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Gran Turismo 5 Delay Will Be “A Short One”
Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed. But according to Sony, not for long. There have been rumors and reports that the game narrowly missed its deadline for the November 2 release. Because of that, there is chatter that the game is being held up by Blu-ray production delays. In a tweet yesterday, GT5 designer Kazunori…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 15, 2010 -
Chile’s Own Super Mario Miner
After nearly seventy days, the 33 Chilean miners have finally been rescued from over 2,300 feet underground. As the entire world celebrates, the area is swarming with reporters and journalists. It’s a media circus! Cue the headline puns. Mario Sepúlveda has been dubbed “Super Mario” by the press for his upbeat attitude during the incredibly…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 15, 2010 -
Twelve Old Games, Fifteen Thousand Bucks
Let’s say you had a little over US$15,000. And let’s say you were in Tokyo. What would you do? Chris Kohler over at Wired.com recently put together a list of a dozen incredibly rare games on sale in Japan. There are only a couple hundred copies of some of these games, hence the insane prices…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
In Japan, Being Different Is Hard
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: DOOOOOOOOTA I’m not Japanese. So going in, Japanese people tend to know what they are getting in to: a foreigner. My sons, though, they are Japanese. My oldest son, Mini-Bash, is seven. He doesn’t really look foreign per se, but he does look slightly different from everyone else. His hair…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
Nothing Says Rescued Chilean Miners Like Mr. Driller
After 69 days of being trapped over 2,000 feet underground, the thirty-three Chilean miners have been rescued. Namco Bandai is marking the historic occasion with, yes, Mr. Driller. Mr. Driller, which is an updated version of classic Dig Dug, first debuted in Japanese arcades in 1999 and has starred in a handful of games. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
New Court Ruling Could Affect Used Game Business
If it’s not the advent of digital game that could kill bricks-and-mortar game retailers, it might be the law. A recent Federal appeals court ruling could impact how used games are bought and sold. The Dallas Morning News reports that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided that a software publisher can stop buyers…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
No More Heroes Developer Gets More Heroes
Earlier this year, Tokyo-based Grasshopper Manufacture snagged Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame from Konami. This month, it also signed two more “name” developers. Yasuhiro Wada, creator of farming sim Harvest Moon, has joined Grasshopper as the company’s new Chief Operating Officer. Yoshiro Kimura, who designed the role-playing game Little King’s Story, will be Grasshopper’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
Hollywood And Video Games Should Break Up Pronto
In July 1937, author F. Scott Fitzgerald arrived in Hollywood, California. Fitzgerald was at the tail-end of his writing career and hoped to pick up some extra scratch penning screenplays. He didn’t exactly set the town on fire. He wrote a few original scripts and did a re-write on Gone With The Wind, but only…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
Pokemon Black And White Rampage Continues In Japan
On September 18, Pokemon: Black and White went on sale in Japan. Even in October, the game continues to barrel through the sales charts. Hot cakes, folks, hot cakes! In the past four weeks, the game has sold over 4 million copies in The Land of the Rising Sun. This is the fastest-selling Pocket Monster…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
NSFW: This Humping Peripheral Is So Laggy
Motion-sensing peripherals are all the rage. This year, both Microsoft and Sony are releasing new motion-sensing devices that put players in the game. But what about when the game is an erotic game? Japanese adult game maker Illusion Soft is working on tech that puts players in the game by having them stick their wang…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
Gran Turismo Creator Explains Delay
Driving simulator Gran Turismo 5 was penciled in for a November 2 release. Good thing that was pencil. The game has been delayed, and its creator has taken to Twitter to explain why. “Apologies for the delay,” Yamauchi tweeted. “It’s because time and labor were spent ironing the kinks out of [the game’s] complex system.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 14, 2010 -
Would You Like LOTS Of Pokemon Music?
Like, not some, a lot. More Pocket Monster: Black and White music than you would know what to do with. All Pokemon music, all the time. An upcoming four disc music set titled “Nintendo DS Pokemon Black White Super Music Collection” is going on sale this month. It features over 170 songs from the game.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
Guwange Ready To Blast Up Xbox Live Arcade
On November 10, arcade shooter Guwange will be hitting Xbox Live Arcade. That’s next month! The game is set during the Muromachi period and features ghosts and demons. Guwange is pure bullet hell. According to the game’s official release, the Xbox Live Arcade version has an Arcade Mode, a more accessible Arrange Mode and a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
Pheeeeeeewwwww!
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Still! Phew! Phew! Pheeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww! What you missed last night Could This Actor Be Right For The Uncharted Flick? The Sakura Wars Creator, The Young Idol And The Rumored Sleepover The Whores (And Man Whores) Of Fable III Darth Vader Can Sure Take A Beating This Wii Remote Is Made By…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
New Rune Factory Headed Towards Wii *And* PS3
There is a new Rune Factory game. But unlike the previous Rune Factory games, it is not a Nintendo exclusive. Oh no. Rune Factory is a fantasy spin-off of farm simulator Harvest Moon. The first game was released on the Nintendo DS in 2006 in Japan. The sequel was released on the DS in 2008.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
Pick Up Speed And Lets Watch This Fable III Trailer
Slated for release later this month, action role-playing game Fable III raises the stakes. The game is about more than being good or bad. It’s about causing a revolution. This new trailer features the tune “Young Men Dead” by Texas rockers The Black Angels. Those who have played Xbox 360 thriller Alan Wake might recognize…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
Sega Is “Probably Guilty” Of Too Many Sonic Games
Sega has made a lot of Sonic games. Too many, perhaps? You betcha. “We’ve probably been guilty of bringing too many Sonic games to market too quickly,” Alan Pritchard, Sega’s US sales and marketing man, tells website Joystiq. By comparison, Pritchard believes Nintendo has been slightly more strategic in how and when it releases Mario…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
Could This Actor Be Right For The Uncharted Flick?
This is Nathan Fillion. He’s a television star. Nathan, Nathan, Nathan? The hero of adventure franchise Uncharted is named Nathan. That series is getting a movie version, and actor Nathan seems keen. “If ever there was a Twitter campaign, let this be it,” the actor tweeted, linking a news blurb about the flick. “Rise, ye…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
The Sakura Wars Creator, The Young Idol And The Rumored Sleepover
Hiroi Oji is noted for many things. Creating video games like Sega’s Sakura Wars, penning manga and even writing musicals. He’s what Japan calls a “hyper creator”. But he’s now being known for something else entirely. Japanese weekly Shukan Bunshun is running photos of the 56-year-old Oji visiting the residence of 22-year-old AKB48 singer Sayaka…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010 -
Who Names Games For Metal Gear’s Creator?
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima doesn’t just design video games. He writes them. He directs them. He even names them. “I was happy and getting used to the title given to our coming game, but I decided to change it,” Kojima tweeted in English. “Any game that I design, will be named by me.”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 13, 2010
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