Japan has a long, proud history of making toys. The Bandai Museum in the rice fields of Tochigi Prefecture catalogues the amazing playthings the country has produced over the years. Can’t make it out to sleepy town of Mibu to check out the museum? No worries, Kotaku‘s got you covered. Kotaku reader Bakagaijin visited the…
Christie Monteiro is one of Tekken’s flashier characters. Maybe it’s her swivel kicks, the glitter, or the long hair. But with this new figure, it’s definitely the ass chaps. From famed figure maker Kotobukiya comes this new 1/7 scale Christie figure. It’s priced at ¥6,510 (US$84), and the figure is set to go on sale…
This December, Bandai Namco is holding the “Gunpla Builders World Cup 2011”, the first international competition devoted to Gunpla, or Gundam model building. Between now and September, preliminary rounds are being held with competitors from 13 different countries: Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, America, and Italy. There…
To promote the latest Tales role-playing game Tales of Xillia, Namco is rolling out a Tales cafe, first in Tokyo and later in Tokushima. It’s pretty much trendy cafe Ufotable sprinkled with Tales memorabilia and merchandise. Though, those placemats showing the Xillia characters eating curry in Ufotable are cool indeed. That cutout by the window?…
If playing Tales of Vesperia wasn’t enough for you, then there’s this: a Yuri Lowell bracelet. It seems at least one cosplayer wanted this bracelet commissioned! Good news, because it’s now officially available for purchase at Namco Bandai’s online shop for ¥5,040 (US$64). テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリア | ララビットマーケット（バンダイナムコゲームス公式通販サイト） [lalabitmarket]
Gundam. Draonball. Kamen Rider. Great Mazinger, even. Namco Bandai’s 2011 Tamashii Nation toy show proves just how wonderful (and awesome) Japanese figures can be. Don’t believe me? Have a look at the pics in the gallery, courtesy of website Gigazine. There are some old favorites in there as well as new characters like the pirate-infused…
This year isn’t over. It’s more than half over. Time to look back and see which game maker is doing the best in Japan. So far. According to Famitsu, here is a list of which game companies made the most profit in the period through game sales. The period is from December 27, 2010 to…
On August 31, Ayumi Hamasaki is releasing a new EP called Five. Since Hamasaki is singing the theme for upcoming role-playing game Tales of Xillia, a limited edition version of her new mini-album will come with a redeemable download code. The code can be entered into Tales of Xillia for an in-game, rabbit-eared “Song Princess”…
Next month, Tokyo’s Ufotable Cafe is being turned into a special Tales cafe as part of a promotion for Namco’s Tales role-playing games. Then in September, the Tales cafe will move to an Ufotable in Tokushima. In both cafes, there will be special Tales themed food and drinks, a Tales exhibit, and more. For a…
Wonder what the new AKB48 game will be like? From the looks of it, it’ll be idols saying they like you, and then getting pissed when you turn down their advances. AKB48 is the most popular idol group in Japan at the moment. As previously posted, the sequel will feature the AKB girls in bikinis,…
Last December, Namco Bandai released a PSP game with the goal of turning down the advances of over forty young Japanese idols. Dating simulator? Not quite, it was a dumping simulator, and you were supposed to settle on one of those girls. Now you can do that again! AKB48 1/48 returns with AKB48 1/48: When…
Bandai’s Carddas series of kiddy card games is going AR. Its newest One Piece and Kamen Rider cards are AR enabled and can be played with an iPhone. AR is the holy shit moment for the 3DS; however, these cards apparently do not work with Nintendo’s handheld. Here’s how it works: scanning a card causes…
When Bandai Namco isn’t making video games, it’s making Gundam toys. And when it’s not making Gundam toys, it’s making Super Sentai toys. Super Sentai are totally awesome. At this year’s Tokyo Toy Show, the Bandai booth had a full line-up of life-sized Red Super Sentai characters throughout the ages. To those who don’t follow…
Game Republic, the Tokyo-based studio behind PS3 titles Folklore and Genji, appears to be dead. The studio’s honcho went from riches to rags, and the studio’s been erased from the internet—and the Earth. Yet, Game Republic’s Knights Contract is still getting promoted in Japan, garnering a huge splash on Famitsu. Namco Bandai, the game’s publisher,…
It’s over. That’s what people say about Japanese gaming. While there are bright spots in Japan, Western games (and gamers) now rule the roost. It’s easy to forget just how great Japanese games used to be. One man is here to remind you of that. His name is Shinya Arino. Shinya Arino is the host…
For all the bitching and moaning about Japanese games being creatively bankrupt, lame, or simply crappy-looking, there’s this, Dark Souls The game is the spiritual successor to the difficult and oh so moody Demon’s Souls and will be out this fall. The game is being developed by From Software, the studio best known for the…
Tekken: Wii Successor, a temporary title, is the first Tekken title to come to a Nintendo home console. Tekken is traditionally a PlayStation series, but has also come to the Xbox 360. It’s also the first Tekken with face painting
Who do you expect to see in a Street Fighter X Tekken trailer? Probably Street Fighter and Tekken players! Here, the likes of Chun Li, Julia, Cammy, Sagat, Bob, Hwoarang, and more put in appearances.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360. But it’s not alone. There’s another Ace Combat game. Under the working title Ace Combat 3D, the game features touch screen targeting. Its release date is forthcoming.
Dark Souls, the upcoming title from Demon’s Souls developer From Software is going to be a hard game. That bittersweet pill is made easier to swallow by the game’s beautiful look. Dark Souls will be out this fall.
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