Brian Ashcraft

Is Xbox LIVE Is Down For You?

At approximately 9:20pm Pacific Daylight Time, folks on the Bungie.net forums began reporting that it was hard to get matches in Halo 3. Instead of finding players, it would just restart the search. Pictured is the status message everyone seemed to be getting. Whatever the problem is, it seems to have spread to LIVE (or…

What Last Generation Consoles Do Some Japanese Gamers Still Use?

It’s that time again, time for fascinating data. A group of Japanese people were questioned which video game consoles they owned and still used. Their answers might surprise you. They might not. On March 4 and 5, over one thousand members of the RealWorld RealResearch monitor pool answered questions about game consoles. Here’s the breakdown:…

Majesco Is Making Gobs Of Money

The global economy is imploding. It’s so bad that even economic powerhouse Nintendo has revised its forecasts. Everyone is bleeding money. Everyone except Majesco. Majesco? Yes, Majesco. You know, the game publisher who brought you Cooking Mama, Cake Mania and some fitness game with Jillian Michaels (pictured). For the quarter ending January 31, 2009, Majesco’s…

John Woo Apparently Not Directing John Woo’s Stranglehold

Stranglehold, the collaboration between game company Midway and Hong Kong action director John Woo, is in early talks for a movie version. John Woo’s name is not being mentioned as the director. Instead, actor-writer-director Stephen Fung (Enter The Phoenix, House of Fury) is in negotiations to helm John Woo game. According to John Woo’s producing…

Sheva’s Sexy Secret Costume

Survival horror game Resident Evil 5 is already out in Japan. As players have pointed out, it’s possible to “purchase” new outfits by unlocking them. Hard work, but just might be worth it. Pictured is an unlockable outfit for RE5 character Sheva, who’s an agent of the West African branch of the BSAA. Her duds…

Nintendo Addresses Low Output Complaints

Nintendo has it hard. If it makes too many games, people complain. If it makes too few games, people complain. Nintendo cannot win. This year, Nintendo seems content with release Wii-controls versions of previously released GameCube games. On the horizon, we can see the already-released-in-Japan Rhythm Heaven and the eagerly awaited Punch Out! and… Nintendo’s…

Japan Getting “Life-Sized” Standing Gundam

Finally! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime/manga/toy/video game franchise, an 18-meter-tall (59-foot-tall) “life size” Gundam statue will be built in Tokyo this July. Part of the “Mobile Suit Gundam 30th Anniversary Project,” the structure in Odaiba’s Shiokaze Park will stay up for only two months and be built from fiberglass-reinforced plastic over…

Ten Plus Spots Gamers Should Visit In Japan

It’s like clockwork. Every month, a handful of emails hit my inbox from readers with a singular purpose: What should I do on my trip to Japan? There are endless things to do in Japan that run the gamut of traditional to modern to fascinating to banal. What unites these emailers is that A). They’re…

Allergies Run In The Family, It Seems

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Big Sis As a kid, I had really bad allergies. I had to get tested when I was still quite small, and I remember getting literally hundreds of shots to pinpoint what was causing my allergies. After getting tested, I had to get four shots every four days when I…

Sony: “The PSP Was Slightly Under-Supported”

For all the disparaging remarks Westerners make about the PSP, it is a successful platform. Sony has sold 50 million worldwide. That’s nothing to sneeze at! Still, Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ray Maguire does concede that support for that platform hasn’t been quite up to snuff in the past. I”t was slightly under-supported, mainly because a…

China Blocking World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Over Skeletons, City Raid

Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the second expansion for MMORPG World of Warcraft, is having problems getting approved for Chinese release. The fastest selling computer game of all time, Wrath of the Lich King sold 2.4 million copies in its first day on sale. The demand and interest in China is…

Racing Stripes Make Dogs Go Faster

Our stripe contest continues! Reader Okor sends this, writing, “Believe me, this picture was NOT easy to get, what with my dog being super-fast and all.” No stuffed dogs were hurt while taking this picture. What’s going on? We’re giving away a copy of Xbox 360 game Race Pro. Racing stripes make race cars go…

New Professor Layton Game Announced, First Of New Trilogy

Fans of puzzle franchise Professor Layton, solve this: What’s coming out on the DS in Japan this fall from developer Level 5? Professor Layton And the Demon God’s Flute is the first of a new Layton trilogy. The mysterious story recounts a legend in which giant destroyed a village. The game is set three years…

Star Ocean Producer On Erotic Games And Multi-Platform

Yoshinori Yamagishi, Square Enix’s Star Ocean series producer, really wanted to make erotic games. We brought word of this back in January. When asked about this, Yamagishi can explain: This is actually a quotation from a conversation I had when I was still talking with Enix before the company merged with top management people. I…

Wii Getting Another Resident Evil Shooting Game

The latest issue of Japanese game magazine Famitsu announces a new Resident Evil (AKA Biohazard in Japan) game for the Nintendo called Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. The Wii light gun game is a continuation of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and set in the world of Resident Evil 2. Resident Evil 2 is set…

Elderly Actress Wants More Dragon Quest Before Death

We’ve been waiting for Dragon Quest IX for a long time. For most of us, we can wait a little longer for the game to come out, but not Japanese actress Keiko Awaji. For her, it’s a matter of life or death. Japanese film actress Keiko Awaji, now in her 70s, wants to play new…

Something(s) About The Valkyria Chronicles Anime Is Different, But What?

That’s 19 year-old heroine Alicia Melchiott from the Valkyria Chronicles PS3 version. We’ve seen her wielding a gun like this before. This is nothing out of the ordinary. Let’s compare with her anime version. Hrm. Still Alicia, and she’s still brandishing a weapon. Or should that be weapons? We don’t want to make mountains out…

Closer Look At Monster Hunter CG Art Book

To mark the 5 year anniversary of Monster Hunter, Capcom has released Monster Hunter CG Art Works, a book about, well, the CG art in MH. The Japanese-language book has concept art, developer interviews and promotional materials. Even if you are not into Monster Hunter, this does look to be a beautiful book. It’s over…

See Valkyria Chronicles Anime Early (If You Are Lucky)

The upcoming anime based on PS3 exclusive Valkyria Chronicles looks great. Those who live in Japan could win a chance to see it a few weeks early. On March 28, a “premium event” is being held for the anime in Tokyo. The first episode will be screened, and there will also be a talk with…

Report: DS Will Soon Break 100 Million Lifetime Global Sales

According to Japanese economic newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Nintendo DS will surpass an important milestone during the middle of this month. The DS will achieve 100 million in lifetime worldwide sales. As of December 31, 2008, the official global DS sales tally was 96.22 million. The Nintendo DS was first launched in North American…