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Gran Turismo 5 Trading In Crummy Cars For Premium Models
In driving simulator Gran Turismo 5, there are over 1,000 cars. However, only around two hundred of them are premium. That, however, is going to change. GT5 designer Kazunori Yamauchi tells Japanese game mag Famitsu that there are plans to increase the number of premium cars through future updates. Yamauchi did not specify how many…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2010 -
A Treasure Trove Of Nerd Figurines
Over the past week, the figure-centric Treasure Festa was held in Tokyo. It was, as they say, a symphony of sculpted plastic. From The King of Fighters to Love Plus, there were all sorts of upcoming gaming figurines to behold. So do that, behold them. M’kay? グリフォン新作やミリメの新作ガレキ「アスカ」の彩色サンプルなど！「トレジャーフェスタin有明4」会場の様子 [Moeyo.com]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2010 -
New Tales Game Ready To Tell A Story
The latest entry in Namco’s Tales role-playing series has a name. That’s good, because it’s major headaches when a game does not have a name. Dubbed Tales of Xillia, the game marks the 15th anniversary of the Tales series and is a “RPG of flickering conviction”. It features character designs by Kosuke Fujishima and Mutsumi…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2010 -
This Game Developer’s Next Project Is Time In Prison
David Rushton, founder of Utah-based studio Sensory Sweep, is looking at jail time for tax fraud and racketeering as well as US$516,819 in restitution. Sensory Sweep is best known for DS title Tiger Woods PGS Tour 2005, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting and Justice League Heroes. More recently, the company released Major League Eating and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2010 -
Doves, Pistols And Video Games
Massively-multiplayer online role-playing game Reign of Assassins Online goes into beta today. This is more than just some MMORPG, it’s from one of the greatest film director’s ever, John Woo. He’ll put a bullet in your cinema-watching head. Born in China, but raised in Hong Kong, John Woo rose to prominence during the early 1970s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 15, 2010 -
Xbox Skate Park To Cease Shredding?
West London skate park Baysixty6’s skating days might be derailed as the hotspot now faces closure. According to website BikeBiz, the Kensington and Chelsea planning department states, “The Skatepark does not serve needs of the local youths.” The area might be turned into either an office space or a garden center. Previously, the park was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
Sony Can’t Quit You, Plastic Discs
Sony did win that HD format war, you know. While pundits predict that the next generation of consoles will be digital download only, Sony continues to be bullish on disc-based media. “The reason retail has been around for thousands of years is because it works really well at showing you a range of content, having…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
This Might Look Like Vomit, But It Tastes Like Heaven
What you missed last night North Korean Dictator’s Real Son Ready To Spawn Homefront Attack The Embarrassing Things This Man Did For Mario Hope Crytek’s Korean Shooter Plays As Good As It Looks First Uncharted 3 Gameplay Footage Sets A House On Fire There’s A PC Remake Of GoldenEye Out Too, You Know
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
Gamers, Be Proud Of Your Pre-Historic Heritage
I’m a gamer. And if you’re reading this site, you’re probably one, too. Gamers like, well, games, and our games of choice now are video games. But gamers, as a breed, are nothing new. Recent archaeological findings continue to support just that. National Geographic reports that preliminary research has turned up prehistoric dice boards in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
North Korean Dictator’s Real Son Ready To Spawn Homefront Attack [Update]
First-person shooter is a fabricated account of what would happen if North Korean leader Kim Jung-il died and his son took over. The game’s latest trailer is hardly fiction. With the Dear Leader’s health failing, his son Kim Jung-un is being groomed as the replacement. The latest trailer shows actual footage of Kim Jung-un attending…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
The Embarrassing Things This Man Did For Mario
Shigeru Miyamoto might have created Mario, but he didn’t just draw the character. No, his work on Mario runs much deeper. As the years worn on, Miyamoto wasn’t directing the Mario games any more, but returned to the director’s chair for Super Mario 64, the first game to render Mario in 3D polygons. And he…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
Don’t Get Mad At This Retro Angry Birds Art
iPhone smash hit Angry Birds was not released in the 1990s. I’m sure of it. I was there in the 1990s, and I didn’t see it. But what if it was? What would it look like? Probably something like this. The pixels really complement the art style. These screens were whipped up by Penney Design.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
Robot Pilots Were Ejected From Vanquish
Sci-fi game Vanquish was originally inspired by a 1970s Japanese anime. It was also supposed to star a remote controlled robot. According to the game’s designer Shinji Mikami, originally there wasn’t anyone in the suit. “Instead,” he explains, “it was a remotely operated robot with three different pilots who would take turns controlling the unit…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
Gotta Cup ‘Em All
Someone made a Pokémon bra — a Pokébra? As seen on szmoon
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
Pac-Man Creator Wants To Pump You Up
Pac-Man might have been inspired by greasy pizza, but that doesn’t mean its creator, Toru Iwatani, wants you to turn to lard. Toru Iwatani, Tokyo Polytechnic University and Hitachi are working together on a new fitness machine that combines elements of gaming with serious exercise. After leaving Namco, Iwatani became a lecturer at Tokyo Polytechnic…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
You’re One To Talk, Japan!
A giant mecha statue is going up in China. It looks like Gundam — if Gundam was sickly orange and built by men on bamboo poles. Japanese netizens are holding this up as another Chinese rip-off. Is Japan really one to talk? Back in 2007, the Japanese media did a series of reports during its…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 14, 2010 -
The Cutest Way To Scratch Up A Television
Pugs are cute. They’re so…pugnacious. And it’s not just real pugs, Xbox 360 Avatar pugs are pretty cute, too. Know what’s cuter than all that? A real pug going bananas upon seeing its Xbox 360 counterpart. Sure, the scratches paw scratches might not be adorable, but c’mon, look at this and try not to tell…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2010 -
Nintendo Characters Covered In Plastic And Strung Out On Crack
That “on crack” bit isn’t me being rude. That’s what the guy who made these figures said — that they look like they’re on crack. Mario and Peach were made from ECW action figures while Toad was made from a Mini-Me action figure. Figure maker kodykoala acknowledges that they look weird, but says this is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2010 -
Let’s Eat Anpanman’s FACE
What you missed last night Commenting Accounts Compromised – Change Your Passwords FAQ: Compromised Commenting Accounts on Gawker Media Oh Good, Elder Scrolls V Won’t Use That Broken Old Engine Why Do The Spike VGAs Even Bother With “Awards” Part? Please, Enough With The Tomb Raider Reboots Already! Nintendo Makes Mario’s Creator Drive To Work…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2010 -
Former Sony Brass Not Hip To A Foreigner Running The Show
Howard Stringer is the bossman at Sony, running the show. He’s not Japanese, but a Welsh-born American. And according to one former Sony exec, a foreigner never should have run the company. Koichiro Tsujino, who headed up Sony’s Vaio division and was the president of Google Japan until earlier this year, gave a seminar in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2010
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