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AFAS: Arcade Flyer Art Saturday: Buck Rogers Planet of Zoom
Sega produced Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom for arcades in 1982. This was a perfect example of using a well known character to try and sell an otherwise boring game. The only thing branded "Buck Rogers" was the cabinet itself while the game had next to nothing to do with the hero's story besides the fact that it was set in outer space. It was controlled with an eight way joystick and two buttons with the cabinet coming in a stand up version as well as an enclosed sit down style. The gameplay was pretty generic and rather dull with the player piloting a space ship from a "behind the ship" perspective, avoiding obstacles and shooting down enemy ships. The ship's speed could be controlled by using the two buttons and the steering of the ship and shooting done via the joystick. Levels had you speeding through tunnels and cityscapes to reach your goal, and according to the inside of the flyer, the game even had some sort of cobbled together "plot."In the 25th Century, buck Rogers is...

Rip: Colin McRae Dies In Helicopter Crash
A bit of sad news today. Colin McRae, the British rally car driver who lent his name to a series of racing games by Codemasters, died yesterday in a helicopter crash near his home in Lanark, Scotland yesterday afternoon. McCrea was Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995 and has been confirmed by his manager to have been piloting the Squirrel helicopter that was carrying him and three other passengers. It is believed that one of the passengers was McCrea's five year old son, Johnny who is also feared dead although this has not been confirmed as of yet. The identity of the other passengers is still unknown due to extensive fire damage.Our hearts go out to Colin's wife, daughter and the rest of his family and friends.Rally champion Colin McRae dies with son in helicopter crash [Times Online][Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Skin Art: The Mega Man Tattoo
Kotakuite Aronn sent in this picture of his brand spankin' new Mega Man tattoo that his sister got him for his birthday. I have to say I am really impressed with the precision with which this was rendered. It is pixel perfect and looks quite sharp. You don't see a lot of really well done 8-bit tattoos and this one definitely makes the grade. Congratulations Aronn, you've got a keeper! Not that you'd have much choice...

Resistance: Fall Of Man: Bogost On the 'Reverence' of Resistance: Fall of Man
The flap over the portrayal of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man has long since settled, but Ian Bogost has an interesting take on the significance of including such a structure within a video game in his Gamasutra column. The depiction of the cathedral shows off the PS3's capabilities, but the inclusion of such an important landmark is not simply a standard of the apocalypse genre or something that serves to cement the time and place of the setting, but an homage - not a desecration - of a site:Manchester Cathedral was ransacked during the English Civil War in 1649, half-destroyed by German bombs in 1940, and bombed by the Irish Republican Army in 1996. It survived all these attacks. Its patrons rebuilt it.And it stands still today. Resistance adds a fictional homage to the church's resolve, this time in an alternate history fraught by an enemy that neither understands nor cares for human practices like religion. And it survives this as well. The Church of...

Bet'cha Didn't Know: Twenty Five Things About Fallout 3
Bethesda Software's Fallout 3 community forums is currently hosting a list of twenty five questions culled from the community's members and then answered by executive producer Todd Howard. Questions are broken up into groups according to subject matter and cover a range of topics including combat, NPCs, AI. mature content , quests and dialog. It's a nice, hefty sized Q&A and sure to make great weekend reading for all of you out there anxious to get more info on Fallout 3. And don't worry, Howard is still pretty cagey on some subjects so you can still remain blissfully spoiler free (with the possible exception of the semi BioShock spoiler which is clearly marked towards the end of the bonus questions).Community FAQ - 20 questions [Bethesda][Thanks, Patrick]

Gadgets: Get Your Tenori-on On
There's been some buzz about the Tenori-on, the musical instrument-toy-game-Lite-Brite thing designed by Toshio Iwai (the guy behind Electroplankton) - it's been released in the UK and can be yours for a mere 599 (about $1200). It's obviously reminiscent of Electroplankton, and I'm also reminded of Lumines. Alas, I'm but a poor grad student, and even an exceedingly cool, shiny, and musical Lite-Brite isn't in the budget. Here's Iwai demoing his creation at the UK launch on 4 September. [via Music Thing]

Blood Orgy: Hot Flashes: Viva Caligula!
The twisted folks at Adult Swim who have brought us such Flash game awesomeness as Orphan Feast and Five Minutes to Kill Yourself, comes a twisted romp through ancient Rome in the form of Viva Caligula! take on the persona of the infamous Emperor Caligula and slaughter your way through Roman citizens, guards, skeletons and prostitutes with up to 26 collectible weapons. As an added bonus, scream into your microphone to increase your "rage factor." Collect all the weapons for special entrance into the orgy! Not to be confused with Viva Pinata.Viva Caligula! [Adult Swim]

Only In China: Get Your Ninetudo DS Accessories
Two summers ago, a friend of mine went to mainland China for a vacation - unluckily for her, she forgot her DS charger in Taipei. Fearing she'd have to go a day without checking in on her Animal Crossing village, she didn't realize that the wonderful world of Chinese bootlegs would be coming to her rescue: the Ninetudo DS power adapter! Those jokes about the Sonya PS3 didn't seem so far-fetched. Wonderland posted this photograph of the actual article (from a Flickr photostream by Crys) - so if anyone's stranded in China with no DS charger, fear not: it's Ninetudo to the rescue.

Halo 3: When Hype Gets Out of Hand
Halo 3 is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated games of this year for many people. It is also true that the Halo 3 hype machine has been working overtime, injecting a bit of Halo into everything from beverages to cars. While this kind of marketing works on a lot levels, I can't help but think that in some ways it might be a detriment to the title. Not only does it make it difficult for the game to live up to everyone's expectations, it also leaves other people (some of whom might be fans) wishing they just didn't have to hear about it anymore. After reading Gamertag Radio forum poster Anjo Banjo's thoughts on the subject, I realized that other people felt the same way. Knowing full well that she would probably be lynched for her feelings on the subject, she posted an article about her experiences with the Halo 3 marketing campaign and how "next time an (retail) employee asks me about preordering halo 3, I might just end up in jail. Cause I am honestly sick of this."...

Museums: GameWorld Exhibition Gets An Expansion
The GameWorld exhibition, and on-going installation at Laboral in Gijon, Spain, has gotten an 'expansion pack' called Playware, which will add more "more experimental commercial games, individual-produced games and installations." I love the fact that games are moving into the hallowed halls of art museums, and it's cool to see not just the high-flown, deliberately arty games getting recognition:Multiplayer Digital Art Installations:Bump (Assocreation), Freqtric Project (Tetsuaki Baba), Iamascop (Sidney Fels), Jam-o-Drum CircleMaze (Clifton Forlines & Tina Blaine), Metafi eld Maze (Bill Keays), Perfect Time (h.o), PingPongPlus (HiroshiIshii & Members of the Tangible Media Group), Reactable (Sergi Jord & Grupo de Tecnologa Musical de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Small Fish (Masaki Fujihata, Wolfgang Mnch, Kiyoshi Furukawa), Tug of War (Ars Electronica FutureLab)Art Games:Armadillo Run (Peter Stock), Electroplankton (Toshio Iwai), flOw (thatgamecompany), Golf?...

Wakka Wakka: The Pac-Man iPod Case
If you're not satisfied with just having Ms. Pac-Man on your iPod, you can now have Mr. Pac-Man on the outside of your iPod. Club Namco is offering this classy leather case for your iPod featuring the the little yellow disc that started a craze. It features a plastic screen guard, a leather strap, a obuns belt clip and Pac-Man himself protecting your controller (don't worry, he can be unsnapped for easy access). Unfortunately, the listing for the item doesn't say which type of iPod this fits, but it is available for $29.99 plus shipping. Let those olde school gaming flags fly high!PAC-MAN Leather MP3 Player Case [Club Namco][via the bbps]

Virtual Worlds: 'Life After Warcraft' - the Academics Speak
Some academics get all the fun: five members of the Ivory Tower were interviewed by Gamasutra, and their topic was migration in virtual worlds. What's the MMO landscape going to look like in a few years? What about single player games? And why do people give up their level 80 Night Elf to go grind in another playground? Neils Clark digs in with some PhDs and PhD candidates to examine the shift:I started each interview out with a simple premise: that gamers were moving in tribes. World of Warcraft, in my mind, wasn't the 'king of the mountain' because it was the best world out there, whatever our criteria might be. It was prominent because the right people played it, giving it a kind of social gravitational mass. The social bonds, whether forged in or outside of a game, influenced when gamers would move, and for how long they would stay. Some of these interviews dug deeply into this idea, while others carved out their own intriguing territory.It's an interesting set of...

Try Before You Buy: Guitar Hero 3 "Playable Soundtrack"
Website Guitar Hero Soundtracks has put together a nice little compendium of sound files and videos that encompass the announced set list for Guitar Hero 3. This is a great tool for those of you who, like me, don't always recognize the title of a song or are (also like me) woefully ignorant of a lot of the newer rock songs. With a game like GH, the chosen song list can make or break sales and it's always good to know what you're getting before you buy. Personally, it wouldn't make a bit of difference to me what else is on the list, the inclusion of Heart's Barracuda is enough to get my precious gaming dollars.Playable Guitar Hero 3 Soundtrack [Guitar Hero Soundtracks][Thanks, the_sideburns]

China: Chinese Police Like Counter-Strike
The Chinese government may not want kids playing it for hours, but Counter-Strike is good enough for police to play - as anti-terrorism training games. Over 300 members of the Tianjin police force took over an internet cafe on Wednesday for a three-day competition (including a team of judges to ensure no one was 'cheating'), and took to heart the mantra of "Enhancing police forces through technology":After the competition was announced in March, Zhang [Bin, one of the competition organizers] said, police officers were enthusiastic. Now almost half the total Tianjin force are regular players."Of course, they play, or should I say train, after work," he added.Officers reported noticeable improvement in self-protection on field missions after the play, Han said, stressing the game was only "a supplement to their traditional means of training."Now all they need is an outpost in Second Life to recruit officers, and they'll be in business.Counter-Strike, China police's latest tool...

Trick Or Treat: Special Treats For Hellgate: London Pre-Orders
EA and Namco Bandai are offering some special Halloween treats for those intrepid gamers who pre-order a copy of the long awaited Hellgate: London, set to hit stores at the end of October. Everyone who orders early will receive this set of lovely parting gifts. A key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 7, 2007. One of four exclusive dye-kits that will give your hero's gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween. Eligibility to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription to Hellgate's premium service for $149.99.This offer is extended to purchasers of both the regular and collector's versions of the game. It should be noted that the "dye kit" will become available to players once the game goes live and will not work within the beta. The color themes will vary depending on which retailer you get your pre-order from. Full press...

Props: Kratos' Armor Makes Guest Appearance in Heavenly Sword
Comparisons between Heavenly Sword and God of War are inevitable considering the similar control scheme, but apparently the creators of HS haven't shied away from giving props (literally) to their obvious inspiration. PlayStation Underground forum poster KiNGoFClubs discovered this little homage to Kratos buried with in the game. During one of Kai's missions, Kratos' GOW2 armor and Blades of Chaos can be spotted hanging on a gate in a castle courtyard. You got to hand it to the designers, if you're going to take inspiration from another game, at least be cool enough to own up to it. You can check out more screen caps here on the PlayStation forums.[Thanks, Ray]

Clip: Jericho: Lt. Abigail Black
Codemasters is slowly releasing this series of trailers for their upcoming squad based occult FPS, Clive Barker's Jericho, that introduces each of the characters from your team. We've already met flame throwing Sgt. Frank Delgado, and now it's time to meet the lady of telekinetic destruction, Lt. Abigail Black. Not only can she blast debris out of her way with a wave of her hand, but she can take out multiple enemies with a single mind controlled bullet. Carrie White could take a few lessons from this gal.

Original: Kotaku Originals: From Halo 3 Tidbits to An Austin Adventure
It's Saturday morning and time to tune in to another fine episode of Kotaku Originals. Crecente heads to Seattle for some early Halo goings on, Fahey's Austin experience gets rounded up and poor Ash gets stuck with another 360 lemon.Halo Beverage MADNESS ContinuesNintendo Have "No Plans" To Release Silver DS Lite In AustraliaNintendo Begins "Hanabi Festival" For PAL Virtual ConsolesThe Heavenly Sword Letter OpenerThe Halo 3 HoodieHalo Diorama May Tour CountrySpider-Man: Friend or Foe Xbox Live DemoBashcraft's "Fixed" Xbox 360 Dies. Again.First Pics Of Simpsons, Spider-Man PSPsMicrosoft Tokyo Briefing RecapDrinking Free Joe In Ritzy Ginza With PSP2KJapanese Ladies and Matching ShirtsMicrosoft's Pre-TGS PresserMcFarlane Halo 3 FiguresIkaruga Announced For Xbox Live ArcadeRez HD Coming To Xbox Live ArcadeOn The GroundFree Gold Membership Is Japanese-lessTake-Two Loves BioShock Sales, Discuss Sequel PlansSony To Get Dressy?L.A. Noire Delayed To 2009Fahey's Big Austin AdventureMake...