sonic, And Space Puzzles

  It’s Monday morning, and the Nintendo Wii downloadables delivery van is making its weekly rounds with a mix of alpine sports adventure, space-filling puzzles, and yet another installment of brazen blue hedgehog. Mixing things up today, we’ll kick things off with the solo Virtual Console title dropping this week, Sonic Chaos for the Sega Master…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 2, 2009
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  EA Gets Ludlum, Starbreeze Does Bourne

  Ludlum Entertainment has struck a deal with Electronic Arts, granting them exclusive worldwide rights to the works of author Robert London, with a new Jason Bourne game currently in development at Starbreeze Studios. Chronicles of Riddick developer Starbreeze Studios is already hard at work on a new Jason Bourne game as EA and Ludlum Entertainment…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 2, 2009
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  Activision and Booth Babes Return to an E3 Ten Times Bigger Than Last Year’s

  This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo is taking a giant step towards returning to the glitzy, people-packed shows of three years ago, with attendance expected to be about ten times last year’s show and the exhibit halls nearly the same size as the shows that once included ear-splitting rock bands, fire juggling and bikini-clad models. E3…

  By Brian Crecente Published February 2, 2009
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  “Now The Hell Will Start”

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft With my schedule, it seems like the only time I’m able to read for the fun of it is during vacations. There were a couple books I squeezed in last year (Yokai Attack! was great), but my favorite of 2008? Now The Hell Will Start. It’s a terrific yarn, a nonfiction…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009
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  These Five Games Were The Biggest-Selling In The World For 2008

  No more breaking it down into individual markets. Combined sales data released this morning from GfK, ChartTrack, Enterbrain and the NPD Group shows us the five biggest-selling games in the world for 2008. And there are few surprises, as the Wii speaks a universal language. Three of the top five titles for the year were…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  Japanese People Swarm Star Ocean 4 Kiosks, Kiosks Show New Faceplate

  This past Sunday from noon to 5pm, eight Xbox 360 demo kiosks playing Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope were rolled out at the Akihabara Yodobashi Camera. Before the event began, numbered tickets were passed out to those lining up, and only 100 posters were handed out. Players experienced a 15 minute demo session. According…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009
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  Street Fighter IV Arcade In The US? Who Knows. Australia, Singapore? Maybe!

  Street Fighter IV won’t be officially released in US arcades. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be released anywhere outside Japan. Take Australia, for example. Or Korea, or Singapore. It might come out there! Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono has revealed that while the game won’t be may not be shipped to the US thanks to a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  Coke’s Super Bowl Ad Brings Out The Avatar In, Well, Everyone

  Here’s a Coke ad from yesterday’s Super Bowl. And it’s about…no, not football, but online avatars. Everyone’s got ’em! Even inattentive mothers and attractive young models sipping Coke at a bar. [via Wonderland]

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  What Do Nintendo Consoles Look Like After A House Fire?

  Time to find out. Go Nintendo reader PsyduckWarrior owned a Game Boy Advance and a Wii. Or, he did, until a house fire took away the bulk of his and his family’s material possessions. Along with losing the house, their stuff and even their pets, he also lost a treasure trove of Nintendo swag, like…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  Dreamcast Mourning Time… Again!

  It’s been ten years, and the Dreamcast is dead. I know it, you know it and damn skippy SEGA knows it. That didn’t stop game site Eurogamer from doing a forensic catalogue on the console’s demise. The piece does a nice job of laying everything out and even correcting a few misconceptions. There are also…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009
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  New Studio To Release Six MS Flight Sim Expansions

  Sure, Microsoft have killed off the primary developers of the Flight Simulator series, but that doesn’t mean the end of the series. For one, Microsoft are committed to future releases. Then there’s these guys. The newly-created Mamba Games will release six add-ons for MS Flight Sim over a 24-month period, beginning in March with Grumman…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  A Closer Look At Ryu Ga Gotoku 3’s Hostesses

  Sure, in upcoming PS3 exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku 3, players can mold their own bar hostesses. But they can also do other things with them. Things like get liquored up, trade business cards, play darts, shoot pool, sing karaoke and go bowling. Remember, you’re doing this with a high-priced bar hostess after she gets off…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009
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  Old Republic Trailer

  This clip will start looking like a developer diary. Don’t fall asleep! While there’s chit-chat throughout, there’s also a ton of in-game footage from BioWare’s Star Wars MMO.

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  The Chances Of A DISSIDIA Sequel…

  Want a DISSIDIA sequel? Square Enix game designer Tetsuya Nomura says there are “no plans” currently. But, hey, plans can change. According to game site 1Up, Nomura states at the end of a 704-page DISSIDIA strategy guide: “There are no current plans for a sequel. To be honest, I wanted to do one up until…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009
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  This Guy Has Driven A Real, Working Warthog

  New Zealand’s WETA made a real Warthog for Neil Blomkamp’s Halo movie pitch. The movie never went anywhere. But the Warthog? It’s still around, still being driven by grown men dressed as Halo marines. OXM’s Alistair Wallis, for example, just got to drive the real Warthog. Oh, but first, he had to get into real…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 2, 2009
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  Suspect Arrested For Threatening To Blow Up Hudson

  Metropolitan Police have arrested a 29-year-old man for threatening to blow up Japanese game maker Hudson. The suspect, Takao Ike of Kanagawa Prefecture, was apparently dissatisfied with the quality of Hudson’s games. From October 2008 to January 16 of this year, the suspect threatened Hudson 11 times, sending emails that said things like he was…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009
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  What Games Sold In Japan Last Month

  Enterbrain, the Japanese publisher of game magazine Famitsu has released its most recent monthly sales data, ranking the top ten titles. The data is for the period beginning December 29 and ending January 25 as well as Enterbrain’s estimated life-to-date. 1. DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy 186,352 units/846,614 units 2. Rhythm Heaven Gold 169,567 units/152,238 units 3.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 2, 2009