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  Bungie Relaxes Halo 3 Push To Talk Restrictions

  And here I thought no one was listening. In Bungie’s latest weekly update Urk reveals that the push to talk feature in Halo 3 is getting a bit less restrictive. Since the game was launched, any player on a team larger than four had to press the d-pad in order to talk during a match.…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2009
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  Weekly Wii Update: Kirby And Crab Battles

  It’s a brand new year for Nintendo Wii downloadables, and while this week sees only a game a piece released for the Virtual Console and WiiWare, there’s enough Kirby and crab battles for 20 titles. Yes, I said Crab Battles. Today Konami releases Sandy Beach for WiiWare (500 Wii Points), a title that lets you…

  By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2009
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  Teen Sucks At Gaming, Torches Warehouse

  A high school student frustrated over a recent gaming session at an internet cafe in South Korea set light to a warehouse Saturday evening. The 15-year-old told police that he torched the warehouse, located at the top of a four-story building, because “his computer games did not go well.” The fire did an estimated four…

  By Brian Crecente Published January 5, 2009
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  Has 2009 Hit You Yet?

  To: Crecente From: Bashcraft Don’t know about you, but it takes me a good month to get used to the year change. Pretty much all of January, I’m still in “2008” mode. Never really hits me until early February. I mean, 2009? That’s close to 2010 — twenty ten. No more of this “two thousand…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  Valkyria Chronicles Wants YOU

  Valkyria Chronicles hasn’t done so well. Shame, it’s a gorgeous game. Can’t help but wonder what’d be like if Sega had managed to actually draw our attention to marketing like this before 2009 ticked over. Lovely, yes? No way we could refuse such a tempting offer. [Sega @ Flickr]

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  PC Sales Charts

  Holiday’s over, PC sales charts. You had a grand couple weeks off, now get back to work. We need to be shown how Blizzard are able to afford to sprinkle gold dust on the canteen doughnuts. NPD Sales Charts December 14-20 [via Shacknews] 1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King 2. Spore 3.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Hideo Kojima Thinks “Way We Make Games Won’t Translate Globally”

  It’s foreign game panic day! Like Jun Takeuchi, Hideo Kojima is worried about Western games and Western developers. He tells Japanese magazine Famitsu what he’s going to do about it. Kojima mentions that he plans to “start from zero” this year in hopes of competing globally. The game creator says that his company Kojima Productions…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  360 Finally Gets Mouse & Keyboard Support

  This 360 has mouse & keyboard support! Yay! Except, sadly, it’s not official support. Just the work of a modder. But hey, if he can do it, maybe you can do it too. And if you can’t, you can always buy it from him. XIM, the creator of the workaround, is selling the fix –…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Last Year, Japanese Game Market Experienced Shrinkage

  According to Famitsu‘s publisher Enterbrain, the Japanese game market is, like a frightened turtle, getting smaller compared to last year. But what was the biggest selling game hardware? Games? The data for 2007 reflects the period from January 1, 2007 to December 3, 2007. The data for 2008 reflects the period from December 31, 2007…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  Sony To Close “Major Divisions” Next Month

  Times are tough all over right now, but times are especially tough at Sony. They’ve only just announced plans to axe thousands of employees, and already The Times reckon things are about to get worse. While Sony are all “no we’re not” on the speculation/leak, The Times insist that next month (following the Consumer Electronics…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Massive Gundam Pod Arcade Game Getting PSP Version

  Japanese arcade title Gundam Senjou no Kizuna is rumored to be getting a PSP version. Interesting (odd, even) as the original has pod-shaped networked arcade cabinets with panoramic screens. Nothing’s been confirmed by Namco Bandai or the arcade game’s site, this PSP reboot is apparently slated for next March. If this is true, this does…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  New Dragon Quest IX Screens

  Dragon Quest IX is coming. Japan shall quake upon its release. While we wait out these last few months before it’s out, then, let’s take a look at about a gazillion new screenshots! Oh, and some new details as well. The game’s main character starts off as an angel. And that tanned girl? She’s tanned…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Resident Evil 5 Producer: “Japan Is Target Of Western Developers”

  Watch out, Japan! Western game developers are out to getcha. This concerns Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi a bunch. But should it? Takeuchi confesses to Japanese magazine Famitsu: “I’m worried about the movements of Western developers. Japan is now their target — it’s the last big marketplace. The truth is that Western studios are…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  Where Bad Games Go To Die (RIP Tabula Rasa)

  Upon their death, great men are afforded a sending off befitting of their stature. Pity Tabular Rasa, then, as EB Games in Canada seems more content to roll its lifeless corpse into the nearest ditch. Reader Shane sends these pics of a dumpster behind his local outlet. Those aren’t display copies. They’re sealed, retail ones.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Square Enix President Sends New Years Greeting In Poetic Prose (No, Really)

  Doom! Gloom!! Bittersweet optimism!!! Square Enix president Yoichi Wada rallies the troops with a New Years message titled “Riding The Current.” It’s corporate poetry. Riding the Current Season’s Greetings to everyone and a Happy New Year. This year has begun with a torrent of economic difficulty. A continuous cycle of recession will accelerate the process…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  These Were The Most-Played Games Over Xbox Live In 2008

  Don’t you go thinking just because it’s January we’re done with the “best of 2008” lists. Because we are so not. Latest comes courtesy of Microsoft’s Larry Hryb, and charts the years top Xbox Live games. First, we have the twenty most popular full-price games. Note the two games whose demos made the cut, but…

  By Luke Plunkett Published January 5, 2009
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  Famitsu Editor-In-Chief Makes Lofty Dragon Quest IX Sales Estimate

  Famitsu Editor-in-Chief Hirokazu Hamamura has looked into his crystal ball and has opinions about how Dragon Quest IX will do in 2009. And it’ll do mega, he forecasts. According to Hamamura, “March [DQIX‘s launch month] will be bigger than the year-end sales war. Even side-stories (such as Dragon Quest Monsters) have sold a million copies,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  Japan’s Best And Worst Sellers By Platform

  The best of the best! The best of the worst! Here’s a look at the sales tallies for the biggest sellers (and not sellers) in Japan broken down by platform. Oh, the suspense. Eds Note: This sales data appears crunched from Enterbrain and Famitsu source data. We’ve marked this story as a “rumor” since the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published January 5, 2009
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  Gamestop Not Accepting Xboxes Feb. 9

  We got tipped by an anonymous Gamestop employee that the chain won’t accept original Xbox games, consoles and accessories as of Feb. 9. Looks like this is officially it for the console. Says our tipster: “The Marketing kit for this coming Sunday has a sign that says Gamestop will no longer be accepting Xbox games,…

  By Owen Good Published January 4, 2009
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  The Hunt Begins

  To: Luke From: Owen Re: Rain Delay Well the search for full-time work will be officially under way this week, now that we’re past the holidays and into the first quarter of the new year. Pretty much everyone I asked said no one would be looking to make moves until after January. So that justified…

  By Owen Good Published January 4, 2009