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  It’s Never too Early for March Badness

  I was actually getting somewhat sweet on Gus Johnson, who even sounds restrained in this trailer – until he rips off Wally Ausley’s iconic call of the 1983 Final, which gave March Madness the meaning by which it is known today. By the way, Gus. “Survive and advance”? That also was coined by Jim Valvano…

  By Owen Good Published October 2, 2009
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  Stardock Boss Hauls off on Games for Windows Live

  A recent apparent full-throated defense of Glenn Beck hasn’t left Stardock CEO Brad Wardell with a shortage of vehemence. He lashed out at Games for Windows Live, its certification process and the payments it requires to keep games patched and running. In an interview with Shacknews, Wardell was asked if he knew why Microsoft wasn’t…

  By Owen Good Published October 2, 2009
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  Custom Figures Have Lotsa Gut(s)

  Homebrew action figure designer Donald “KodyKoala” Kennedy is working on a theme here – guts. As in Guts-Dozer, of Mega Man 2. And as in King Hippo’s dunlop spare tire. On his Flickr stream, KodyKoala describes his Guts-Dozer as kit-bashed from the parts of a “Mech Hulk Top” and a “GI Joe vehicle that I…

  By Owen Good Published October 2, 2009
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  Konami “Aggressively” Looking At Adding Motion Control To PS3, 360 Games

  Add Konami to the list of developers getting on board with Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s unnamed(?) motion controller, at least for the Pro Evo soccer simulation series. According to a report from IGN, series lead Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka has said that the Pro Evo team is “looking at integrating those devices into our games…

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Gearbox Learns the Hazards — and Benefits — of Freelancing Your Own Preorder Bonuses

  Not only does Mike Neumann have a lot of loot to drop, he has a lot of loot to collect between now and Oct. 20, if Gearbox’s creative director intends to fulfill the promise he made on “Official Borderlands Preorder Day.” And he does. But it’ll be a haul getting there. This past Sunday, Neumann…

  By Owen Good Published October 2, 2009
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  Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator Hits PCs Soon

  BioWare will be releasing the Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator on October 13, letting PC gamers get over the game’s biggest hurdle, selecting just how muscle bound or minimally clothed you want your characters to be. According to the official Dragon Age web site, the tool will let potential players “experiment with the different classes,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Awesome Daring Escape Platformer Canabalt Comes To iPhone

  Previously featured Hot Flashes candidate Canabalt can now be played on the go, thanks to the newly launched iPhone/iPod Touch version. It’s brilliant one-finger fun. It’ll cost you $2.99 more than the free version, but you can afford it. [iTunes]

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Sims 3 World Adventures: Chopsticks, Mummies & the French – Oh My!

  My addiction to the Sims series gives me a lot of tolerance for endless expansions and stuff packs that add new dimensions and new furniture to gameplay. However, I do have high standards. The Sims: Superstar was a revelation in college that nearly cost me my grade point average. Ever since, I’ve been consuming Sims…

  By AJ Glasser Published October 2, 2009
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  Friday

  To: Ash From: Crecente Re: Look What Books I Got For Free! Man, I don’t think I’ve relished the coming of a Friday this much since back when I was a night cop reporter. I am drained, it’s been a long three weeks without any sort of break. And I shouldn’t be the only one…

  By Brian Crecente Published October 2, 2009
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  Hear Final Fantasy XIII’s English Voice Acting In New Old Trailer

  How many times have you seen this Final Fantasy XIII trailer? This could easily be your third, but the addition of English language voice acting and lip syncing make it worth watching again. For giggles, you can listen to it alongside the subtitled version, just to see the difference between the properly scripted and the…

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  ESRB Descriptions Get Weird With Left 4 Dead 2, Kamen Rider Ratings

  The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is home to invaluable information—and not just when they leak game details early. The ESRB’s typically sterile content descriptions are enormously entertaining, as proven by entries for Brutal Legend, Bayonetta and Scribblenauts. But the ESRB may have a new, non-sterile policy for game rating summaries. That, or Left 4 Dead…

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Sonic Vs. Pac-Man Is Incredibly Unfair

  From the creator of Contra Vs. Duck Hunt comes another incredibly mismatched mash up—Sonic the Hedgehog versus Pac-man. Well, Sonic versus Pac-man nemeses Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde. Dane, creator of these two mash ups, we humbly request that you keep ’em coming. There’s something satisfying about watching these types of crushing defeats.

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Notebook Dump: My Favorite Thing In Tokyo, Secrets Of Hollywood, And More

  There comes a time in the week to reflect on what got into my reporter’s notebook but didn’t turn into Kotaku blog posts. Shall we? I have written all but one of the Tokyo Game Show posts I still needed to get to this week. I’ve had little time to report on much else. So,…

  By Stephen Totilo Published October 2, 2009
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  Crazy Man Wanted God Of War III To Be An FPS

  God of War III art director Ken Feldman says he lobbied the PlayStation 3 game’s director, Stig Asmussen, to consider switching the third-person hack and slash action game to be a first person shooter. Oh, Ken! In an featured interview with CGSociety, Feldman says that he attempted to convince Asmussen that “Kratos could have some…

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Don’t Panic, It’s Just A Metal Gear Event

  As seen at the press check-in area at a Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker event in Tokyo.

  By Stephen Totilo Published October 2, 2009
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  Level 5: More People Need To Ask For A Dark Cloud Sequel

  While talking to Level 5 about the studio’s next big role-playing game for the U.S., White Knight Chronicles, I inquired about the status of an old favorite, the Dark Cloud RPG series. “At this moment we don’t have a specific plan for a sequel in the Dark Cloud series,” Level 5’s Yoshiaki Kusuda told me…

  By Stephen Totilo Published October 2, 2009
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  Tim Schafer To Make Legendary Late Night TV Appearance

  Heavy metal adventure Brutal Legend will make a repeat appearance on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, as Double Fine big boss and game developer Tim Schafer will be a guest on tonight’s show. Nice little upgrade from basic cable! We don’t know much about the content of the appearance, other than our expectations: lots…

  By Michael McWhertor Published October 2, 2009
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  Now This Is A Super Street Fighter IV Announcement Trailer

  Forget that other trailer – the one with only Ken and Ryu? The official announcement trailer for Capcom’s Super Street Fighter IV has all the Dee Jay, T. Hawk, and Juri you could ever want. Actually it might have too much Juri in. Dee Jay and T. Hawk are impressive, if you like that sort…

  By Mike Fahey Published October 2, 2009
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  Should A Game Demo Work In A Pirate-Themed Nightclub?

  If something goes wrong when you, a video game producer, try to show a trio of Kotaku writers a DS game, should you blamed the pirate-themed nightclub you’re standing in? Or should you blame a questionable staple of game design? These questions popped into my head last week in Tokyo. Koichi Yamaguchi was the game…

  By Stephen Totilo Published October 2, 2009
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  The Next Modern Warfare Trailer Will Be Televised

  Activision is kicking off a multi-million dollar advertising campaign for Modern Warfare 2 with a new trailer, airing during this week’s installment of NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Interrupting a football game between the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers is enough reason to cause some sports fans to want to shoot someone, so slipping the…

  By Mike Fahey Published October 2, 2009