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When Shooting Game Characters Are Cute Dolls
The Touhou Project is a series of fan-made shooting games made by one dude named “Zun”. Players love the games, and derivative Touhou Project manga, art, figures and even games are available. Starting this month, orders are being taken for Touhou Project doll versions of shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei and witch Marisa Kirisame. Priced at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011 -
Racing to Win over Your Nerd Hearts
Martini. Marlboro. Cigarettes and liquor have traditionally been big motorsports sponsors. But a new breed of sponsors exists, such as Sony’s PlayStation, and even more otaku geared companies are using racing as a vehicle to promote their wares. On Sunday May 1, the second round of Japan’s Super GT series got underway at the Fuji…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2011 -
The Kid Who Trained with the Masters of Nintendo During a Gaming Golden Age
It was the hot, sticky summer of 1990. Japan’s bubble economy, the period of rapid growth during the 1980s, would be over in a year, but Japanese gaming showed no signs of ending its dominance. Dylan Cuthbert, then an 18 year-old programmer at PC gamer developer Argonaut Software, was in the lobby of a Kyoto…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
One Day, We Will Play a New Guilty Gear. One Day.
Before arcade game developer Arc System Works was known for fighting game BlazBlue, it was known for Guilty Gear. So when’s the next GG fighter coming out? Series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari says, “I honestly don’t know—not because I can’t tell you, but because I really don’t know—but it will happen eventually!” [Siliconera]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Nice Balloon Dresses
PARTY OUTFITS | TOKYO, JAPAN: Japanese figure maker celebrates its tenth anniversary with girls wearing inflatable clothes. As one would. (Photo by Moeyo) The Kid Who Trained with the Masters of Nintendo During a Gaming Golden Age It was the hot, sticky summer 1990. Japan’s bubble economy, the period of rapid growth during the 1980s,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
When Game Mags Come with Scented Panties
Purchased a computer game magazine recently? Sure, print is all moving online. But while the internet is quick, there’s one thing it cannot do: scented panties. The June issue of Japanese bishoujo computer game rag PC Angel neo is bundled with a pair of fragrant underpants. The blue-striped panties are “fresh”, the red-striped panties are…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
It Takes Six Minutes to Rifle Through this Lady’s Silent Hill Collection
Whitney’s Silent Hill collection is impressive! She’s got all sorts of knick-knacks like Japanese in-store displays, hand painted figures, fliers, Japanese strategy guides, soundtracks—you name it! Whitney started collecting Silent Hill goods in 1999, but got serious in 2004. “Silent Hill merchandise is pretty rare when compared to my other favorite game franchises, Capcom’s Resident…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Nintendo Likes Surprises, Sure, but Isn’t Mischievous
Nintendo is considerate. When the Kyoto-based game company reveals it’s working on new hardware, it wants to surprise people, but doesn’t want to screw up their travel plans. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, recently told analysts that, yes, the earlier a new system is announced, more speculation will be encouraged and there’s a higher risk for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Nothing Says Mario Like $465 Latex
Those blue overalls. The red shirt. All in latex. The only thing that’s missing is a rear-front crotch zip. Oh, Etsy seller Shhhcouture will add that, too, for only US$14! The “Super Mario Inspired Two Piece Cosplay Dressup” has also Bullet Bills on the red top. The whole, one-off geddup costs $465, not including the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
There’s Small, Then There’s This
Anime character Kyubey is an extraterrestrial being in the popular Puella Magi Madoka Magica that when killed, reappears and eats the dead remains. If you think that’s impressive, check out this Kyubey sculpture. Someone with far more patience than me sculpted a Kyubey that can fit inside a five yen coin; for Americans, a five…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Bishoujo Booth Babes. More Cosplayers. Some Dudes.
Thought you’d seen all the dress up action this year’s Tokyo Dream Party had to offer? Wrong! Website Asagawo Blog is cataloguing the show’s cosplayers and booth companions. Dream Party is a biannual convention that specializes in “bishoujo” or “beautiful young girl” games. Dream Party booth companions dress up as characters from the bishoujo games…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
Sony’s Shittiest Golden Week Ever
This week in Japan is “Golden Week”, a consecutive string of national holidays. While companies and the stock markets are closed, the entire country is on vacation. Everyone, it seems, except Sony. Popular Golden Week destinations traditionally include Hawaii, Okinawa or Guam, or at hotspots across the country. This year, with the Japanese economy in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2011 -
A Striking Contrast
NEWS OF THE DAY | AMERICA: The week’s biggest tech news contrasted with the week’s biggest political news. (Photo by Michael Alipio) Sony Shows That Saying “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Enough in Japan This Sunday, as the Golden Week holidays began in Japan, Sony execs Kazuo Hirai, Shinji Hasejima and Shiro Kambe answered reporters’ questions about…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011 -
Sony’s Online Portal Goes Down
Sony Online Entertainment’s PC portal Station.com, home to games like EverQuest and DC Universe Online, is offline. Station.com’s homepage currently reads: We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily. In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011 -
All the Creepy Picture Taking You Could Ever Want
In PSP title Photo Kano, you are a high school student who recently got a camera. By building relationships with girls, you can take photos of them in a variety of different situation, including inevitable skimpy pics. Photo Kano is kind of like Pokémon Snap, but not as cute and with bigger tits. So I…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011 -
Dragon Quest X Going to Role-Play Next Year?
That’s what Dragon Quest Koichi Sugiyama is shooting for. At a recent Dragon Quest III concert in Japan, Sugiyama said, “I’m aiming for next year and am in the middle of composing music for Dragon Quest.” Sugiyama said he is working hard to get it finished by next year—and it sounds more like he was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011 -
Which Country Dominates the PSN?
The PlayStation Network is Sony’s global online gaming service. Countries from around the world can access the PSN and game. But which country has the most accounts? Is it Japan? Nope! In light of the recent PSN breach, here is a breakdown of the number of PSN accounts per country: – USA: 31,140,307 – UK:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011 -
Cosplayers Know How to Party, Dream Party
Dream Party, the bi-annual event devoted to beautiful girl games, was held in Tokyo over the weekend. Cosplayers were in attendance, too. According to website Heisei Democracy, the point of Dream Party is for bishoujo companies to raise money through schwag for sale or to build hype for their games. 【コスプレ速報】魔法少女まどか☆マギカ多し！「DreamParty東京2011春」コスプレ ダイジェスト [moeyo.com]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011 -
Hey, This Mascot Looks Really Familiar
This month, a sweets festival is being held at Kanazawa Castle. The mascot character looks very familiar. Japanese netizens are quick to point out the Kirby resemblance, even adding that the mascot character looks like Kirby mated with Starfy Kirby and Starfy? That would be some hot fucking action right there. 任天堂は金沢市を訴えるべき [2ch]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 2, 2011
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