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  A Closer Look At Final Fantasy XIII Unpacking

  Kotaku columnist Tim Rogers gave us a fetishistic video look at just how long it can take to open Final Fantasy XIII — here is a slow, static look at the unboxing of the FFXIII box. Entirely shaky cam free. FINAL FANTASY XIII 本日発売、どんな感じなのか早速買ってきて開封してみた [GIGAZINE]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2009
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  Japan Comes Out For Final Fantasy XIII In Droves

  Once again proving that lining up for video games is a national pastime, Japan came out cued up for Final Fantasy XIII. There have been longer lines for game launches in Japan; however, these lines were especially impressive considering that FFXIII went on sale mid-week. The “main” countdown launch was at retailer TSUTAYA in Shibuya…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2009
• Reviews

  Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Review: Daddy Issues

  It is the tenth anniversary of Konami’s Silent Hill series, a franchise that has focused more on the psychological side of horror than its peers. The latest, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, delves further into the psyche than ever before. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories tells a very different version of the first Silent Hill game, chronicling…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 17, 2009
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  Splinter Cell Conviction Goes All Riggs & Murtaugh

  There are two kinds of co-op. The kind where you play through the whole game together, and the kind where you play custom missions together. Splinter Cell: Conviction is one of the latter, and this is how it works. New Footage of Splinter Cell: Conviction Co-Op Emerges [1UP]

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  TF2 Update Brings New Weapons, Achievements

  Team Fortress 2’s “War” update draws near it’s conclusion with a bang today, both the Demoman and Soldier getting new items, new weapons and new achievements. As expected, the Soldier gets a pickaxe (which deals more damage the less health you have) and a banner, which can inspire his fellow troops. The Demoman, meanwhile, gets…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Stocking Stuffers: Despairing Video Game Poetry

  Regular listeners of British podcast OneLifeLeft will be intimately familiar with the work of Craig “The Rage” McLelland. Since most of you don’t listen, though, I feel compelled to point out his new book of poetry. Video game poetry. His poetry is bleak, but not bleak in a way that makes you feel empty. Bleak…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Home Produces Sodium

  PlayStation Home is moving its social network toward the gaming space by releasing a real, honest-to-god video game through Home. Meet Sodium, “an arcade shooter in an MMO wrapper.” The game launches today, featuring a new game space accessible through a teleporter in the Plaza. If any of you regular Home users were wondering what…

  By AJ Glasser Published December 17, 2009
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  Final Fantasy XIV Is Going To Take On WoW

  Over the years, many games have tried to take on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft directly. Try and stand toe-to-toe with the MMO giant. And all of them have failed. That’s not going to stop Square Enix boss Yoichi “Imperial Hot” Wada from taking a crack, though. Asked by Develop what he thought Final Fantasy XIV’s…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Microsoft: Hardcore Games “Sell Themselves”

  It’s been a constant criticism of both Xbox consoles: that Microsoft can only sell shooters to the hardcore gaming market. So what does it say about Microsoft’s marketing power when the company admits those games “sell themselves”? In an interview with GI.biz, Microsoft’s David Dennis has said that marketing games towards a casual audience –…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Korea Also Gets That Custom FFXIII PlayStation 3 Console

  The delicate cherry blossom of the hardware world, the “Lightning Edition” of the PlayStation 3, is out today in Japan. Know where else it’s being released? Korea. It’ll be the exact same deal as the Japanese edition – custom console, controller, copy of Final Fantasy XIII – only, for Koreans. It’ll be out on January…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Get The Gran Turismo 5 Demo A Little Early

  While, at time of writing, the Gran Turismo 5 demo is unavailable in the US or PAL territories, it is currently available from the Japanese PlayStation Store. And is 100% “import” friendly. If you’ve figured out how to create a Japanese account (here’s a guide if you haven’t), you can get the demo right now,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Square Enix Ship Nearly Two Million Copies Of FFXIII

  On Tuesday, Square Enix were expecting to ship around one million copies of Final Fantasy XIII to retailers in Japan, ready for the game’s launch. Today, on launch day, the actual number is higher. Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada, His Imperial Hotness, has issued a release today stating that number of units shipped was actually…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 17, 2009
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  Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Trailer Blows Up The Panama Canal

  Publishers, marketing teams, know this: showing us cinematics where cool stuff happens is all well and good, but a trailer is much more exciting when it shows gameplay footage of cool stuff happening. Click to view

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 16, 2009
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  Let’s Play Final Fantasy XIII’s Battle Tutorial

  Today, you’ll be one of two people. One that is sick to the gills of Final Fantasy XIII, or one that cannot get enough. If you’re the latter, this is for you. Enjoy, as Mr. Tim Rogers – who has rested after his arduous start to the day – takes you on a guided tour…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 16, 2009
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  TF2’s Propaganda Contest Winners Will Delight & Amaze

  Well, this is a surprise. Those entrants in Team Fortress 2’s propaganda competition we posted the other day? While good, they’ve got nothing on the eventual winners, which aren’t just good. They’re so much better than good. Valve have picked the three winners from a field of over 11,000 entries, each of which will receive…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 16, 2009
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  The Medal of Honor Trailer Requires Its Own FAQ

  The debut trailer for Medal of Honor at the Video Game Awards was entertaining, but as these things are designed, it raised more questions than it answered. Medal of Honor‘s executive producer is happy to clear up a few. For starters, what you saw was 100 percent in-game footage, says Greg Goodrich. Some of that…

  By Owen Good Published December 16, 2009
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  Final Fantasy VIII Coming To The PlayStation Store

  It’s Final Fantasy day here today, the latest piece of news concerning Square Enix‘s flagship franchise coming in the form of a PlayStation Store re-release. In an email sent out to PlayStation email subscribers, Sony announce in the “coming soon” section that Final Fantasy VIII will be turning up on the PlayStation Store. I’m interested…

  By Luke Plunkett Published December 16, 2009
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  Video Game Artists Come Together for a Cause

  More than 200 artists, many from the games industry, have rallied to support one of their own – the girlfriend of a Mythic Entertainment artist who has faced down breast cancer and is looking at a long, expensive recovery. The woman, Cat, is the 25-year-old girlfriend of Mythic’s Mike “Daarken” Lim, who has along with…

  By Owen Good Published December 16, 2009
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  Modern Warfare 2 Fixes “In Test” For These Problems

  With a few million people playing and actively trying to exploit your game, some issue are going to crop up. And Modern Warfare 2 has had some issues. But Infinity Ward is tackling them, including that recent infinite ammo thing. IW’s Robert Bowling updated the Modern Warfare 2 masses on the developer’s current plans to…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 16, 2009
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  Dungeons & Dragons For Microsoft Surface Has Come A Long Way

  The guys who are bringing Dungeons & Dragons (unofficially) to Microsoft’s tabletop Surface system have been plugging away at their creation, giving us an extended, in-depth look at how one DMs the world’s most expensive, most technically impressive campaigns. The SurfaceScapes team at the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University gives us a very…

  By Michael McWhertor Published December 16, 2009