Brian Ashcraft

Have Evangelion’s Misato Read You The News

The PS3 isn’t getting a Neon Genesis Evangelion game from Namco Bandai and Cellius just yet — but rather, a live news program. Make that, a live news anchored program by character Misato. The news program runs on software that collects news from real-life news (politics, the economy, sports and, yes, the anime industry). A…

How’s Final Fantasy Versus XIII Coming Along?

With the Final Fantasy XIII hype machine in full gear, we haven’t heard about that other Final Fantasy PS3 game, Final Fantasy Versus XIII. In the latest issue of Japanese magazine Dengeki, Tetsuya Nomura provides an update. “The progress of developing Final Fantasy Versus XIII is going well,” he says. Nomura is surrounded with much…

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As seen on Albotas.

This Is That Secret Tiny Sega Arcade Cabinet

After Burner? Shocking Back in February, a series of SEGA mini deluxe cabinets was announced: Thunder Blade, Space Harrier, Out Run, Hang On and a hidden “SECRET” cabinet. That oh-so-mysterious cabinet is on display at Japan’s Shizuoka Hobby Show — along with the others. These classic cabinet models will be out this August in The…

Don’t Forget, This Generation Development Costs Are High

Making big time video games is expensive. Really, really, really expensive. It needs big time money. Double the big time money from the last generation, actually. Robert Walsh heads up Krome Studios, one of the biggest indie studios on this blue planet we call Earth, and points out the very obvious: Game budgets are way…

This Is The Tokyo Game Show’s “Main Visual”

Every year a new slogan is announced for the Tokyo Game Show, held in Chiba, Japan. After that, a poster is unveiled. This is this year’s. The official translation of this year’s slogan is “Game, it’s so energetic!” (The Japanese word “genki” has various meanings — plug in whichever you like.) TGS 2009 runs from…

Can You Decipher Kojima’s Famitsu Interview?

This week’s issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu features an interview with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima about his new project. Make that a censored interview with Hideo Kojima. Can you decipher it? When speaking with Famitsu Editor-in-Chief Hirokazu Hamamura, Kojima apparently revealed more than he originally intended about his new title. Hamamura asked Kojima if…

Robots We Love: The Jacks

Truly iron fists for The King of the Iron Fists Tournament. There isn’t one Jack, but a series of these Russian robots: Jack, Jack-2, Jack-4, Jack-5, Jack-6, Gun Jack and Prototype Jack. A package deal! So why do we love him? His blood is plutonium* and his eye glow. What’s not to love? He’s a…

Photorealism Is “Inevitable” In 10-15 Years

Epic Games, the folks behind Gears of War, know a lot about how games are made now. So there’s a good chance Epic has a good handle on the future. The company’s Unreal Engine 3 powers a good chunk of this generation’s titles. The ensuing generations are likely to have photorealism — and Epic’s Tim…

“The Model T Of This New Platform Is The PS3”

Gaming’s Citizen Kane Moment. Don’t roll your eyes just yet! Director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Cronos) is here to tell us how its going to happen: convergence. And it’s starting now with gaming’s Model T. “In the next 10 years, we’re going to see all the forms of entertainment-film, television, video, games, and print-melding into…

First Big Boss, And Then Raiden (With Censored Kojima Interview)

Leaked scans from the upcoming Famitsu show what looks like another familiar Metal Gear character: Raiden. Raiden means “thunder and lightning” in Japanese — fitting as the teaser site has mostly been thunder and lighting. Oh, rain, there has been rain. (Who knows though if this character is actually Raiden, maybe it’s Gray Fox?) Those…

Kojima Productions Updates Site With… Big Boss?

The last Kojima Productions countdown clock wasn’t exactly climatic. This one will hopefully make up for it. The lighting and rain return, but the letters “R” and “P” flash on the screen…along with? What looks like a close-up of Big Boss. It is unconfirmed, however, whether this actually is Big Boss. The lighting and rain…

Daily Or Two Week? That Is The Question

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft Big decision today: daily contact lenses or two week lenses. I talked to my eye doctor, and she said might as well try the two weeks ones. Thing is, now I’ve got to clean ’em everyday — this comes after years of using dailies. What you missed last night PixelJunk 1-4…

Evangelion Title Coming To PS3 (Does It Involve The Father of PlayStation?! Yes.)

A Blu-ray disc version of mecha anime Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone includes a fold-in which what appears to be a new game announcement: an Evangelion title for the PS3. The announcement reads, “The shape of a new report. Misato Katsuragi info plan. News will change with the PS3…” There’s a Namco Bandai Games…

David Jaffe: “We’re Not Showing Anything At E3”

David Jaffe of developer Eat Sleep Play talks about the chances of him showing something at E3. And they are? Jaffe, best known for creating hack-and-slash God of War and vehicular-combat Twisted Metal, said that he will be there on the show floor, but the project he is working on doesn’t seem as though it…

PS3 “Soul Breeding” Game Gets Suggestive Pillow Case

In two days, the sequel to “soul breeding” game Record of Agarest War ZERO is released in Japan. Let the merchandising begin! Priced at ¥12,600 (US$133), this is a lycra Record of Agarest War ZERO “hug pillow” cover. Huge pillow covers are nothing new for anime or manga characters, but are largely lacking for PS3…

SNK’s April Fools Joke Is Real (Sorta)

This past April 1 was, like the year before it and the year before that, April Fool’s Day. Osaka-based game company joined in the fun and launched a website for faux retro shooter Star Radish. The game really exists. Well, as an in-game game, that is. The game will be making an appearance in upcoming…

How To Get Real Cars For Combat Racing

Blur, the upcoming combat racer from Bizarre Creations, features licensed automobiles. How’d the Project Gotham Racing developer snag them? According to Bizarre, it’s choice of vehicles helped — meaning, there aren’t Ferraris or Lamborghinis. “If someone doesn’t want to do what we want to do then we just won’t put it in the game,” says…

PlayStation Famitsu Magazine Offers Few Kojima Production Hints

And the carrot-roping continues! The new issue of Famitsu‘s PlayStation imprint hints at the upcoming game announcement from Kojima Productions. The text reads, “The latest work from Metal Gear franchise maker Kojima Productions approaches.” But what is that latest work? Metal Gear Solid 5 or Zone of the Enders 3? Add your two cents in…