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Sonic Races into LittleBigPlanet
by Kombo Staff | 11/21/09 | 1:10 PM PST

Finally, a Sonic side-scrolling game returns to consoles! Well, sort of. Sega and Media Molecule have teamed up to add Sonic and friends to the playable skins in LittleBigPlanet, revealed at the site for PlayStation Asia.

Now, you can dress up Sackboy as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Dr. Eggman, or the Were-hog. And maybe, if you squint ever so slightly, you can go back to an age where Sonic games used to be good.

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FFXIII Gets "T" Rating Long After Nintendo Tried Marketing Original to Adults
by Kombo Staff | 11/20/09 | 3:08 PM PST

Following the announcement of a release date, The Examiner reports that Final Fantasy XIII now has a rating by the ESRB. And that rating is... T for Teen. Like you thought it would be anything else.

The reason for the rating is Violence (natch), Mild Language (yippee), and Suggestive Themes-- hello. Examiner says that "While the rating shouldn't be a shock to anyone, the use of suggestive themes could be. With the game appearing to have a heavy atmosphere of love and caring, two women who link together to form a car, are surely some other sexual like surprises, the suggestive themes are likely to be minor sequences."

On a related note, did you know that Nintendo once tried to market the original NES Final Fantasy toward adults?

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GameStop's Black Friday Video Game Deals Revealed
by Kombo Staff | 11/20/09 | 12:33 PM PST

The dreaded date of Black Friday on November 27th, 2009 draws ever closer. And while Kmart's gamer deals did little to excite, perhaps GameStop's offerings will do a little more for you.

So if you decide to venture forth out into the November cold at 6am for the named-in-poor-taste "Doorbuster" deals that run until 11am, or just any of the other deals which run all week, here is what you can expect.

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The Re-Imagining of Mortal Kombat That Might Have Been
by Kombo Staff | 11/19/09 | 4:58 PM PST



Before departing Midway last year, artist Vincent Proce put together a proposal for a new Mortal Kombat game that was "a re imagining of the Mortal Kombat franchise from the original premise but mixing modern muti-player and dismemberment game design with the original fighting mechanic." As a part of that proposal, he redesigned four of the characters from the original roster.

Given that he's no longer with the company, the idea isn't going to happen and only stands as a vision of what might have been. Nevertheless, he says "I still would like to one day redesign all the rest of the original characters if I ever find the time.

You can check out the four designs in much higher resolution alongside brief descriptions at his blog, along with some other cool stuff, including various MK vs. DCU endings and images.

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Media: 20 Screens of No More Heroes: Hero's Paradise; Marvelous Losing Money on Most Wii Titles, Profiting on PSP
by Kombo Staff | 11/19/09 | 3:57 PM PST



Marvelous has launched the official Japanese website for the HD version of No More Heroes, known as "Heroes' Paradise." Unfortunately, there is almost nothing to do there, but never fear; it just so happens that the Japanese Xbox.com website has updated to include the game, and has presented 20 new screens which now reside in our gallery below.

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McKidd Talks Call of Duty Movie
by Kombo Staff | 11/19/09 | 12:47 PM PST

According to a story in the New York Post, Kevin McKidd, voice actor for Captain "Soap" MacTavish in Modern Warfare 2, has said that the video game franchise may be on its way to the big screen:

"They were looking for a rough, Scottish actor in Hollywood they probably couldn't get Gerard Butler, so they got the No. 2 Gerard Butler, me. I had no idea it would be so huge, and now there are talks of a feature film," he told PopWrap. Asked if he'd reprise his role in the film, McKidd said "if the script is good, and Gerard isn't available [laughs], then absolutely."

Hmm, are we at a point where we can begin to have hope for something like this? Prince of Persia looks like it may be good, but that remains to be seen.

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World Premiere Halo: Reach at Spike Video Game Awards
by Kombo Staff | 11/18/09 | 10:27 AM PST

GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley has announced via his Twitter that the Spike TV Video Game Awards are going to be held live on December 12th. Furthermore, the first "world premiere" of the show has been announced, and it is none other than Halo: Reach.

On Spike, he writes "Publishers contributing exclusive new content to the VGAs include 2K, Activision, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, LucasArts Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and more to be announced in the coming weeks."

In addition, he says that VGA nominees are available now and can be voted on at the VGA website. "Uncharted, Assassins, Batman, MW2, and L4D2 are GOTY noms," he says.

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Wada Says "Too Much IP Use is Bad, Says Final Fantasy Will Not Become Exhausted
by Kombo Staff | 11/17/09 | 4:35 PM PST

"Too much IP use is not good," said Square Enix President and Chief Executive Officer Yoichi Wada, who spoke on the possibility of the Final Fantasy franchise being in danger of exhaustion at the Montreal International Game Summit. "Having memorable characters and back story is crucial to having a powerful IP," he added.

An interesting statement, to be sure, and it only gets better from there. Wada goes on to explain how they plan to keep the franchise from wearing out its welcome.

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EEDAR's Divnich Says Marketing Influences Buys More Than Scores, Uses PS3 Ads as Example
by Kombo Staff | 11/17/09 | 2:57 PM PST

Yesterday at the Montreal International Games Summit, EEDAR's Jesse Divnich spoke about how his company's research has shown that a poor game with greater marketing will sell far better than a great game with little marketing. And later in the speech, he noted that publishers can't simply rely on marketing to sell a game, as it must be targeted correctly in order to sell.

To illustrate his point, he used the early goings of the PlayStation 3 as an example. "There are times when marketing fails, you can spend so much money but it doesn't matter. Sony spent $150 million globally on the launch of the PlayStation 3," said Divnich before running the infamous baby commercial from 2006.

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Limited Edition Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep PSP 3000
by Cory Dickson | 11/17/09 | 12:03 PM PST



Recently Square Enix announced that they will be releasing a limited edition PSP-3000 bundled with Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. It will be available in January 9th and will have a listing price of 22,000 yen ($247). The bundle will also include an AC adapter and an extra battery.

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REVIEW: LittleBigPlanet for the PSP is Like a Tasty Sundae Missing the Hot Fudge Known as Multiplayer
by Ryan Olsen | 11/17/09 | 11:47 AM PST

What the Game's About
LittleBigPlanet PSP is the continuation to one of the best games of 2008 that forever changed the landscape of gaming. The game centers around the concept of "Play, Create and Share." More than just marketing lingo, those three words best describe LittleBigPlanet. The PSP version is no different. LittleBigPlanet on the PSP can boast that only a few features had to be left on the cutting room floor. The platforming is good, the creation tools are just as beefy and the winning charm oozes out with the creativity on display. LittleBigPlanet is going to fill a large hole in the PSP library thanks to the crafty work of Sony Cambridge and MediaMolecule.

What's Hot
LittleBigPlanet might share the same name with the PS3 game but this a game all its own. The locations are new and there are additional costumes and stickers to further customize the look and style of the Sackboys and Sackgirls you play as. The stages are diverse and varied. They will take you from an ancient middle eastern markets where you infiltrate a band of thieves to Tinsel Town where you are "hired" on the spot to perform in an action movie. The foundation of imagination that the PS3 game laid isn't lost in translation and actually carries the torch quite well by offering inventive levels that are inspired by unlikely material. The gameplay revolves around physics-based platforming so there are plenty of levers, toggles and rotating landing spots to keep you on your toes.

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Buy a PSPgo from Amazon Today, Get $50 in PSN Credit
by David Oxford | 11/17/09 | 11:41 AM PST

If you've been interested in purchasing a PlayStation Portable Go, but have found yourself deterred by the price, then today-- and today only-- is your lucky day.

Amazon.com is holding a "Countdown to Black Friday," and have not only marked five dollars off both the black and white PSPgos, but until 11:59 PM Pacific time tonight, a purchase will also net you a $50 credit toward games in their PlayStation Network store. Considering that's the only thing a PSPgo will play, it's really not a bad deal, almost like saving fifty bucks.

For further details and to take part, just follow this link. Just be sure not to dawdle, there is only a little over twelve hours left as of this writing.

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Evan Longoria Leaked as MLB 2K10 Cover Athlete
by Kombo Staff | 11/16/09 | 7:07 PM PST

A survey leaked by Kotaku seems to have pointed at who will be taking the cover spot in next year's installment of Take-Two's MLB 2K series. While it certainly isn't final, it looks like Tampa Bay Rays 3rd baseman Evan Longoria will be taking the cover of the tenth anniversary edition, MLB 2K10.

However, Kotaku later revealed that the images in question came from a story about Longoria in a recent issue of ESPN The Magazine. Therefore, these could just be placeholder images. Still it's looking likely that Mr. Longoria will be taking the cover position, although I think the series needs to worry about improving the gameplay to face off against Sony's MLB The Show.

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Media: LEGO Indiana Jones 2's Raiders of the Lost Ark Ending is a Little Different Than You Remember
by Kombo Staff | 11/16/09 | 4:31 PM PST

I'm typically not one to post spoilers, but I cannot help but think that the ending to a 28 year old movie might be allowable. Of course, we're not talking so much about the ending to the movie, so much as the adaptation of it in the E10+ rated LEGO Indiana Jones 2, which will see its way to shelves tomorrow.

While the freezeframe on the video doesn't really spoil anything, know that it shows what happens at the end of the "Raiders" sequence, and it actually differs quite a bit, and should be considered a spoiler:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Well, that was certainly... weird. And I don't know what was with all the cutaways, if they were for some sort of comparison, are actually in the game, or what. But just as I said: very, very weird.

But in a strange sort of way, I kind of like it.

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Rockstar's Dan Houser Talks Video Game Violence Controversy, Being a Pariah, and More GTA
by Kombo Staff | 11/16/09 | 3:47 PM PST

During a recent interview with The Times Online, Rockstar's Dan Houser explained that he thinks video games are finally starting to move away from being a constant source of controversy due to violent content. In addition, he seems to tease the development of the next Grand Theft Auto title.

"[V]ideo games are a popular and easy enemy," he explains. "It's all part and parcel of doing something that's not been done before. One of the things that's always been exciting is the feeling of being in at the birth of a new medium, but of course the history of technology-driven art from the printing press onwards has been of people fighting against that stuff."