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If Only Xbox Japan Was as Popular as This Girl
Rena Matsui isn’t the one percent. She’s the less than one percent. As far as idols go, she’s quickly shot to the top of the group she belongs to, SKE48. No wonder Microsoft roped her into promote Kinect in Japan. Shame that didn’t exactly work out. SKE48 is a Nagoya-based spin-off of AKB48, Japan’s most…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2011 -
You’ve Got a Date for Next Valentine’s Day
Nintendo 3DS title New Love Plus, Konami’s latest dating sim, won’t be out Dec. 8 in Japan. Instead it will be released Feb. 14, giving the developers extra time to finish the game. Valentine’s Day—how fitting! [Kotaku Japan]
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2011 -
Belgian Lolitas Dancing. Belgians Wearing Funny Costumes. Belgians Kicking Ass
The Japan Expo Belgium 2011 was held in Belgium, with folks dressing up like Japanese anime and game characters. And other people beating the crap out of each other. In the above video, Belgian Lolitas play Just Dance. In the other clips, folks cosplay. Not all their costumes are based on Japanese created characters, which…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2011 -
Modern Square Enix
Warfare | TOKYO, JAPAN: Square Enix showed off the CoD Jeep at a recent press event. (Photo: Game Watch Impress) The Xbox Was As Close As We Got To A Dreamcast 2 The Xbox is ten years old this week. For those who have enjoyed playing games on either the original console or its successor…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
Forget Cocaine, This Rocker Splurged on Game Consoles
Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher (above, cardboard) spent much of the 1990s under a blizzard of cocaine. Now, he’s older. And apparently buying toys. According to the Daily Star (yes, I know), the 39-year-old Gallagher spent £3,000 (US$4,700) on toy helicopters, remote control cars, and game consoles. Which sounds like an awesome way to blow…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
Walk Softly. Carry a Big Sword. Look Badass
You are looking at a cosplay that was 8 months in the making. Eight months that were totally worth it. You are looking at cosplayer NealBomBad’s Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV. You are looking at greatness. NealBomBad created Cecil Harvey’s Dark Knight version using 3D modeling software and then printed the armor on his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
Research: Young Gamers Have Brains Like Gamblers
You gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold then and know when to press X. According to new research, teenage players who game a considerable amount have an enlarged area of the brain’s “reward hub”, the area with a high concentration of dopamine. According to the research, this means that heavy gamers…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
Call of Duty Elite Is Coming to PC. One Day.
The stat-tracking, community-driven Call of Duty: Elite is still missing in action. Problems have continued to plague the free and premium versions. It’s still broken Previously, Elite‘s developers stated in a now-erased tweet that it “cannot guarantee if or when a version will be available for the PC.” Now, it looks like there will be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
The Carmen Sandiego Movie Won’t Be This Good
That is, if they make the damn thing. Education game Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? was turned into a TV show during the 1990s, and Hollywood once planned to have Sandra Bullock as thief Carmen. That project fell apart, but now Jennifer Lopez has signed on to a produce a film version of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
Culture
This North Korean Hamburger Looks Pretty Damn Gross
I love burgers. Perhaps you love burgers. When I go to Los Angeles for E3, the first thing I do? Go to In-N-Out and eat burgers. When I go to the Tokyo Game Show? The first thing I used to do was go to Pakutch and eat burger (that is, until it sadly closed). But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
Do Not Let Skyrim Overflow Your PS3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a big game. Players will want to save their progress along the way. And this is apparently causing players problems on the PS3 and making some call the game “broken”. After Skyrim gamesave files surpass 5MB in the PS3 version, many claim to experience lag and stability issues. “Such…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
The Secret Lives of Nuns. Wait, What?
The concept behind this live-action APB: Reloaded trailer is that people are able to assume new identities in the game and shoot guns. So one lady can morph into a schoolgirl. A business guy turns into a thug. And a nun? Watching this, I have no clue how the people at the end got their…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2011 -
It’s the Call of Duty Dance!
Warfare | TOKYO, JAPAN: Popstar Gackt danced and performed at a press event for the new Call of Duty in Japan and stuck an unfortunate pose. (Photo: Game Watch Impress) PSN Shutting Down at Night for Young Korean Players South Korea’s Shutdown Law will prevent players under sixteen years-old from gaming during a six hour…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
PSN Shutting Down at Night for Young Korean Players
South Korea’s Shutdown Law will prevent players under sixteen years-old from gaming during a six hour block at night. Originally, it was reported that the law would not impact consoles. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment of Korea announced that it would be taking the PSN offline for underage players in compliance with the law. The Shutdown…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
Is This Gaming’s Own Gordon Gekko?
When a flash engineer at game developer Kixeye posted an image of Occupy Wall Street on his Facebook wall, Kixeye CEO Will Harbin apparently went into a greed is good speech for all the internet to see. Will Harbin, above wearing a crown and a gold watch, apparently wrote, “There is nothing wrong with greed—what…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
The Minecraft Creeper Autopsy Is Gross, Dangerous
Animator Lee Hardcastle is back with another delightfully twisted claymation. This time, it’s a “top secret” Creeper autopsy. There’s only one way this can end, and it’s *SPOILER* with a bang. Creeper Autopsy [YouTube] You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
PETA’s Fur-Wearing Mario Outrage Is “An Epic Cultural Misunderstanding”
The People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is expressing outrage over Mario’s Tanooki Suit. That outrage is not only misplaced, but shows PETA’s complete lack of cultural understanding—traditional or contemporary. “Tanuki are associated with shape-shifting tricksters in folklore, and are also seen as symbols of good luck in Japanese culture,” Yokai Attack author…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
Your Stupid Zelda Pick-Up Lines Do Not Impress this Zelda
Robin Williams loves The Legend of Zelda so much that he named his daughter “Zelda”. Zelda is a nice name—it’s not just a video game character. There have been other Zeldas, Zelda Fitzgerald, for example. Yet, for our generation, “Zelda” is Zelda. And for Zelda Williams, sometimes that’s a blessing and sometimes, it’s super annoying—especially…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
BioShock Movie? Meh…
Once upon a time, Hollywood was hot to trot on BioShock. Now? Less so. Making movies, especially ones that take place underwater, are expensive. Even though there was a director (Pirates of the Caribbean‘s Gore Verbinski), the project ultimately sunk. “I couldn’t really get past anybody that would spend the money that it would take…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011 -
Japanese Eroticism Is a Nurse Doing the Limbo
There are key cultural differences between Japan and the West. It’s not just in linguistics, but in eroticism as well. Way back in 2005, Konami game producer Akari Uchida was frank about those differences. “You Westerners, listen,” Uchida, who had just designed wrestling game Rumble Roses, told Kotaku. “Eroticism is not only about nudity. That…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2011
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