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The Changing Nature of Gaming Interfaces
The other day I was having coffee with friends who brought their 2 1/2 year old son over for a visit. He was bored, looking for anything to do in our (boring) house — so I handed him an original Game Boy with Super Mario Land 2. I figured that a toddler would enjoy smashing…
Chris Lepine Published July 14, 2010 -
This Photo Brought Memories Flooding Back
To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: Monkeys I can clearly remember 1989, getting excited to see Batman, buying Upper Deck baseball cards and playing lots of Nintendo games. The 1980s were a great time to grow up. What you missed last night To Build A Nintendo, You Needed Cigarettes, Robots And Nice Japanese Ladies Joe Danger…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
These Are Not The Colorful Slime Drinks You Think They Are
You’d think that a Slime drink in a blue bottle would be blue. Or one in an orange-red bottle would be orange-red. You are wrong. The drinks come in two flavors: blue Hoimi Cider and orange Mera Tropical. Priced at ¥284 ($3.25), the drinks went on sale earlier this month in Japan and come with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
Defense: King of Fighters Voice Actress’s Stalker Wasn’t Stalking!
In summer 2009, an unemployed 27-year-old man was arrested back for apparently stalking and defaming voice actress Haruna Ikezawa. As previously posted, the defendant, Hiroshi Sasaki, wrote defamatory comments on the voice actress’s homepage and repeatedly send messages asking for a personal meeting, telling the voice actress to “come by herself” to Morioka City, where…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
Large Kinect Kiosk Sets Up Shop In Mall
This month, Microsoft is rolling out Kinect demo booths at malls across the country. Malls like Minnesota’s Mall of America. And a bunch of Macy’s. The demo booth at the Mall of America kind of like a Winnebago! Which would not look entirely out of place at the Mall of America. This kiosk opens this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
Tim Schafer Calls Activision Boss “A Total Prick”
Tim Schafer, the creator of classics like Grim Fandango, Full Throttle and Psychonauts, has some choice words to say about Activision boss Robert Kotick. Two of those words are “total” and “prick”. “His obligation is to his shareholders,” Schafer tells Eurogamer. “Well, he doesn’t have to be as much of a dick about it, does…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2010 -
What Do Japanese Developers Think Of The Nintendo 3DS?
And not *just* Japanese developers, but some of the biggest names in the business. The upcoming issue of Japanese game Famitsu has collected the thoughts of various game illuminates as they discuss Nintendo’s upcoming 3d-glasses-free Nintendo 3DS. Via games sites 1Up and Andria Sang, have a look: Atsushi Inaba (Bayonetta, MadWorld) “I’m being struck with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
It’s Like The Fly, Only It Turns You Into A Game Character
Hey, remember Gary, the 8-Bit man (well, woman)? Gary was made for a commercial, and this is that commercial. It’s a retro gamer’s fantasy come to life. It should also serve as the inspiration for the greatest remake of The Fly the world has ever seen. I do have one gripe (just one!): the machine…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2010 -
Report: So Far, The Top Twenty Selling Games Of 2010 In Japan Are…
This year isn’t over. I checked the calendar, and it still said “2010”. Right now, we are at the half-way point. This could not be a better time to look at the top twenty selling games of 2010! Game magazine Famitsu has drawn up a list of the top twenty sellers for the first part…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
To Build A Nintendo, You Needed Cigarettes, Robots And Nice Japanese Ladies
Once upon a time, Nintendo made its home consoles in Japan, and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto was not a millionaire. Here is a look back on that time. A then 37-year-old Shigeru Miyamoto and his yellow socks sit at desk, adorned with comic books, a remote-controlled car and a Princess Peach doll he purchased in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
Final Fantasy Creator May Have Made His Last Game
Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, has been making video games for longer than many of you have been drawing breath. He can’t make games forever, though. Blogging on his studio Mistwalker’s site, 47 year-old Sakaguchi has said that upcoming Wii role-playing game The Last Story “might be my last work”, as…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2010 -
Steve Jobs Could Learn A Thing Or Two About Game Development [Update]
Steve Jobs, boss of Apple, sure knows how to make a pretty computer, a decent mobile phone and a great music player. But video games? Not his specialty, especially when it comes to development. Speaking at the Develop conference in Britain yesterday, Unity CEO David Helgason was asked what he thought of Jobs’ belief that…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2010 -
This Okami Statue Would Be At Home On Your Mantle
Don’t like cute, hate to cuddle? Then this Amaterasu from Okami as a collectible polystone statue. Classy! Retailing ¥15,540 (US$175), the statue will be shown off at the 2010 Tokyo Toy Show. The work does seem to echo the vibe from the game’s original box art. Look, but don’t touch. Okami was developed by Capcom’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
Kratos Statue Rages At The Gods (And An Apple!)
At the end of the year, Sideshow will be releasing these two statues based on Kratos from God of War. Standing 17″ tall, and priced at $250 for the standard edition and $260 for the limited edition (which includes the Claws of Hades), they capture Sony’s barely-clothed hero at his scowling best. That apple had…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2010 -
Xbox 360 Hostess Game Coming To PSP
Raise your glasses, because that boozing-and-bar girl game Dream Club is making the leap from the Xbox 360 to the PSP. According to the upcoming issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu, Dream Club on the PSP is a port and will have downloadable content. It will also be possible to hold the PSP vertically while playing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 14, 2010 -
It’s Fighting Game Madness With These Combo, Fireball Compilations
Maj showed these two awesome clips off at the EVO fighting game championships over the weekend. One is a massive compilation of fireballs and ranged attacks. The other? Combo madness The combos, up top, are just a sight to behold. The ranged attacks, in the clip below, aren’t quite as captivating, but they’re still a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2010