Toshi Nakamura

Soul Sacrifice Delta is Looking “Grimm”

Soul Sacrifice, the macabre save-or-sacrifice game from Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, is getting an updated incarnation next year with Soul Sacrifice Delta. The game is getting new creatures, new magic, and interestingly enough, a “Grimm” new alignment in the good/evil spectrum. No longer are you forced to choose between saving and sacrificing enemies and…

The Metal Gear Solid Side Mission Demo Ended With A Badass Car Jump

If nothing else, Hideo Kojima knows how to work a crowd. So it’s only natural that he’d have something extra planned for the public day live performance of Tokyo Game Show 2013. In addition to the12-minute Ground Zeroes demo, Kojima also treated spectators to a brief side mission demo. Made specifically for the limited time…

One of Metal Gear Solid‘s Most Iconic Tropes Was Almost Axed

Looking at its gameplay, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and its prologue, Ground Zeroes capture the spirit of the Metal Gear series despite worries arising from director Hideo Kojima’s announcement that the game would be open world. However, a staple of the series—the exclamation point—was almost not included in Metal Gear Solid 5…

Deep Down Looks Really Cool, But it Reminds Me of Another Game…

Aplayable demo of Capcom’s upcoming enigmatic online multiplayer game Deep Downwas available at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, but unless you’re in Japan and manage to get there early or have a play reservation, good luck with the 4+ hour wait. Fortunately, I was able to get through the doors relatively quickly and after only…

Crimson Dragon: Prettier And No Longer Kinect-Only

Crimson Dragon was originally scheduled to be an Xbox 360 downloadable game But as fortune and Mike Fahey’s prayers would have it, it is now an Xbox One launch title Director Yukio Futatsugi was at TGS this year to show off the new Crimson Dragon and comparing the game to when it was for the…

Don’t Worry, Japan. Microsoft Is Still Into You.

November 22nd. That’s when the Xbox One will be out in 13 markets Not among those privileged 13? Japan and other Asian markets While the Xbox 360 may not be the dominating force in the Japanese game market, it has its loyal fans and indeed Microsoft has recognized that, holdingspecial events to both gather support…

Checking Out The PS Vita TV

The PS Vita TV seems kind of confusing if you try to wrap your head around it: So, it’s a PS Vita, but it’s not really portable? And it doesn’t have a screen? You hook it up to your TV? You need a separate controller? Getting some time to actually fiddle with the “world’s smallest…

Dark Souls 2 Owes Me No Favors, And I Respect That

I have never played Dark Souls. I believe I should probably preface this article by making this fact clear. The original Demon’s Souls hated me. It hated my mother. It hated my whole damn family. I died so many times in my first hour of playing the game I just could not continue it. That…

The Hot Toys Event in Japan Was a Geekgasm of Iron Man

I’ve made no secret for my love of the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece line of collectible figurines in the past. So, when I discovered that they were having an exhibition event in Tokyo, I immediately set about finding some way to go. Well, it turned out that while the exhibition itself would be from Saturday,…

I Love Cyborg 009, and the New Graphic Novel Does Not Disappoint

Cyborg 009 is one of Japan’s most famous manga series as well as one of its most iconic characters. It’s also getting a new English language adaptation. Created by Shotaro Ishinomori in 1964, an era under the shadow of the cold war, the manga focused on a group of 9 individuals who were made into…

In Case Any of You Were Wondering Just Who This Character Is…

If any of you caught the Japanese Sony press conference on Monday, there was a moment when they were showing a medley of upcoming PS Vita games where the screen went black and some random archer-ish character popped up for a moment. That character was Akagi, one of the anthropomorphized battleships (an aircraft carrier, to…

The PS4’s Developer-Friendliness Explained: More Games in Less Time

It’s nearly 2 months until the official release of the PlayStation 4, Sony’s upcoming big black box of dreams and wonders. Sony has focused on creating a high-spec machine that not only offers a plethora of nifty features on the user side, but was designed specifically to be easy to develop for on the creator…

Here’s What Some Developers Think Of the PlayStation 4

Those who have had a chance to play around with Sony’s latest console, the PS4, have been sharing their experiences and what they think about Sony’s latest big black box with those of us who have not. But what about the developers? Those who are involved in making the software for us to enjoy —…

The Updated Bravely Default isn’t Just ‘For the Sequel’

You have to give Square Enix points for honesty; Bravely Default: For the Sequel wears its primary intentions right on its sleeve. I mean, it’s right in the title: “For the Sequel.” The new updated version of the original Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is currently being developed in parallel to the game’s upcoming as-of-yet untitled…

Sales of The Wonderful 101 in Japan are not very wonderful. According to 4Gamer, Platinum Games’ latest sold only a little over 5,000 copies on its first day out in Japan, not even making the top 20, one week later. The Wonderful 101 arrives in the US on the 15th of this month. Hopefully it…

Super Smash Bros. Creator Believes in the Oculus Rift

In his weekly column in this week’s Weekly Famitsu, Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai wrote about the changing forms of media technology. In particular, the article talked of the release of new digital readers and the advance to digital media from paper media. One upcoming tech in particular that Sakurai predicted would be a…

This Video Game Stage Adaptation Will Let You Choose The Ending

Steins;Gate, the popular video game, already has manga, anime, and novel adaptations. The game has had different spinoffs and side stories, including multiple games and a movie (Note to fans: the blu-ray version of the movie, coming in December, will have English subtitles). Now, Steins;Gate is getting a stage adaptation. However, rather than just have…

The JoJo Fighting Game is Full of Love, But Plagued by DLC

Based on the manga series by Hirohiko Araki, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is basically a love letter to the series’ multitude of fans. If my private twitter account is any indication, ever since the game was initially announced last year, every subsequent announcement and teaser about the game has been met with an…

For Japan’s Nerd Heroine, Pokémon is a Bridge Between Strangers

Shoko Nakagawa, Japan’s own nerd heroine and queen of Pokémonhasn’t exactly had an easy upbringing. Her school life after elementary school was mostly filled with rejection and alienation from classmates due to her being different. But staying true to her love of Pokémon has paid off in spades as she recalls in her new book,…

Be Two Historical Figures For the Price of One in the New Yakuza Game

The latest chapter of the Yakuza series, Yakuza: Ishin!, is a trip back in time. Much like in Yakuza: Kenzan!, the game will feature series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as a famous historical character. However, this time, Kiryu will be two historical figures instead of one. Featured in this week’s Weekly Famitsu, Yakuza: Ishin! will have…