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Masked Avengers Doing Good In Japan
A forty-year-old manga starring a mask-wearing wrestler is inspiring Japan to do good. Only, they are dishing out presents instead of punches. Rwar. This holiday season, child welfare facilities around Japan were inundated with anonymous gifts under the name of “Naoto Date”, the hero of retro manga and anime Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask followed the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 13, 2011 -
With Booze, Does Size Matter?
To: Crecente From: Bash RE: Epic Sends Me The Tiniest Gin and Tonic I see your mini-gin and tonic and raise you two mini cups of Japanese sake! What you missed last night Shooting Dogfaces, A Singsong Voice And My Other Favorite Gaming Moments Of 2010 It’s Game On In Japan’s Sex Hotels Did Capcom…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
Telling Others Where They Can Put Their Doodle
Put away your pens and paper, because the makers of the iPhone’s most popular games don’t want anyone else doodling. Doodle Jump from Lima Sky is a regular in the top ten on the Apple App charts, but it’s not the first iOS game to have “doodle” in it. However, other developers are claiming that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
Shooting Dogfaces, A Singsong Voice And My Other Favorite Gaming Moments Of 2010
2010 might be over, but my memories of the year’s games still live on and on. Here are some of my favorite gaming moments of 2010. These are in no particular order and do know that these moments are not a list of my favorite games of 2010. Several of these games would show up…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
This Apartment Is No Nerd Slob Hole
The thing about nerd hovels is that the their stereotypical image is of being dark, dank, messy and cluttered with crap. Swiss dude Melonpan’s lair is anything but. It’s breezy and bright and all his game controllers, comics and figures are neat and tidy and displayed with such care. More pictures of his going’s on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
The PlayStation Phone, Torn Apart
Never mind that we’ve seen the PSPhone in action, Sony still hasn’t officially confirmed the product’s existence. Oh well. One Chinese website just apparently ripped the thing wide open. Granted, since Sony hasn’t yet confirmed the PSPhone, the product doesn’t officially exist. This dissected product could be anything — a real honest-to-goodness PSPhone, even. According…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
Why Stop At Buying An Embarrassing Game?
Why not go all the way and buy a gaming chair and an embarrassing slip cover? Hey, it’s a mere $440, and you do only live once. A bundle for Cute-em-up shooter Otomedius X includes a copy of the Xbox 360 game, a copy of the soundtrack, a collection of illustrations, a sheet cover of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
Missile Command Movie Ready To Blast Off
Remember Missile Command? The 30-year-old game in which players…command missiles lurches forward towards the silver screen. Earlier this year, there were reports that a movie version of Missile Command, an Atari arcade game in which players try to save cities from raining missiles, was in the works. Hollywood is on a 1980s gaming tear of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
Who Wants To Be Remembered For A Crappy Wesley Snipes Game?
Three year prison sentence? Pfft, whatever! Wesley Snipes isn’t letting a little thing like prison stop him, and he is working on a new video game title, meeting with game developers while in the slammer. As previously posted, Snipes is teaming up with Finnish game developer Lapland Studios, who are working in conjunction with Elstree…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
It’s Game On In Japan’s Sex Hotels
In Japan, there is an array of hotel options. There are traditional inns, business hotels and places like Hotel Akaikutsu (above) where people go to screw each other’s brains out. And when they finish, they can play video games. Love Hotels have their origins in the post World War II years, when prostitution was legalized…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 12, 2011 -
Who Was First, The Beautiful Lady Or The Handsome Man?
To: Crecente From: Bash RE: Zombie Snow Apocalypse II Went to a shrine on Sunday. As you can see towards the end of the video, there is a man standing at a table with bananas on it. The man was asking the audience riddles. His question was this: Both a beautiful woman (美人の女) and a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
Earn Virtual Nintendo Chump Change For Walking
Sad, but true. The image of video gamers is of those overweight and adverse to exercise. With Wii Fit and Wii Sports, Nintendo tried to change that, but the Kyoto-based game company ain’t done yet. The upcoming 3D-glasses-free Nintendo 3DS seems to be outfitted with a pedometer (of course, Kotaku is no stranger to pedometers).…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
The 3DS Has An Iron Curtain
Years ago, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS and the DS Lite. Anyone could import them and play games on them. Those days are long gone, and with the Nintendo 3DS, they don’t look like they’re returning. According to an email from Nintendo’s Japanese support, the Nintendo 3DS is region coded, which means that players cannot…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
These Virtual Pets Are Watching You
With the uproar of what the 3DS will or won’t do to children’s vision, know that 3DS title Nintendogs + Cats is more than simply an updated Nintendogs with feline friends. It’s an update with eyes that can see players. The first Nintendogs game, released in 2005, was inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto’s own experiences owning…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
Nobody Is Making You Fight In 3D
Even though Super Street Fighter IV: 3D has “3D” in the game’s title, players don’t have to fight in 3D — even if their opponent is. So, relax. As revealed at the recent Nintendo World event, players can select either 2D or 3D for worldwide online play, and their selection has not bearing on how…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
Is The Nintendo DSi Dead?
First released in Japan in Fall 2008, the Nintendo DSi brought a new era to Nintendo’s handheld gaming with a low-res camera. That era, it seems, is apparently finished. According to a Japanese retail source, the Nintendo DSi seems to be out of production. The available DSi consoles are apparently only those currently in inventory,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
Mushihime-sama: Bug Panic Doesn’t Need Bug Spray
Because this game’s got bombs. Japanese arcade developer Cave brings its popular shoot ’em up Mushihime-sama to the iOS with Mushihime-sama: Bug Panic. Only now with a new spin. Instead of a straight-up shmup, the game adds a dash of Bomberman for a side-scrolling adventure title. Sure, the arcade original had bombs that could clear…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011 -
No SNES For Miyamoto
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2011
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