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If you've seen any trailers or gameplay footage, then you already know the truth about Rockstar Games' upcoming mold-breaker "L.A. Noire" is basically an interactive movie. The Team Bondi-developed game employs MotionScan technology to capture its cast of characters, a mocap technique in which an array of cameras positioned around the actor is used to ensure that even minute facial expressions are represented in the game. The cinematic qualities seen in previously released promotional materials are apparent, and so it is no surprise to hear that "L.A. Noire" will be the subject of a special presentation at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.

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Tags la noire, rockstar games, team bondi

"Darkspore" is a Bizarro World version of a Maxis Software release. The developer known for simulation-heavy games like "The Sims" and "Spore" is trying its hand at an action-RPG built on the latter title's basic systems and mechanics. A newly issued press release from Valve Corporation reveals that the game's beta phase has officially begin, and it is now available through Steam.

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Tags dark spore, maxis, maxis software, Steam, valve, valve corporation

The Nintendo DS launched in Japan on December 2, 2004. Just 15 months later, on March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a far supiorior device with an improved screen, battery and design. The gap in the US between the original DS and the DS Lite was slightly larger, about 18 months, but it was still pretty short when you consider the normal lifespan of handheld devices.

Which brings us to the Nintendo 3DS, a device with a lot of promise, but with plenty of room for improvement. In my feature on whether you should buy a Nintendo 3DS at launch, I suggested that most people should wait until the software line-up is a bit stronger. And, if you wait long enough, you might just find yourself buying Nintendo's unannounced but inevitable redesign instead. At the North American launch of the Nintendo 3DS, I spoke with Reggie Fils-Aime, the President and COO of Nintendo of America, about this dilemma and whether consumers should be worried about having an obselete device in less than 2 years.

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Tags nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime

No one really doubts that somewhere, sometime, "Grand Theft Auto 5" is coming. The real question fans continue to ask is, "When?" Recent rumors and domain name registrations have suggested that the answer to that question is "Soon," but today brings our most compelling evidence yet, via a voice actor casting call, that "GTA5" will be arriving in the next year or two.

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Tags grand theft auto, grand theft auto 5, gta, gta5, rockstar games

Some hardcore gamers scoff at Flash games for being too easy. After all, anyone can build a successful farming enterprise with enough time. But that over 2.0 kill/death ratio in "Black Ops"? That took sheer talent! Well, Captain Hardcore, why don't you try your hand at "QWOP" and "GIRP," two games designed to make even the most skilled no-scoper weep like a small baby.

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Tags bennet foddy, girp, qwop

Early adopters of the PlayStation Move didn't have a ton of great reasons to justify the purchase at launch but, over time, the line-up has definitely grown. The latest is "PlayStation Move Heroes," an action-based mini-game compilation featurinig some of Sony's most famous characters, Jak and Daxter, Sly and Bentley, and Ratchet and Clank.

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Tags jak & daxter, nihilistic, playstation move, playstation move heroes, ratchet & clank, sly cooper

"Star Wars: The Old Republic" is the game that promises -- BioWare and Electronic Arts hope -- to turn story-loving RPG fans into massively multiplayer monthly subscribers. Basically, they're looking to deliver the bastard child of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" and "World of Warcraft." And that's perfectly okay by this "Star Wars" fan. The latest trailer speaks directly to that, looking at a variety of Jedi character classes and armor sets which all carry a strong tie to "KOTOR."

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Tags bioware, ea, electronic arts, star wars, star wars: the old republic

If you game on a PC and you haven't tried "Machinarium," do so. You won't need a powerful beast of a gaming rig to run it; it's a beautiful, hand-drawn adventure game that eats up only 250MB of disk space and requires no more than 512MB of RAM. Basically, if your computer can't run it then it's long past the time for you to upgrade. Though now you won't necessarily need to, as it seems that the PC/Mac-friendly adventure is setting off for the wilds of console and tablet gaming sometime later this year.

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Tags amanita design, Machinarium, microsoft, sony

If NetherRealm Studios has its way, the only two words left in your vocabulary will be "Mortal Kombat" by the time the back-to-basics ninth game in the series arrives on April 19. Marketing for the game has picked up its pace in the past week, with new trailers focusing on bonus character Kratos and tag team fighting. Today's news is actually two-pronged. On the one hand, there's confirmation of which fighters will be added in the game's first DLC pack. And on the other, a rumored full fighter roster based on an apparently leaked screenshot of the character select screen.

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Tags mortal kombat, netherrealm studios, warner bros interactive entertainment, wbie

On Friday, I explained that unless you're the type of person that needs to have the latest and greatest in new technology, you were fine waiting on picking up a 3DS until the software line-up was a bit more robust. I know some of you went out and picked one up anyway, figuring that better games would come down the line. As it happens, one of those games was right at launch.

Despite being a launch game, my early copy of "Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars" didn't arrive until last Friday, which was too late for inclusion in my 3DS round-up feature. It's a shame, because it's one of the strongest efforts on the platform.

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Tags Ghost Recon, ghost recon: shadow wars, ubisoft