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Time To Bless The Earth For Gundam
The giant life-sized Gundam statue is once again being erected and will officially open on July 24. So last week something important happened. Shinto priests blessed the area on which the Gundam statue, dubbed “Real Grade 1/1 Gundam”, will stand. Shinto blessings like this are common for groundbreaking ceremonies for buildings and factories. Heck, even…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2010 -
Pac-Man In Leather, In Your Back Pocket
To mark the thirtieth anniversary of everyone’s favorite pellet muncher, Namco Bandai is releasing a commemorative wallet in Japan this May. It comes in three colors and is priced at ¥14,800 (US$158). Wakka wakka! Designed by Toru Iwatani, the original Pac-Man was released in Japanese arcades in May 1980. The country, and soon the world,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 31, 2010 -
Bicycles For Japanese Geeks
For cars, Japan has itasha, which literally means “painmobile”. These automobiles are covered in anime, manga and video game imagery. Not everyone in Japan has a car. Many people have bicycles. This post is for them. At recent otaku gathering Moe Haku 2010, itachari (“paincycle”) were on display featuring designs from Namco Bandai’s idol simulator…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 24, 2010 -
Who Should Gundam Fight? (Besides Gundam)
The Gundam Vs. series doesn’t really venture far outside of the Gundam universe. You know what you are getting into: Gundam. Take, Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon, Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam or Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next. Notice a pattern? These games are great if you know your Zeta…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2010 -
The Latest Ar tonelico III Trailer Looks Like This
Ar tonelico III, the third Ar tonelico…game, has a new promotional trailer. You can watch it! The trailer is cutscene and animation heavy, but there is footage of in-game combat and costume options. The potboiler also features plenty of melodrama and underpants. The voice actress who voices Pokémon’s Pikachu will be lending her talents to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2010 -
Ar tonelico III Rolls Out The Manly Lady, Voiced By Pikachu!
Bandai Namco role playing game Ar tonelico III, the third entry in the Ar tonelico series, features more than abundant fan service underwear. The PS3 title features a macho-looking lady named Mute. She’s a military leader and can beat you up. All of you. The character will be voiced by Japanese voice actress Ikue Ohtani,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 7, 2010 -
Thanks For the Mammaries, Queen’s Blade
This December, Namco Bandai is releasing Queen’s Blade Spiral Chaos and bringing a handful of gaming to the PlayStation Portable. Two more fighters have been announced for the title: Curvy Cattleya and mountainous Melpha. Queen’s Blade is originally a Lost Worlds style “combat picture book game” and has been published in Japan for the last…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 21, 2009 -
First Peek At Tales Of Vesperia Anime
As previously announced, Xbox 360 title Tales of Vesperia is getting a PS3 version and a big screen anime. The animated feature, due in theaters this year, is set before the game. Titled Tales of Vesperia ~ The First Strike ~, the anime is being produced by Production I.G., the studio being Ghost in the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 8, 2009 -
Tales Of Characters… All Together!!
Today, at a press conference in Tokyo, Namco Bandai announced a action title that brings together 35 characters from the 13 Tales of games. Characters from each title exist in the same game universe. This new title, which is for the PSP, is Tales of VS. It will be out this summer in Japan. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 6, 2009 -
New Tales Of Title For The Nintendo Wii
Namco Bandai announced the latest home console entry in its Tales of series. Dubbed Tales of Graces, the game is coming to the Wii this winter. Mutsumi Inomata is doing the character design. She’s known for anime work on My-HIME and Future GPX Cyber Formula as well as working seven titles in the Tales of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 6, 2009 -
Bandai Namco PSP Game Makes Suggestive Use Of Milk
Simulation RPG Queen’s Blade Spiral Chaos is going on sale this winter in Japan. And it’s bringing its suggestive imagery with it! Queen’s Blade is originally a Lost Worlds style “combat picture book game” and has been published in Japan for the last couple of years. Queen’s Blade features only female characters, and its spin-off…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 6, 2009 -
What Sells More, Dragon Ball Or Soul Calibur?
‘Tis the season for financial results. In keeping with the trend, Bandai Namco released theirs tonight, and amidst all the bean-counting, also revealed some sales figures for their tentpole franchises. The company as a whole (remember, Bandai Namco do arcade machines, toys and cartoons) ended the quarter with a net income of ¥9,019,000,000 (USD$100 million),…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 12, 2009 -
.hack Is Coming Back On PSP
The latest issue of Famitsu has confirmation on the next video game episode long-running, but niche appealing .hack series from CyberConnect. .hack//LINK is making the jump from manga to the PSP in 2009. In what we’re guessing is an attempt to glom on to the success of Capcom’s Monster Hunter Portable series, CyberConnect and (we’re…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009