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Sometimes, things just take a little longer than you'd expect. Take The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. 2K Marin began working on this tactically-minded shooter based in the XCOM universe around the same time Firaxis began its own work on its straight-up strategy game based on the original XCOM titles. However, we learned of 2K Marin's project long before XCOM: Enemy Unknown was ever unveiled to the public, mostly through a series of trailers and developer-controlled demos. The reaction to Declassified (then more ambiguously known as just "XCOM") was mixed, with some expressing distinct concern over the game's shooter gameplay, given the franchise's tradition as a pure strategy series.

Set in 1962, The Bureau aims to reveal the origins XCOM.

Then, following a demo at E3 2011, 2K went radio silent. As the PR campaign for Enemy Unknown began to ramp up, many wondered if 2K Marin's game had simply been cancelled in the wake of the excitement surrounding Firaxis' game. As it turns out, it was actually the polar opposite.

Over the last couple of years, 2K Marin has been revamping significant parts of The Bureau in anticipation of a release date later this summer. Initially presented as a first-person shooter with third-person perspective moments tossed into the heat of battle, the developers decided during the course of development that it was all just too much. The constant darting in and out of perspectives made The Bureau unwieldy in a way that nobody intended, so it was decided that the game would revert to a strictly third-person perspective. Normally a publisher might bristle at funding such a fundamental change to a game already deep in development, but as has been the case with other recent 2K projects--most notably, the long-delayed, but generally acclaimed Spec Ops: The Line--2K Marin was granted the time and resources necessary to make the game they wanted.

The Bureau made its first appearance since 2011 at a recent press event, which also marked the first time anyone outside of 2K and its playtesters had actually been given the opportunity for hands-on time. I spent maybe 30 minutes playing through a few battle encounters and story beats, and came away pretty pleased with what I saw.

In The Bureau, you play as William Carter, an almost comically grizzled federal agent of the newly formed agency dedicated to eradicating the alien invaders that have begun to take over America. These aliens are, of course, of the same general type and design found in Enemy Unknown, a conscious decision made in collaboration with Firaxis. According to the developers, the two teams worked together to ensure that the aesthetics and content of the two games lined up, while still offering alterations inherent to The Bureau's status as a kind of prequel to the whole franchise.

Taking place in 1962, The Bureau follows the story of the first alien invasion on U.S. soil, AKA the event that helps spark the formation of the international XCOM seen in Enemy Unknown. In this invasion, giant towers have sprung up in numerous U.S. locations, and in the level we were shown, residents in the vicinity of these towers have been turned into mindless, mostly functionless zombies. Not the flesh-eating kind, mind you, but more the morose kind that just sort of wander aimlessly, trapped in the moment before whatever's infected them completely takes hold. If you ever saw the old Kids in the Hall movie, Brain Candy, it's basically the same comatose state that those who took Gleemonex suffered from, albeit without the benefit of being trapped in their happiest memory.

The mission I was allowed to play took place in a small town in New Mexico. Carter and his squadmates are dropped in to find out what happened to a previous team that had gone missing in the town. Right away, trouble arrives in the form of sectoids and mutons who are out for any human blood that dares wander into their field of view.

Battle Focus lets you command your squad on the fly, which, even with slowed time, can make firefights pretty hectic.

While The Bureau is, at its core, a pretty traditional third-person shooter, the tactical nature of the game's squad combat gives it a bit more of that distinctive XCOM flavoring. Pressing the "Battle Focus" button will bring up a command wheel in battle, which you can use to direct your squadmates to specific cover points, task them with specific targets, and have them engage special attacks. Carter himself was equipped with a kind of "lift" attack, which would bring a single enemy helplessly off the ground to get shot by everyone, whereas other team members could knock numerous enemies over with a single shockwave, or deploy turrets to help distract big bads away while also dealing decent damage. All of these attacks have significant cool down times, however, so you have to be mindful about when you choose to employ them.

Making smart use of your squad is integral to success. You can lone wolf it to a certain degree, as your compatriots will at least find quick cover and shoot back at enemies sans any orders from you. However, your purpose on the field is as much to command as it is to attack directly. 2K refers to your role affectionately as a "combat quarterback," where you're calling the plays on the field. If you're careless about how you deploy your associates, they'll end up badly injured, or worse.

In other games, you'd likely just get any fallen friends back at the end of the level and that would be that. But this being an XCOM game, perma-death is very much in play. You will have the chance to revive your men on the field, which in my experience wasn't too difficult to do, so long as you were careful about your movement. On normal and easy difficulties, revived squadmates will jump right back into the heat of battle. On hard, I'm told that the enemies will stay down for the duration of a mission, and only become available after your next trip to the command center. If you fail to revive a team member in time, that character will die for good. As with Enemy Unknown, you'll be able to add new recruits to your squad and level them up over time, so if you have a particularly strong squad member and he goes down for good, that's going to sting.

I never lost an ally during my battles, though that was mostly due to rigorous reviving and me being as careful as I could not to get blown away in the process. Granted, I only was given access to a pair of relatively early battles in the game, and while I went up against a few fairly tough enemies, I found that simply keeping a steadfast eye on the battlefield was enough to make sure my team never got overwhelmed. It helps that using the Battle Focus slows down time to a crawl, ensuring that you have just enough time to get each guy to the cover point you want, while not getting shot to hell in the process.

You will find plenty of familiar alien scum to eradicate.

What I played of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was pretty fun, and that's coming from someone who doesn't play a lot of tactical shooters. Commands are easy to use and generally quite effective, and the actual shooting--whether you're using earthbound weaponry, or any of the alien guns--felt good. Having never actually played the game when it was still a first-person thing, I can't say as to whether the shift in perspective has made any noteworthy improvement, but in its current state, the action on the battlefield felt fluid, frantic, and exciting.

If I have any concerns, they really only pertain to the game's difficulty balance and progression, which I wasn't able to really grasp onto during my brief time with it. If the developers at 2K Marin can manage to force players to stay on their toes, and constantly adjust strategies from encounter to encounter, then The Bureau could be awesome. If it relies too heavily on the same tactics and strategies throughout the game, then it could easily become a bit tedious.

Bear in mind that I am no XCOM purist. I only barely played the originals, and as such, any outrage that might have sparked when 2K first announced this shooter never managed to infect me. However, having enjoyed Enemy Unknown quite a bit, I was mostly pleasantly surprised by how The Bureau manages to evoke the basic vibe of that game while shifting both the time period, and the mechanics pretty drastically. It's a shooter that takes place in the '60s, but it still feels like the XCOM name totally belongs attached to it. We'll see if others agree when the game launches this August for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Enticed by the much-hyped heads-up display but really not jazzed about living a life on Google+? Well Facebook and Twitter will be there, along with a host of other apps.

Add Deus Ex and Epic Mickey creator Warren Spector to the list of people who think the video game industry should stop caring so much about Metacritic. In his column for GamesIndustry.biz this week, Spector goes after Metacritic, a website that aggregates review scores for movies and video games and ranks them with a single number, or Metascore. Spector criticizes the video game publishers and developers that treat those Metascores like holy numbers and use them to affect bonuses and contracts. "Metacritic, at best, rewards games that are conventional and well understood by players and critics alike," Spector writes. "New and challenging things are, by their very nature, disruptive and easily misunderstood. Aggregation of opinion, at best, offers hope and guidance to people whose goal is to maximize profitability but little to people whose priorities lie elsewhere or who depend on the constancy and relative predictability of the status quo." Spector's column is smart, and worth reading. It also doesn't touch upon one important point: both video game publishers and developers manipulate Metacritic scores to serve their own goals. The problems with Metacritic's influence on the game industry—even beyond the flawed idea that a game's quality can be summed up with a number—are deep and entrenched. For more, check out our in-depth investigation into the serious flaws of how the video game industry uses Metacritic.

It's no secret that female armor in games can sometimes be ridiculous and unrealistic. The Repair Her Armor Tumblr recently put together a list of thirteen types of ridiculous female armor you come to expect in MMORPGs—the commentary being less serious than it is for fun. "Don't take it too seriously," they write. "But I am getting tired of these outfits, though." While you should visit the site for the full list, here's a smaller selection: 1. The classic Bikini Armor. If you’re lucky you might get an actual shoulder-pad! If the designers even bother doing something more than just a regular bikini, you might get some accessories with stilettos! Exactly what I want in battle. For a extra nice touch; cameltoe. 2. The Lingerie ”Armor”. There’s absolutely nothing that protects you, but it looks really uncomfortable and nice in bed battle! Complete with some feathery, useless shoulder pads! 3. The ever so Stylish Swimsuit! This is usually the armor you get before you get the upgrade Bikini Armor. Bonus points if a choker, thigh-high boots/stockings and a half mask is included! 4. The Abstract Art. Yes, we’re all wondering how the hell that works; how does that thing stay on, how does she walk with those shoes, how on earth is that supposed to protect her and why is half of her naked? All those questions is a part of the costume! They say art say more than thousand words.. or something! 5. The Dominatrix and/or Slave outfit! For those kinky players out there! Complete with leather or latex, fishnets, chains, chokers and whips! Bonus points of the stilettos are sky-high! 6. The Stereotype Shaman or Barbarian! Because she’s clearly so wild and ~exotic~ that she doesn’t need clothes! Best worn with tiny loincloth and underboob-straps! Clothes I'm forced to wear in the majority of MMORPGs [Repair Her Armor]

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Ah, Uncharted's Nathan Drake — The everyman's adventurer. In a gaming landscape populated with neckless, 'roid-filled space marines and cyborg ninjas, you're here to remind us that being a regular joe on a mystical adventure is it's own kind of cool. Drake has gone through a lot of small, tiny changes over the years, but one thing that has mostly remained (somewhat) constant is the 'Half-tuck' — An innovative form of shirt wearing that game designer Tim Schafer once likened to 'an Unfinished Symphony'. Personally, I'm glad he ditched the canvas shoes by game three for a pair of boots. Indiana Jones wears Aldens for god's sake, the least you can do is not show up to the mythical lost city Shambhala in busted pair of Tevas. It's your turn, Kotaku readers. Using our image annotation system, show us what you love (or hate) about Nathan Drake's character design. Just click the part of the image you want to comment on and annotate away! To contact the author of this post, write to chrisperson@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @papapishu

If you loved Triple Triad and Tetra Master, the collectible card games included in Final Fantasy VIII and IX respectively, then you'll probably be quite annoyed by the format being utilized in this cash-hungry free-to-play movie tie-in. Just in time for the theatrical release of Star Trek: Into Darkness, Rivals takes pictures of people and creatures from the updated sci-fi franchise, sticks them on virtual cards, and asks you to pay for them in mildly clever ways. (In the 23rd century there is no use for money — get credits while you can!) There are numbers on all four sides of each card. Players take turns placing these cards on a 3x3 playing field. If on player's number is higher than that of an adjacent enemy card, that card is taken over. It's Triple Triad, only with a chain effect — newly taken-over cards will attack enemy cards adjacent to them as well. What's a fun card game in the context of Final Fantasy is rather lousy in the context of a free-to-play, multiplayer-only affair. After a brief tutorial, the only way to play is by taking turns with friends or strangers online, a slow and tedious process. Instead of collecting 172 cards throughout the course of a grand adventure, we're bombarded with ads for card packs and special sales and rare cards and other such bullshit. Star Trek Rivals is boldly going where better games have gone before, and property values are going to go way down when it moves in. It's comforting to know the tradition of money-grab movie games is alive and well in the mobile market. Star Trek Rivals Genre: Turn-based multiplayer card gameDeveloper: Elephant MousePlatform: iOSPrice: Free Get Star Trek Rivals in iTunes

Look kid, you can be a samurai, okay? Will you please just shut up about it?

Here’s what’s going on Talk Among Yourselves, our reader-written blog: Ueziel runs down his progress on his personal backlog, which includes Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts And E1SALVADOR writes about Code:Breakers and all the other anime he’s been watching. And you can always go join the voices talking about video games and life in TAY Classic and in the TAY: Open Forum.

Ahh, the video game industry, where people come up with names by smashing random words together. Today's entry: Dawngate. It looks like EA didn't mean to announce Dawngate just yet, as they haven't, well, announced it, but Kotaku columnist Superannuation discovered that the Dawngate website is up and running nonetheless. Dawngate is a MOBA—that is to say, an online battling game like Dota or League of Legends—"built from the ground up to look and feel familiar while offering a whole new way to experience MOBA gameplay." Remember, you're not really cool unless you have your very own MOBA. We've pinged EA to ask a bit more about the accidentally-announced Dawngate, and we'll let you know if we hear back.

Focus is on Wii U games coming this Spring and Summer.

You'll find no more of these silly codes to enter just to play online multiplayer.

If you've ever had to enter a code just to use the online features of a new game, you can thank EA for that. The publisher essentially invented the single-use code concept as a way of combating used game sales, ensuring that new purchasers could jump right in (provided the code actually worked), and anyone who bought a second-hand copy would have to pay a fee to get online. As much as many people hated it, EA kept doing it, and other publishers quickly followed suit.

Now, strangely enough, the publisher that started this whole thing has decided it no longer plans to bother with it. Speaking to GamesBeat yesterday, EA's head of corporate communications John Reseberg let it be known that EA would no longer be including online passes in its games.

“Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn't respond to the format,” Reseburg told GamesBeat. “We've listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”

It's an interesting quote, given that players most certainly did respond to the Online Pass concept, albeit primarily in negative fashion. It's also possible that EA simply didn't see enough value in the revenue derived from Online Passes. The company made between $10 and $15 million strictly from Online Passes in its first year including them, though those numbers might not have been enough to justify continuing on in the face of the audience's displeasure.

I doubt any of you out there in Giant Bomb land will shed a single tear over this. I know I certainly won't be. The only question I have now is, if EA has ditched this method of circumventing used game sales, does that mean it has a better--or, perhaps, more aggressive--method on the horizon? Maybe something to do with new consoles and built-in checks for new/used games? Just speculating, of course, but I doubt anyone would be too surprised if something like that came to fruition.

The Dark Knight fights Deathstroke in the very first teaser for Arkham Origins.

The launch trailer for Fuse is sufficiently shooty and explodey. Insomniac's new co-op shooter will be out May 28 for Xbox 360 and PS3.

If you get plastic surgery, that's fine. Go for it. Just know that you're not getting plastic surgery on your DNA. Recently in Wuhan, China, a man surnamed Huang (not pictured) was worried that his wife was being unfaithful. He phoned Wuhan Central University's Hospital and asked for a paternal test for his three year-old son. Mr. Huang, 27, was bothered that his young son looked nothing like him or his wife, and ultimately brought his family with him to the hospital. "I have great confidence in my looks," he told the hospital, Cnhan reported. "My wife is also a beauty, but this child looks nothing like us. I highly suspect that he's not mine." Mr. Huang's wife finally admitted that she had a variety of work done on her face before meeting her husband; she apparently was "average" looking before she got plastic surgery—whatever the heck that means! "I was afraid that if my husband found out, he wouldn't want me any more," Mrs. Huang is quoted as saying. The husband looked at old photos of his wife and realized that, yes, the child was theirs and decided a paternity test was unnecessary. There's an infamous ad (above) for a Taiwanese plastic surgery clinic, which is often being posted with this story as it makes its way through cyberspace in Asia. The ad's tagline says something like, "If you have plastic surgery, your only worry is having to explain it to your children." Turns out, you might have to explain things to your spouse! 丈夫欲做亲子鉴定妻子坦白“做过整容” [CNHAN] Eric Jou contributed to this article. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Downloadable Content can be a controversial topic. On the one hand it can feel like a developer/publisher nickel and diming the player, and on the other, it can also help to enhance a game experience and lengthen a game's play-life. In this week's issue of Japanese gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu, developers and users were presented with questions about their thoughts on DLC. 　 Developers 20 different game developers were questioned. Developer names were excluded. 12 developers responded that they are actively distributing DLC, 6 developers have distributed DLC in the past, 1 had no plans to ever distribute, and the remaining developer answered "other," but no specifics on what that meant. Half of the developers noted an increase in DLC users compared with last year. Asked what they thought the benefits/appeal of DLC was, here is a sample of developer answers: "[DLC] allows for increased user satisfaction, revenue and slows the flow to the used game market" "It allows us to release timely content in conjunction with real-world events and holidays." "DLC can lead to players revisiting games they've already put down. DLC also gives us an opportunity to develop unique collaborative content that we hope will allow users to have fun outside of the main game." "DLC released after a game's initial release lets us answer player requests and fine-tune a game, making for a more complete experience." "Periodically releasing DLC lets players enjoy games longer." "We can offer players the option of 'an alternative way to play.' The fact that it doesn't have to be mandatory, but rather an added bonus is also a plus." "It allows users to play added elements not in the main game." "By releasing DLC, we can further show a game's appeal." 　 Users On the user side of the spectrum, 476 people responded to the questionnaire. Of those who answered, 95.9% answered that they had played DLC before. Of those who had, roughly 60% responded that they played only free DLC. Asked how much they were willing to pay for DLC, an overwhelming 65% of responders answered that how much they would pay would have to depend on the content rather than a strict cut-off price line. In terms of their thoughts on DLC, here's some of what people said: "[I'll buy] anything that will make a game that scores 100 score 120." Male in his 40's "Please abolish DLC that 'unlocks already existing data in a game.' I'd welcome anything that adds data." Male in his 20's "So long as it's additional content outside the main game, I welcome anything from items to scenarios!" Female in her 20's "Things like additional costumes or jobs would help maintain motivation for a game. But I'd prefer if it was free." Male in his 30's "It's sad to see that user-friendly games that 'contain everything' are on the decline." Male in his 30's "I often use DLC that adds new rules or ways to play to a game." Male in his 40's "I appreciate the additive properties of DLC, but I don't want DLC that ends up costing more than the main game itself." Male in his 20's "I think the problem is in the timing of release. It seems like distributors are miscalculating the time someone who would buy DLC spends playing a game." Male in his 20's 　 　 DLC is still a young paradigm, with a lot of room for improvement (I'm looking at you EA and Namco Bandai). While there are definite problems, there is also a lot of potential for good as well. What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts. ファミ通.com [ファミ通.com] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

A new achievements listing suggests Crysis 3 is suiting up for multiplayer DLC. Posted on the typically reliable Xbox 360 Achievements, the listing indicates a 250G pack featuring four maps called Creek, Crossing, Ascent, and Coastline, and two modes called Frenzy and Team Possession. The mention of a flag points to Team Possession being a CTF variant.

The DLC apparently also has a new weapon: the boat oar. We mainly wanted to mention it because the associated achievement is called 'Totally Oarsome.'

EA hasn't announced any upcoming DLC for Crysis 3, although developer Crytek previously indicated it had "big plans" for post-launch content. We've reached out to EA for more info.

There's a webpage titled "Panopticon" which, for a while, was counting down to something. Now, a trailer's been revealed. It features a dystopian-looking London, ridiculous HAL 9000 headbands, and lotsa fighting. Beneath the video is a date, May 21, which is when Sony will (presumably) tell us more.

Siliconera reports that Sega has trademarked the name "Sonic Lost World" in Europe. Normally this is where I'd make a joke about dinosaurs, but Lost World is also the name of a jungle ruins-themed stage in Sonic Adventure. Coincidence?! ... Yeah, probably.

While McDonald's in many countries is trying (feigning?) to be healthier, in Japan, the fast food chain really doesn't seem to give a crap. If anything, McDonald's is running fast and hard to unhealthy. Super size, Japan! For the past few weeks, there have been rumors that McDonald's Japan is rolling out a huge size for French fries (which actually is replacing another super large size called "Share Potato"). Today, as IT Media reports, it's finally official. Dubbed "Mega Potato", you are looking at two large size fries in one wide friggin' container. Two large fries usually cost around the equivalent of US$6 in Japan. These, however, are priced at 490 yen ($4.80) and will be on sale until late June. But will Mega Potato inspire French fry headaches in Japan? でっかいぞ！　マクドナルドが特大サイズの「メガポテト」発売 [IT Media] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Spotted by Frankie from Hobby Media, this intersting "Game Box Truck" model is a mobile arcade. For my money, a vehicle with arcade games sure beats an ice cream truck! Model's art is above, and here is a look at the acutal piece: The 1/24 scale "Game Box Truck" is priced at 1890 yen (US$18) and will be out this June in Japan. Check out more on Hobby Media. Links below. Aoshima Game Center: il camion salagiochi! [Hobby Media] Aoshima: GameCenter Truck - Fiera di Shizuoka 2013 [Hobby Media] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Armageddon was released worldwide in 1998. But since 2007, every year without fail, there has been a new "Armageddon" movie in Japan. What the hell is going on? If you were in Japan during the late 1990s and early 00s, you'll know just how popular the disaster flick Armageddon was. You couldn't walk past a karaoke parlor without hearing the Aerosmith song blaring (even now, can still often hear it!). Over a decade later, Armageddon is still going in Japan, but the world just won't end. These movies, however, have no direct connection to the original Hollywood blockbuster. In August 2007, Japanese distribution company Albatros Film released Armageddon 2007, a straight to DVD release with box art and a title that merely resembled the 1998 Michael Bay flick. Each following year, leading up to 2012, Albatros did the same, titling each one アルマゲドン or "Armageddon" in Japanese. Online in Japan, people began to comment on how the box art for these movies looked like the posters for the original Armageddon or for the movie Deep Impact, which was also released in summer 1998. Both movies used black, teal, and orange motifs—a color palette that many video game companies also love using today. The slew of Armageddon movies carry Japanese tag-lines that said this was the Earth's last day or asking if there was going to be a tomorrow. Seeing the annual movies lined up, with their doomsday tag-lines, became somewhat of a meme in Japan, with people posting the last Armageddon box art and wondering when the hell the world was actually going to end. These were not sequels! They were totally different movies, made by different filmmakers and different studios in different countries. The movies were repacked versions of American, Canadian, and British disaster flicks that, well, were knockoffs of the original Armageddon. And while they had apocalyptic titles, they weren't all called "Armageddon". For comparison with the top image, check out the original movie box art: While the cover art is different, Alien Armageddon is the only movie that has the same title in Japanese. It's also the only one that actually uses the world "armageddon". Still, these original movies are certainly disaster flick cash-ins—but just not as obvious as their repackaged Japanese counterparts. The straight-to-DVD Armageddon flicks have apparently done well enough in Japan to warrant copycats (though, pretty sure nobody I know here has seen any of these movies). They're probably the movies that people accidentally rent. Another distribution company, Odessa Entertainment, released movies like Armageddon Panic (known in the West as Before the Fall) and Armageddon 20XX (aka 20 Years After), and even used a similar cover design to the string of Armageddon flicks. One company, Matsutake Home Video, even released Armageddon 2012 in 2010 (2010!), which, two years later, forced Albatros Film to title its release Armageddon 2012: Mercury Crisis. You know, so people wouldn't get confused. So far in 2013, Albatros Film has released one Armageddon film, titled Armageddon of the Dead. It is a re-release of horror sci-fi flick Solid State. Of course, the original poster didn't have the word "armageddon" or the color orange, but its Japanese re-release sure does. Will the world end, though? Not when there's a disaster movie to release next year, it won't! 地球に隕石 落ちすぎワロタｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗ [ぴょんてな] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

What is it made of gold? Damn right it is. Pure gold. To mark the 10th year anniversary of its Saint Seiya figure line, Bandai is releasing a solid gold Sagittarius statue. Tokyo's Ginza Tanaka oversaw the creation of the statue, which is valued at 60 million yen (US$585,247). The gold alone weighs two kilograms! According to NariNari, Bandai has plans to put the pricey piece on display sometime this year in Japan and in Taiwan. If you are curious about how big the statue is, check out Mainichi's photo coverage. 6000万円の“射手座黄金聖衣”、「聖闘士星衣神話」10周年記念で製作 [NariNari] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

We're gonna need a bigger Moneysaver. Looking for the current Moneysaver roundup? Click here. Note: I've been warned there may be a delay in all these going live, but we should be good to go by 3:30am ET, and hopefully before. Don't panic. Welcome to a (very) special 3am ET Moneysaver. Amazon has an absolutely massive sale starting right now, and we've got insta-coverage first and just for you. All told, there are well over 1500 games on sale, with some going live over the next couple days. I know, because I just looked through them all to pick out the best ones for you. Some good things to know are that almost all of these activate on Steam, and I'll mention if they don't. If you see a game you want in a bundle, it's probably on sale individually too. I'll also call out when there's a Mac version on sale. If you're looking for a game not listed here, it's worth a search. [Amazon] On an unrelated note, I just got back from the Star Trek Into Darkness sneak premiere in IMAX, and it's decidedly less Lindelof'd than other Lindelof joints. Bundles • XCOM: Enemy Unknown + Civ 5 Gold + Civ 4 Complete ($20) • Battlefield 3 + Battlefield 2 Complete + Bad Company Ultimate [Origin] ($20) | Individual games also on sale. • Bioshock 1+2 and Spec Ops: The Line ($10)• Bioshock 1+2 ($5) • Arkham Asylum GOTY + Arkham City GOTY ($11.50) | Individual games also on sale • Deadlight + Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet + Mark of the Ninja + Toy Soldiers + Iron Brigade ($10) | Yes, $10, seriously. | Individual games also on sale. • Command Conquer Ultimate Digital Collection ($10) | 17 games • Fable III w/ DLC + Fable: The Lost Chapters ($10) • Sonic 1/2/3/4+Knuckles+CD+7 others ($10) • Mortal Kombat 1+2+3 ($2.50) • Dead Space 1+2 [Origin] ($8) • F.E.A.R 1+2+3 ($10) | Individual games also on sale. • Star Trek + FREE Inversion ($25) Single Games • Battlefield 3 Premium Edition [Origin] ($25) • Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition ($7.50) | Finally about to dig into Demon's Souls myself. • Saints Row the Third: The Full Package ($12.50) • Rayman: Origins ($19.50) • Beyond Good and Evil ($6.50) • Driver: San Francisco Deluxe ($16) • Age of Empires III Complete ($10) • Metro 2033 ($5) | It's been $3 once, but it's definitely worth five. • Mass Effect 3 Digital Deluxe ($9) Oddworld• Odyssee ($0.75)• Exoddus ($.075)• Stranger's Wrath ($3)• Munch's Odyssee ($1.65) • Brutal Legend ($10) • The 7th Guest ($2.50) • Dead Island GOTY ($5) | It's been $4 once or twice, but yes, it's worth five. • Need for Speed: Most Wanted [Origin] ($15) | Have hell remembering which NFS is the current game in the series. • The Walking Dead ($10)• The Walking Dead [Mac] ($10) | Snagging this for myself. Marathoned this over the weekend and loved it. Can't believe I waited so long.• Deus Ex: Human Revolution ($5)• DLC The Missing Link ($3.75) • Alice Madness Returns Complete ($7.50) | Includes American McGee's Alice • Company of Heroes GOTY ($5) • Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed ($7.50) • Ghostbusters ($5) • The Cave ($5) • Renegade Ops ($3.75) | Super fun, grab it now if you missed out. DLC • Battlefield 3 Premium [Origin] ($15) | For those that missed that super short-lived Gamefly sale the other day. • Assassin's Creed III Season Pass ($15) | Individual DLC's also on sale.

This is the art of Fred Augis, who works at French developer Dontnod entertainment, the guys behind Capcom's upcoming Remember Me. It's a beautiful game, and Augis is part of a very talented team, so this is a real treat. Prior to joining Dontnod, Augis worked freelance, and has also been employed at places like Owlient (a French Ubisoft subsidiary) and adventure game developers Wizarbox. You can see more of Fred's work at his CGHub page. To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand” button in the bottom-right corner. Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios. If you're in the business and have some concept, environment, promotional or character art you'd like to share, drop us a line!

This is Remembering. It's a "poetic exploration game driven by sound". It's finished and available for download here. You should go ahead and do just that. It's a wonderful little experience. By stripping away all but the most basic visual elements, the game - and your interpretation of its world - is powered mostly by sound and music, as you explore stages experimenting with music and keeping an ear out for the changes that slowly bleed into the soundscape. Remembering recommends you play it with headphones. You really need to play it with headphones. Remembering [Game Site]

A long-standing rivalry between two sci-fi fan groups in England boiled over earlier this week when Star Wars and Dr. Who fans had a "bitter exchange" outside a convention. When the treasurer of Norwich Star Wars Club Jim Poole turned up and tried to get the autograph of Dr. Who actor (and Bill superstar!) Graham Cole, all hell broke loose. He was asked to leave the convention, which was hosted by rival group the Norwich Sci Fi Club, and when he refused both police and security were called. The cops turned up having been told there had been an assault, but after a brief investigation found there had been nothing but nerd rage. So both groups got a...talking to, and were warned to keep away from each other. Crisis averted. Police break up rival sci-fi fans’ feud [Metro]

We grab our flute, put our shoulder down, and charge...limp our way back into BioForge.

This is far from the first time this rumour has popped up. We heard last year that Microsoft was planning this, but as the reveal of a new Xbox console - and a new Windows update - draws closer, we're hearing it again. This time a little more convincingly. The Verge reports that Microsoft will soon be killing off the points scheme in favour of a universal "gift card" that could be used across all of the company's platforms and be purchased in real-world currency. It's also shared images of what it says are the cards in question, which clearly show an Xbox controller on the front, as well as space for actual dollar amounts. Please be true. Of all the things we've had to adjust to this console generation, having to constantly convert points into dollars - and being stuck with leftover points in your account after a purchase - have been about the stupidest. We've contacted Microsoft for comment, and will update if we hear back. Microsoft killing off Xbox Points in favor of currency and gift cards system [The Verge]

Team Fortress 2's scout class has a secondary weapon called "Bonk! Atomic Punch". A tumbler of the item went for sale on the Valve store last week, and today Reddit user Rajorface uploaded pictures of the 'warning label' on the Tumbler. As you might expect, the fine print is ridiculous. Here's a picture so you can see for yourself, though you can find some more in the Reddit thread. Thankfully, this thing only holds what you put in it—it's a tumbler, after all—so you don't have to worry about any of this being true. Fine Print on the new Bonk Tumblers [Rajorface]