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  My Most Anticipated PS3 Game Slides Out of 2012 (But Here’s an English Trailer)

  Ni No Kuni, a collaboration between RPG powerhouse Level-5 and animation wizards Studio Ghibli, is not only one of the prettiest video games I’ve ever seen, but also one of the more enjoyable, at least on the PS3. It’s very sad news, then, that the game’s Western release has been delayed. Originally scheduled to appear…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 12, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  The Greatness of Terrible Voice Acting

  The AV Club’s newly-relaunched games section, the Gameological Society, explores one of the greatest single examples of voice-over work in the history of the industry: Last Alert, a shooter for the TurboGrafx-16. A game renowned the world over for just how shitty its localisation work was, just about everything that could go wrong does go…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 11, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  A Controversial Arcade Classic Gets its Own Documentary

  Arcade classic Dragon’s Lair has its share of critics, but because it was so beautiful for the time, it’s also got its share of fans. Enough for there to be a market for a very slick documentary. Inside the Dragon’s Lair is an upcoming documentary being put together by Sleepyeyed Films, who are looking to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 11, 2012
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  This Image Has Spoiled Me. I Now Refuse To Watch Movies In Any Other Way.

  Hey Kotaku! Kirk is out today, so in his absence I shall steer this conversation. So, this image is pretty old, but I came across it on Reddit today and it reminded me of the best movie experience I’ve ever had. It was a year (or two?) ago on a summer day in Austin, and…

  By Tina Amini Published April 11, 2012
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  Darksiders II Lets You Customize Your Own Death

  The first Darksiders won a loyal following of fans for its badass remix of the Legend of Zelda’s dungeon-crawling gameplay. But you couldn’t really differentiate the way that main character War played. He was a bruiser with weapons that worked the same way for everyone. But Death will be more individualized, once players get their…

  By Evan Narcisse Published April 11, 2012
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  Some Very Early Screenshots of Minecraft Creator’s Next Game

  Marcus “Notch” Persson, the creator of Minecraft, is working on something new. It’s called 0x10.cc, and is a sci-fi game that’s got some neat ideas, promising things like working computers and the ability to “seamlessly [land] on planets”. Another neat idea he’s had, and one which more developers could do with following, is that he’s…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 11, 2012
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  ‘Never Take For Granted What You Have Played In Zombie Games’

  Deadlight is a side-scrolling survival game set in a zombie-infested, ruined Cold War 1980s. It’s inspired by writer Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” It plays a bit like Prince of Persia and Another World Deadlight was also the last game I saw at PAX East and one I had to shoot video of in a rush,…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 11, 2012
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  Watch Foxconn Workers Make an iPad

  Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and other companies have repeatedly come under scrutiny in recent months and years for the conditions under which their high-tech gadgets are made. Reporter Rob Schmitz visited Foxconn’s Longhua facility in Shenzhen, China. The video from his trip shows the actual process of making an iPad, which is surprisingly fascinating. It’s one…

  By Kate Cox Published April 11, 2012
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  Organ Trail Adds Zombies To That One Educational Game Where You Could Get Sick and Die

  Ryan Wiemeyer gets asked the same question all the time, so basically before you can ask it, he’s answering it: Yes, you can die from dysentery in Organ Trail, his indie team’s zombie version of the classic old-school educational game Oregon Trail Organ Trail is designed to look like it was made for the Apple…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 11, 2012
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  These Mass Effect Hoodies Make Video Game Clothing Finally Look Cool

  Check out these awesome Mass Effect hoodies, designed by deviantART user lupodirosso earlier this week. Unlike a lot of gaming-centric clothing, these babies have style. You wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen in them. (Well, most of them.) lupodirosso says he sent an e-mail proposal to BioWare, asking them to consider officially commissioning the hoodies.…

  By Jason Schreier Published April 11, 2012
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  Free-to-Play GraFighters Lets Players Make Their Own Doodles Fight to the Death

  With Kickstarter all the rage these days, one can’t help but wonder: what about all those projects that don’t get fully funded? What happens to those games, to those plans, to those dreams? For two college friends, Eric Cleckner and David Chenell, a venture capitalist steps in and makes the game happen anyway, providing ten…

  By Kate Cox Published April 11, 2012
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  Hitman: Absolution Joins the List of Games Screwing You Over With Pre-order Weapons

  Square Enix today announced the fancy version of Agent 47’s continuing stealth saga Hitman: Absolution, called the Professional Edition. The Professional Edition and standard edition are both now available for pre-order at multiple outlets, but with a small catch. Like so many other publishers and game releases before it, Square Enix is offering different pre-order…

  By Kate Cox Published April 11, 2012
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  Quantum Conundrum Could Be a Wonderful Spiritual Successor to Portal

  Everything’s in first-person. Your silent hero is equipped with a high-tech gadget that can manipulate chunks of the environment. You progress through a series of rooms, each stuffed to the brim with quirky crate-and-button-based puzzles that need solving. And an omniscient voice is talking to you the whole time. Stop me if you’ve heard this…

  By Jason Schreier Published April 11, 2012
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  What Good is a Mass Effect/Jeff Foxworthy Joke If No One Ever Sees It?

  Why allow players to give their multiplayer characters custom names if the game never actually displays them? That’s commenter ChrisPBacon’s question in today’s Speak Up on Kotaku I unlocked Geth Foxworthy in the new Mass Effect 3 multiplayer stuff. What exactly is the point of naming multilayer characters? Batmantarian, Alan Turian, Krognan the Barbarian, nobody…

  Speak Up Published April 11, 2012
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  The Science Fact Animating Assassin’s Creed‘s Animus

  When it comes to creating a rich storyline, Ubisoft’s Assassins Creed has never fallen short in its ability to weave its plot with historical accuracy. One of Its major selling points that sets itself apart from others in the sandbox genre stems from the players’ ability to explore both renaissance and medieval eras. In this…

  Sebastian Alvarado Published April 11, 2012
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  Have $3,500 Handy? I Know Exactly What You Should Buy.

  A fully functional Nintendo controller coffee table. Wait, let me repeat that. It’s a fully functional Nintendo controller coffee table. But it’s also $3,500 on Etsy. That’s the price you’ll have to pay for all that sweet, sweet mahogany gaming. We’ve featured coffee tables resembling the NES system before, as well as the controller itself,…

  By Tina Amini Published April 11, 2012
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  You Could (And Should) Be Playing AirMech Right Now

  In AirMech, you play as a robot that transforms into a plane. You play from a top-down view. You can shoot stuff up, treating it like an arcade game, but it’s a real-time strategy game. You can watch the five-minute video here to listen to the game’s creative director, James Green, explain AirMech while he…

  By Stephen Totilo Published April 11, 2012
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  Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Punches and Kicks Its Way to A September Release

  The sequel to one of the most popular PS2 games will be arriving on the Xbox 360 and PS3 this fall. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 re-assembles Jin, Xiaoyu and the other brawlers of the King of Iron Fist tournament for a nother go-round, with a few new special features. You’ll still be able to play…

  By Evan Narcisse Published April 11, 2012
• Tips & Guides

  Tips and Tricks for the Newly Free-to-Play Aion

  Today NCsoft launches Aion: Ascension, the free-to-play rebirth of its faltering MMO, complete with eagerly anticipated update 3.0 content like player housing, mounts, new zones and a raised level cap. To celebrate the impeding influx of freeloaders, producer Adam Christensen has written up a tips and tricks guide to surviving and thriving in Aion: Ascension.…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 11, 2012
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  This Curvy Beauty Sprang From a Solid Chunk of Aluminium

  I know, I know; a home theater PC barely counts as a gaming PC, but in the case of HardOCP forum member Achron’s sexy metal creation I’m willing to make an exception. Warning: machining porn inside. Achron’s “Acronym” project began some three years ago, when the then master’s student tried to find a front-end media…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 11, 2012