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The Most Pirated Nintendo DS Games Are…
You know it. I know. People pirate Nintendo DS games. It’s so bad that Nintendo is spearheading a lawsuit to stop piracy. Yet piracy continues. According to Japan’s Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, the top title for illegal downloads is Pokémon Platinum with 2,071,006 transfers worth ¥9.5 billion (US$103 million). Following close behind is Pokémon Diamond…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 9, 2010 -
It’s Easy To Make Pikachu Terrifying
As seen on はちま起稿
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 9, 2010 -
You Too Can Look Like A Pokemon Popstar
Take otaku hero Shoko Nakagawa. Combine with illustrator Noizi Ito. What do you get? A character named “Jewel”. You are looking at a reproduction of Jewel’s outfit right now. Nakagawa and Ito are pals, so it’s no surprise that Ito illustrated the Jewel image character on the singer’s album “Shokotan Cover 3 ~AniSon wa Jinrui…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 8, 2010 -
Who’s In The New Pokemon Movie?
Like clockwork, every summer a new Pokemon movie is released to coincide with summer vacation. The last Pokemon movie featured the vocal stylings of Akihiro Miwa, who was Yukio Mishima’s lover. The next Pokemon movie, Pocket Monsters: Genei no Hasha Zoroark, will feature voice work from Natsuki Kato. “I’ve done voice-over before but the roles…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 7, 2010 -
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Is Part Pokemon. Wait, What?
Originally, PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was going to be named Metal Gear Solid 5. But it’s not. That doesn’t mean it is like the other Metal Gear games. According to Hideo Kojima, “nearly everything you can do with a portable system is in this game”. The game designer told game magazine PSM3…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 3, 2010 -
Japanese Man Arrested For Fake…Stickers
Daisuke Yamashita, 33 years-old, has been arrested for two counterfeit stickers in an online auction for ¥3,160 (US$36). That’s right two He was also charged with possession of 13 more stickers that depict art from Studio Ghibli anime films, like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Police seized approximately…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 2, 2010 -
Next Pokemon Games Slated For 2011 U.S. Release
Pokémon Black and Pokémon White are coming to America in Spring 2011, according to Nintendo. The paired games start a new generation of Pokemon and include Legendary Pokémon Reshiram on the Black cover, Zekrom on the White cover. Japan gets Black and White this fall.
By Stephen Totilo Published May 28, 2010 -
Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh And Let’s Talk About Jesus
As seen on Boing Boing
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 24, 2010 -
Distilled To A Purer Substance
Have you ever played a game where the minigames or secondary goals were more exciting and compelling than the rest of the entire game? It doesn’t happen often, but it happens. Through extensive research (asking my friends), I’ve found that this varies in a highly personal way. I had a friend in high school who…
By Lauren Orsini Published May 18, 2010 -
A Short History Of Daisy Dukes
The female trainer for the totally new forthcoming Pokémon: Black & White is wearing, as website Tiny Cartridge points out, Daisy Dukes. But what are Daisy Dukes? Jean shorts, a shorter and literally cooler version of blue jeans, were worn in the 1950s and 1960s as cut-offs. And it was in the late 1960s and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2010 -
Taking Issue With The Ten Most Important Video Game List
In 1998, Stanford University’s Henry Lowood began preserving video games and video game artifacts. Lowood, along with a four member committee, has announced a game canon, for the Library of Congress. Japan begs to differ. According to the New York Times, the canon is: Spacewar! (1962), Star Raiders (1979), Zork (1980), Tetris (1985), SimCity (1989),…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2010 -
Pokémon’s ‘Smugleaf’: A Meme In The Making
It’s been a couple days since the new starter Pokémon for the upcoming Black/White were leaked in a Japanese magazine, CoroCoro. But already, we may have a new meme. The grass starter Pokémon, whose Japanese name is Tsutaja, has risen above the others and become an overnight internet sensation, inspiring conversation and not a small…
By Lauren Orsini Published May 13, 2010 -
Here Are Some New Pokemon
Those guesses at what these new Pokémon look like? Wrong! The latest issue of kids’ mag CoroCoro shows what the three new Pokémon for the upcoming Pocket Monsters: Black and White look like. The magazine does note that as with previous generation of Pocket Monsters the “type” is important. According to website PokéBeach, the game’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 12, 2010 -
Nintendo: It Is Not Game Over For the Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii sales are down 21 percent. 21 percent! That’s a lot. But Nintendo certainly hasn’t given up on the Nintendo Wii. In a recent financial briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that Nintendo is “always” developing new game hardware. So once a game console is finished, the company begins thinking about the next console.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2010 -
Pokemon World Championships Coming To A Metropolis Near You
The 2010 Pokemon Video Game Championships launched in Seattle on Saturday. Regional competitions continue each Saturday through June. The world championships will be in Hawaii this August. An enticing tournament, to be sure, but there are strict rule, you know. You need a copy of Pokemon Heart Gold or SoulSilver to compete. There are many…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 10, 2010 -
This Pikachu Pancake Does Not Look Good
At all. As seen on Hawty McBloggy
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 10, 2010 -
Let’s Imagine New Pokemons!
On Sunday, Japanese kids’ show Pokémon Sunday showed silhouettes of new characters in the all-new forthcoming game Pocket Monsters: Black and White. Time to imagine what these characters will look like! Pokémon Black and White is a completely new Pocket Monster series. And this fall, the fifth-generation Pokémon series will be released on the Nintendo…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 10, 2010 -
New Pokemons You Can Cuddle
This summer, like every summer in Japan, will see a new Pokémon movie. So let’s snuggle. The new movie is Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl the Movie: Phantom Ruler: Zoroark. This is expected to be the last feature film in the Diamond & Pearl series, and features Zoroark, a Pocket Monster evolved from pokémon Zorua.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 30, 2010
