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Quitting World Of Warcraft
Internet person haiksterbnh spent nearly five years of his life playing World of Warcraft, clocking over 24,000 hours. He created a Level 73 Shaman and a Level 80 Priest. But after “having no friends…at all”, he made an important decision. In a video he posted on YouTube, the 34-year-old haiksterbnh is apparently giving away all…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 9, 2010 -
Why Japan Likes Dragon Quest (And Other Pressing Issues)
Dragon Quest IX was released in Japan on July 11, 2009. A year later, the game is getting released in North America. Finally. Why the long delay, Square Enix? “The reality is that we were not able to develop all versions of the game simultaneously, since making the Japanese version alone proved to be a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 9, 2010 -
Pac-Man Cartoon Coming In 2012
In the early 1980s, there was a Pac-Man cartoon. In 2012, Namco Bandai now says, there will be a new one. Set in Pac-Land, the original Hanna-Barbera cartoon was more of a Pac-Man sitcom with Pac-Man, his wife Pepper and their baby Pac-Baby. The show lasted two years, going off the air as Pac-Man fever…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 9, 2010 -
If Pokemon Were Real
Hate to break it to you, but they are not. That hasn’t stopped art student Alysia from drawing realistic Pocket Monsters. Besides breathing life in to Pokémon like Chatot, Gengar and more, she also has created realistic battle scenes. Check out more of her work in the link below. Leashe’s Gallery [DeviantArt]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 9, 2010 -
Reviews
Risk: Factions Review: Cats Vs. Zombies
Growing up, classic board game Risk was always a favorite. It has made the leap to Xbox Live with barfing cats. But does Risk need barfing cats? Risk: Factions is the classic game of Risk, a dice rolling command and conquer territorial land grab, with a few twists. You want to destroy enemy factions, retain…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Get Well Soon, Paul!
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Shipping Out Sorry to hear about the fam. Paul is in my thoughts and prayers. What you missed last night EA Makes Dragon Age 2 Official, BioWare Teases Reveal Tomorrow Dragon Age 2: New Game, New Hero Not All Pirates Were As Nice As Guybrush Threepwood Rockstar Re-Releasing The Greatest…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Rumble Might Be Rudimentary, But I Still Like It
When the PS3 launched in 2006, the SIXAXIS controller did not have rumble support. It had motion control, but like I just said, no rumble. And I found myself playing more Xbox 360 games. It wasn’t because Xbox 360 games were better. No, it was because Xbox 360 games could be played on a controller…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
And The Huge Gundam Is Done
The 1/1 scale Gundam has been erected. See it? It is erect. The giant mecha looms over Shizuoka, Japan, home of Bandai Namco’s Gundam plastic model factory This Gundam statue will be up until March 2011. Go on, go see it. You know you want to. I know I do. Giant Gundam Dominates Shizuoka [NSFW…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Sony’s Thoughts On Insomniac Going Multi-Platform
Game studio Insomniac Games has created a slew of exclusive titles for the PlayStation platform. Franchises like Ratchet & Clank and Resistance are PlayStation hallmarks. The day of Insomniac making only PS games are over. Earlier this year, Insomniac struck a partnership with Electronic Arts to make a new franchise for both the PS3 and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Reviews
Review: New Super Mario Bros. Wii…Shampoo
It’s not everyday that you must get totally naked to review something. Today was one of those days. New Super Mario Bros. Wii Shampoo is not *just* shampoo, it is “rinse in shampoo”. It says so right on the bottle. This shampoo, no rinse in shampoo, has been officially licensed by Nintendo. But does it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Go On Vacation With Konami’s Virtual Girlfriends
This summer, Konami is offering fans of its Nintendo DS love simulator Love Plus the chance to do something very special: Pay lots of money to go on vacation with their virtual girlfriend. For ¥39,800 (US$451), you can go on a two-day, one-night Love Plus bus tour of Atami, a city in Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
The Last Story’s First Trailer With Gameplay
Upcoming Wii game The Last Story is being designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man responsible for Final Fantasy. No, he is not a nihilist, and from the looks of this trailer, neither is The Last Story. The game is set on an island that is a strategic sport for defense and transportation for an an…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Here’s What Inspired Vanquish
Nope, not Halo. Not Gears of War. Third-person action-shooter Vanquish is drawing from something else. In a recent blog post, game designer Shinji Mikami describes how he “spent a year and a half staring out of a window” after he finished 2006 brawler God Hand for the PS2 and no longer had a team to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Screw English, It’s All About C
This month, Japanese online retailer Rakuten.com decided the language that was used internally by the company would no longer be Japanese. By 2012, the company’s official in-house language will be English. That would mean all meetings would be conducted in English and all internal documents would be in English. English, English, English! Rakuten has been…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 8, 2010 -
Rarely Use A/C
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Hanging Out Yeah, and it’s kinda hot here! But whenever we flip on the A/C, one of the kids gets sick or a sore throat. So we just…sweat. What you missed last night It’s Like Where’s Waldo, Only With Team Fortress 2 When Instant Death Was Only A Step Away…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2010 -
When Arcades Die
This is the famed Osaka arcade U.F.O. Nagase. So full of life and drink machines. This is the arcade now. As website Versus City noted this past spring, U.F.O. Nagase was going out of business and had been scheduled to be torn down. The arcade was visited by top players in Osaka and by top…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2010 -
All The Basara You Can Eat
Nothing says “historical action game” like food at karaoke parlors. At an event in Tokyo today, Capcom celebrated the completion of Sengoku Basara 3 (Devil Kings in the West) by revealing that the series will collaborate with karaoke chain Pasela Pasela is known for having better food than your average karaoke outfit. That isn’t saying…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2010 -
Would You Like To Pose With A Virtual Girl?
Love Plus, Konami’s schoolgirl love simulator for the Nintendo DS, is quite popular in Japan. How popular? The game’s heroines recently graced the cover of a mainstream TV listings magazine. Think about it. When was the last time you saw game characters on TV Guide? Make that, schoolgirl game characters. At a recent event in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2010 -
Why Does Jim Brown Care About His Likeness?
Because it is awesome, that’s why. Famed football player Jim Brown is taking EA Sports to court over the use of his “likeness” in Madden football games. Again. What’s the big deal with his likeness anyway? Brown contends that EA Sports has used the number 32 in Madden without his permission. A judge has ruled…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 7, 2010
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