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CultureTekken Director Challenges Virtua Fighter Team To Make Another Game
In the latest video for his personal YouTube channel, Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada spoke at length about this week’s release of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, sharing that he’s always viewed surpassing Sega’s foundational 3D fighting series as a personal goal. “There was an 11-year gap [between releases], but I’ve been thinking about [Virtua…
By Ian Walker Published June 2, 2021 -
CultureTekken 7’s Newest Fighter Is The Fictional Prime Minister Of Poland
The real prime minister of Poland, 53-year-old Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki, does not look like much of a fighter. Fictional Polish prime minister Lidia Sobieska, joining Tekken 7’s roster on March 23, seems a much more sensible choice. Teased seemingly forever and the subject of a recent Bandai Namco press mailing which included an official invitation…
By Mike Fahey Published March 22, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSony Chose PlayStation’s First Office Location With Late-Night Drinks In Mind
When Sony Computer Entertainment first established its flagship PlayStation brand in 1993, its executives’ chief concern was making sure the company’s first offices were located in an area with late-night bars. At least that’s the story Ken Kutaragi, who’s widely known as father of the PlayStation, told Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada on the latter’s new…
By Ian Walker Published March 16, 2021 -
CultureMorning MusicNamco’s Critical Velocity OST Is Another Jazzy PlayStation 2 Gem
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s ongoing hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today let’s check out a combo of two of my favorite things: PlayStation 2 B-titles and jazz fusion. When I was conducting my deep dive into the PlayStation 2 library early last year I managed to…
By Alexandra Hall Published February 1, 2021 -
Katsuhiro Harada of Tekken fame says he is interested in making another Pokkén game. “We have a good relationship with Nintendo and Pokemon Co., Ltd., and POKKÉN has had a great response, so I would like to make it again,” he tweeted. “But it’s not what we decide, it’s what they decide.” In case you…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 26, 2021 -
CultureYakuza Creator Doesn’t Want Kiryu ‘Beating Up Women’ In Fighting Games
During a recent interview with Red Bull France, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi was asked about the common request for series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu to appear in a fighting game. Nagoshi is hesitant, he said, because he doesn’t want Kiryu fighting women. “We do get this request a lot,” Nagoshi told interviewer Grégory de Meyer, who…
By Ian Walker Published November 9, 2020 -
CultureUFC Fighter Knocks Out Opponent With Sweet Tekken Move
The best sports highlight from the weekend was easily from Joaquin Buckley in the UFC, who hit Impa Kasanganay in the face with a spinning kick and knocked him the fuck out. If you’ve already seen it and thought “that’s straight out of a fighting game”, you are correct! If you haven’t seen it, here…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 11, 2020 -
CultureMorning MusicTekken’s Pretty Outdated, But Its Music Still Owns
Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s new, daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. If you were Namco in 1994, designing your Virtua Fighter killer, what would it sound like? In Namco’s case, it sounded like Tekken …Which is to say bright, high-energy techno with a fair share of…
By Alexandra Hall Published August 25, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsStephen King Baffled By Tekken Jargon
I love horror novelist Stephen King. I love fighting games. But it seems those two flavors don’t go together all that well. It all started last night when a random Tekken player, as they are wont to do, hopped on Twitter to demand changes from the developers. I won’t bore you with the competitive implications…
By Ian Walker Published August 20, 2020 -
CultureUFC Getting Private Island, Is Now Basically A Fighting Game
Unlike most sports, which are just riding this whole covid-19 thing out, the UFC is out there trying to get back underway as quickly as possible. By taking what used to be a fairly conventional combat sport and turning it into the plot of a Dead Or Alive or Tekken game. UFC boss Dana White…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 7, 2020 -
CultureMarco Rubio Says Stop Spreading Rumors About Tekken Character Marshall Law
In this time of pandemic and national emergencies, disinformation is a serious problem. That’s why Marco Rubio, the senior United States senator from Florida, wants to make one thing clear during this ongoing crisis: You people need to shut up about Tekken character Marshall Law. “Please stop spreading stupid rumors about marshall law. COMPLETELY FALSE,”…
By Ian Walker Published March 16, 2020 -
Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada has finally responded to the popular fan request that Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu join the cast of Tekken 7 Apparently, the Bandai Namco board members believe Harada himself is a better fit for Yakuza. I’ll take either option, to be honest.
By Ian Walker Published February 7, 2020 -
CultureTekken 7 Finals Overtaken By Leroys At Evo Japan
Tekken 7 newcomer Leroy Smith is cool as hell, with a lovely dog companion to boot. He’s also very strong, so strong that almost every player in last weekend’s Evo Japan finals used him to get there. For many, this was the inevitable conclusion to a month of heated conversations concerning Leroy’s place in Tekken…
By Ian Walker Published January 27, 2020 -
CultureTekken-Style Health Bars Make Watching Taekwondo So Much Better
Martial arts competitions can be a little confusing to the untrained eye. The scoring systems simply favor landed hits, no matter how slight or imperceptible. During a recent exhibition, the Korea Taekwondo Association demonstrated a brand new piece of technology designed to make the sport more spectator-friendly, essentially turning competition into a real-world fighting game.…
By Ian Walker Published January 14, 2020
