Japanese ads frequently miss the mark, often being overly bizarre or simply cringe-inducing, but sometimes the marketing gurus hit the back of the net, as with this latest TV spot from PlayStation Japan.
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Minecraft has shown us time and time again that it’s much more than just a sandbox game made up of tiny blocks and flat-faced sheep. We’ve seen clever builders create everything from Super Mario Bros. gameplay to Japanese-language classes and even the entire country of Japan.
Today, we bring you something straight out of the world of Studio Ghibli: the floating city of Laputa from the animated film, Castle in the Sky.
While the Attack on Titan live-action movie may have failed to live up to some people’s expectations, we’re still holding out hope for something even greater on the horizon.
It looks like we won’t have to wait too long because come this winter, there’ll be a new game on the market—and it’s set to feature advancing giants, a showdown with the Colossal Titan himself, and gameplay that lets you fly through the air using Omnidirectional Mobility Gear.
Oh, and there’s a ton of blood.
Tokyo Game Show 2015 opened to the press today, and we were on hand to get a look at all the most unusual games and gadgets that we know our readers are dying to see. But in addition to all that, what visit to the Tokyo Game Show would be complete without a ton of booth babe pics?!
TGS didn’t disappoint this year, with plenty of girls (and guys!) around to hand out free goodies and pose for pictures. Join us after the jump for all of the tenuously gaming-related eye candy.
With the Sony’s PlayStation console celebrating its 20th birthday in North America this year, having hit Japan a year earlier, this means that many of its longest-running franchises are now also turning 20.
One Japanese Twitter user has put together a handy chart of games on both PlayStation and rival platforms that will be having their 20th anniversary towards the end of this year and the start of the next, so read on to find out if any of your favourites are among them. (Beware: you might find yourself feeling old.)
Despite Japan being the birthplace of some of the world’s best-known and loved video games, most of the big gaming conventions and trade shows, such as E3 and PAX, take place in the US. But this weekend it’s all about Tokyo, baby. RocketNews24 will, as ever, be swinging by Tokyo Game Show 2015 to bring you all the strangest and sexiest gaming news.
But what kind of things can you expect to see? Well, here’s just a quick sample of our coverage from previous years’ events to whet your appetite!
YouTuber Aura Puffs assigned themselves a seemingly impossible task: using only one SNES controller simultaneously play through Megaman X and Megaman X2. The limitations also include no save states, pausing one game while playing another, or anything else that would take most of the challenge out of the process.
If you’ve been a PlayStation fan from the very beginning, chances are you still have an original console collecting dust somewhere in the house. Sure, it’s outdated now, but who wants to throw all those fond gaming memories away?
Now there’s a creative solution that will let you get some use out of your old grey console and give you an excuse to look at it regularly throughout the day. It’s time to feast your eyes on the PlayStation clock. Unavailable in stores, but easy to make in your very own home!
What are some of the most important years in your own, personal gaming career? For me, the most important was probably 1992, when I got a Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) for Christmas and played my first-ever videogame (it was Sonic 2). Oh, but 1996 was a great year, too, because Resident Evil came out and I got my first, unforgettable taste of digitized fear and found out that I have a deep love of zombies.
While we all probably have certain years that are notable for the particular gaming memories they hold, it’s undeniable that video games in general have made certain leaps and bounds in the last couple of decades, and some years in particular have had slightly more leaps and a few extra bounds compared to others. Just check out this video of the Top 10 Years in Gaming History to see what we mean…
When Sony released a special 20th Anniversary edition of the PlayStation 4, online pre-order slots were filled in minutes. Limited to a run of 12,300 consoles, gamers had to move quickly to secure a piece of gaming history.
The one thing missing from the December 2014 release, however, was the most important and prized possession of all: console number 00001/12300. That particular machine made its grand appearance at an online auction last weekend and sold for a price that is, frankly, jaw-dropping.
The creator of legendary RPG series Dragon Quest has spilled the beans on the mysterious ending to the third game that still had fans puzzled over 25 years since its original release. Read on to find out, but beware – some things are best left a mystery.
Three things about cats that everyone knows: they are super cute, incredibly contrary, and love to play League of Legends.
Er… Nope, we didn’t know about that last one either! But as this video of a kitty in South Korea fighting with his owner for screen time shows us, there may be (adorable) downsides to cat ownership we’d never even considered. It turns out, some cats love touchscreen games as much as humans do!
We’re constantly amazed by the creative ways people come up with to reuse defunct technology, and here’s another one to blow your mind. One YouTuber has used his programming and music skills to reproduce popular tunes and game music using… floppy disk drives!
Drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin has become something of a poster child for Japanese video arcades over the years, with pretty much every piece of movie or TV footage which shows a Japanese game centre including shots of either smiling schoolgirls or wildly flailing pros thumping away on one of the game’s giant plastic taiko drums in time with the cutesy on-screen icons and J-pop beats.
Up until now, diehard fans of the series had to make do with flimsy miniature drum controllers for their phones and games consoles whenever they couldn’t make it to an actual arcade to challenge their top scores, but peripheral maker Hori has just unveiled the ultimate home taiko experience in the form of the Taiko no Tatsujin Controller Pro – an enormous drum controller being rolled out for the launch of upcoming Wii and Wii U title Taiko no Tatsujin: Tokumori!
Takahashi Toshiyuki, better known as Takahashi Meijin, is a renowned gaming personality in Japan. One of his famous quotes, however, says, “Don’t play more than an hour of games each day.” This sounds like a mother nagging her game-addicted child and perhaps not too convincing coming from someone who plays games for a living. You might wonder, “Why is this guy telling me that I should only play for an hour each day when he probably plays all day long? How am I going to be a world Pokémon champion if I don’t play enough?” However, it appears that there is more to Takahashi’s quote.
The Tokyo Game Show for 2014 closed its doors this past weekend, and a record number of game companies showed up to display four times as many titles as last year. As always, the ever popular cosplay was a big hit and thousands of people came to buy the unique goods sold there. But what about the show itself? Was it the best attended TGS in years? Did it smash attendance records all around the world?
The Tokyo Game Show opened up to the general public this Saturday, and we were right there in the midst of the crowds of attendees from all over the world.
With the event spread across the huge Makuhari Messe exhibition centre it was quite a workout getting from one end to the other while navigating meandering queues of gamers waiting for a chance to play exclusive demos, but somehow we managed it and lived to tell the tale.
While there were plenty of gorgeous booth babes around inside, I headed out to the cosplay area where amateur enthusiasts show off their home-made outfits, and often plenty of skin too.
For most children of the 80s, video games mean the Nintendo Entertainment System, or Famicom in Japan. Even if you didn’t have one in your home, you surely had a friend with one of those enchanting boxes. Ah, the thrills of 8-bit action, midi music, and blowing frantically on cartridges!
Though many parents might have written the devices off as mere toys, there’s an undeniable shared experience that the NES provided for children in many countries around the world. But have you ever wondered how your experiences with the system compared to those of kids in Japan, the console’s home? Well, wonder no more!
An interesting auction popped up last week and at first glance it just looked like an old junkie decorative statue. But further investigation revealed it to have a bit of gamer cred. This robot was designed and built by Namco, yeah, that Namco, the one of Pac-man, Tekken and Soulcalibur fame. Unfortunately, this robot isn’t going to do some super duper awesome game playing for you. However, it is a piece of Namco history on the auction block. If you claim to be the biggest Namco fan in the world, then maybe you NEED this robot.
Are you starting to feel that your virtual girlfriend just isn’t real enough? Craving the feel of her soft skin against your own? With the technological leaps being made in the field of virtual reality gaming headsets, otaku are being offered the chance to get closer to their digital darlings than ever before. But can they handle it?!




















Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Is it rude to sing along at concerts in Japan? We ask a pro musician for his take
Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Autonomous beverage and snack car now testing in Chiba City
Domino’s Pizza Japan apologizes for freaking out Londoner with fish and chips pizza, offers free pie
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Anime Spirited Away finds a new way to be beautiful with gorgeous traditional hanafuda card set
Secrets of an Innkeeper: 3 Japanese guesthouse habits we could all learn from
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Street Fighter Hadouken Churros to be launched and eaten in Tokyo, Okami pudding on offer too
Is this the most relaxing Starbucks in Japan?
Starbucks on a Shinkansen bullet train platform: 6 tips for using the automated store in Japan
Large amount of supposed human organs left in Osaka marketplace
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Autonomous beverage and snack car now testing in Chiba City
Domino’s Pizza Japan apologizes for freaking out Londoner with fish and chips pizza, offers free pie
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Anime Spirited Away finds a new way to be beautiful with gorgeous traditional hanafuda card set
Secrets of an Innkeeper: 3 Japanese guesthouse habits we could all learn from
Dragon Quest Burgers and Slime drinks are coming to McDonald’s Japan【Video】
Chinese classroom introduces roller coaster-style desks, hopes to protect kids’ eyesight
You can now buy a Japanese train station clock in Japan
Viral 3D ice creams land in Japan… but are they worth the hype?
A Japanese dating app matched our bachelorette with a Buddhist monk, and she learned some things
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
Has the Mt Fuji Lawson blackout screen really stopped tourists from taking photos?