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Tokyo Game Show Shook by a Small Earthquake
This afternoon, just as the Tokyo Game Show was grinding to a halt for the day, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan. There were no immediate injuries according to early reports The quake was 140 miles east of Tokyo, and the quake was felt at the Makuhari Messe, where TGS is held. The press…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 15, 2011 -
Manhandling the Nintendo 3DS’s New Second Slide Pad for the First Time [Update]
Okay, it’s ugly. We know that, but how does it feel in the hand? Today at the Tokyo Game Show, I checked out the brand new second slide pad for the Nintendo 3DS. It’s large and bulky looking, but how does it feel? UPDATE – Added new high-resolution pictures of the peripheral. The “3DS Kakuchou…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 15, 2011 -
Turn Your PlayStation Move into a Club Happy Glow Stick
4am is the latest title on Q-Games’ PixelJunk brand. Details about the game are scant, even though there is a debut trailer. It promises that players can “freely shape the sound to perfection” and then broadcast that sound to the world. A website’s gone live, and there’s some groovy music on it. Check it out…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Does Evangelion Have Much of a Sound Impact?
Venerated anime Neon Genesis Evangelion is being reborn on the PSP as Rebuild of Evangelion: Sound Impact The game is being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture of No More Heroes. It features thirty tracks, remixed by Akira Yamaoka, best known for his work on the Silent Hill games. During the night, the game was playable publicly…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Welcome Home PS Vita. Your Look at the Vita’s Start Screen.
When Sony first unveiled the PS Vita earlier this year in Tokyo, it showed the PS Vita’s home screen, called the LiveArea. We’ve seen it before. Thing is, we’ve never seen it at this resolution. Today, Sony provided at look at the PS Vita’s LiveArea, which could be the final or near final version. Sony…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
This PS Vita Game Sure Looks Hellish
Square Enix, makers of Final Fantasy, is coming out strong with PS Vita. Besides an HD Final Fantasy X remake, Square Enix is also working on original titles like Army Corps of Hell What a great title! It’s one of my favorite Square Enix titles in years—especially because Square Enix titles of late have been…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Lest We Forget About the PSP, Sony Has a New PSP Pack
On Nov. 17, Sony is releasing two new PSP value packs for the PSP-3000. One comes in black, and the other comes in red. Both are bundled with the typical Value Pack extras (cleaning cloth, pouch, battery pack, plug) as well as a 2GB Memory Stick. All yours for ¥17,800 or US$232. You can contact…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Can You Tell Your WiFi PS Vita from Your 3G Vita?
Sony is launching two PS Vitas: One is a ¥24,980 WiFi model. The other is a ¥29,980 3G model. Can you tell them apart? No, they are not exactly the same. There is a tiny, subtle difference. Can you spot it? Both are so dam close, your friends won’t notice if you spring for the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
First Gameplay Footage of a Diabolical Kinect Game
Diabolical Pitch is an upcoming Kinect game from Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio responsible for titles like No More Heroes It’s a baseball game. It’s a Kinect game. It’s diabolical Here is a sneak peak at the game in action. Check back for Kotaku‘s gameplay impressions. You can contact Brian Ashcraft, the author of this post,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Sure, Play the PS Vita in Your Car
A new gaming portable means more than new games. It also means new peripherals, and that’s exactly what Sony is giving the PS Vita. Some of the peripherals are no surprises (a pouch! a cloth!), while others are other slightly more interesting. Sony also provided the Japanese pricing for the PS Vita memory cards. Let’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
The PS Vita’s 3G Plans Could Raise Eyebrows in Japan
This December, Sony is launching two PS Vitas. One model is the cheaper 3G model. The other is a 3G version. Japanese carrier Docomo is handling the Vita’s 3G services. Paid online services are nothing new to Sony or the PlayStation platform. The Vita’s 3G services are a departure. Do be aware that these are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
How About Two New PS3 Colors? Okay, Then!
At today’s pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference, Sony revealed two new PS3 colors: Splash Blue and Scarlet Red. Both are 320GB models and will go on sale Nov. 17 in Japan for ¥29,980 (US$390). 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 September 14, 2011 -
How Does the PS Vita’s Battery Life Stack Up to the 3DS’s?
According to Nintendo, the Nintendo 3DS’s battery gives players from three to eight hours of play. How does that compare to the PS Vita’s battery? Today, Sony revealed that the PS Vita will offer between three to five hours of game play. Sony noted that this does not include network play. This is the battery…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Not All the Japanese Launch PS Vita Titles Are “Games”
Several of those, like NicoNico Douga and calendar app Yuusha no Kiroku, are not launch games in the tradition sense. They do not seem to be stand alone titles, but downloadable apps. In this day and age, with the rise of smartphones, I think that’s fine. But let’s not confuse them with “launch titles” in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Here Are the PS Vita’s Twenty Six Launch Titles for Japan
On December 17, the PS Vita will go on sale in Japan. When it does, it will have a whole host of titles to support it. Today, at Sony’s pre-Tokyo Game Show press event, the handheld’s launch line-up for Japan was revealed, twenty-six titles strong. Here is a list of the titles available at launch:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2011 -
Congratulations, 3DS Owners. You Just Helped Nintendo Beta Test a Product
Nintendo is no stranger to hardware iterations. Its last portable, the Nintendo DS, saw several major revisions. The 3DS is a different story. It just came out a few months ago but is already seeing half-hearted hardware upgrades. (A snap-on second slide pad? Ugh.) And 3DS owners should be pissed. The 3DS has been a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 13, 2011 -
Tilterpillar Wants You To Tilt a Caterpillar
The thing about a very hungry caterpillar is that he’s always very hungry. The titular star of Tilterpillar is no exception. Tilterpillar is a spin on the classic snake game in which the on-screen snake gets longer and longer as players try to avoid colliding with themselves. The spin is that the snake, here a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 13, 2011 -
How About Some Plane Porn? Helicopter Porn?
Whenever a racing game like Forza or Gran Turismo is released, the internet is flooded with car porn. Ace Combat isn’t a car game. It’s got jets and helicopters. Bring on the flying vehicle screens! The latest batch of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon screens feature an Apache Longbow, a Mi-24 Hind, a B-1B Lancer, a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 13, 2011 -
Smack Your Wii Remote Up!
Anyone old enough to remember huge CRT televisions, will remember a sure fire repair: Hit them. Apparently, the Wii Remote works in much a similar way. On Nintendo’s official Japanese FAQ site, one question asks what one should do if their Wii Remote buttons or motion sensing doesn’t work. “In that situation, it’s possible to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 13, 2011 -
Familiar Challengers Enter the Street Fighter X Tekken Ring
Capcom’s Street Fighter meets Tekken title is getting a couple new brawlers: Rolento, Zangief, Heihachi, and Lili. Street Fighter X Tekken takes Tekken characters like Heihachi and throws them into the world of Street Fighter An upcoming Tekken X Street Fighter from Namco Bandai plans to do the inverse. Street Fighter X Tekken is headed…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 13, 2011
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