Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.
video games (Page 138)
The man brought us the jaw-dropping stop motion videos of battles between iconic Dragon Ball and Street Fighter characters has done it again! This time, he’s brought The Legend of Zelda‘s sword-wielding hero Link to play, and he’s got a sexy gun-toting pal with him…
Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox One console will not be released in Asia until late 2014, despite the fact that it will launch in the West in November this year, it was revealed last night.
Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, thrilled gamers today when he declared that the company will not impose any restrictions whatsoever on used games. Suffice it to say, the crowd at E3 went wild.
Seconds after the announcement had been made, a video appeared on Sony’s YouTube channel that simultaneously shows how easy it is to trade games with friends while poking fun at competitor Microsoft. Check it out after the break.
It’s the moment millions of fans have been waiting for ever since Sony first announced that its new console would be in our hands by the end of 2013: the PlayStation 4 has finally been revealed for the world to see!
And it looks…
Japan’s answer to YouTube, NicoNico Video, will be showing live coverage of the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in both Japanese and English!
That magical time of year when game companies throw themselves a giant party and start spilling family secrets like your drunk aunt is finally upon us. That’s right, E3 starts Tuesday! And all this week, excited fans will be glued to the blogs, chomping on the bits for new info from Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, and many other major publishers. One company that won’t be giving a massive, blow-all-the-fuses presentation, though, is Nintendo.
Even so, that doesn’t the company is skipping the event entirely.
Square-Enix is offering this adorable, limited edition slime hourglass for Dragon Quest series fans with the munchies. The company says the hourglass is timed at about three minutes, which is around the same amount of time it takes to perfectly cook a cup of instant ramen noodles.
Convenience store giant 7-Eleven certainly knows its way to customers’ hearts. The store’s current Jump Heroes campaign–a collaboration with Shonen Jump Comics–is giving customers the chance to bag some pretty impressive prizes, with things like games consoles, tablet computers and even free hotel accommodation up for grabs.
With just a few days to go until E3–one of the year’s biggest video game trade shows–opens its doors, we’re currently knee-deep in rumour, speculation and digital fancy. Although Nintendo has already broken millions of gamers’ hearts by stating that its presence at the event will be minimal, both Microsoft and Sony are set to show off their newest hardware, as well as give the gaming press a look at the titles we can expect to play in the near future.
According to a recent poll being hotly shared by Japanese gamers today, though, some press conferences are being looked forward to far more than others.
Isn’t it irritating when you click on a site link only to receive the message 404 Not Found? Sure some sites will dress up their error messages with a funny picture or a witty saying, but the fact of the matter is that the page you wanted is missing! To help ease this first-world frustration, one web design company has programmed a fully playable game into their error messages. Error screens have never been so welcome!
“GameCenter CX”–also known as “Retro Game Master” in the West– has captured the hearts and minds of literally millions of video game fans across the globe since first airing in 2003. The premise of the show is simple: middle-aged, self-confessed game otaku and part-time comedian Shinya Arino pits himself against a series of treasured but often fiendishly difficult old-school video games, playing through them with the help of his cheeky “assistant directors”, a pile of snacks and stack of cooling towelettes to stick to his forehead.
The show has already spawned nine DVD boxsets in its native Japan, with English translations of many of the shows made available to Western audiences both in DVD format and online. But now, the show’s parent company has announced that a special 10th anniversary project is underway that will purportedly take an entire year to complete.
A telltale sign in a promotional video for Sony’s PlayStation 4 controller has led video game fans to believe that the camera peripheral for the company’s upcoming console will be sold separately from the PlayStation 4 itself, contrary to initial expectations.
While this may seem like little more than a minor inconvenience at first, if found to be true the rumour may point to a key difference between Sony and Microsoft’s console strategies, as well as potentially having ramifications for how developers approach either platform.
Despite being something that few in-house PR teams would ever hope for the general public to associate with their brand, following CEO Satoru Iwata’s announcement that his company would not be giving its usual presentation at next month’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, the term “Galapagos syndrome” has been cropping up with alarming frequency online alongside Nintendo’s name.
The video game giant has long been known for its quirky sense of individuality and for forging paths into uncharted territories, but at a time when its flagship console is largely being ignored by consumers and both Microsoft and Sony are poised to flaunt new, technically far superior hardware at the upcoming trade fair, some are concerned that the house that made Mario is becoming something of a recluse.
If there’s one thing Massively Multiplayer Online RPGS (MMOs) are known for, other than their marriage-destroying addictive qualities and almost cult-like fan communities, it’s the absolutely mind-numbing repetition of doing the same quests and activities over and over again to level up your character.
Realizing computers are pretty good at that whole mindless repetition thing while humans generally dislike it, one entrepreneurial Japanese geek has figured out a way to jury-rig PCs that will perform a leveling task for you over and over again and is offering them for sale on bidding site Yahoo! Auctions right now.
Every generation, something comes along that people are just sure is going to ruin kids’ minds. Recently it’s social networking websites. In the 1950s it was blue jeans and rock ‘n’ roll. If you had a time machine, and for some reason got tired of riding on the backs of dinosaurs and decided to instead interview cavemen about the parenting issues they faced, I’m sure you’d find some of them complaining about how the young whipper-snappers in the neighborhood are wasting all their time with this new-fangled “fire” thing.
When I was growing up, the big menace was video games, but just like all the things listed above, they turned out to be mostly harmless (but watch out, blue jeans become quite a bit more dangerous if you combine them with fire). Video games have now been around long enough that some hardcore gamers have kids of their own, such as the mother of Twitter user maki_pq, whose enthusiasm for the Dragon Quest series far outpaces her daughter’s.
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Toad, the mushroom-headed character from the Super Mario series of video games that dates back almost 30 years now, is a character known to millions around the globe. Clear a castle in the original game and he’s there to break the news that the princess isn’t actually there. Slip on a banana peel while burning rubber in Super Mario Kart and it’s often his shrill voice you’ll hear echoing through the enormous green pipe tunnels. Need a man to pick and throw vegetables super fast in Super Mario Bros 2? Toad’s your guy.
Little did we know, though, that Toad has been harbouring a terrible secret the entire time we’ve known him. One that shocked Japanese fans and Twitter users to the core when the following photo came to light.
Becoming obsessed with The Legend of Zelda after getting it as a birthday present at the age of six, one fan has found a way to bring items from the game into the real world.
How, you ask with images of magical blacksmiths dancing in your head. Simple: 3-D printing!
This fan, who documents the creations at the incredible blog Hyrule Founder, recreated the 8-bit items as 3-D, digital models and printed them with a high-quality 3-D printer. Read More
On the morning of May 13, GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. (JASDAQ Standard) rose by its maximum allowable single day limit of 300,000 yen (approx. US$3,000). The stock increased 28.79 percent to 1.342 million yen (approx. US$13,420). The rise comes on the heels of a 17 percent gain on Friday, May 9.
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Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Tourists brave Typhoon Jangmi to queue at two famous sites in Tokyo
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever muscat-flavoured chilled cup drink
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Starbucks Japan has a mesh bag so cute it’s a sell-out hit
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Art exhibition coming to Tokyo this month brings the cute, scary, and weird to ukiyo-eNew official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and moreUniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot
The Japan Burger Championship 2026 in Yokohama next month is the ultimate battle of the beef
Mr. Sato takes a walk on Tokyo’s American-style street to get some American/Japanese ice cream
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Sushi Pizza surprises diners in one of the best food destinations in Japan
Starbucks Japan has a problem with its sell-out breakfast that might annoy solo diners
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in JapanNew official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and moreUniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried beforeJapanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever muscat-flavoured chilled cup drink
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Starbucks Japan has a mesh bag so cute it’s a sell-out hit
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Art exhibition coming to Tokyo this month brings the cute, scary, and weird to ukiyo-e
7-Eleven Japan adds a new watermelon smoothie to its convenience stores…but is it worth the hype?
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Japanese government postpones proposals to restrict real estate purchases by foreigners
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo to remain closed for the summer following stabbing incident
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Extra-cute Sea Animal crepes come to Japan’s cafe chain born from a sweet fashion brand
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
