Brian Ashcraft

German Amazon Lists PS3 Slim

Earlier this May, supposed “leaked” photos from a Chinese plant showed what’s reported to be the PS3 Slim. The German Amazon site now has a listing for “PlayStation 3 Konsole slim”. Googling the product code number does not show anything else but this listing on Amazon.de. Retailer listings of unannounced products are always fishy. Ditto…

PC Erotic Game Getting Movie Version

A movie version of an adult visual novel Fate/stay night has been announced via teaser site. There’s no info about the movie just yet — such as who’s starring in the flick, who’s directing, etc. Fate/stay night was originally released on the PC back in early 2004. It has spun off PlayStation platform titles, anime…

Mickey Rourke Doesn’t Talk Games With Other Actors

These days loads of big Hollywood actors are appearing in video games. It’s become normal. Heck, even Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke is doing game voice work. For actors, Rourke sees film and gaming as still totally separate. “I don’t really think people yet are comparing the two, insofar as somebody’s performance in a video game…

Right Now, Mrs. Bashcraft Will Start Reading Kotaku

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: The O’Reilly Factor The thing that makes me most excited about Kotaku Japan? Mrs. Bashcraft has never really read the site before, but now she has no excuse. This is a good thing. Perhaps? What you missed last night The Great Nintendo Release Schedule, July 2009 Edition The King of…

Hidden Square Enix Countdown Clock Art

That Square Enix *ungh* countdown clock? Reader Andrew picked through the site and found two images what looks like art for the game. The Japanese internet seems to think this site is counting down to a home console version of Square Enix’s arcade game Lord of Vermillion. A Square Enix trademark for Lord of Arcana…

Sony: PS3 Manufacturing Costs Down 70 Percent

Over time, parts get cheaper and companies get better at the manufacturing process. Case in point: the PLAYSTATION 3. In an investor call, Sony corporate CEO Nobuyuki Oneda revealed that PS3 manufacturing costs have dropped 70 percent. “We don’t disclose how much of the PS3, specifically the cost deduction was achieved during the past two…

Nintendo Slips In Anti-Piracy Measures Into DSi Update

That recent DSi update that brought Facebook to Japanese DSi handhelds also brought something else: software to combat R4-type piracy devices. Back in November of last year, it seemed as though R4 cartridges would not work in the then new DSi units. However, by May of this year, dedicated DSi piracy devices had hit the…

New Life Sales For Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, Wii Sports

Kyoto-based Nintendo Co., Ltd. has released sales data for its biggest selling titles during the April – June 2009 quarter. Let’s have a look. During the period, Wii Fit sold 3.6 million units globally (130,000 units in Japan and 3.47 million overseas), bringing lifetime sales for the game to 21.82 million copies. Mario Kart Wii…

Pikachu, In Awesome Custom Van Form

As seen on Flickr via kimonobox.

Square Enix Rolls Out *Ungh* A Countdown Clock

Japanese game maker Square Enix pulls out its favorite PR chestnut, the countdown clock, and tosses up a teaser site for some video game. There’s not much to the site: Some background art, text that reads “VI DAYS” and a countdown clock. Does it get anymore exciting than this? Yes, yes it does. The countdown…

The King of Fighters XII Getting Another Patch To Fix Glitch

SNK’s 100 percent hand drawn fighter The King of Fighters XII was released with laggy online play. The game got a patch to fix that. That wasn’t the only problem with KOFXII, though. There is a glitch which is caused when Raiden and Elisabeth battle it out, and a specific move causes her to go…

Does Monster Hunter 3 Have Issues With Freezing?

With the release of Wii title Monster Hunter 3 one day away, one gamer has already acquired a copy of the game and played through it on website Justin.tv for the enjoyment of others. That is, if people enjoy watching MH3 apparently freeze up multiple times. While we’re not exactly sure how this individual acquired…

Yakuza 3 American Release Still “Unconfirmed”

Keep hope alive! It seems SEGA America’s Ray Almeda misspoke and gave his own personal opinion to The Examiner that Yakuza 3 will not be released in the States because of subpar Yakuza 2 sales. The Examiner has since run an update, explaining those remarks were not “official SEGA statements.” The Examiner adds, “SEGA still…

But, How Did Capcom Do? Pretty Good.

Osaka-based game maker Capcom released its financial earnings for the April – June period. According to Capcom, “Lucrative titles, led by Resident Evil 5, helped lift earnings.” Compared with the same quarter last year, net sales were up 36 percent for home video games and operating income was up 32.5 percent. Impressive in this economy,…

Capcom Shipped A Million Copies Of Monster Hunter 3

Tomorrow in Japan, eagerly awaited title Monster Hunter 3 goes on sale. Capcom is ready for big sales and has shipped a million copies to Japanese retailers. The game was originally planned as a PS3 game, but Capcom later announced it for the Wii in Fall 2007.

Today I Was Busy, How About You? Yes, You.

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Meatball Subs Busy day. Filled with crap economic news. Kinda sad, I guess! And now I shall sleep. Good night Kotaku people, I hope you enjoy your day, night, afternoon, evening, whatever. What you missed last night Nintendo Sales Down 40 Percent Sony Game Business Sales Down 18 Percent New…

Facebook Now On DSi in Japan

The Facebook photo application for the DSi was first detailed back at E3. While slated for “Fall” in the States, the app has gone live in Japan with a recent firmware update. It looks like this and allows DSi owners to upload their DSi Album pics on their Facebook page. Since Facebook isn’t as popular…

The Monster Hunter Countdown… Clip?

Forget countdown clocks. Countdown clocks are lame. Capcom has a countdown clip. With only two days left before Monster Hunter 3 goes on sale in Japan, actor Satoshi Tsumabuki plays through the game, revealing two new monsters. So exciting.

How Did Nintendo Software Do? (Total Sales Are Down)

Like hardware, Nintendo’s total software sales were down during the April – June 2009 quarter. There were some flickers of life, but generally, sales are down, down, down. For the DS platform, total software sales reached 29.09 million during the quarter compared with 36.69 million during the same period last year. Down elsewhere in the…

How Did Nintendo Hardware Do? (Total Sales Are Down)

Nintendo’s DS sales took a slight dip during the last quarter, down from 6.94 million total units sold year-on-year to 5.97 units this past April – June 2009 quarter. Sales were up slightly in Japan, but down elsewhere. DSi sales did help energize the platform, and the Nintendo DS reached a new life-to-date total of…