Brian Ashcraft

Three Reasons Maybe Why There Aren’t Many PS3 Gal Games

The PS2 has an impressive catalogue of not only “regular games”, but also PC gal games (think Japanese dating sims) ported over with the adult scenes edited out. Called “visual novels”, these games are more reading intensive than anything else. There is a small, yet rabid, market for them; however, PS3 hasn’t exactly been fertile…

Pokemon Could Have Been Muscular Monsters

When cutesy monster series Pokémon was being prepped for the Western market, localizers told Nintendo this: No way will adorable monsters be accepted by Americans. In a recent interview, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata reveals, “We were sent a proposal of muscle-bound characters to use if we wanted to do well in the U.S.” Nintendo didn’t…

Grasshopper Working With Square Enix

Japanese game designer Goichi Suda has a “video game brand” called Grasshopper Manufacture. That company has made games for lots of companies, but did you know that Square Enix was a client? Via website Siliconera, here’s a breakdown of companies that Grasshopper has worked with, and the titles that were produced. Companies such as D3…

PS3 “Slim” Photos Result In Cease & Desist From Taiwanese Lawyers

Late last week, we posted what appeared to be the first pictures of the PLAYSTATION 3 “Slim”. Taiwan-based attorney Li Mo & Associates contacted us, potentially giving credence to the validity of the pictures. In their email, the firm stated that these “trade secrets” had been posted online and demanded that the images be taken…

Hello Swine Flu, Welcome To Japan

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft Late last week there were something like four or five Swine Flu cases in the Osaka-Kobe area. Now there are over 130! I doubt that’s its mushroomed over the weekend, and I’m more inclined to believe previously infected people got tested for Swine Flu, but hey, I’m no doctor. Then again,…

Cheater Gamercards Will Be Marked

Cheating is bad! Microsoft wants you to know it’s dead serious about discouraging users from doing underhanded things to beef up their Gamerscore. According to Xbox Live Policy and Enforcement enforcer Stephen Toulouse, Microsoft isn’t only resetting the Gamerscores of cheaters to zero, but also marking their Gamercards as cheaters. He explains, “It also puts…

Life-Sized Gundam Has Nice Legs

Work has started on the “life-sized” Gundam. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the mecha anime/manga/toy/video game franchise, an 18-meter-tall (59-foot-tall) Gundam statue will be erected in Tokyo this July. Part of the “Mobile Suit Gundam 30th Anniversary Project,” the structure in Odaiba’s Shiokaze Park will stay up for only two months and be built…

Bethesda Announcing Wii Game This Year

Bethesda Softworks, the folks behind The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, is going to make a Wii game announcement this year — and a “really big Wii game” at that. In an interview with industry site GamesIndustry, Bethesda Europe’s Sean Brennan questioned whether there’s a market for 18-year-old-and-up Wii titles. “Is there space in the Wii…

You Cannot Look Up This King of Fighters Skirt

Upskirts, nipples and compromising poses, Street Fighter IV does not shy away from suggestive content. 2D fighter The King of Fighters XII, on the other hand, is showing some restraint. Hooray? In KoFXII, character Athena Asamiya has returned to wearing the sailor uniform she first donned in Psycho Soldier. Her skirt is impenetrable — like…

A Truly Creepy Silent Hill Nurse Cosplay

Yikes! Photographer Judith Stephens scares the crap outta us all with this truly frightening Silent Hill cosplay shoot. The costumes, the make-up and the photographer are all top quality stuff. More in Stephens’ Flickr set below — if you dare. Silent Hill [Flickr via GameSetWatch]

New Dragon Quest Game WiiWare Bound

This June, Square Enix is bringing a new Dragon Quest title to Nintendo’s DSiWare titled Dragon Quest Wars. The title has players select DQ monsters to duke it out on an anyone-can-play strategy board game. Intelligent Systems, best known for WarioWare and Fire Emblem, handled development duties. Dragon Quest Wars is priced at 500 DS…

Kojima Productions Updates Website With “5” Or “S”

As announced in the most recent Famitsu, Kojima Productions announced a URL that seemed like it would announce something else on May 18. Today is May 18. That teaser has updated with what could either be the number 5 or maybe a block capitalized letter “S”. The website has lighting and thunder and wind blowing…

A Week In Comments

Just What You’ve Always Wanted: a Playboy MMO Comment by: D-K, Came for the punch, stayed… Nominated by: Owen Playboy brainstorm session: “About 90% of the entire male population likes porn, amirite!!??” *collective “boo-yah”* “About 60% of the male populous also enjoys gaming, amirite!!?? *some w00ts and a “hell yeah!”* “So by combining the two,…

Do You Actually Like Announcements Of Announcements?

Hi Friday, how are you? Good? That’s good. Let’s talk. This is Tell Us Dammit, no, make that TELL US DAMMIT. Here’s how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn’t some marketing survey or whatever. It’s an emotional investment in you. Yes, we’re interested in knowing…

Can We Expect More Ninja Gaiden Games? Can We?

When game designer Tomonobu Itagaki headed up Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden franchise, he stated that Ninja Gaiden II was the last title in the series. But the franchise isn’t his anymore. New Team Ninja lead ninja Yosuke Hayashi hinted to website Kikizo that there very well could be more in store for Ninja Gaiden. “Regardless of…

Your Favorite Red Picture Is…

Kotakuland has spoken and picked its favorite red picture for our Red Faction contest. But which photo was the winner? (Hint: It’s a picture with red in it.) For this contest we asked folks to send us read photos, and we got extremely impressive entries. Much love to everyone who entered. But sadly we only…

The Most Important Live Blog of The Day

To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Bears! Micro-Bash literally just started crawling. Like right now. He’s crawling. This is amazing. I’m live blogging my baby’s first attempts at crawling. 7:17 – Micro-Bash crawls towards a toy. 7:18 – Micro-Bash stops, makes an I-am-pooping face. Drools. 7:19 – Micro-Bash begins crawling again. THIS IS AMAZING. What you…

From Software Joins The Teaser Website Club

Best known for giant robot Armored Core and stealth Tenchu games, Japanese developer is following the heard of developers launching teaser sites that announce and announcement. The site features two doors blocked by a velvet rope. There’s a placard that reads “2009.5.22 OPEN”. With the number of Armored Core and Tenchu games From Software churns…

“Video Games Are Not Toasters”

An EU proposal is calling for a two year guarantee on video games. That means games would be expected to be “near perfect” (no bugs, no glitches, etc). Retailers in Europe do not have to give refunds on bug-killing games, and currently, licensed software is exempt from EU legislation that requires companies to offer “a…

Splinter Cell: Conviction The Gameplay-Free Teaser Trailer

The teaser website for Splinter Cell: Conviction has broken cover for a teaser trailer — only a few grizzled weeks before E3. Ubisoft has promised that the Xbox 360 “active stealth” title will hit by the holidays. Originally planned for a Christmas 2007 release, the Ubisoft Montreal-developed title was pushed to 2009. Thanks G C!