Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
Konami (Page 2)
Video game developer and publisher Konami denied an earlier report by The New Yorker that Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima had left Konami. Konami stated that “Kojima is currently taking an extended vacation, and is currently still registered as an employee.”
The release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has been met with as much excitement and frenzy as you might expect from the latest instalment of a legendary video game franchise. But while most players are preoccupied with riding D. Horse around, frolicking in cardboard boxes and puzzling over the intricate story, it’s a certain voiceover that’s had us scratching our heads. Where on earth have we heard iDroid‘s soothing tones before? Oh, that’s right – on the Shinkansen!
Voice actor and vocalist Donna Burke is a veteran of the video game industry, lending her vocal cords to multiple games including MGSV and Silent Hill, and she ALSO provided the English-language spoken announcement that’s broadcast on the bullet train to help foreign visitors navigate their way around Japan!
With Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain now available, gamers are hunkering down to complete Hideo Kojima’s final Metal Gear outing, and the last couple of days have seen a flurry of uploads to YouTube and gaming sites from players wanting to show off their discoveries in the huge open world.
One such discovery has people lamenting the cancellation of Silent Hills, the horror game that was at one time to be Kojima’s next project, all over again. Despite Konami’s attempts to erase its existence by removing it from the Playstation Store, P.T., the playable teaser for the cancelled game, can’t be wiped from gamers’ minds that easily, and apparently not from the company’s latest hit, either.
By now, the video gaming community is all but painfully aware of the sudden divorce between game director Hideo Kojima and game developer Konami. Solid Snake himself has even tweeted the fact that studio Kojima Productions has been disbanded, the studio logo having been removed from advertisement posters for the upcoming title, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
When the mobile game Flappy Bird was taken off the market last year, sales of mobile phones with the game installed were quickly put on auction sites to the tune of US$300 to US$90,000. The sales on eBay technically violated the site’s Terms of Service, which required smartphones and tablets to be restored to their factory settings. Many were pulled by eBay before anyone was able to drop cash on the listings.
Instant gratification and quick answers aren’t exactly the hallmarks of the Metal Gear video game franchise. Not only does its stealth-based gameplay reward patience over diving head-first into combat, but the events set in motion in 1998’s Metal Gear Solid, most modern gamers entry point into the series, didn’t get any sort of conclusion until the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, a full 10 years later.
There’s been a similarly slowly paced trickle of information about the series’ newest chapter, the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which has been featured in trade show videos for years, and even had its own commercially released, extended-length preview game, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Now, the next tidbit seems to be coming soon, as a mysterious countdown clock has appeared on the official Metal Gear V website.
Calling all scaredy-cat exhibitionists! If you’re easily frightened and love broadcasting yourself to the world, you’re just the kind of person Japanese video game developer Konami is looking for!
Following on from its video series of sample-group players reacting to forthcoming horror title Silent Hills, Konami is looking for footage of everyday people playing the game and their reactions to it. Better yet, the best videos will be shown at next week’s Tokyo Game Show.
Details on how to submit your own reaction video after the jump.
Nostalgic for Japanese video games from the late 1970s and ‘80s? Barcade, a combination bar and arcade, recently opened in Chelsea, Manhattan with about a dozen classics from Japanese game developers such as Taito, Nintendo, Namco, and Konami.
The games are still only a quarter (there are change machines on site), and the machines are in great condition. Marvel at the old-school graphics of Space Invaders, Galaga, Mappy, Crazy Climber, and Frogger.
Well now here’s an odd little promotion. Japanese gamers planning to pick up a copy of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, one of the prequel chapters in Hideo Kojima’s convoluted-plot-’em-up/stealth espionage action game series, are now being offered a special edition bundle that comes with a track jacket emblazoned with the logo of in-game mercenary unit “Diamond Dogs”.
“Hideo-kun! What do you want in your lunchbox for school tomorrow? Ham and cheese? Peanut butter and jelly? Or how about Solid Snaaaaaaaake!”
The image you see before you, ladies and gentlemen, is genuine, 100% completely edible food. We’ve seen colourful character bentō lunchboxes before, but this is something else.
As part of its 25 years of Metal Gear and Final Fantasy celebrations, Japanese game developer Konami has had a set of truly amazing lunchboxes made for a photo event. Featuring characters from both of the long-running series, the lunchboxes are so detailed that they almost look like waxworks. No matter how many times we look at these things, we can’t quite get over the fact that it’s actually food.
Drift ice in Japan is a disappearing winter miracle you need to see now
Which convenience store onigiri rice balls are the most popular? Survey reveals surprising results
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 2]
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Development of Puyo Puyo puzzle game for use in nursing homes underway
Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring
We brave fastballs from the world’s fastest (and most terrifying) pitching machine
Mt. Fuji climbing reservation website is now open, and here’s how to reserve your spot
The world’s biggest Muji store opened in Hiroshima, and we went to check it out!
Highest Starbucks in Japan set to open this spring in the Tokyo skyStarbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Tokyo Skytree turns pink for the cherry blossom season
Yakuzen ramen restaurant in Tokyo is very different to a yakuza ramen restaurant
Shibuya Station’s Hachiko Gate and Yamanote Line stairway locations change next month
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Starbucks Japan adds new sakura Frappuccino and cherry blossom drinks to the menu
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 1]
Japan’s new “Cunte” contact lenses aren’t pronounced like you’re probably thinking they are
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourismThe 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
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 homeJapan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
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】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Development of Puyo Puyo puzzle game for use in nursing homes underway
Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring
We brave fastballs from the world’s fastest (and most terrifying) pitching machine
Mt. Fuji climbing reservation website is now open, and here’s how to reserve your spot
The world’s biggest Muji store opened in Hiroshima, and we went to check it out!
It’s like the samurai era never ended at this beautiful Japanese mountain town
Tokyo street sweets: The must-snack treats of Nakano’s Refutei
Satisfy your sweet tooth with cheesecake and more all-you-can-eat sweets at Cheese Garden
Pokémon Ditto Cup uses Transform to turn into jiggly gelatin, rice, sand, and infinite possibilities
Hunter x Hunter teams up with Shimamura clothing chain for clothing and more treasures galore
Japanese drugstore sells onigiri at pre-stupid era prices, but how do they compare to 7-Eleven?
How to make curry in a rice cooker with zero prep work and no water[Recipe]
Norman Reedus comments on Silent Hills’ reported cancellation
Apr 27, 2015
The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus posted his reaction to reports that director Guillermo del Toro said their Silent Hillsgame project is not going to happen.
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