You Don’t Need To Speak Japanese To Appreciate This Shin Megami Tensei IV Trailer

I have no idea what the people in this trailer are saying. But I love it. Shin Megami Tensei IV, which will be out on May 23 in Japan (and presumably later in North America), looks great so far. This newest trailer for the demon-infested dungeon crawler has rockin’ music and some killer art design.…

What John Riccitiello Was Right About

If you gave me five, seven or even 10 guesses about who outgoing EA CEO John Riccitiello’s favorite character on HBO’s acclaimed show The Wire was, I’d have gotten it wrong. The Wire ran for five seasons. It was a show about class and crime. Its cast was an ensemble of cops, crooks and the…

The Folks Behind Bastion Are Making A Sci-Fi RPG. And It Looks Incredible.

If you ask me, Supergiant Games’ Bastion was one of the best games to come out in the last few years. So, a new game from that indie dev studio is great news. The glimpses of gameplay make it seem like Transistor shares some of Bastion‘s DNA, but the visuals are more Akira/Blade Runner than…

Two Great Comics Creators Are Letting You Pay What You Want for Their New Series

You might be among the legions of readers who loved Brian K. Vaughan’s classic Vertigo series Y The Last Man or are currently enjoying his excellent Saga series from Image. And you might know that he and Marcos Martin did an excellent Doctor Strange mini-series a few years back. Martin’s done incredible artwork on projects…

Nintendo’s letting folks buy Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon early at PAX East

Six Critics Consider Gears of War: Judgment Fresh, Frantic and Fun

Gears of War has been around for a while now—seven years, with Judgment being the fourth game in the series—and it seems the franchise is not ready to slow down just yet. Most reviewers agree that the gameplay is exhilarating, the story is tight, and the war-torn world is prettier than ever. So what was…

2K, Gearbox, and AAU are working on an animated short film set in the Borderlands universe. It is due later this year.

Doom Integrated Into Garry’s Mod Takes The Game To Another Level

Elements of the source port of Doom integrated into the latest Garry’s Mod look really great. Shooting down (or running over) endless masses of imps and cacodemons is always fun, and doing it in a City 17-esque dystopian open environment is just makes it more special. The mod’s author claims once it is ready and…

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days Does Not Make for an Enjoyable Film

The HD collection Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix contains an HD remastered version of the original Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. Also included in this package is a remastering of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. However, unlike the other two parts of the collection, this HD version of 358/2 Days is…

Rumor: An Amazon Page Says Deus Ex: Human Revolution Is Heading to the Wii U

A listing for a certain Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut has recently popped up on Amazon US. The Wii U-exclusive rerelease apparently has “a multitude of improvements, features and additional content” over the original game, along with the ability to use the Wii U Gamepad via a brand new augmentation, the Neural Hub. Features…

Hey Foreigners, Make Whatever Sushi You Like

Over the years, I’ve had some truly delicious sushi in Japan. Ditto for outside of Japan. Of course, there are the types of sushi created abroad, such as the California roll. Good stuff! Recently, a thread popped up on 2ch, Japan’s largest online forum, showing a collection of “foreigner made sushi.” The original source, a…

Japanese Subway Stations Totally Look Like Role-Playing Game Dungeons

As any longtime resident can attest, Japan’s subway is punctual, clean, and convenient. Its stations, however, can get elaborate and confusing. Train stations, by their very nature, with those staircases and escalators, look like labyrinths or dungeons. Some stations just look a little more like them. Recently, a Japanese net user posted a photo of…

These Worlds Should Totally be in the Next Kingdom Hearts

The Kingdom Hearts series has found great success creating an adventure centered around a set of original characters—along with Donald and Goofy—going from Disney universe to Disney universe. This framework has allowed players to interact with some of the most well-known and beloved movies of all time in new and exciting ways—and adding in alternate…

Nintendo Bossman Has One of the Coolest Video Game Jackets Ever

Fun fact: Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata was one of the main programmers on Mother 2 (aka Earthbound) for the SNES. Today on Twitter, Iwata uploaded this photo of a badass Mother 2 sukajan. The jacket, Iwata noted, was given out to the game’s staff, and it was the thing he treasures most. Heck, I would,…

Acquire is apparently working on a new RPG for the Vita called Mind Zero. Here’s a first look. [オタク]

Woman Flees North Korea And Is Shocked By Freedom and… Cosplay

In 2000, an 18 year-old Hana Lee fled North Korea on foot. For five years, she hid in China, and after five long, difficult years, she arrived at Kansai International Airport, located outside Osaka City. Japan and the freedom it enjoys, to say the least, surprised her. Hana Lee (a pseudonym) is currently living in…

Let’s Look at the PS2 and PS3 Versions of Kingdom Hearts Side-by-Side

HD versions of classic PlayStation 2 titles are all the rage these days, with everything from Resident Evil 4 to Shadow of the Colossus getting a new coat of paint. The newest in the long line of HD remasters is Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix—which includes Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories…

Valve Adding Virtual Reality Support To Team Fortress 2

Valve has announced that they are adding an “experimental virtual reality mode” to their multiplayer first-person shooter Team Fortress 2. It will be playable by anyone with an Oculus Rift developer kit. The mode will be released in the coming days. The full release from Valve: Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike,…

This Amazing First-Person Short Film Is Like Mirror’s Edge Meets Reservoir Dogs

This short-film from Ilya Naishuller starts out pretty cool then goes flat-out bonkers. I can’t really think of a better way to describe it than what’s in the headline, but basically—if you’re into first-person running and combat, this is right up your alley. Everyone good? How was your weekend? Playing anything cool? Feel free to…

The Best-Looking Isometric Games

Games with isometric graphics—a slightly rotated view with a top-down perspective—were a big deal several years ago. Static, isometric maps, mostly used in strategy and role-playing games, allowed the developers to create spectacular, detailed visuals, and most of them have aged really well. With Kickstarter-funded games like Shadowrun Returns or Project Eternity using the same…