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Japan’s Stocking Queen Goes Camo For Black Ops
Never one to turn down a promotional event, Japanese celebrity Uno Kanda gets down and dirty for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The model-turned-actress-turned-fashion designer is best known for her pantyhose and underwear designs. That, and having an obscene number of wedding ceremonies. Call of Duty: Black Ops might be the biggest game launch ever…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2010 -
Not A Nun, Not A Schoolgirl, We Were Wrong
The 3rd Birthday’s protagonist Aya Brea is getting a whole host of embarrassing costumes: torn jeans, ripped stockings and a maid outfit. Her latest costume isn’t anything to be ashamed of though. It’s far too badass for that. This is the character’s “knight costume” that Aya is able to snag in an in-game antique shop.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 17, 2010 -
Final Fantasy XIV’s Skips Another Subscription Period
Expecting extensive game-fixing changes in the months to come, Square Enix steps up to the plate once again, offering Final Fantasy XIV players another free 30 days of game time while renovations are underway. Square Enix has big plans for troubled MMO Final Fantasy XIV, but those changes will amount to nothing if the player…
By Mike Fahey Published November 16, 2010 -
What Do Harry Potter, Toy Story And Final Fantasy Have In Common?
Voice actors are more than just minor celebrities: they are so essential to a character that they become inseparable. Like with Japanese gaming, Western gaming has characters that cannot be separated from their voice actor. Take David Hayter, for example, the English-language voice of Metal Gear Solid’s Snake. Or Nolan North, the voice of Uncharted’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 16, 2010 -
Pushing Forty In A Maid Outfit
Aya Brea, protagonist of the forthcoming 3rd Birthday, is 39 years old. And she gets her jeans blown off, her stockings ripped up and even squeezed by a tentacle. Her latest fan service humiliation? A maid costume. The latest issue of Japanese magazine Jump Festa shows Aya’s maid costume. This isn’t an old granny maid…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2010 -
Do You Take This Avatar To Be Your Wife?
By day, 27-year-old Paul Turner was a computer programmer. By night, he played Final Fantasy XI as a Hume, hanging out with a Tarutaru named Branwen. Paul left his girlfriend for that Tarutaru and married the woman behind the avatar. When Turner stopped playing FFXI, Vicky Teather realized how much she cared for him. “It…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 15, 2010 -
Preorder Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded And You Get these Things
Square Enix dropped us a line today to show off the wonderful preorder incentive for Kingdom Hearts Re: coded available at GameStop and Amazon.com. What is it? According to Square Enix PR, this is a lovely set of stickers. Yes, either it’s the late 80’s again and no one told me, or stickers are back…
By Mike Fahey Published November 12, 2010 -
Nintendo Boss Might Be A Bigger Gamer Than You
Many people love Nintendo DS role-playing game Dragon Quest IX, but Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is, well, obsessed? This is his DS, which he showed me today. I snapped two pics. Click the images to enlarge them. I told him he probably passed this DS around and had other people beef up his…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 12, 2010 -
How Square Enix Plans To Fix Final Fantasy XIV
It’s no secret that the second MMO to bear the Final Fantasy name has issues. Square Enix today lays out plans for massive patches in November, December, and early 2011 to fix the game. What’s changing? After many below average reviews and negative player feedback, Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada came out and said it:…
By Mike Fahey Published November 11, 2010 -
Faith In Final Fantasy XIV Needs Resurrecting
Players aren’t happy with online game Final Fantasy XIV. Square Enix, the company behind the title, knows this and wants to make things better. “Currently, the service isn’t satisfactory,” says Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada. He’s right. It isn’t. “We’re in the middle of quickly improving it,” Wada told a group of investors. “We want…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 5, 2010 -
Say Sayonara To Call Of Duty Swastikas
The Japanese version of Call of Duty: Black Ops is different. The game was retouched to tone down torture and graphic violence. That’s not all. According to the game’s Japanese publisher Square Enix, the swastikas appearing on flags in the game’s “zombie mode” were changed to the Iron Cross in the dubbed console and subtitled…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2010 -
MindJack Projects Itself Into January
While we’re still not 100 percent sure how Square Enix’s upcoming telepathic third-person shooter MindJack works, we do know when it’s coming out, as the publisher gives the game a January release date. Remember those scenes in The Matrix when the agents would leap from civilian body to civilian body? MindJack is sort of like…
By Mike Fahey Published November 2, 2010 -
Knights Of The Crystals Is Final Fantasy For Facebook
Square Enix takes the winning formula from Zynga’s Mafia Wars and applies it to Final Fantasy to create Knights of the Crystals. Will you party up, or spend some quality time breeding chocobos in Chocobo’s Crystal Tower? Yes, it’s Final Fantasy: Mafia Wars, more or less. Players complete quests using action points, leveling up and…
By Mike Fahey Published November 2, 2010 -
Found In Translation
The opening for the NieR’s Japanese version is subdued. The music is relaxing. It’s a bit like watching fish swim. “Weiss, you dumb ass!” The localized opening is a 180-degree about face. It could not be further from the Japanese version. From the get go, it kicks you in the teeth and grabs you by…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 2, 2010 -
Kane & Lynch, Hitman Dev Going Through Its Own Dog Days
The holiday hits keep coming. IO Interactive, the Danish studio behind Hitman and Kane & Lynch, let go about 30 employees this week, according to sources close to the studio. That’s the second cut to hit the studio this year, the source says, with firings hitting the studio previously in March. The developer shipped Kane…
By Michael McWhertor Published October 31, 2010 -
Voice Actor Confirms Hitman 5
David Bateson, the voice of 47 in the Hitman series, says he’s been asked to remove details on his website regarding his work on Hitman 5. But the actor confirms a sequel is coming, and it will be “gob smacking.” Speaking to The Gaming Liberty, Bateson was asked for details on Hitman 5 and replied…
By Owen Good Published October 23, 2010 -
The 3rd Birthday Celebrates New Clothes
Aya Brea, the heroine of PSP title The 3rd Birthday, doesn’t have much of a wardrobe. Those ratty jeans? She can do better. In the latest issue of Japanese game mag Famitsu, Aya is shown wearing a business suit. Previously, the character was shown in blue jeans. Like with Aya’s denim, damage is reflected in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 20, 2010 -
Tifa Enters The Dissidia Duodecim Ring
Another fighter joins the Final Fantasy battle royale, as VII’s femme fatale Tifa prepares to take on all-comers in Dissidia 012[Duodecim]. Tifa joins Final Fantasy XIII’s Lightning and IV’s Kain as a new character in the follow-up to Dissidia: Final Fantasy for the PSP. She’s bringing the pain with her intense physical skills, aided by…
By Mike Fahey Published October 19, 2010 -
Job Listing Causes Further Final Fantasy Versus XIII On Xbox 360 Speculation
At the 2008 gaming expo in Los Angeles, Square Enix dropped a bombshell: Final Fantasy XIII, previously believed to be a PS3 exclusive, was headed for the Xbox 360. Could the same be in store for Final Fantasy Versus XIII? Final Fantasy Versus XIII designer Tetsuya Nomura has stated repeatedly that Versus XIII is a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 18, 2010
