We've seen what Star Wars would look like as a classic Lucasarts adventure game, but artist Andy Rash's glorious pixel art looks so much like a classic Sierra adventure game that it's tough not to wonder what could have been.

Imagine, instead of reliving the original Star Wars trilogy through fast-paced action games like X-Wing, Super Star Wars and Dark Forces, you could have bungled your way around pixellated landscapes typing endless sentences in the hope you did the right thing!

"stay on target"

"stay on target"

"go to toschi station"

"pick up power converters"

And so on. Head to Rash's site to see the full lineup featuring the cast of the entire classic trilogy.

1200% Star Wars [Andy Rash, via technabob]

Adventure Time is the best new cartoon I've seen in years. So it's nice to see that the first person putting down sketches on how a game adaptation would work is Pendleton Ward, the man who created the show.

Don't know what Adventure Time is? Come on, grab your friends.

It's not an official project, so don't go asking who's developing, or which company is publishing, or when we can expect a developer diary, or what the game's Amazon pre-order bonus is going to be. It's just Ward putting down ideas on how he'd like a game based on his own show to be made.

He's no game designer, sure (and neither am I!), but I know I like Adventure Time, and with all this punching and bared teeth, I like what I see here. You can check out the full "concept" below.

[buenothebear @ Twitter, via Tiny Cartridge]

The whole point of Gran Turismo 5's Red Bull Racing X1 Prototype was that it was a car that was so fast it couldn't actually exist. So what do we do with it now that one actually exists?

We relax, that's what, as this version of the prototype car won't be setting any land speed records. Instead, it's one hell of a model (as in, it doesn't actually drive), built especially for Gran Turismo 5's big launch party in Madrid.

Just a tease, then, but what a tease: this would be one hell of a car in real life, and seeing one in the "flesh", so to speak, not only has me thinking of how fast it'll be in the game, but also how much it looks like one of Blade Runner's famous "Spinners".

Red Bull X1 Prototype Gets Real, Set to Debut in Madrid [Evo Magazine, via GTPlanet]

At the end of this month, a match-making event is being held just outside Tokyo. But this get-together is a little different. It's for otaku.

And not just otaku, but otaku looking to settle down with a wife and their plastic figures. In Japan, female otaku are often referred to as "fujoshi" or "rotten girl".

The event will be held in Kuki City, Saitama. The area is now an otaku "holy ground" due to its connection with popular manga and anime Lucky Star. Record number of fans make a pilgrimage to Kuki City.

It's among this backdrop that a match-making party is being help on November 28. Match-making in Japan has a long history. Omiai, which is when two prospective individuals meet for a possible marriage, is still practised, but has become increasingly less common in the years following World War II. These days, the vast majority of Japanese marriages are not arranged. Japanese folks fall in love and get married like anywhere else.

It is common for singles in their 20s and 30s to attend group dating events called gokon or kompa. Similar events are common in the West.

This otaku marriage event in Kuki City is limited to 40 male and female individuals. The interest in attending far superseded that with over 500 applicants across the nation. That breaks down into 386 males and 115 females. These numbers are much higher than expected (and look at all those dudes!), so a lottery is being used to determine which 40 nerds of both sexes can meet, fall in love and marry. How romantic.

オタ婚活：主催者びっくり参加希望者500人殺到　男性20倍、女性5倍超の狭き門に [MANTANWEB]

I'm playing Black Ops on PC, and have been having some problems. Random performance issues, even stuttering during cutscenes. Turns out I'm far from the only one.

Many PC players are reporting issues with the game related to poor performance that has nothing to do with their own hardware. For example, Black Ops will slow to a crawl in relatively quiet areas of the game, while in hectic stages full of explosions it may carry on just fine.

This issue is affecting users in multiplayer as well, creating the effect of "lag" when in reality the best theories out there point to it actually being a memory leak.

The pic above shows an example, the game taking up a ridiculous 85% of a user's CPU power.

There's no confirmation yet from developers Treyarch on the cause or a possible fix for the issue.

Update: David Vonderhaar over at Treyarch tells forum-goers that they are trying to figure out the issue. Here's his full post from the forums:

Hello-

I've generally been the sort that says if I don't have any information it's best to not say anything, but that can get translated incorrectly as being disinterested.

When people are upset, they want answers. When someone from Treyarch replies, but doesn't have answers I have found it just makes them more upset.

This is the truth. As I have said, I'm not totally sure what is going on yet. I am not in the office. I am travelling for work. I can only gleam bits and pieces from various email aliases I am on (and I am not on every alias as it's too much email especially for mobile device when traveling).

I know that Customer Support has been collecting information and trying to sort out the legit reports from the many people who don't meet the system requirements by collecting dxdiags and the like.

I know that the PC server browser was crushing the back-end. At first, queries were restricted and some caching was added to offset the high-load. This should be much better now, if not fixed outright.

I've asked for more information but don't have it yet. Probably because they are all super busy trying to work everything out.

Unfortunately, I am going to have to step on a plane this afternoon and will be out of service for no less than 15 hours. No doubt JD_2020 or the board admins will keep you informed as well as they can and are instructed.

David 'Vahn' Vonderhaar

[via PC Gamer, Steam] [image]

Having exhausted a majority of the questing content during my first week playing LEGO Universe, I dedicated my second week to that most basic of LEGO activities: Building.

Kotaku's MMO reviews are a multi-part process. Rather than deliver day one reviews based on beta gameplay, we play the game for four weeks before issuing our final verdict. Once a week we deliver a log detailing when and how we played the game. We believe this gives readers a frame of reference for the final review. Since MMO titles support many different types of play, readers can compare our experiences to theirs to determine what the review means to them.

Last week I was on vacation, so I had plenty of time to tool around in LEGO Universe, completing quests, fighting pirates, and advancing my chosen profession. Time was of the essence this week, so this week's log will be a bit short, but packed with LEGO building goodness.

Wednesday, November 3, 10:00PM Eastern Time: Back to Basics

It's going to be a busy week for me work-wise, but I plan on squeezing as much LEGO Universe time as I can out of the next six days, as long as the next step in my journey proves fulfilling enough.

It's time to build.

Throughout my adventures I've been picking up random LEGO bricks. Some have come in large LEGO brick packs given as quest rewards. Others have dropped randomly off of defeated monsters. I'm glad NetDevil gave me a dedicated brick slot in my backpack, because this is one confusing inventory.

I take a rocket ship to one of my properties, toss on my thinking cap, and begin to build . . . something.

I want to create some sort of robot, I think, but without a cohesive plan, the going is slow. I place some bricks for feet. I decide to extend the feet, selecting the bricks I've stacked so far and clicking them down on top of platforms. I imagine some sort of tube running up the leg, but I'm having issues navigating my inventory looking for the right pieces.

It's a pretty daunting task.

An hour and a half into building, and I'm pretty much still stuck with a pair of robot feet.

Maybe I'm just too tired to do this tonight. I'm just getting frustrated. I'll come up with a plan tomorrow.

Thursday, November 4, 8:00PM: Finding Inspiration

If at first you don't succeed, cheat.

I need inspiration, and this is a game that's supposedly filled with creative people, so what better way to figure out what to build than to look at what those people are doing?

From the rocket pad on my property I can access a ranked list of other public properties I can explore.

I decide to browse a few. First up, a LEGO Space Station.

I like what this guy is doing. He's got an R2 unit under glass, a space shuttle sort of thing. There are spacemen. there's a sports car, and a shark. Okay, maybe it's not the most coherent of visions, but it's a vision.

Next up, a haunted LEGO mansion.

Now this is more like it. Not only has this creator crafted a rather massive building, he's also got spawning monsters that drop real loot. If I could just create a monster generator like he's using I could spawn an endless amount of enemies , generating an endless amount of coins, bricks, and power-ups.

An idea is forming, but I still want to see more.

It bears noting that each journey between player-made properties takes at least two minutes to load, based on the complexity of the build. This explains why we can't bring our creations into the main game world; it would explode.

My final property inspection takes me to a LEGO hedge maze.

I like the use of scripted behaviors to make the assorted creatures talk to you when you pass within range. This is a nice and simple build that shows that you don't need to spend ages to create something special.

An idea coalesces in my mind. These creations have sparked my own creative vision.

I am going to create LEGO Kotaku Tower.

Very slowly.

Friday, November 5, 11:00PM: The Lagging Tower Of Kotaku

I log in this evening and the first thing I do is destroy everything I've created so far. I'm finicky like that.

I decide to try and do this right, planning out the structure, figuring out which bricks I need in advance, and then implementing.

I begin by laying out a flat plain of LEGO planks to build on. Then I take a trip to my local brick merchant.

Bricks are the building blocks of LEGO Universe, so they are relatively cheap. I have 25,000 coins, and everything I need is ten coins apiece. I buy a metric ton of LEGO pieces and head back.

Some slanted-face bricks will serve as the foundation for Kotaku Tower, so I begin placing pieces along the edges of my base. The build interface's cloning tool comes in hand here. I lay down a brick, clone it, select those two, clone them, and so on. Bricks are removed from my inventory as I do this.

Soon I've run out of slanted pieces. This is going to be more work than I thought.

Time for a break!

Saturday, November 6, 11:00AM: Depression Sets In

Will I ever have time to finish this tower? I log in for a brief moment, stare at what I've created so far and sigh.

Monday, November 8, 10:00PM: Wandering About Killing Things

Logging into my property and its unfinished tower is just too depressing. Instead, I spend a couple of hours wandering around places I've already been. I kill some pirates, some robots, and some spiders, unlock a few more achievements, and log out. It's still fun, just running about, but the specter of the unfinished tower looms.

The Story So Far

I need a building planner. I need some sort of program that allows me to quickly generate a design in LEGO bricks and then gives me step-by-step instructions on how to create it. I wish I could invite other players onto my property to help me build.

I'm a little frustrated.

Perhaps I'll take a little breather next week. Maybe start another character and try some of the other career paths. Anything but sit and stare at that tower again.

My green monster is hungry for candy. He's telling me so, gesturing. I need to cut the rope with a finger swipe, sending the sugary treat into his mouth. But how do I clear the spikes? Ah... the whoopee cushion!

Cut The Rope is a puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod touch that tasks players with the responsibility of feeding a cute monster named Om Nom. What complicates the task is that said candy dangles from ropes, and the various boxes (Cardboard Box, Fabric Box, Foil Box and Gift Box) Om Nom resides in are laden with traps. Cut the wrong rope, and the candy might go crashing onto the ground. Disaster! Things like whoopee cushions, bubbles and sliding rails help players move the candy through obstacles like spikes, pesky spiders and electric currents and into Om Nom's mouth.

Ideal Player

With stages lasting a couple seconds, Cut the Rope is perfect for those who want super short bursts of play.

Why You Should Care

Cut the Rope is tearing up the iPhone App Charts, second only to perennial fav Angry Birds.

Wait. The Monster's name is On Nom? Little too cute, no? Maybe! But that doesn't mean this is some dumbed-down cutesy affair. The graphics are solid — better than you'd expect. The animation is smooth. This graphics, along with the music, make Cut The Rope a real charmer.

That's all you do, give the monster candy? Well, that's the goal. But players can also collect the three stars scattered about the stages. It's not mandatory, but it's an added challenge.

Daily brushing prevents tooth decay.

You mentioned finger swipes. Is that the only control input? Finger swipes are how the ropes are cut, but there are other elements in the stages. Take balloons and whoopee cushions. Players don't swipe, but press them to make the balloons "pop" and the whoopee cushions fart out air. But, the basic swipe gesture — simple as it is — is incredibly satisfying and actually relaxing. The basic controls are very much in-tune with the iOS and take advantage of Apple's hardware.

Does it ever get difficult slicing ropes with your finger? There are a hundred stages in Cut The Rope, and they do a fine job of introducing new elements to keep gameplay fresh. The game is challenging, but never impossible and clearing harder levels feels like figuring out a magic trick. However, controls get a bit messy with the sliding rails, and the game sometimes doesn't know if you want to cut a rope or slide a rail.

Cut The Rope In Action

The Bottom Line

There are a handful of "essential" iOS games. Titles that take advantage of Apple's hardware and offer a fresh gaming experience. Inventive and fun, Cut The Rope is one of those games. For a game centered around feeding candy, Cut The Rope is just sweet enough not to induce cavities. Highly recommended.

Cut The Rope was developed by ZeptoLab and published by Chillingo for iOS, released on October 5. Currently priced at $0.99. A copy of the game was purchased by Kotaku for reviewing purposes. Completed all 100 stages.

Not everything inside the Xbox 360 was designed by Microsoft; the console's wi-fi capabilities (hold the jokes) and some its video codecs are licensed from Motorola. And are now the subject of a court battle between the two companies.

A suit has been filed in a Federal Court in Seattle by Microsoft, alleging Motorola "broke its promise" in regards to patent licensing by charging "royalties that are excessive and discriminatory" for the technology included in the Xbox 360.

In other words, that Motorola charged Microsoft a lot more for the licensing than they have other companies.

The specific tech in question is related to the Xbox 360's ability to connect to a network wirelessly over WLAN, as well as its ability to display videos running in the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec.

Microsoft is asking the courts to determine a more reasonable royalty rate for the use of the technology, along with compensation for Motorola's alleged breach of contract.

Folks, let's turn off this Tuesday with a little off-topic conversation that could be about the new copy of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World you bought on DVD and/or Blu-ray today. Hint! HINT!

While I'm still waiting for my copy from Amazon to arrive—like I'm going to leave the house, c'mon!—maybe you can whet the appetites of those who do not yet have a copy of the video gamey-action-romance box office disaster. If not, just talk about what you want, which could include these topics.

• 10 must watch movies that influenced Scott Pilgrim - So says Edgar Wright, who wrote some stuff for io9 today!
• Somebody just launched something from the California coast - It is a ... mystery.
• In other mysterious news, giant bubbles of energy discovered at center of Milky Way galaxy - Man, how did we not see those before, they're huge!
• Watch Conan's first episode of his TBS show online - I'm watching it now! Yay!

GoldenEye 007 for the Wii may feature a new James Bond and all-new graphics, but as this comparison video shows, Activision's remake of the 1997 Nintendo 64 game stays impressively true to its source material.

RewindReplay TV's side-by-side comparison clip of the new and old GoldenEye 007 games is also a great illustration of just how far we've come visually. We were clearly able to tolerate a much blockier Bond and meager framerates for the sake of good gameplay, but that's not necessarily an era I miss graphically.

GoldenEye Comparison [RewindReplay TV via Joystiq]