Allow me to start off with a euphemism. I am not exactly the biggest fan of the Japanese pop-idol group AKB48. This presents me with a problem. With 12 number-one singles since 2009, the popularity of AKB48 in Japanese culture is to the point where I can enter my local 7-11 and buy anything from…
Here’s yet another optical illusion making the internet rounds. This one states that only “erotic people” will see the circles move. Can you? Actually, pretty sure everyone can! And that’s not because everybody is sexy time. Sending optical illusions like this via Twitter has been “the thing” in Japan for a while now, usually prefacing…
Because, damn, there really should be. This do-it-yourself LEGO take on Kaneda’s bike from Akira was spotted by Hobby Media‘s Francesco Fondi, and it’s fantastic. The bike is the work of Ghimuretto San, a famed Japanese LEGO builder. Hobby Media‘s Fondi discovered it at the recent Treasure Festa This year, an official one-to-one scale Akira…
If you live in Japan (or, well, Asia), you have a rice cooker. If you don’t own one, get thee to a store and buy one. But, if you want something non-tech and have access to lots of firewood, there’s a work around. Last week, I went way into the mountains with some friends and…
In Bandai-Namco’s Idolm@ster series, you take on the role of a music producer and create and manage a group of teenage popstars. By mixing Japan’s idol and video game cultures, it is no surprise that this series has a fanatic following among Japanese otaku (geeks). But is this following deserved, or is The Idolm@ster nothing…
Game studio Rovio is working on a follow up to its wildly successful Angry Birds. Today on Finnish television, Rovio honcho Mikael Hed gave the first details about his studio’s upcoming title. According to Finnish news network YLE Uutiset, the game is called Amazing Alex, and it is based on intellectual property Rovio purchased from…
Last summer, Nintendo’s 3D television service “Itsu no Ma ni Terebi” launched in Japan. It featured short two-minute 3D clips that were free and exclusive to the 3DS. Today, Nintendo announced that the service is ending in Japan on June 20. The 3DS, however, will continue intermitted distribution of 3D videos for 3DS owners—a good…
Things have been better for Sony. But now, things are not good. In Tokyo trading, the company hit a 31-year low after it failed to miss forecasts. [Bloomberg]
This year, like every year, the Japanese arm of underwear maker Triumph showed off its latest concept bra. The concept bras are always stunts. They’re not intended for sale—even though, some in the Western media mistakenly think they are. The bras are always themed, and usually relevant to current news or trends. This year’s concept…
Online in Japan, the vast majority of game news first hits 2ch. And it’s not just games—so much news is shared through 2ch threads. It’s a wealth of information. It’s a wealth of rumors. Apparently, it’s also a wealth of drugs. Last December, word broke that 2ch could be covered in illicit substances. There were…
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It seems that EA and DICE have, very quietly, been taking away official servers for the console versions of Battlefield 3. Worse still, it looks like they’re replacing them with servers that fans have to pay for. Earlier this year, it was announced that Battlefield fans could “rent” their own servers for $25-30 a month.…
Spare me your criticisms. I hate FarmVille and its kin for the same reasons you do. Games like that are manipulative, reliant on spamming and barely constitute being called games at all. And yet…what would happen if one came along dressed like Advance Wars? And actually had some gameplay to go with all the farming?…
The Dream Machine, one of the most interesting PC adventure games of the last few years, is out today on Steam. It’ll be cheap. You should definitely get it. Unless you already got it, in which case, you’ll get Steam keys for free. [The Dream Machine]
Using the magic of Photoshop and the wizardry of Garry’s Mod, Ariel Flores has brought together some of video gaming’s greatest heroes in the one team. Calling it the “Vindication Series”, it’s got action, explosions and…Commander Shepard sticking his tongue down the back of Lightning’s neck. Something I never thought I’d see, and now I’ve…
Dr. Grordbort is a character created by WETA’s Greg Broadmore, a champion of Victorian Britain’s struggles against the inhabitants of Mars. Beginning life as the avatar for a range of fancy toy guns, he’s become something of a cult figure, partly for his awesome toy guns, partly because of his wonderful facial hair. Sadly, for…
Brian Johnson makes replica video game weapons. Unlike other ones that just look nice, though, he goes the extra mile and has them functioning as actual NERF guns. We showed you one of these last year, but man, the whole collection is so great I’m showing you a ton of them tonight. Drawing from properties…
Inspired by the replay modes in EA’s Skate series, friends Brandon and Darren decided to put the controllers down and go and make a real skate video just like it. So they did. This is it. It’s called Scorch & Wood, and all the shots you see were filmed at a minimum of 1500 frames…
When I posted a clip from Sniper Elite V2 the other day, I was focused on one thing: killing Germans. So I shot for the head, and I shot for the heart. Both were poor choices. Turns out I should have instead aimed a little lower. It’s funnier that way. WARNING: Video contains exploding balls.…
Do you own an Aqua Blue Nintendo? You might own a bit of history. Nintendo Japan’s website reveals that the color will soon no longer be in production. On the Nintendo site, it clearly states: “Scheduled to end production shortly” (近日生産終了予定). No reason was given yet, but online in Japan, people are speculating that it…
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