When Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town was released last month in Japan, fans complained of long load times, bugs, and glitches. Producer Dai Takemura addressed these issues on the game’s official blog and offers his apology. On Twitter in Japan, the game was being described as “load hell”, with numerous load screens, some…
Merchandising! Square Enix loves to do it. And with lots of people wearing masks in Japan, the Tokyo-based game maker saw an opportunity. Update March 3 – 11:40am: As one Kotaku reader points out, these masks are also available through the North American website. As Famitsu reports, pre-orders for Final Fantasy XIV masks kicked off…
Today in Japan, Nintendo released a new system update for the Wii U. The last firmware, 5.5.3, was released in early September 2018. Nintendo of America detailed the previous update as fixing the following: Improvements to system stability and usability Further improvements to overall system stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance…
This year marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. To celebrate, artist Pikousa reposted an excellent Majora’s Mask she sculpted. Out of all the Zelda games, Pikousa’s husband, photographer Kyon, likes The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask best. For his birthday last year, she sculpted it entirely out of clay. It was then…
A resident of Saitama, Japan is in police custody after sending death threats to Square Enix. A suspect named Toshiyuki Kan sent thirty-seven of them to the game maker last November. Sadly, this isn’t a first for Square Enix. A 25-year-old man was arrested in spring 2019 for threatening to kill Square Enix employees. “I…
Even before the age of covid-19, sickness masks were widely worn in Japan, especially during hay fever season. But now that people wear them every day, throughout the day, it seems as though there’s a notion as to what’s good and bad mask manners. This week on Asashi TV’s Morning Show (via Afternoon News), there…
Today on Twitter, producer Masaaki Yamagiwa announced that he is leaving Sony’s Tokyo-based Japan Studio. He is not leaving the game industry, however. “I’m leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment at the end of this month,” he wrote. “I’m going to continue working hard on creating games. Many thanks to everyone!” While at Sony, Yamagiwa produced Bloodborne,…
Today, Nintendo announced in Japan that it was ending repair service for the 3DS and 3DS XL. The reason is that it’s become difficult to obtain the necessary parts. The original Nintendo 3DS launched in February 2011 in Japan, and the larger Nintendo 3DS XL (called “LL” in Japan) followed in July 2012. This announcement…
Late last year, a mouse pad for the character Kashino from browser game Azur Lane was announced. This was no ordinary mouse pad. Note: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. For well over a decade now, there have been mouse pads featuring characters’ chests (or even butts!), resulting in what’s known as…
This is like the fake food you see in front of Japanese restaurants, but with Nintendo characters. YouTuber Nendo Zaiker-Snail created this Mario sushi from polymer clay. You can see the process in the 12-minute Japanese language clip below. What really sticks out is how this seems somewhat possible with real sushi. Make the Mario…
During the Japanese version of this week’s Nintendo Direct, a pleasant surprise was announced: a summertime game with everyone’s favorite anime five-year-old from Crayon Shin-chan Called Crayon Shin-chan: Ora to Hakase no Natsuyasumi (Crayon Shin-chan: My Summer Vacation With The Professor), the game lets players enjoy summertime in a small town in Kyushu, Japan. This…
Japanese whisky isn’t yet one hundred years old. The country set up its first proper whisky distillery in 1923. And from then until this year, there were zero codified rules about what exactly Japanese whisky was. Compared to Scotch and bourbon, the regulations regarding Japanese whisky have been lax at best. There has long been…
This weekend, north-eastern Japan was rocked by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake. Considering how devastating earthquakes can be, people were worried. Some called loved ones, others sent messages. And in Rainbow Six Siege, one player smashed a wall to check in on the rival team. As seen in the Twitter clips below, about an hour after…
Each year, fans send Valentine chocolates to Square Enix. Some are addressed to characters while others are for the game creators. It’s a way to say thanks. But this year, Square Enix is asking for fans to refrain. As Jiji reports, Square Enix posted a notice on its official site, citing the state of emergency…
This week, new vending machines that tell customers to fight the coronavirus were unveiled in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. As NHK reports, the samurai-themed machines have a pre-recorded message that states, “Fight the coronavirus! Wear a mask, wash your hands, and gargle.” When people get their drink, the message adds, “Well done! Always be prepared.” The…
At many arcades in Japan there is often an amusement cabinet called a punching machine that measures how hard one can punch. A sixteen-year-old has been arrested after kicking one. Here is a YouTube clip from 2012 showing a punching machine in action: According to Kobe Shimbun Next, a sixteen-year-old resident of Kakogawa city, was…
No doubt, the pandemic is bad for lots of businesses. But in Japan, it’s especially awful for arcades. Because Japan is currently under a state of emergency due to covid-19, nightspots have been ordered to close early. If they don’t, they risk fines. As AFP News reports, bars and restaurants get compensation from the government…
Official Pokémon retail shops released a Magnemite plushie featuring a pretty significant mistake. Many people might not even spot the error at first glance, but those who are drawn to the electric steel Pokémon certainly will. Compare the official art (above) with the plush toy mistake (below). Can you spot the snafu? Surely the big…
People in Aichi Prefecture, Japan have arrested a 23-year-old man for violating the country’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act. According to Asahi News, the suspect is accused of selling a modded Sobble. Last April, the suspect, an unemployed Nagoya resident, allegedly hacked the character via computer and sold it to a Kyoto man for 4,400 yen…
Square Enix has published Japanese-language guidelines for derivative fan creations. These guidelines cover Nier Replicant, Nier Gestalt, Nier: Automata, Nier Re[in]carnation, and Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… In short, all the Nier games! As noted on Inside, these guidelines are broken down into several points, prohibiting things like payment for fan work, the use of Nier assets…
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