Kotaku: japanese

First Persona 4 Promo Trailers Hit The Tubes

fdemarco — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:40:00 MDT

Persona 4 was just previewed in Famitsu yesterday and already someone has ripped the promo videos that came with the magazine. (Of course they are both in Japanese) They are both pretty lengthy, one being ten minutes, the other coming in at around eight. I've only recently been inducted into the angsty, head shooting world of Persona 3 and I must admit I find it quite fascinating. Sadly there is no head shooting in the new Persona but hopefully this new game will be just as intriguing as its predecessors.

Make the jump to check out promo number two!

[via Akayuki - Thanks, Squall]

Japanese Zelda II Commercial

fdemarco — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:00:00 MST

Here is an absolutely bizarre Japanese Zelda II commercial featuring a little girl and a man in drag as an old lady. The little girl comes to a shop and a glowing Tri-force on her hand magically transforms her into Link and the man-lady into a cloaked character sporting a string of old lady pearls. Why they opted to go with a guy in drag instead of a real old lady, I don't know but it makes for some humorous viewing.

[via RetroGameVideos]

Tales of Symphonia 2 Japanese Trailer

fdemarco — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:00:00 MST

The Tales franchise continues with the second installment of the Tales of Symphonia series. Featuring Tales' custom "Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System" and what looks to be quite a bit of anime cutscenes, Tales of Symphonia will be a Wii exclusive. No release date for the US has been announced yet but the Japanese version is due out in Spring of 08. The video quality isn't the best, but the in game battle scenes still look pretty great. We'll cross our fingers for this one.

Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus Japanese Trailer

fdemarco — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:00:29 MDT

Here's a look at the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus for the PSP. Of course, it's all in Japanese, but you still get to see a lot of gameplay footage. This one is pretty long for a trailer too, clocking in at over six minutes. It's nice to see Snake looking so young and spry, I've gotten so used to seeing him with grey hair lately it's easy to forget he was young once too.

Japanese Wii NiGHTS Trailer

fdemarco — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:00:05 MDT

Here we have the Japanese trailer for the much talked about NiGHTS for the Wii. The video is a little pixely and the music is god awful but it's enough to give you a little taste of what the game is going to be like. Legions of NiGHTS fans have been eagerly awaiting this title's release, but if the game is anywhere near as bad as the music, I don't think I will be picking it up. As a matter of fact, just do yourself a favor and watch it with the volume down. Believe me, you'll be much happier. If only I had had someone to warn me before I pressed play...

Twilight Princess Capsule Figures

fdemarco — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 08:00:00 MDT

While I was roaming around PAX last weekend I happened upon a booth by local Seattle store Pink Godzilla. They had an amazing selection of vintage games, Japanese toys and even some Japanese systems. What really caught my eye (although it was hard to focus on just one thing) were these little Twilight Princess figures. These are actually capsule figures from Japan and each figure came in parts, reminding me of my model making days. They come in pieces so that they can produce larger figures and still manage to fit them into the little plastic egg shaped capsules. I grabbed the whole set for $25 and spoke with one of the guys working the booth who told me they are readily available through the Pink Godzilla website. What's really great about PG is that all of their items include free shipping from right here in the US, thus relieving some of the long ship times often run into when ordering the same items from overseas. So, if you're a fan of Japanese games and toys and don't like waiting six to eight weeks for your precious treasures to arrive, run, don't walk to Pink Godzilla now!

Super Paper Mario Wallpapers for Your Super Desktop

fdemarco — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 10:00:00 MDT

The Japanese Super Paper Mario website has been slowly releasing some SPM wallpapers for your computer and yesterday, the final one was released. This one features Mr. L and his giant robot, but who could this mysterious Mr. L be? It's a mystery only solved by finishing the game! I won't spoil it by posting that one here, so instead I'll just post my favorite of the bunch. Check out the SPM website for all four wallpapers including the mysterious Mr. L and show your desktop some Super Paper Mario love. Flynn De Marco

Japanese Super Paper Mario Wallpapers [Nintendo]
[via GoNintendo]

Clip: Dragon Quest Swords Japanese Trailer

fdemarco — Sun, 13 May 2007 16:00:00 MDT

Fresh from the 2007 Square Enix party comes this new trailer for Dragon Quest Swords. Not surprisingly it's all in Japanese, but you still sit back and watch the visuals roll by. We get to see some cut scenes, and gameplay as well as some magic spells in action. Looks pretty comparable to the last Dragon Quest game graphics wise, but I do like some of the fancy outfits. But, that girl with the big, flat anime eyes mapped on to her 3D head and the guy with Charlie brown eyes standing next to her really freak me out. Flynn De Marco

Power Puff Girls Get Anime-ted

fdemarco — Sun, 06 May 2007 17:00:00 MDT

I loved the original Power Puff Girls series. It was clever, funny and included more jokes for adults than it ever did for kids. In Japan there is currently an anime running based on the PPG with the requisite anime recreations of the original characters. Somehow this seems a bit wrong, but however wrong it might be, they are making a DS game out if it called... Power Puff Girls Z.

Unfortunately, the original PPG games were pretty terrible to begin with so I can only imagine what a game based on a retooling of this format is going to be like. I guess we'll have to wait and see. This is one definitely one game I won't be sad about when it doesn't get localized. Flynn De Marco

Power Puff Girls Z [Insert Credit]

Dragon Quest Swords Japanese Box Art

fdemarco — Sun, 06 May 2007 15:00:00 MDT

I always like seeing good box art because let's face it, we all buy games based on their cover art, right? Ok, well maybe not, but having a good cover always helps. Here's the box art for Dragon Quest Swords coming out in Japan. Shouldn't be to long before this one comes stateside, but I hope it's a wee bit shorter than the last one. It seemed like it took an eternity to get through. Flynn De Marco

[via GoNintendo]

America Gets the Upperhand (Finally) with Pokemon

Kim Phu — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:00:00 MDT

Yes, it's finally happened! The Japanese kids finally want something we have. Apparently, the Pokemon players across the pond are making trades with American players for lower-value creatures on the basis that our Pokemon names are more bad-asser:

Japanese players can't enter English characters for their Pokemon names. (And American players can't enter Japanese text.) English words are "cool" for some reason in Japan and since they need American players to trade their Pokemon to get ones with English names, they will make excellent deals (for Americans) to get English-named Pokemon. I believe the game has also sold around 6 million copies in Japan and probably about a million in the US so far, so, theoretically, the demand far outstrips the supply at this point, making sellers market.

Technically, you gotta catch 'em all, so maybe you shouldn't give up some of the more hopeless characters in your army. But hey, it's not like you're trying to rebuild Rome or anything. Kim Phu

Japan Wants You [Game|Life]

DS Lite Radio!

Kim Phu — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:40:00 MDT

Clicking blindly through Japanese websites, I came across this little jem which is genius. The Cyber FM Radio is an attachment that uses the DS Lite's GBA slot to turn your DS into a beach-toting, mini radio. FM frequencies range from 76.0 MHz - 90.0 MHz, so you can probably at least get NPR, but the website suggests that (translated from Japanese):

The picture of DS Lite as the simple prevention of disasters goods that in the light/write substituting, you catch disaster information with the FM radio, you can use at the time of disaster of 10001.

I just love bad translations. This also makes me super curious on what a disaster of 10001 proportions can lead to. Kim Phu

Cyber FM Radio [Cyber Gadget]

Clip: Japanese Phoenix Wright 4 Trailer

fdemarco — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 10:00:00 MDT

While we here in the US are still lingering over Phoenix Wright 2, the Japanese are already gearing up for Phoenix Wright 4 (aka Gyakuten Saiban 4). This new trailer gives us a peek at some of the new characters including Phoenix's replacement. He looks cool with his Astro Boy-esque hair although I do miss the Phoenix wings.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of these games and I really hope they make use of the microphone in future US versions. I can't wait to be sitting on the bus and cause a stir by standing up and shouting "OBJECTION!" as I point into the air much to the dismay of my fellow riders. Now that's what I call excitement! Flynn De Marco

Clip: Japanese Metroid II Commerical

fdemarco — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:00:00 MST

Wow, Japanese commercials are so freaking awesome! This is a spot from 1992 advertising Metroid: The Return of Samus in Japan. Interestingly, the only time you see any actual gameplay footage is towards the end in a reflection in Samus' helmet. The comic book styling and use of what looks like an animated Samus action figure makes this commercial a real standout. Flynn De Marco

The Let's-Learn-Japanese RPG

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:00:41 MST

Best way to learn Japanese? Move to Japan and study like hell. But, those of you just starting and looking for study supplements, here's a computer RPG called Slime Forest. It's still a work in development, and the graphics are pretty rocky. The game is divided up in different chapters called Dreams that focus on things like writing katakana, hiragana and kanji. My advice? Move to Japan and study like hell. Brian Ashcraft

Learn Japanese With Slim Forest [Dark Diamond]

Brush Up On Your Multiplayer Japanese For Lost Planet

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:20:21 MST

Lost Planet players looking to add some international flavor to their online matches and some Japanese-language smacktalk to their repertoire, should make their way to Brian Dunn's helpful guide on speaking with your trans-Pacific Xboxers.

From niceties like "ganbarimasho!" to sassback like "zama miro" to the very useful "wakarimasen", with the Capcom translator's guide, you'll be blocked by Japanese hardcore gamers in no time. There's even a handy pronunciation guide so you'll sound less like a hayseed gaijin gamer. Michael McWhertor

Communication Breakdown? Communication Breakdancin', Baby! [Lost Planet Community]

Biohazard/Resident Evil Airsoft Guns

fdemarco — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 13:56:49 MST

Whilst following a lead on a Resident Evil Umbrella up for auction on eBay, I actually found something much more interesting. This is a series of four different Airsoft guns based on the weapons used in the Biohazard series or as it's known here in the states, Resident Evil!

Biohazard 0 R.E.0 Umbrella Magnum Revolver ($300)
Biohazard 2 Resident Evil 2 Leon's Desert Eagle ($650)
Biohazard 0 Umbrella 8" Magnum Revolver ($399)
Biohazard Resident Evil Samurai Edge Standard S.T.A.R.S ($250)

Each gun shoots BB's and comes with a small supply which is great if you want to shoot someone's eye out or leave a BB lodged under the skin of one of your mates, but when the real zombie massacre comes, you'll be screwed. Flynn De Marco

Clips: Japanese Man Makes Wii From Tofu

fdemarco — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 16:00:12 MST

I just saw this over on GoNintendo and got a huge laugh out of it. As a matter of fact, I can't stop laughing about it. The best that I can figure is that this guy is bummed because he doesn't have a Wii and really wants one. So, he decides to make one out of tofu, controllers out of a weird breadstick looking thing and a some sort of Japanese snack treat. He then proceeds to set the whole thing up with a T.V. on which he has taped a badly hand drawn picture of the Wii boxing game. I won't ruin the end, but it's pretty damned funny. Flynn De Marco

Final Fantasy Tactics PSP Trailer

fdemarco — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 11:00:59 MST

Ok, so the cam's a little shaky, it's filmed from an odd angle and there's people walking by, but there's enough here to pique the interest of Final Fantasy fans, I'm sure. No a whole lot of information on where this was taken although it looks to be some sort of medieval castle set with a plethora of candelabras and a nice widescreen T.V. Flynn De Marco

Japanese Kanji DS Action Game

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 15:22:44 MDT

Love or hate it, Japanese kanji (the Chinese-borrowed characters) is getting its own "action" DS game. Called Kanji no Wataridori, the game from software maker Success is capitalizing on English learning DS games' recent success. The game follows some dude named Kanji Gai (Kanji Guy, geddit?) and has a series of mini games that involve quickly writing or selecting the correct kanji. The game isn't for beginners and has three difficulty levels, starting at junior high and proceeding for there. Should be a big hit with students studying for the Kanji Kente and their mothers. The Chinese characters are definitely interesting, but a "kanji action game"? Sounds like something the Japanese PTA devised to get kids to study.

More Here [Success]