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The 3DS Just Had Its Biggest Week in Japan Ever
During the Nintendo 3DS’s launch week, the portable sold 371,326 units in Japan. When Nintendo slashed the priced, the portable sold 214,821 units in Japan. What about when Monster Hunter 3G was released? During that week, 378,114 units were sold. This comes hot off the heels of Mario Kart 7‘s and Super Mario 3D Land‘s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
She’s Only Eight Years Old!
The stereotype is that Gundam is for males. That it’s only men in their forties and thirties who build Gundam models. The stereotype is wrong. Don’t believe me? The recent “Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011”, the first international competition devoted to Gunpla, or Gundam model building featured a junior division for modellers under 14 years-old,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Iran Wants to Make a Game About Attacking Israel
There are sections of EA’s blockbuster Battlefield 3 in which the player controls an American soldier fighting on the streets of Tehran. It went down pretty well in most places, but Iran isn’t most places. The state, a long-time foe of the US government, has lodged complaints with the game’s developers over the setting, and…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
A Nintendo Console So Small, It Fits in Your Hand
For years now, Japanese capsule toy makers have churned out miniature (non-working, of course!) game consoles and miniature portables. This photo from website DannyChoo.com shows that even after all these years, holding a little Super Nintendo will never get old. A Day in Tokyo [DannyChoo]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Culture
The Jarls, Jesters and Thieves of Skyrim
The last time we saw some concept art from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it was from Ray Lederer, and featured loads of colour and action shots. We’ve got some more art from the game today, and this time, it’s all about the design. The clothes, the weapons, the fine details. These pieces were drawn…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 -
UncategorizedMy God, This Time Travel Game Looks Amazing
Void is a game about time travel. That’s been done in games before, I know, but it’s never been done like this. A first-person PC game, Void gives you direct, immediate control over the timing of your surroundings via a variety of tools. I won’t bother trying to describe it to you; just watch the…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 -
UncategorizedI Never Want To Hear Another Skyrim Remix. Ever!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a great game with a great world and great music. Some people love the music so much that they’ve decided to put their own spin on it. The results vary: from symphonic to shit. After spending time on the internet, combing through what’s out there, I’m done. I don’t…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Pepper Spray Cop is an Ass-Kicking Street Fighter
Pepper Spray Cop will be one of the enduring images of 2011. While most tributes to the man have been simple PhotoShops, though, this piece by Pazero goes to the trouble of being an all-original illustration. Ken VS Lt John [DeviantArt, via Gamefreaks]
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 -
UncategorizedLou Reed: Sad Song
Kids! And not kids! It’s that time of the night. The time when we gather around those glowing portals you call screens and listen to music. Together! That’s right, it’s time for Soundtrack. Tonight, we have Lou Reed’s live rendition of “Sad Song” from the classic Berlin album. This live version appeared on Reed’s 1975…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
A Skyrim Helmet Made of Bacon. Shout “Delicious”.
Taking one page out of EpicMealTime and another out of some book in Skyrim about helmets made of bacon, internet person Liktwo made a Skyrim helmet. Out of bacon. It’s built using a delicate bacon weave, and once cooked looks good enough to wear. Then eat. Or both. While Liktwo says it was made from…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Dante’s Inferno Isn’t Metal Gear Solid. It’s the Japanese Police.
If you live in Japan, you’ve seen Dante Carver on television. The American-born actor plays “Onii-chan” or “brother” in a series of mobile phone commercials that star a dog as a family patriarch, actress Aya Ueto, and Shigesato Itoi’s wife And if you’ve been to the Tokyo Game Show, you’ve probably seen Carver on stage,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Stealth Will Return in Next Metal Gear Solid Sequel
Metal Gear Rising is a hack-and-slash game. It’s not a stealth game—no biggie MGS creator Hideo Kojima pointed out. It’s a spin-off game, and stealth will return to the next MGS sequel so wait for that. [@Kojima_Hideo]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
This House Was Built For LAN Parties
Google software engineer Kenton Varda has a pretty great house. Not because it’s all clean and new and rather large, but because it’s been built specifically with LAN parties in mind. The house has twelve “fold-out computer stations”, with six each in two rooms (for team play!), and which normally just look like monitors placed…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Silly Cosplay, Schoolgirls, and a Fake Monster
Over the weekend, Monster Hunter 3G launched in Japan. Sister site Kotaku Japan was on hand for the festivities in Shinjuku. Members of AKB48 spin-off group NMB48 were on hand, along with Japanese comedians, a tricked out van, about 200 people, and Kotaku Japan One of the comedians, Ken Maeda, loves Monster Hunter and has…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Revengeance is a Stupid Word, But It’s Also One the Klan Used
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It’s a name Square Enix would be proud of, but before you go thinking some Japanese guy made it up by combining “Revenge” and “Vengeance” and nobody had the sense to tell him it was a stupid name, know that it’s a word that’s been used before. Metal band Soulfly, for…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 - Uncategorized
Yup, Ico’s Creator Has Officially Left Sony
Fumito Ueda, the driving force behind both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, has confirmed that he is no longer employed at Sony. Having joined the company in 1997, and until recently overseeing his own development team at Sony (Team Ico), Ueda’s departure is a blow to Sony’s home-grown talent stocks, what with him being…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 - CultureTotal Recall
Street Fighter V? Contra 6? These Games Exist (In Russia).
Remember how last month we looked at some of the better examples of the unlicensed NES/Famicom clones that walked the earth during the 1980s and 1990s? One towered above all others like a colossus in terms of how successful it was, and that was Russia’s Dendy console. It’s my personal favourite of the bunch. Not…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 13, 2011 -
UncategorizedIf Only Cartoon Network Took Its Games More Seriously
Perhaps I was the only male over the age of thirteen to hope that Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL for the Xbox 360 was something more than a sloppy clone of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series of character-driven fighting games. What can I say? I love cartoons. I’ve loved them all my life, and…
By Mike Fahey Published December 12, 2011 -
UncategorizedMeshell Ndegeocello: The Way
I liked jazz growing up, but some of the intricacies of a tune’s “pocket” were lost on me. I was young then, and foolish, and I hadn’t yet heard Meshell Ndegeocello (whose official website no longer refers to her as Me’Shell Ndegéocello). But then I finally discovered her, and in so doing discovered what groove…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 12, 2011 -
UncategorizedThis Video Shows Just How Gorgeous Battlefield 3 Can Be
Watching Battlefield 3 like this makes me wish I had a PC to play it on. It looks great in slow motion. Watch it in full 1080p HD or else you will be losing half the beauty of the video.
By Chris Carolan Published December 12, 2011