Brian Ashcraft

Delays Aren’t Necessarily Bad, Yo

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Recovering From CES… AVN Busy night! Gran Turismo 5 is delayed. I know delays suck, but honestly, I’d rather have a game delayed that it released half-baked. Not everything can be fixed with a patch. If a game is not out, I can’t play it. The excitement remains. But if…

Japanese News: Online Game Addict’s Pee Bottle Appears?

If someone asks, “Is this news?” The answer is, well, this is Japanese TV news. A morning program on Japan’s Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) did a feature on the world of “netoge haijin” or “online game invalids”. This morning show interviewed online gamers like this man. He’s a slob and his house is a complete…

New Yakuza 4 Trailer Ready To Punch Your Face In

Japan’s favorite gaming crime melodrama with this Yakuza 4 (Ryu Ga Gotoku 4) trailer. Tough guys and cutscenes galore! Series hero Kazuma Kiryu returns once again, and the elaborate cast is fleshed out by a homeless businessman Shun Akiyama, former detective Masayoshi Tanimura and newly released from prison yakuza Taiga Saejima (jailed for killing 18…

Ar tonelico III Has Male Undressing, Too

With all that female underwear in upcoming Japanese title Ar tonelico III, one might get the idea that the game is unfair. There’s more to life than scantily clad women. There are scantily clad men, for example. The PS3 title features men that, like the women, end up in their skimpies. One male character’s drawers…

Interview: There Is Enough Discarded Final Fantasy XIII To Make Another Game

Square Enix spent years working on Final Fantasy XIII. The game was shown in prototype form at the E3 gaming expo in 2006, but was not finally released in Japan until December 2009. According to the game’s art director, Isamu Kamikokuryou, a substantial amount of these locations that were already running on actual development hardware…

First Look At Armored Core 5

Three days? No, two. Developer From Software‘s online reveal of Armored Core 5 is scheduled for 1.14. It’s leaked reveal from Japanese magazine is scheduled for today. Hello blurry magazine scans! According to the Famitsu article, the game’s concept is “mayhem” mechanical action. The game will feature new weapons, more robust and dramatic mission stories…

What Do Over 140 Game Consoles Look Like?

As seen on CONSOLLECTION via GameSetWatch.

Gran Turismo 5 Delayed, New Release Date: TBA

The years-in-the-making Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed. The game was slated for release this March in Japan, but publisher Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that the game’s release date is now TBA. In an official release, Sony stated the release date will be announced at a later date. The company also apologized for any…

EA Sports Second Guessing Tiger Woods?

The Tiger Woods scandal has cost the great golfer his once pristine image. He’s still a fantastic athlete; just the populous at large thinks he’s a horn dog. While the affair has meant US$12 billion in lost wealth for sponsors, EA Sports stated it would be sticking with Tiger Woods Online. “Our relationship with Tiger…

What’s Your Opinion Of 3D?

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Kotaku’s Newest Day Note Slated For Release January 11 Welcome back from CES. Wanted to ask you our thoughts on 3D? The jury is still out for me — I actually like the flatness of, you know, regular HD TV. Remember when that was a big deal? What you missed…

Nintendo, Beyonce Can’t Quit You

Pop diva Beyoncé has renewed her partnership with Nintendo of America, but this time she’s back to shill more than Nintendo products: She’ll be shilling her own, too. Through Nintendo, she’s promoting her own fashion line, Deréon, which was co-created by Beyoncé and her mother, designer Tina Knowles. Last year, the singer appeared in ads…

Let’s Watch This No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise Spot

Action title No More Heroes, a game supposedly intended for the Xbox 360 originally and then moved to the Nintendo Wii, is finally coming to the Xbox 360. And the PS3. With No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise, the series is making the leap to hi-def. According to a Famitsu article from last fall, the game…

More Fable III Concept Art

Still want some Fable III screens? Once again, there are no Fable III screens. Sorry. There are images of , a queen, a king and his family and chimney sweeps. The action role playing game, which allows players to choose between good and evil, moving on from a stylised renaissance and is, Dickens novels in…

This Lady Would Like To Be In Warcraft Movie

Horror scream queen Michele Morrow has professed her desire to be in the upcoming Sam Raimi Warcraft film. Get in line, sister! As with Sean Young and the role of Catwoman or Freddie Prinz, Jr. and the role of Spider-Man, Morrow has announced that she would like to be in a big budget property. Morrow,…

Dragon Quest IX Goes Budget Price In Japan

Released in Japan on July 11, 2009, DS role playing game Dragon Quest IX went on to sell 4 million copies in its native Japan. The game is out this year in the West, but before that… Square Enix will be releasing the game this March in Japan at a budget price. On March 4,…

Microsoft: No Need to Launch New Console

The Xbox 360 launched in November 2005. The original Xbox launched in November 2001. It is now 2010. About time for a new Xbox, right? Not necessarily, Microsoft says. “I think it’s important to say that the Xbox 360 is the console of the long future for us,” David Hufford, senior director of Xbox product…

How Spider-Man 4’s Implosion Could Affect Warcraft Movie

Spider-Man 4 has fallen apart. Sam Raimi has walked from the film. But what does this mean for Warcraft? Director Raimi felt as though he could not realistically deliver the film he wanted to make by the studio’s due date, causing the director to pull out of the comic book franchise, scrapping the film. According…

James Cameron Keen To Do More Video Games

Sci-fi opus Avatar, from director James Cameron, is the second highest-grossing movie of all time; and it’s still playing in theaters. Earning over $1.8 billion, his historical epic Titanic is the biggest grossing film worldwide. You’t think a guy like that would take time off, relax. Things could be so cruisey. Oh no, not Cameron.…

A Week In Comments

What Did The Simpsons Ever Do For Video Games? Comment by: westartedthis Nominated by: NeöStarr I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that when video games were parodied on “The Simpsons” (and they were, countless times), it introduced segments of the population to video games who had previously not been interested or thought about…

Hey Look! Whale In A Can

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft These photos were taken at the supermarket near my house — canned whale meat. Internationally, Japan has been coming under fire for its whale hunting. A certain amount of whale fishing by the Japanese is permitted on the grounds that the whales will be used for “research”. Some of the research…