Brian Ashcraft

Smartphone game Final Fantasy Agito is coming to the PS Vita in Japan as Final Fantasy Agito Plus on January 15, 2015. No word on a Western release.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be out in 2015, Hideo Kojima announced today at the Tokyo Game Show.

The Most Embarrassing Gameplay Experience of 2014

The year is not over. We still have time! But damn, it’s going to be hard to top the experience of doing this. Note: This article contains content some readers might fine objectionable. You are looking at the demo kiosk for OneeChanbara Z2: Chaos at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. And to play the demo…

The Monsters and Giant Mecha of the Tokyo Game Show

Today is the first press day for this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Here’s a look at the show floor, which is populated with booths, game demos, giant mecha, and monsters. Oh, and motorcycles and a flying sheep. Can’t forget those! Keep in mind that the show might look kind of empty. That’s because, well, this…

What Cold Weather Does in Dark Souls II‘s Newest DLC

The world of Dark Souls II doesn’t exactly inspire frolicking in beach sandals and cut-offs. It’s a cold, wet place. But the latest DLC, Crown of the Ivory King, is downright freezing. At a recent roundtable discussion at Namco Bandai headquarters in Tokyo, Dark Souls II director Yui Tanimura discussed the thinking behind the DLC’s…

​First Hands-On with the New Nintendo 3DS

I just spent some time with the New Nintendo 3DS at the Tokyo Game Show, and based on first impressions, the upcoming handheld looks like it could be great. Announced last month, the revamped 3DS features more powerful hardware, a better 3D effect and a new analog controller called the C-Stick. It’s less a stick…

The New Final Fantasy XV Trailer Has Renewed My Faith

If Final Fantasy XV‘s latest trailer is any indication, this game could well be worth the wait. The new Tokyo Game Show trailer shows off gameplay that’s more than combat—there’s also driving! And this latest look at Final Fantasy XV offers some truly stunning graphics. Did you give up on Final Fantasy XV? Don’t. Not…

Tetsuya Nomura Is No Longer Directing Final Fantasy XV

Today, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XV has a new director. Originally announced in 2006 as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game was rebranded as Final Fantasy XV last year. The game is being directed by Hajime Tabata, the director of Final Fantasy Type-0 and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD “This move allows Tetsuya Nomura…

Nintendo Is Sorry for Accidentally Banning Smash Bros. Players

Over the weekend, some Smash Bros. 3DS players complained of being banned temporarily from online play. They weren’t sure why. In an official release, Nintendo announced today that there was a “lethal move” spawned by Peach using her “pulling turnips” move right at the start of online play. The problem is that in “For Glory”…

Princess Peach’s Underwear Is Protected from Your Gaze

Smash Bros. fans might recall that, for whatever reason, Super Smash Bros. Brawl offered a detailed look at Princess Peach’s underpants. That doesn’t appear true for the newly released 3DS game. Note: This article has content some readers might find objectionable. As numerous gamers in Japan have pointed out on Japanese forum 2ch, it doesn’t…

The Most Hardcore Xbox One Customer in South Korea

There is one man in South Korea who wants an Xbox One more than anyone else. But right now, he’s standing in line for the console—a line of one person. He’s got about a week to go before the console is released in South Korea. But can me make it? As mentioned on Ruliweb (via…

Japanese Newspaper Admits Fabricating a Nintendo Interview

One of Japan’s largest newspapers, The Asahi Shimbun, admitted that it made up an interview two years ago with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. On Sunday, Asahi stated that it had asked Iwata for an interview, but the request was turned down. The paper said it planned to use quotes from Nintendo’s Iwata Asks webpage, which…

Super Smash Bros. Is Wrecking Some People’s 3DS Handhelds

Now that Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is out on, well, the 3DS in Japan, people are playing it. And some of those people are reporting that the game is resulting in broken Slide Pads. Note: This article shows unlocked characters. Do not read further if you don’t want them spoiled. The Slide Pad…

Virtual Reality Roller Coaster Lets You Ride the Internet

Folks are using the Oculus Rift for all sorts of interesting things. You name it, and there’s probably a Rift demo for it. But this has to be the first Rift-enabled rollercoaster simulator for the internet that I’ve ever seen. It’s called the “Trend Coaster,” and it’s from Yahoo! Japan. As website IT Media explains,…

People Say This Sailor Moon Wallet Looks Like a Vagina

Um. Well, this is unfortunate. Note: This article contains content that some readers might find objectionable. To mark the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon, Bandai is offering a slew of Sailor Moon-related goods—from clothes to cosmetics. There’s also this wallet, which looks like a regular wallet from this view. But, from this one, it looks…

Porn Star Accidentally Ends Up on Math Book Cover

Who said math isn’t sexy? Oh but it is. It is. The Nation reports that Muang Thai Book, a textbook publisher in Thailand, recently uploaded the cover of its upcoming math textbook. Online, somebody noticed that the photo of the teacher was from a Japanese porno movie. Here is the original book cover. As you…

Oh Hey, It’s Just a Super Nintendo Sitting on Mt. Fuji

It’s not every day you get to see a Super Famicom (aka SNES) sitting on top of Japan’s highest mountain. On Japanese web forum 2ch, one commenter recently brought the console with him as he climbed Mt. Fuji, writing, “The feeling of nature and harmony is freakin’ amazing hahahaha.” Obviously, it would be difficult (but…

Shigeru Miyamoto Is Making an Animated Movie

Iconic game creator Shigeru Miyamoto is making his first animated short film. It stars Pikmin and is fittingly called Pikmin Short Movie As noted on Cinra, the film is the result of things he wasn’t able to explore in the game version of Pikmin. The movie is broken into three episodes called “Midnight Juice,” “The…

Oh Goodness, “Ramen Donuts” Exist in Japan

From the country that gave the world ramen burgers, we have this: “ramen donuts” (ラーメンドーナツ). They’re ramen noodles but inside donuts. Clever, no? Sankei News and Macaroni report that restaurant chain Osaka Ohsho is rolling out the special dish for a very limited time only. The ramen donut even came in first place among one…

Japanese Porn Needs More Male Porn Stars. Apparently.

Shimiken has been dubbed Japan’s “King of Adult Video Actors.” To date, he’s appeared in over 7,000 adult movies during his sixteen-year career. Sounds like he’s overworked! Know why? There aren’t enough male performers in Japan, he says. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. “There are only 70 or so male…