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Bunny Ears. A 40 Year-old Lady. And a Nintendo DS Game.
Hop | TOKYO, JAPAN: Forty-something year-old bikini model Natsuki Okamoto promotes Kaigo Navi DS or “Nursing Care Navigation DS”. (Photo: ファミ通) This Lara Croft Will Set You Back $350 This new Lara Croft statue, from Sideshow Collectibles, will go on sale later this year for the princely sum of $350. Aside from a rather fetching-looking…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 1, 2011 -
Dude Busted for Selling Modified PSPs
Thirty-two year-old Atsushi Kogusuri might’ve thought he had a good business going. Since 2007, he’s apparently sold over 1,500 modded PSPs online, with one hacked PSP going for anywhere between ¥15,000 (US$184) to ¥34,000 ($418). All of that has now changed. Yesterday, the Kanto resident was arrested by the Japanese cyber cops for breaking Japanese…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 1, 2011 -
Japan is Not Thrilled by the 3DS. Here’s Why.
So far, Nintendo’s 3DS looks to be a bust. This could change; the portable is still early in its lifecycle. But Japanese gamers aren’t exactly snapping the machine up. There must be reasons for this. Turns out, there are. Online research firm Goo polled 1,110 Japanese consumers (39.5 percent were men and 60.5 percent were…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 1, 2011 -
A Natural Hug Pillow Evolution
Hug pillows, or “dakimakura” as they’re called in Japanese, are otaku bedroom staples. But what if you didn’t hug the pillow, but the pillow hugged you? That’s the concept behind this “dakaremakura” that features Super Sonico, the virtual idol created by game company Nitro Plus. Out this August, this “hug me” pillow cover features two…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 1, 2011 -
Online Death Threats Lead to Arrest
Aya Hirano rocketed to fame with roles in anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and video games like Eternal Sonata. But in summer 2010, Hirano decided to make the leap from voice actress to TV celebrity, pissing off her rabid fan base in the process. On May 29, a Twitter account believed to belong to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 1, 2011 -
Get Shitfaced with This Game Schwag
It’s not every day that you see a bottle of booze stamped with “licensed by Sega”. But this isn’t everyday. It’s Tuesday, May 31. Yakuza, Sega’s games about… yakuza, is once again collaborating with a Japanese liquor maker for its latest game, Yakuza: of the End. The last couple of Yakuza games got their own…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
Square Enix Making Social Game for the Nintendo 3DS
What is Heroes of Ruin? It is Square Enix’s stab at social gaming on the Nintendo 3DS. The game features a band of four heroes taking on monsters and other creatures that pop up in games involving bands of heroes. Heroes of Ruin uses 3DS StreetPass functionality for an in-game “Traders’ Network” that lets players…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
What Is This Man Thinking?
The Force | LAS VEGAS, NV: Filmmaker George Lucas appeared at CinemaCon earlier this spring. (Photo: Ethan Miller | Getty) Hands On With StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm ‘s Campaign, Now With More RPG and Space Yetis StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm is a mutated beast of last year’s real-time strategy game infused…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
There’s Syphon Filter 4?
Maybe! Apparently the stealth game was accidentally revealed on the PlayStation.blog, but then taken down. There were apparently discussions of this on the PlayStation Community Forums, but they too were taken down. According to a post on GameTrailers.com, the game is going to be a PS3 title and will be out in late 2012. Sony…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
L.A. Noire DLC Offers Players New Cases to Play. New Ways to Pay.
A handful of downloadable content is coming to detective game L.A. Noire. The DLC includes standalone cases, in-game items and challenges. “With its blend of real crime influences and noir atmosphere, L.A. Noire contains boundless potential for new stories and new cases,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games, in an official release. “The four…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
She’s Bayonetta, Brought to Life
As far as short nicknames go, hers must be on of the shortest. Going by the frisky sounding “H”, this cosplayer focuses her attention primarily on one thing: games made in Osaka. Her cosplaying efforts breathe life into characters appearing in titles from Platinum Games, such as the titular Bayonetta, and also characters from Capcom…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
Samurai Warriors 3 Ready to Hack up the PS3
Remember when hack-and-slash title Sengoku Musou 3 (Samurai Warriors 3) came out on the Wii in 2009? A poster for Sengoku Musou 3: Empire reveals that the game’s latest iteration is apparently PS3-bound. No word on if it’s also heading to the Wii. PS3『戦国無双３ Empires』8月発売予定！ 無双シリーズはWiiで続けるって言ったのに・・・ [オレ的ゲーム速報＠刃]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
Hello Robot Girls
RAcaseal, the female android from Sega’s Phantasy Star Online, is getting memorialized in plastic. Famed Japanese figure maker Kotobukiya is releasing a 1/12 scale pre-painted RAcaseal kit that comes with two sabers, a shotgun and a pair of extra hands. The pink version is ¥3675 (US$45), while the sky blue one is a limited edition…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
Not One Space Pirate, a Whole Squad of Them
They’re pirates in space. But they’ve got more than guns and swords. They’ve got cell phones and groovy collars. Arrgh! Earlier this year, the 35th Super Sentai show debuted on Japanese television. In the West, the Super Sentai series is known as Power Rangers and features a “sentai” or “battle squad” of color-coded super heroes.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 31, 2011 -
Will Sony’s Welcome Back Campaign Hurt or Help?
Developer Housemarque was supposed to release multiplatform title Outland on the PSN in late April, but the network was hacked. The game’s release was pushed back. Outland is a unique digital title that’s been getting rave reviews. In the wake of the PSN hack, the game might be getting something else: lost in the shuffle.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 30, 2011 -
Here, Have Some Download Insurance
In case you forget, GameStop adds it to your shopping cart. The US$3.95 download insurance is a back up copy for future digital game download. That future is a short one, because the insurance expires after 18 months. Know the best download insurance? Steam What is this crap Gamestop? [Reddit via Boing Boing]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 30, 2011
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