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  Report: 2 Million Dragon Quest IX Pre-Orders

  Dragon Quest IX won’t go on sale until July 11, but it already looks poised to be a huge hit in its native Japan. According to the Nikkei Marketing Journal, various retailers are apparently reporting brisk pre-orders for the game — to the tune of 2 million total pre-orders. According to Media Create, however, DQIX…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2009
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  GameStop’s “Huge Sale” Does Indeed Seem Huge

  As you know, GameStop have kicked off a big, big summer sale, with $100 Guitar Hero World Tour band kits just the start. Those looking for smaller boxes can also find a ton of great games, all for under $20. GameStop are advertising that there will be “thousands” of games for sale under $20, and…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2009
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  The 46-Foot Tall Paper Gundam Float

  We’ve all seen the giant Gundam statue erected in Odaiba. It’s impressive! We’re impressed. Know what else is impressive? This paper Gundam float at the Tachi Neputa Festival. It’s nearly 46-feet tall and illuminated. To put things in perspective the 1/1 scale Gundam statue is 59-feet tall. See? Impressive! YouTuber RoninDave provides a nice introduction…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2009
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  Trials HD Looks Beautiful, Painful

  Regrettably, I did not get to play RedLynx’s XBLA game Trials HD at E3 2009. But some of my close, E3-attending friends did, gushing about how addictive and exciting it was. They didn’t tell me how painful it looked. This Trials HD “Emotion” trailer helps to illustrate why I never ride my motorcycle near bombs,…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  Uh, Battlefield 1943, We Have A Problem

  The good news: Battlefield 1943 is out, giving console owners a chance to blow each other up under blue skies and palm trees. The bad news: for a ton of people, it’s just not working. We’ve been hearing all day from readers who bought the game, fired it up, and couldn’t play it. At all.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 8, 2009
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  New Tornado Outbreak Screens Touch Down

  Konami and Loose Cannon Studios’ Tornado Outbreak lands this September, causing destruction on the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. You might recall the game from its previous title, Zephyr: Rise of the Elementals. Or maybe you don’t. Regardless, the game obviously features terrible weather, which you’ll control, causing destruction amidst “humor filled missions and…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  Media Molecule Envisions LittleBigPlanet Backwards Compatibility For Possible Sequel

  Should there ever be a LittleBigPlanet 2—and Media Molecule‘s Alex Evans isn’t saying, officially, that there is—don’t fret that those 2 million-plus levels created in the first will be immediately rendered useless. Evans, co-founder of the LittleBigPlanet developer, tells GamesIndustry.biz that, should Sony and Media Molecule issue a sequel to the DIY platformer, it could…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  Uncharted 2 Gets Frosty On This Week’s GameTrailers TV

  Naughty Dog‘s upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be the focus of this week’s GameTrailers TV, offering up new footage, new levels and a look inside the developer’s studio. What are we going to see? According to host Geoff Keighley, plan on witnessing three minutes of Uncharted 2 cinematics and one new…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  The Number Nine

  To: Bash From: Crecente Re: This is… Trish has now officially sold nine copies of her novel, Riding For a Fall, on Amazon’s Kindle. I told her that that makes her a novelist. She disagrees. So I asked her how much she needs to make before I can call her one. Apparently the magic number…

  By Brian Crecente Published July 8, 2009
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  A Third Mortal Kombat Movie May Actually Be Happening

  The third theater-bound Mortal Kombat flick may genuinely be underway, with filming unofficially planned to begin as early as this September, according to one of the film’s stars. Chris Casamassa, karate instructor and part-time on-screen Scorpion, tells the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that he’ll be reprising his role as the undead ninja in a third…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  This Week In Video Game Comics

  Here’s a rundown of the new video game-based comics going on sale in comics shops in the U.S. this week, including a Street Fighter showdown with Final Fight. (Oh, and President Evil is out this week too.) Click the thumbnails for more details. Sonic The Hedgehog #202… Written by Ian Flynn; Art by Steven Butler…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 8, 2009
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  Activision Moves Singularity Out Of Modern Warfare 2’s Way

  Raven Software‘s snazzy looking time-shifting first-person shooter Singularity won’t be arriving this Fall, as previously planned by publisher Activision. Why? Because Modern Warfare 2 is also coming out this Fall and Singularity would only get lost in the din. Activision has today opened a time portal for Singularity, moving it to Q1 2010, well out…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
• Reviews

  Doom Resurrection Micro-Review: What In The Sam Hell

  id Software and Escalation Studios have compacted the essence of Doom 3 into an iPhone app with Doom Resurrection, an on-rails first-person shooter that teleports the player from Mars to Hell and back. id’s Doom 3 side story puts players in the role of a Marine, aided by a flying ‘bot named Sam, as he…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  Wii Remote In Raised Fist: Possibly The Image Of Our Generation

  Three times is homage, rip-off, a trend or simply a sign that this is the signature visual of the gaming era during which we live. Edge Magazine cover from 2005 back when the Wii was still called the Revolution (Via Edge cover gallery on Flickr) Nintendo Power cover from 2006 Cover to forthcoming book, A…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 8, 2009
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  Dead To Rights: Retribution Waives Rights To 2009 Release

  Namco Bandai‘s extra-violent third-person shooter Dead To Rights: Retribution may not be releasing this year after all. The Volatile Games-developed Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game may be slipping into 2010, according to multiple sources. Retribution was definitely pushed back until next year in Europe, according to word from the newly minted Namco Bandai Partners’…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  Funcom Wants You Back In Age Of Conan

  It’s been a year of big changes for Age of Conan, and developer Funcom thinks it’s time that everyone who fled the game comes back and see how the renovations have gone. Age of Conan launched to a massive response last year, only to quickly begin hemorrhaging players due to a lack of promised features…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 8, 2009
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  That Transformers Achievement Works Differently Than Presumed

  Yesterday, I reported the curiosity that is the Good Mojo Achievement in Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen. I extrapolated all sorts of dark things about the game’s sales and Live performance. Activision has explained what I was missing. Never assume, people say, right? Revenge of the Fallen’s Good Mojo Achievement, according to its official description,…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 8, 2009
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  Master Photoshop The Legend of Zelda Way

  Despite more than a decade of futzing about with Adobe Photoshop, my digital painting skills are considerably amateur. Creating something like David Cousens’ The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask piece above is beyond my skills… or is it?! The answer is still “Yes, it is,” but Cousens fantastic Photoshop tutorial, in which he walks us…

  By Michael McWhertor Published July 8, 2009
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  Superman’s First Look At His NBA Live Cover

  See Orlando Magic center Dwight “Superman” Howard’s eyes light up like a kid at Christmas as he sees his NBA Live 10 cover for the very first time on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. His ‘obligatory honor statement’ in the official announcement of his scoring the cover to EA Sports‘ NBA Live 10 was certainly…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 8, 2009
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  Shadow Complex Impressions: Metroidvania Made Unreal

  There is something winning about the game developer who can’t hold back when he meets with Kotaku’s man in New York. We’re talking about a game developer who always dreamed of making a game like Super Metroid and is putting one out this summer. He’s a developer so relaxed about showing his game that he’s…

  By Stephen Totilo Published July 8, 2009