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japan

A Bus Wrapped In DS Cat Sim Cuteness

There it is, have a look, the cutest bus in Tokyo. To promote DS game Kawaii Koneko ("Cute Kitten"), the above bus was wrapped in cavity inducing sacchrine. The pet sim went on sale way back in January and lets players pick from eight different breeds like Russian Blue and American Shorthair. The bus ad features cutesy Japanese celebrity person Becky. See that old dude flagging down that pink bus? His teeth hurt.

Pic of Becky, a cat and part of a wheel after the jump.

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bandai namco

Haruhi Dances Up The Wii

Certainly! By now you must have seen the credit sequence for anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Catchy, huh? No wonder the Wii Haruhi game is going to be a dancing game. Well, not a straight up dancing game as it'll have a "Story Mode" (with dancing) and a "Free Mode" (with dancing). The game's about half done and slated for this year. Hum~ming!

And yes, Haruhi dance after the jump.

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minimum risky

Xbox 360 Getting Sex Scene-Less Erotic Game

Once again proving that the Xbox 360 is the console for discerning consumers, 3D computer erotic game TimeLeap [NSFW] is getting an Xbox 360 version. In a newly released TimeLeap visual guidebook, the game's producer confirmed that an Xbox 360 version is planned this year. Interesting as the erotic game tried to capitalize on the popularity of another Xbox 360 title, Namco Bandai's THE iDOLM@STER. For the Xbox 360 version, the hardcore stuff will definitely get the boot, leaving... Well... MAXIMUM RISKY? No, minimum risky.

Hit the jump for TimeLeap dancing!

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bill gates

"Online Will Be Xbox 360 Breakthrough for Japan"

Hey Tiger Japan loves many things. For example, Louis Vuitton. Japan loves Louis Vuitton. iPods, Japan loves iPods. Japan does not love the Xbox 360. What does Bill Gates think about that? While visiting Japan, Microsoft founder Bill Gates did offer this:

Product share varies from country to country. In the US and the UK, the share [of Xbox 360] is high, but besides Japan, there are other areas we haven't penetrated. From now on, I think the breakthrough's going to be the online service, and you'll be surprised if you look at that.

You know something else that's surprising? The weekly Japanese sales figures.
Bill Gates Talks Online [Mainichi Thanks, Ben!] [Pic]

wii eating disorder

Wii Fit To Little Girl: "You're Fat"

Japan made it through Wii Fit mania without a hitch, really. Nobody fell off the board or anything like that. Good times, all around! But, that's Japan. What about elsewhere? Over on Disney community forum (yeah, we know) DISboard, one poster claims:

We have all laughed and joked about being told that we're fat and need to lose weight but I was gobsmacked when it [Wii Fit] told her that she is overweight. She is a healthy 10 year old girl with an active lifestyle, she swims and dances every week. She is 92lbs and 4ft9" tall and there is not an inch of fat on her. She is solidly built but not fat. She was devasted to be called fat and we had to work hard to convince her that she isn't. I know it is just a game but seriously we already have to worry about young girls starving themselves to look like the magazine models and now we have a game that tells them their fat. This to me is very worrying and I hope that is doesn't cause emotional problems for any youngsters out there :(

Cue Karen Carpenter concerns!
Disgusted With Wii Fit [DIS Boards via CVG via Dtoid] [Pic]

the horror

Japanese Game Movie Adaptations Are Crappy, Too!

Though, it may seem like Hollywood has a monopoly on shit game movie adaptations, others can make shit game adaptations! Take the Japanese film industry, which is churning out what apparently is a crud version of computer visual novel Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Japanese movie site Chou Eiga Hihyou gave the movie a 10 out of... 100. The problem, according to the reviewer, is that the movie cannot capitalize on what makes the game so interesting: Cute characters in a love comedy who gradually become violent and bloody. In live action, that kind of story arc is old hat! Also, we're pretty pissed that the actresses don't have green or purple hair. I mean...hello?!
10 of 100 [Chou Eiga Hihyou via Canned Dogs]

nintendo ds

Okamoto Warns Of Atari Caliber DS Crash

Game Republic's Yoshiki Okamoto, a twenty year industry vet whose credits include Street Fighter II, Resident Evil and, more recently, Folklore, tells Gamasutra he fears the Japanese game industry may be in danger of suffering the same fate that befell Atari in the early '80s. If you're too young to remember, a glut of software for the Atari 2600 and its peers, the majority of which we'll be nice enough to describe as liquid feces written in assembler, flooded the market, resulting in a industry crushing crash.

Today's problem? A glut of software—particularly "brain" games—for the Nintendo DS published by inexperienced companies looking to make a quick buck.

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japan

Japanese People With Xbox 360s! Amazing Photo Proof!!

Face it: The Xbox 360 hasn't done so hot in Japan. That doesn't mean everyone in Japan hates it. Oh, no! Not at all. In fact, at least a handful people really like the Xbox 360. Look at the above picture. This individual likes the 360 so much, he/she/it bought back-ups. If that's not undying adoration, we really don't know what is.

Xbox In Japan [Hatimaki]

playstation

Ken Kutaragi Offers His International Business Skills

Ever wonder what PlayStation father Ken Kutaragi is up to? After that messy, messy PS3 launch, Kutaragi was elbowed out of the limelight in favor of Sony Computer Entertainment of America honcho Kaz Hirai. Still connected with Sony Computer Entertainment, Kutaragi no longer works for SCE in any active function. More »

rant

"Non-Games Are For Non-Gamers"

Frustrated with the current gaming climate? Alex Kierkegaard at website Insomnia sure as shit is. He's got a biting (and often nasty) take on the sales situation in Japan. I quite like Kierkegaard and appreciate what he does with Insomnia, which has a very strong focus on Japanese games and developers I love like Cave. Here's a snippet from his rant: More »

rumor

Revenge of Capcom Didn't Dev Street Fighter IV

Forget for a moment this is still "unconfirmed", but according to magazine EGM, Capcom's Street Fighter IV isn't being developed by Capcom — but outsourced to another Osaka developer. That's right, apparently DIMPS is working on the game. DIMPS was founded by former SNK devs and is best known for its excellent Rumble Fish fighters along with churning out run-of-the-mill Dragon Ball Z games. Another DIMPS fun fact: That FPS Gundam game they develped for the Xbox 360 wasn't really being developed by them, but apparently outsourced to a Korean dev who's did a shitty job on it. Anyway! Also, forget for a moment that Capcom USA has been saying that Street Fighter IV is being developed internally. One more thing, forget for a moment that we've been going on about DIMPS doing SFIV since, well, last year. Personally, I don't care if Capcom or DIMPS does the game — just don't make it sucky, m'kay?
Capcom Lied Again [NeoGAF]

ps3

SEGA's Valkyria Chronicles SEGA Cameo

Crossover time! Characters Vyse and Aika from SEGA RPG Skies of Arcadia appear in Sega's new PS3 title Senjo no Valkyuria (Valkyria Chronicles). Makes sense with Sega rumored to be working on a Skies of Arcadia. Right up there is proof of Vyse's in game appearance, and Aika is after the jump. Click over if you like. If not, don't. YOUR CHOICE.

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metal gear online

Metal Gear Online Beta Is Go

The Metal Gear Online beta test is now live and ready to play in North America, Europe, and Japan. We've gotten reports from various Kotakuites that they are already connected and playing the long-awaited and slightly delayed game. How is it so far? Well reader JP just played a team death match and had this to say:
It's great.
So there you have it. Great. Keep in mind that you'll have to download the 1.2 update before playing, on top of the ridiculously large 1.1 update from earlier. Those of you never got around to downloading that first update (like me) might want to get on that right now, as the download might finish before the beta is over...if we're lucky.

japan

Want To Bathe With Your PSP? (Not Really, Thanks)

For those who cannot be away from their PSPs for even a moment, there's this: A plastic bag you can put your PlayStation Portable in. Once sealed, it makes your handheld portable waterproof, so you can watch digital TV or something. Products like this for cell phones have been around for ages in Japan (like at least since 2004!), so it's not surprising to see this. Not surprising at all.
CYBER GADGET Bag [Game Watch Impress via PSP Fanboy]

japan

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Ships Over 2 Million

Capcom is rolling in money — Monster Hunter money. The most recent iteration in the PSP franchise Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G has shipped over two million copies in Japan. Wowzers! The game just went on sale March 27th and has really helped power the crap outta PSP sales.
Monster Sales [Famitsu]

rumor

Nintendo To Increase Wii Production to 2.4 Million a Month

Demand for the Wii has been huge. Heck, according to Nintendo of America honcho Reggie Fils-Aime, Wii consoles sit on US shelves for only an hour before being snapped up. But, Nintendo of America's parent company Nintendo Co., Ltd. is playing things safe. Insiders tell us that it's planning to ramp up production, but only a little. Currently, Nintendo has the worldwide production of Wiis set at 1.8 million a month. Starting this summer, it will crawl up to 2.4 million per month. For those keeping score, the last time Nintendo hiked its output was in April 2007 and then later that summer. Seems that Nintendo's trying to play it safe, managing its risk as the American economy continues its downward slide. So 2.4 million a month seems about right. Because, you know, the moment there's Wiis stacking up on store shelves, it means one thing: Fad's over.

otaku

We Do Not Believe This Dead or Alive Character Is Swimming

And the shameful Dead or Alive toys continue! This Tina figure is totally bra swimming. But look at her face. She could be waiting for a bus for all we know. And what about her hair? That's not swimming hair. We are disappointed to say that this Tina figure just isn't very realistic.

More pics of this Tina sample over at Akiba Hobby if you like.
Venus on the Beach! [Akiba Hobby]


japan

PS3 Sound Horror Game Getting Wii Port

PS3 sound novel Imabikisou is getting a Wii port. Not quite sure why as sound novels are pretty much choose your own adventure style films told through sound, text and images. For the PS3 version, the visual effects were handled by the team behind Siren 2. So we guess this will be Imabikisou plus waggle? Scary.
Imabikisou Gets Wii Version [Canned Dogs] [Pic]