To: Crecente From: Ashcraft Gearing up for the big New Year’s holidays here in Japan. The entire country has already shut down. Last week, we sent out presents to family members who gave us presents for the Micro Bash’s birth. For celebrations here, you don’t really get presents (sometimes you do!), but rather, celebratory envelopes…
Early Metal Gear Solid 4 reviews might have been too flattering, and the cutscenes might have been too long. But MGS4 is a solid title. And months later, it’s selling out today in Akihabara. Initial sales were strong, and while MGS4 is the biggest selling PS3 title in Japan, it topped off at 600,000 and…
Developer Dimps is responsible for developing Street Fighter IV for Capcom. Dimps president Takashi Nishiyama? “Pretty sure bisexual,” outs former Capcom employee Yoshiki Okamoto. In an interview with newly engaged James Mielke, Okamoto (1942, Forgotten Worlds, Folklore) dishes about the Dimps executive, who lives in the same apartment building: Mr. Nishiyama used to work at…
SEGA’s Joypolis amusement arcade has a theme song. This is it. Japanese crooner "talent" Nezumi Senpai sings it. There are tons of versions, including this one. Popopopopooooooooo. It’s stuck in our heads. Now it’ll get stuck in yours. You’re welcome. Youtube: Joypolis themes [Insert Credit]
Last we heard, Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning had inked a deal with Hollywood to bring his vision, sci-fi actioner Citizen Seige, to life in a CG flick. What happened? Lanning tells Gamasutra’s Brandon Sheffield: “We’ve got the Citizen Siege film in development. And we now have an even better idea of why they call it…
Before we start, things to keep in mind: This is at one store in Osaka’s electronics district, Den-Den Town. At this same store, something like ten people showed up for the Xbox 360 launch. Japanese otaku blog Ota Road points out the discrepancy between retailer Sofmap’s first floor in-store displays for the Xbox 360 and…
Ah, yes. Magibon. If you’ve been on YouTube, you’ve probably seen her blank, smiling face speaking elementary Japanese. Her vids have gotten millions of views and she’s even achieved some sort of online celebrity. PingMag‘s Jean Snow (who contributed to Arcade Mania) interviewed 22 year-old Magibon about making it big on YouTube. The gaming connection?…
While we won’t get the official figures until later this week, the early word is that Level 5’s PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles has sold 130,000 copies in its first day. The game went on sale Christmas Day in Japan. Granted, this isn’t terrible for a PS3 title in Japan (or Xbox 360 title, for…
Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas? Twenty-six year-old Heath Blom didn’t. He was given a Wii, got mad, and a fight broke out leading to a double arrest. Oh, the holidays. Blom and his 24 year-old girlfriend, Randi Young, were both arrested for misdemeanor “domestic-related” assault charges. An altercation broke out over Christmas…
“Of all the games out there, I think Bioshock is the one that’s the most engaging."
Brian Ashcraft is a journalist based in Japan. He is the Senior Contributing Editor for video game site Kotaku. Prior to joining Kotaku in 2005, Ashcraft worked for Quentin Tarantino’s now defunct film distribution company, Rolling Thunder Pictures, where he assisted on The New York Times best-seller What It Is… What It Was!, a look…
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