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  Watch Retro Game Master with Others at Japan Benefit in Philly

  The Philadelphia Japan Arts Matsui, an art festival being held for Japan relief efforts July 7-9, will be screening select episodes of Retro Game Master as part of the festivities—check it out if you’re in the area. [Phillyjam.org]

  By Joshua Rivera Published July 7, 2011
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  A Hilarious Horror Game and Other Xbox Live Indie Surprises

  Every two weeks, we weigh in on our favorite selectons on Xbox Live’s indie channel, and this week we found some truly impressive games. These are not Microsoft-approved games—they’re created by everyone from the average Joe to upstart game companies, and reviewed by users like you. We list the stand-outs here and in the Kotaku‘s…

  By Jen Schiller Published July 7, 2011
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  L.A. Noire Trapped in the Vile Clutches of Reefer Madness

  In 1940’s Los Angeles, cannabis was not the subject of comedy movies. It was serious business, and Cole Phelps aims to take that business down in Reefer Madness, the next downloadable content case for L.A. Noire These days smoking pot carries far less of a stigma than it did in the 1940’s. I attribute this…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 7, 2011
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  Section 8 Gamers Have Fallen 328,924,042,920 Meters (And Other Crazy Game Stats)

  In 11 weeks, players of the PC and Xbox Live Arcade shooter Section 8: Prejudice have air-dropped their super-soldiers and machine-gunned their friends, many, many times. All virtual. All for fun. Who is counting? The people at GameSpy who track the game’s online play on PC and Xbox 360. They’ve crunched numbers and created a…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 7, 2011
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  Just Jam, Qix, and Fortified Zone Are Part of This Complete Nintendo Download

  This week’s Nintendo Download is here, bringing with it a double dose of overpriced Game Boy classics and a load of other things you’ve probably never heard about. Let’s get right to it, shall we? When I first heard that the Nintendo 3DS would allow gamers to download and play classic Game Boy titles, the…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 7, 2011
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  Dark Souls Invents Another Way to Grief Gamers

  In Demon’s Souls players were able to invade each others game as a Black Phantom, to hunt down the other player and try to kill them. In spiritual sequel Dark Souls, the developers have a more ingenious way to harass others. The Pyromancer has the ability to summon a Gravelord, setting it free upon another…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 7, 2011
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  The Breath of God in the Service of Man

  I’ve played as army men, bounty hunters, spies and killers. I’ve built towering office buildings as a city planner. Raised beasts as a super being. Strategized as a world-conquering general. But I’ve never been the breath of god. With one inhalation I draw from the sandy islands of an achingly beautiful archipelago, with another I…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 7, 2011
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  Dishonored Is Bethesda’s New First-Person Action Game

  Developed by Arkane Studios and slated for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in 2012, Dishonored is a first-person action game, and that’s all we’ll know until the new issue of Game Informer comes out. Thanks, Bethesda.

  By Mike Fahey Published July 7, 2011
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  Why Won’t These Legend of Zelda Characters Talk To Us?

  Today’s Speak Up on Kotaku actually involves speaking up, as commenter Tengen Toppa Duck Face laments over the lack of voice acting in the latest Zelda game. To be totally honest, I’m really disappointed that (The Legend of Zelda) Skyward Sword doesn’t feature any voice acting. In my opinion, Skyward Sword will be the best…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 7, 2011
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  The End of the World is the Beginning of Rage

  The latest developer documentary for id Software’s Rage demonstrates just how similar the story of this game is to a Fallout title. The world is ending. You’re packed inside an underground vault to ride out the apocalypse, only to awaken as the sole survival of your particular ark. You wander the wastelands, fighting mutants and…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 7, 2011
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  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  It’s Thursday, and if you’re anything like me you’re suffering from a sudden irrepressible urge to talk about video games with your community. This is perfectly normal. We even have a post just for sudden onsets of such conditions. It’s called Talk Amongst Yourselves, and you’re already here. Please, converse! Also, a great big Internet…

  By Joshua Rivera Published July 7, 2011
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  10 Tips for Achieving CivWorld Greatness, From the People Behind the Game

  The people who make Civilization have given the world CivWorld, a free Facebook version of their legendary strategy series. The game is complex and kind of tough! Today, the makers of CivWorld are giving us tips. (Thank you!) We asked for them. We needed help. So, courtesy of the people at Civ studio Firaxis and…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 7, 2011
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  Spirit for iPhone & Android Looks Like Geometry Wars, But Plays More Peacefully

  Marco Mazzoli’s Spirit, a frenetic arcade style app for the iPhone, iPad and Android platforms, may remind you visually of the addictive 2D shooter Geometry Wars at first glance, thanks to its neon fireworks and simple graphics. It’s not a clone, but something akin to a touchscreen adaptation, perhaps, a game inspired by Bizarre Creations’…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 7, 2011
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  Yep, That’s a Purple Shirt

  Howie | SUN VALLEY, IDAHO: Sony boss Howard Stringer arrives at Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. (Photo: Scott Olson | Getty) When Disney Collaborates with… an Erotic Game Artist Fans make sexy drawings of various characters. From Peter Pan‘s Tinkerbell to Beauty and the Beast‘s Belle, they’ve done this for years. The Undying Video…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2011
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  This Is the Game One Mexican State and One U.S. City Want Banned

  Call of Juarez: The Cartel has been quietly slinking toward its July 19 release date, apparently gone to ground after weathering a storm of controversy over its modern-day setting and drug-cartel plot. Here’s our first deep look at the game since its appearance at E3. Middling graphics aside, the seven minutes of play show a…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 7, 2011
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  China Launches “Virtual Property” Insurance

  Live in China? Own property? Virtual property? Sunshine Insurance Group Corporation might have you covered. Working with online game operator Gamebar, the insurance company is issuing virtual property insurance to protect players from theft or loss of “virtual property” such as “land” or “currency”, reported China Daily According to Sunshine, the insurance will also protect…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2011
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  Japan’s Best C. Viper Player Ready to Kick Ass at Evo 2011

  Japanese model Kayo Satoh revealed that she’ll be competing at this year’s Evo fighting game championship. Very cool, considering that Satoh isn’t only a talented player, but also a celebrity in Japan, regularly appearing on prime time television. Might mean more international exposure for Evo! [Kotaku Japan]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2011
• Culture

  The Undying Video Game Art of Toshiaki Takayama

  Depending on your gaming tastes, you may not have seen much of the work of Toshiaki Takayama. Which is a shame, because his work is incredible. Takayama’s work in the video game field (he’s contributed to anime, trading card games and books as well) has turned up in Japanese arcade titles like Lord of Vermilion,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 7, 2011
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  Sure, Let’s Watch Twelve Minutes of Deus Ex Footage

  We’ve been talking a bit recently about all the leaks and legal matters surrounding Deus Ex. It’s enough to get you down! So let’s change the pace this morning and watch twelve minutes of gameplay footage. Note this is “proper” gameplay footage. Not a compilation of prostitutes being punched in the face

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 7, 2011
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  Let’s See What You’ve Got American Cosplayers!

  You’re dead wrong if you think the West can’t cosplay. It so can. And at the recent Anime Expo in Los Angeles, America did just that: cosplay. There are some very inventive outfits here. Love the Ice Climber cosplay, love it. More pics at Kotaku Japan and in the link below. 本格派から謎の物体まで！　会場で見かけたコスプレイヤーさんたち [週アスPLUS]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2011