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Kotaku EastJapanVoice Actor Remembers How Final Fantasy Versus XIII Was Resurrected As Final Fantasy XV
Today on Twitter, voice actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki recalled his time working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the game it eventually became, Final Fantasy XV Suzuki asked his followers if they wanted to hear some FFXV anecdotes, writing that the game’s script was actually three times as long, but it had to be trimmed down.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 13, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanFinal Fantasy VII Remake Getting Real-World Stealth Game In Tokyo
In Japan, there are what are called real-infiltration games (リアル潜入ゲーム or riaru senyuu geemu) in which players try to sneak into particular locations. These real-world games are the opposite of escape rooms, or riaru dasshutsu geemu (リアル脱出ゲーム) in Japanese. On December 9, a Final Fantasy VII Remake real-infiltration game is opening in Tokyo. Players become…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 13, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanDemand For PS5 In Japan Means High Gray Market Prices
When the PlayStation 5 launched earlier today, there weren’t long lines wrapped around the stores. In Japan and internationally, Sony is limiting launch sales to online and pre-order pickups. “The COVID-19 situation makes us very nervous about putting stock into stores around the launch window,” Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 12, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe PlayStation 5 Reminds Players That Japan’s Buttons Have Changed
Now that the PlayStation 5 has been released, the X and the circle buttons are officially swapped for Japan. Since the original PlayStation, the action button has been the circle button, while this was reversed in the West. The X and circle buttons originally had meaning in Japan. Our colleagues at Gizmodo previously reported that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 12, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanA PlayStation 5 Event Held At An Ancient Japanese Shrine
To launch the PlayStation 5, Sony is holding a projection mapping event at Kanda Shrine in Tokyo. This makes perfect sense. Kanda Shrine is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, near Akihabara. Because of this, worshippers can get their electronics—or even IT companies—blessed at the 1,270-year-old shrine. In fact, in 2009, after I kept losing and accidentally…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 11, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnother Tokyo Arcade Is Closing Due To Covid-19
This has been a bad year for Tokyo arcades. The one-two punch of the global pandemic and Japan’s travel ban has meant few customers, which has squeezed the industry’s bottom line. Landmark Tokyo arcades are shutting. Add Arcade Playland Carnival in Shinjuku to that list. Unfortunately. The arcade’s official Twitter account announced that on November…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 10, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn Japan, Sony Will Stop Servicing The Original PlayStation 4
With the PlayStation 5 launching this month, a new console era has begun. Sony is driving that point home by revealing that it will no longer service launch PS4s in Japan Via Twitter, Sony announced that on December 25, service for PS4 CUH-1000/CUH-1100 series of consoles would end in Japan, and individuals needing their consoles…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 10, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanGo Ahead And Crawl Inside A Pokémon
This has been a rough year. What better place to seek warmth and comfort than inside a Pocket Monster? Premium Bandai is releasing what it’s calling a 絶対に出たくない (zettai ni detakunai or “I don’t want to go out”) Metapod, suggesting that folks climb in while working from home. It’s priced at 35,000 yen ($335) with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 9, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNew Attack On Titan Statues Erected In An Excellent Location
Life-sized bronze statues of Attack on Titan’s Eren, Mikasa and Armin were recently unveiled at the foot of the Oyama Dam in Oita Prefecture, Japan. The three characters gaze up at the dam, as if they were watching a Titan peer over. (There’s even a special AR app visitors to the dam can use to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 9, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanFamous Tokyo Snack Gets A Pokémon Twist
In Japanese, omiyage refers to a souvenir that’s purchased for others. Typically, these are snacks, and in Tokyo, perhaps the most famous of all is Tokyo Bananas—cream-filled cakes shaped like little bananas. Tokyo Banana has been ranked as the most popular omiyage two-years running! In the past few years, there have been a variety of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 9, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanIn Japan, Sega Just Asked 650 Employees To Retire Voluntarily
As Sega Sammy announced it’s selling off its arcade business, the Tokyo-based game company also announced that it is asking 650 employees to retire voluntarily. With covid-19 impacting business, Sega is expecting what it calls “an extraordinary loss” during the current financial year. Sega Sammy Holdings was formed after Sega and Sammy merged in 2004.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 6, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe PlayStation 5 Will Only Be Sold Online At Launch
When the PlayStation 5 launches this month, Sony won’t be selling the console in stores. Instead, launch day sales will only be online. “In the interest of keeping our gamers, retailers, and staff safe amidst COVID-19, today we are confirming that all day-of launch sales will be conducted through the online stores of our retail…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnime Holograms To Work At Japanese Hotel
Next January, the Henna Hotel (“Strange Hotel”) in Tokyo is doing a collaboration with The Idolmaster, the Bandai Namco sim filled with anime-style idols. As part of the tie-up, there will be more than simply Idolmaster art plastered in rooms and cut-out cardboard versions of the characters. At the check-in counter, holograms of the idols…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanHalloween Was Supposed To Be Virtual In Tokyo But Wasn’t
In years past, massive crowds descended on Tokyo’s Shibuya. But this year, with the global pandemic, things were supposed to be different. They were supposed to be virtual. Shibuya mayor Ken Hasebe, for example, asked people to avoid the area to prevent covid-19 clusters and instead visit a “virtual Shibuya” online to celebrate Halloween. In…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanCheck Out These Resident Evil 2 Collectible Statues, Each Priced At $1,349
Starting next year, Prime 1 Studio is releasing a pair of limited-edition Resident Evil 2 statues, featuring Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield blasting zombies. The Claire statue is 21.6 inches high, weighing 40.5 pounds, while the Leon one is 23 inches and 46 pounds. They are priced at $1,349 and will be out internationally.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 30, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanMasahiro Sakurai’s Hardest Smash Bros. Challenge: Minecraft Music
When Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai introduced Minecraft characters in Smash Bros. Ulitmate, he discussed their in-game music. At that time, he said, “Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, it turns out we cannot use the song playing in the original Minecraft.” Continuing, he pointed out that for such a frantic game, many of the tunes…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 29, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanRemastered One Piece Anime Cropped For Widescreen
In the One Piece anime, the first 61 episodes make up the East Blue saga. Debuting in 1999, the TV anime was originally broadcasted at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Now the shows are getting remastered for a two-disc Blu-ray release in Japan, and the frame will be cropped to fit a 16:9 widescreen aspect. How…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 23, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNorah Jones And Manga Are A Good Combination
For Norah Jones’s latest album, Pick Me Up Off The Floor, the singer has released a manga-version music video of her single “I’m Alive” featuring panels from Rumiko Takahashi’s Maison Ikkoku According to Viz Media, “’I’m Alive’ features Maison Ikkoku’s main character, Kyoko Otonashi, as she shares many similarities with the lyrics, which reflect finding…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 23, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanFormer Japanese Prime Minister Wasn’t Thrilled With The Mario Olympics Stunt
During the 2016 Rio Olympics closing ceremony, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared out of a large green Warp Pipe, wearing a red Mario hat emblazoned with Tokyo 2020. But what did Abe think about the whole experience? In a recent interview with Nikkan Sports, Abe was frank, honest and refreshing about the whole…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 22, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanForget Money, Japanese Esports Tournament Is Giving Away Crabs (Yes, Actual Crabs)
At this year’s Toyama Gamers Day in Japan, it’s only fitting that the prize for the game Fight Crab in the King Crab Tournament is, wait for it, crabs. But, as Kai-You points out, not just one crab but a total of one hundred during the entire tournament. Why crabs? Well besides the fact that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 21, 2020