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<title><![CDATA[Kombo.com]]></title>
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<description><![CDATA[The latest updates from Kombo.com.]]></description>
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<copyright>Copyright (c) 2009 kombo.com</copyright>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:00:01 -0500</pubDate>
<category>News</category>
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<title><![CDATA[A Donkey Kong Easter Egg Found 26 Years Later]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[File this under the "neat things" category.  Apparently, the programmer for the Atari 400/800 version of the game Donkey Kong programmed in an Easter Egg that would display his initials if a certain set of goals were attained.  

Many years later he revealed that he did this and that he couldn't even remember how to unlock it.  This got Mr. Don Hodges interested:
]]></description>
<link>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14466</link>
<guid>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14466</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:41:57 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Rumor: Raving Rabbids Invade TMNT Smash Up?]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Presently, there's no telling if this one is true, but if it is, I endorse it one-hundred percent.

French website Puissance-Nintendo has a report from the demo of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash Up at the Japan Expo in France, but since I can't read nor speak any language that has a dressing named after it (French, Italian, Thousand Island, etc.), I'll have to simply defer to GoNintendo on this one:

"Rumor has it that the most recent demo has two new playable characters, a Rabbid dressed as Sam Fisher, as well as a Rabbid in a cheerleader outfit. Is Ubisoft sneaking Rabbids into the game for a bit of fun? I won't believe it until I see it for myself!"

I have to admit, it sounds too good to be true-- but I hope it is, just the same.  But alas, I am greedy, and I would be satisfied merely by this.  If they do this, I want the Teenage Mutant Ninja Rabbids, seen at right, to be selectable, too.

I would also find a Miyamoto Usagi tribute to be acceptable.]]></description>
<link>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14465</link>
<guid>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14465</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:19:37 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Big Bird and Elmo Endorse Video Gaming; Oscar the Grouch Mutters Something in Agreement]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[It is a well known and widely-accepted fact that Muppets rule, and anyone who does not subscribe to this belief has no soul (also a scientific fact).  Sure, a Muppet isn't quite a mop, and it's not quite a puppet, but man...

Anyway, Sesame Street Muppets may not rule to the same degree as their Muppet Show brethren, but are still pretty cool in their own right.  Particularly if you're three years old.  But regardless of whether you're three or thirty, one has to show them a little appreciation for their recent advocacy of video games.]]></description>
<link>http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=13292</link>
<guid>http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=13292</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:56:56 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Media: Muramasa: The Demon Blade 'Heroes' Trailer]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Vanillaware's spiritual successor to Odin Sphere, has got itself a fancy new trailer titled "Heroes." In it, main characters Kisuke and Momohime get their slash and dash on, tearing apart Oni in Genroku Era Japan.

]]></description>
<link>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14464</link>
<guid>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14464</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:24:57 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Tecmo Koei Asking Sony for PS3 Price Cut]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Tecmo Koei has come to the realization that many others have been screaming about: the PS3 needs a price cut.  Computer And Video Games did an interview with Kenji Matsubara -- CEO of Tecmo Koei-- who said, "yes, from a publisher's point of view we would welcome a price cut for PS3, and we are waiting, definitely."

Matsubara does not explain if "waiting" means that they have games and announcements that have been delayed due to the slow sales of the PS3.  He goes on to explain that while he has asked Sony to cut the price, he doesn't "have a clear view on Sony's situation."  ]]></description>
<link>http://ps3.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10370</link>
<guid>http://ps3.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10370</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:59:05 -0500</pubDate>
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<item>
<title><![CDATA[Analyst Expects Two More GTA IV Episodes by 2011; GTA V in 2011]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Following in the footsteps of Michael Pachter's recent plethora of predictions, Todd Mitchell of Kaufman Bros. Equality Research has made predictions of his own regarding Rockstar's hit franchise.

Mitchell expects two more episodes to be released for Grand Theft Auto IV after The Ballad of Gay Tony is put on Xbox Live this fall. If true, that means the exclusive-DLC deal Rockstar has with Microsoft will have run out, possibly resulting in subsequent episodes appearing on the PlayStation Network at the same time as their release on Xbox Live.

Mitchell also expects a new, full-length Grand Theft Auto, subtly titled Grand Theft Auto V to be released some time in 2011. Finally, in a more questionable prediction, Mitchell expects a port of the PSP port of the former Nintendo DS-exclusive Chinatown Wars to be released on the aging PlayStation 2, but Mitchell admits that he isn't too confident about that prediction.

Whether there's any weight to any of these rumors remains to be seen, but fans of GTA should have their fill of rumors for quite a while.]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16764</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16764</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:08:37 -0500</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Conviction Will Clock In At Around 12 Hours]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[While speaking to Official Xbox Magazine, Splinter Cell: Conviction creative director Maxime Beland mentioned that Sam Fisher's next adventure will take roughly 12 hours to complete. Beland told OXM, "…we're going to have the normal mode for normal gamers, that are going to spend 12 hours playing our game and not 30 because they're dying all the time."

That would be me. I gave Splinter Cell: Double Agent the ol' college try back in February, only to shelf the game after a meager five hours of play. In that time, I only reached the fourth mission in the game. There are eleven missions total. Yeah.

Still, many stealth enthusiasts adore Splinter Cell for its difficulty, its emphasis on playing defensively and exercising patience. Has Ubisoft forsaken them, and sold out to garner mainstream appeal? Of course not. Conviction will sport several difficulty levels, including "normal mode" and "realistic mode." Beland describes the latter as "really fucking hard – you're going to need stealth, two bullets is going to kill you, the enemies are going to be super-lethal."

Guess what difficulty level I won't be playing on?]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16766</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16766</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:07:18 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Podcast: Kombo Breaker - Episode 34: The Wide World of Nintendo with Craig Harris of IGN]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Nintendo fans, this episode of Kombo Breaker is certainly for you.  Craig Harris of IGN's Nintendo channel (specifically the handheld section) rode in to talk with us about where Nintendo is and where it's headed.  We talk the good and bad of Wii Sports Resort, MotionPlus, the DSi and the release landscape.

All of this rocks in at one hour, so enjoy it.

As always, we'd love for you to follow us on Twitter (@kombobreaker)!  Come contribute to our discussions and learn about guests as we book them.  We always ask for questions and suggestions, so join us.  You can also send us questions and suggestions to kombobreaker@kombo.com.

Download | Subscribe on iTunes | Episode 34 | 60m  ]]></description>
<link>http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=13291</link>
<guid>http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=13291</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:44:35 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Activision Defends DJ Hero Pricing]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Sometimes it seems like the future of gaming is in peripherals, and leading the charge to clutter your living room with expensive pieces of plastic is Activision. They have Guitar Hero 5, Tony Hawk: Ride and, of course, DJ Hero all set to release by the end of year. With all three of these plastic-thing-plus-game combos costing upwards of 100 bucks, Activison has been heavily criticized on their pricing strategies. DJ Hero, for example, is going to set you back 120 bucks. Are these gaming toys too expensive, or are they fun enough to justify the price? Activision recently made some comments in defense of DJ Hero. 

"We believe that DJ Hero will provide tremendous value for our consumers by delivering an all-new interactive music experience with over 100 individual songs that are highlighted in over 80 unique mixes, a wide variety of music from some of the biggest artists including Jay-Z, Eminem, Benny Benassi, Gwen Stefani and Black Eyed Peas among others."

DJ Hero is set to release on October 27th for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii. 

]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16765</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16765</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:29:01 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Wii Sports Resort to be Playable at Six Flags]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[For those needing more reason to go on vacation for a day, Six Flags will have Wii Sports Resort playable at nine of their theme parks across the USA.

Wii Sports Resort will be available starting the July 4th weekend until the game's release date on July 26. So even if you have no interest in riding the roller coasters, go wait in line to try out some archery, basketball and sword fighting action. 

Click the link to see a list of locations.]]></description>
<link>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14461</link>
<guid>http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14461</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:07:59 -0500</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Patent Suit Getting Real for Mircosoft]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[I'm not usually one for getting excited over patents, or spending all day looking at legal documents, but this particular patent suit caught my eye today.  It seems that Microsoft will be going to court to defend the claim that they created online communication over the internet (using the text and voice function via Xbox Live). Peter Hochstein and Jeffrey Tenenbaum are bringing the suit to Microsoft, claiming they filed a patent in 1994 about "communicating live while playing the same video game in separate locations".  Where the plot thickens is that they brought the suit against Sony and Microsoft, but why is Microsoft the only one going to court?

Hit the jump for the dramatic conclusion.]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16763</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16763</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:50:00 -0500</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Valve's Lombardi: Roadblock to PS3 Development "People", Not Hardware]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[There hasn't been a lot love for the Playstation 3 from Valve. The only appearance the developer has made on the console was through a less-than-stellar port of The Orange Box. Adding insult to injury, Valve regularly explains why they don't want to get involved with the PS3's hardware. As of yesterday, however, it seems a new page in PS3-Valve relations has been turned. Speaking with Joystiq at the Left 4 Dead 2 event in London, Doug Lombardi - Valve's VP of Marketing - had this to say:"If you look at The Orange Box -- PC: 96 on Metacritic, 360: 96 on Metacritic, PS3 like... 84 or something. That's not even close to where we are right now with the 360 and PC and the reason is people."Read on to find out what this means for future Valve games on Sony's console.]]></description>
<link>http://ps3.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10363</link>
<guid>http://ps3.kombo.com/article.php?artid=10363</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:23:52 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Latest RPG from Obsidian will Hit Store Shelves October 6]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[If you're an RPG fan who's growing impatient for 2010's Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy XIII, fear not, for esteemed developer Obsidian Entertainment has something to tied you over.  The sci-fi and stealth inspired RPG entitled Alpha Protocol will be released on October 6, and it looks promising.]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16762</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16762</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:59:06 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[ Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott Doesn't Hinder Pre-Orders]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[According to pre-orders of Left 4 Dead 2, the boycott is not having a negative effect on the sequel.  Even with the back and forth as well as the the finger scandal with the Electronic Software Ratings Board, the game is still gathering strength. In fact, some interesting numbers are coming from Valve regarding the number of pre-orders they have received for the sequel to their hit game.

Hit the jump for what Valve is so excited about.]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16761</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16761</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:56:49 -0500</pubDate>
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<title><![CDATA[Cliff Bleszinski Explains why Games are Overrun with Space Marines]]></title>
<description><![CDATA[Remember when games had no potential to look hyper-realistic? Remember dreaming that one day, games would look like real life? Oh, how times have changed! Game developers think seem to think that real life is dirty, brown, and filled with bald space marines. Actually, Gears of War creator Cliff "CliffyB" Bleszinski has shared the secret reason behind those space marines. It seems that technology is to blame.

Blockquote: I just think that the technology of this generation just happens to be very good at rendering metals and stones and dramatic lighting, which is why you see a lot of pillars and girders and destroyed blown-out areas because that's what the bump-mapping happens to do very well.

At the same time, in this generation the translucent effects are very hard to pull off. That's why everybody sees a lot of these bald characters and wonder why games feature so many ****ing space marines. Well, the tech is good at showing off amour and it's not that good at doing hair. That's why we have bald space marines. There's your answer people.

Alright, that explains the baldness, but why the space marines? Might I suggest that Cliffy's next game be a video game biography of Sinéad O'Connor?]]></description>
<link>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16760</link>
<guid>http://360.kombo.com/article.php?artid=16760</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:21:40 -0500</pubDate>
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