Bandai Namco

New Digimon Game Gives Fans A Taste Of Super Smash Bros.

Despite its loyal fanbase, Digimon has long played second fiddle to Pokémon. Tired of having all their digital monsters left out of the party that is Super Smash Bros. in favor of the company’s more recognizable characters like Pac-Man, Bandai Namco announced today that it’s making its own multiplayer arena brawler. It’s called Digimon All-Star…

Pac-Man Almost Got Into Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The next Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, will be featuring newcomers like Mega Man, the Wii-fit exercise instructor, and the latest announcement from E3, Pac-Man. But, much like the newly announced Mii Warrior, this wasn’t the first opportunity for him to join the Smash Bros. cast. In his semi-weekly column…

Soon, You Can Walk Under the Giant Gundam’s Crotch

Is this a dream? No! This is very real. Soon, people in Tokyo will be able to walk between the giant Gundam’s legs. Until now, a perimeter has kept people from standing directly underneath the huge mecha’s most important unit. But, as IT Media reports, between July 19 and September 25, folks will have a…

Hell Yes, I Want to Destroy Cities as Godzilla

I still haven’t seen the movie, thanks to Japan being one of the last areas to premiere Godzilla in theaters, but I hope it’s even half as awesome as the monster lizard’s latest upcoming game looks. Slated for release this Winter from developer Bandai Namco, in Godzilla players will control the iconic unstoppable destructive force…

The Latest Idolm@ster Game is All Fan Service, in a Good Way

Coming off of their recent movie release, THE IDOLM@STER girls are back with a new game that looks like it’s learned from past mistakes. The latest addition to Bandai Namco’s ever popular IDOLM@STER franchise, THE IDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL came out on the PS3 last week and so I decided to see what it had…

The 3DS is getting a new Tales of the World RPG in Japan, reports Weekly Shonen Jump (via ANN). The game, called Tales of the World: Reve Unitia, will star several characters from past Tales games, and takes place on Revaria, “a dream world linking the Tales franchise together.”

The New iDOLM@STER Movie Tugs at Your Heartstrings Until They’re Raw

The latest chapter in The iDOLM@STER franchise, THE iDOLM@STER MOVIE: Kagayaki no Mukouhe (Beyond the Radiance), came out this past weekend, and while it doesn’t stray too far from the established story, it does open up some interesting possibilities. Just be prepared for some lengthy depressing moments. A paternal relationship between a naïve, starry-eyed young…

On April 4, Namco Bandai Games America becomes Bandai Namco Games America, part of the combined company’s continuing efforts to consolidate its brand image. I like my name better.

Bandai Namco is thinking about charging 500 yen (about US$5) for one hour of play at its arcades in Japan. Currently, one play is 100 yen.

Hey, There’s No Triangle Button on the 3DS!

Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode was just released on the 3DS in Japan. Originally, it appeared on the PSP as Digimon World Re:Digitize. If this is anything to go by, it might not be the best port. According to Twitter user @eclair0427, the 3DS version has screen prompts for a “triangle button”. The 3DS doesn’t have…

Bandai Namco games is working with Tencent Games to release a Naruto online game for China.

Namco Bandai’s Latest Gundam Game Is Free*! (*Not Completely)

Gundam is a bit like a Japanese version of Star Trek: It’s an epic sci-fi fantasy series with multiple spin-offs and games (some of which fans don’t like to talk about), a massive fan base, a gargantuan library of technical information, and it all came from an original series that was canceled during its initial…

The Latest Idolm@ster Product Offers (Virtual) Conversations With Virtual Idols

The Idolm@ster series is well renowned for its cute virtual idols and ability to suck money out of fans’ wallets with pricy DLC and slot machine-like tactics. Next up, snack wafers that let you make literal phone calls to your favorite virtual idols. The Idolm@aster Wafers 2 are small, plain, rectangular chocolate sandwich wafer snacks,…

Let Gundam Rock Your Face Off

The Gundam VS series has been headlining Japanese arcades for almost a decade now with its fast-paced Virtual-On-style robot-on-robot gameplay. The upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam VS Full Boost is the latest iteration in the series. It sports a roster of over 50 mobile suits, with at least one suit from every single Gundam series—it even…

Game Creators Look To 2012: We’ll Do Better

Last year turned out to be a tough one for most Japanese game companies. With natural and nuclear disasters and economic downturns, it’s been a rough year all around. In Weekly Famitsu, several game companies have announced their year-end performance and plans for 2012. So let’s have a look at what’s in store. Major players…

Some of the World’s Best Young Gundam Model Makers

You’ve already seen the best Gundam models made by Japanese fans. Now, you get to see some of the best Gundam models in the world. Lucky you! These are the world finalists for the “Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011”, the first international competition devoted to Gunpla, or Gundam model building with finalists from the following…

My Favorite Japanese Commercial of 2011 Has a Plastic Fist

Toriko is a Japanese manga that follows a “Gourmet Hunter” named Toriko who is on the hunt for rare food. This is an ad for a “Toriko Snack Pulverizer”. You put snacks in it, pulverize them, and then sprinkles them on food. It’s totally awesome. This summer, Bandai Namco released a new Toriko game, which…

So I Guess This Will Be a Movie Within a Game?

Or maybe it’s a game within a movie? Or maybe it’s just a movie—enough! Okay, .hack, the video game within a video game video game, is getting a movie version. .hack debuted as a video game with 2002’s .hack//Infection, and are part of a multimedia franchise that encompasses television anime, manga, and even music. The…

Namco Bandai Ready To Go After Mobile Games

Namco Bandai established a start-up with Japanese mobile gaming giant DeNA to make social games. Dubbed BDNA, the company’s funded by Namco Bandai (75 percent) and DeNA (25 percent). DeNA makes the popular “Mobage” titles in Japan. [IT Media]

This Trailer Is Armored to the Core

Armored Core V is not the fifth game in the Armored Core series. Funny that. If you count cell phone games, there have been over 20 or so AC, but Armored Core V is the fourteenth entry in the series. The title is being developed by From Software, of Dark Souls fame. The game will…