This Funny English Book Will Never Help You at School. Never.

For many in Japan, English is a hard language. Most textbooks are dull. Not this one. Titled English Words That Don’t Appear on Tests (試験に出ない英単語), the book is packed with ridiculous words, phrases, sentences, and photos that will never help you on any examination. But they might make you giggle. For example? These are even…

When a Game’s Credits Are a Love Letter to Retro Music Games

The newest game in the Neptunia series, God Dimension Idol Neptunia PP, came out on the Vita a little over a week ago. Today I finished it, only to discover the ending credits were better than the entire game preceding it. Unlike the other games in the Neptunia series, Neptunia PP isn’t an RPG. Rather,…

Just Cause 2’s Ambitious Multiplayer Mod Might Actually Come Out Soon

Following last week’s test (footage of the test above), Philpax, one of the developers of the popular multiplayer mod for Avalance Studios’ action sandbox, Just Cause 2, submitted a lengthy post to the mod’s forums discussing the project’s past, present, and future. “We are hoping to release JC2-MP within the next few months, client and…

Parents Dress Child as a Nightclub Host

This is Ryuchalo. He’s four years old. And he appears in grown-up men’s fashion magazines. Heck, his Facebook page lists him as “Ryuchalo, the four year old host”. Let me explain: “Four years old” as in pre-school and “host” as in a paid male drinking companion. In Japan, host fashion is…different. Little Ryuchalo sports “host…

An Indie Mars-Based Survival Game Inspired by… Pokémon Snap?

A bit over a month ago, we showed you Lacuna Passage, an amazing-looking and quite mysterious indie Mars exploration game. Now, developer Random Seed Games is taking to Kickstarter to raise some money so they can work full-time on their first commercially released game. So yes, Lacuna Passage is a survival game set on Mars,…

Lightning as Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII for Pre-Order Bonus

Lightning returns alright. This time, she can dress up in Cloud Strife’s Soldier 1st Class Uniform and swing his Buster Sword. But there’s a catch! According to the PlayStation Blog, those who pre-order Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3 get the costume DLC. Um. Okay. Neat? Eds note: The press release also says…

Want to Play Princess Crown in English? Here’s How

Last week I looked at classic import title Princess Crown—the spiritual predecessor to the upcoming PS3 and Vita title Dragon’s Crown. However, I kept getting one question again and again. “How do I play it in English?” While there isn’t an English version of the game (or even a homebrew patch for that matter), there…

Why Xbox Fans Are Called “Gropers” in Japan

The Xbox consoles are not popular in Japan. That doesn’t mean those game machines lack hardcore fans. They certainly exist in the region. And online in Japan, there’s a disparaging nickname for them: “gropers”. The Japanese word is “chikan” (痴漢), which translates as “groper” or “molester”. “Chikan” is certainly not something anyone wants to be…

Oh, Nothing, It’s Just A Girl Building A Prosthetic Leg Out Of LEGO

Somebody in Christina Stephens’ research lab joked that she – an amputee – should build a fake leg out of LEGO. Challenge. Accepted. This awesome video shows Christina rummaging around like a kid for the right pieces, before taking the legfor a test drive AmputeeOT: My Legoleg [YouTube, via ALBOTAS]

Pokémon Evolve. So What’s Up With Crocodiles?

It’s a good question! I mean, Darwinism holds that species evolve over time. Yet some creatures – sharks, crocodiles, cockroaches – have gone unchanged for millions of years. There must be an explanation for this. And whaddya know, here it is. MiniMation No.1 – “Hold B Button” [YouTube]

Half-Life Conspiracy Theorists, You’re The Best Kind Of Crazy

Patricia had this image tucked away inside a story from earlier today, but I thought it was too magnificent not to showcase on the front page. It’s by artist Ivan Bakula. It is my new desktop wallpaper.

Gamers, You Rely On YouTube

Google has released a report on how gamers use YouTube, and it’s pretty interesting! Looking at the viewing statistics behind every single video game-related clip on the service, they’ve found that, well, pretty much all of you use it. All the time. For all kinds of stuff. Here are the important bits from the study:…

Steam Offering A “Low Violence Version” Of Saints Row IV

In the wake of Saints Row IV’s “ban” in Australia, a “Low Violence Version” of the game has appeared on Steam. Available for Australian customers, there’s no explanation as to what this version actually changes, leading to the suspicion it’s simply being offered in expectation that publishers Deep Silver will resubmit a modified copy of…

Microsoft’s New Control Pad For Flashy Rappers, Russian Oil Tycoons

I can’t think of anyone else who would consider owning one of these ostentatious fingerprint magnets. Announced earlier today, its full product name is the “Xbox 360 Special Edition Chrome Series Gold Wireless Controller”. It’s out next month and will retail for $55 “at GameStop and Microsoft Store locations in addition to select regions worldwide”.

Artist’s Battle With Disease Has Inspired Others To Push Their Limits

The story of Francis Tsai is an inspirational one. An accomplished games, comic and film artist, a few years ago he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a condition which has gradually robbed him of his ability to draw with his hands. Yet through sheer perseverance, and some help from his friends, Tsai has been…

One Of The World’s Best Modders Is Making His Own Game

In the Total War community, Darthmod occupies a place behind only developers Creative Assembly themselves. For years, his comprehensive (and easy to use) mod packs have transformed the flagship strategy series from “great games with whiffy AI” to “amazing games oh God where is my life going”. Last year, though, he all but walked away…

The San Francisco Fog Never Looked So Gorgeous

For going on a decade now, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the San Francisco fog. It’s our city’s defining characteristic; so beautiful from afar, so smothering and depressing up close. But there’s no denying that beauty, captured here in a gorgeous new video from photographer Simon Christen called “Adrift.” He describes his project thusly.…

Snacktaku Drive-Thru: Wendy’s Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger Is Gorgeous

As my proper Monday Snacktaku review got pushed to tomorrow, I figured I’d at least slip in a little public service announcement for the hungry masses. Wendy’s has a pretzel bacon cheeseburger. It’s the opposite of horrible. I am a huge fan of pretzels and pretzel bread, so when a friend called me to tell…

This Dude Does NOT Want To Pause His Game

The I CAN’T JUST PAUSE MY GAME, MOM AND DAD is such a cliche, I know. MachinimaPrime doesn’t do much to dispel stereotypes about gamers in this video where a gross man refuses to stop playing a game, but damn if they didn’t do a good job of showing how that situation can get extremely…

Two great essays about Animal Crossing: New Leaf: In this smart analysis by Gamasutra‘s Christian Nutt, he looks at why this entry in particular has been such a sensation. Meanwhile, USGamer’s Jeremy Parish talks about how summer arrived today and caused him to finally fall for the game. I haven’t seen a game this broadly…