Hideo Kojima Thinks "Way We Make Games Won't Translate Globally" [Hideo Kojima] (3)
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It's foreign game panic day! Like Jun Takeuchi, Hideo Kojima is worried about Western games and Western developers. He tells Japanese magazine Famitsu what he's going to do about it. Kojima mentions that he plans to "start from zero" this year in hopes of competing globally. The game creator says that his company Kojima Productions is undergoing heavy internal review to forge "a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses." Adds the Metal ...
Massive Gundam Pod Arcade Game Getting PSP Version [Rumor] (1)
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19 hours, 36 minutes
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Japanese arcade title Gundam Senjou no Kizuna is rumored to be getting a PSP version. Interesting (odd, even) as the original has pod-shaped networked arcade cabinets with panoramic screens. Nothing's been confirmed by Namco Bandai or the arcade game's site, this PSP reboot is apparently slated for next March. If this is true, this does beg multiple questions: Why? Why? Why? Surely, Gundam Senjou no Kizuna is better suited to home consoles than portable ones. ...
Japan's Best And Worst Sellers By Platform (6)
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19 hours, 43 minutes
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The best of the best! The best of the worst! Here's a look at the sales tallies for the biggest sellers (and not sellers) in Japan broken down by platform. Oh, the suspense. Eds Note: This sales data appears crunched from Enterbrain and Famitsu source data. We've marked this story as a "rumor" since the site we are sourcing carries these charmingly paranoid warnings: "Do not reprint data of this website. ＊For an anti-copy measure,I ...
Resident Evil 5 Producer: "Japan Is Target Of Western Developers" [Capcom] (1)
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Watch out, Japan! Western game developers are out to getcha. This concerns Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi a bunch. But should it? Takeuchi confesses to Japanese magazine Famitsu: "I'm worried about the movements of Western developers. Japan is now their target — it's the last big marketplace. The truth is that Western studios are making great games, and they're going to continue to do so next year too." The Capcom producer hopes that his ...
Your Three Favorite Dioramas [Arcade Mania Contest] (1)
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4 days, 16 hours
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Our Arcade Mania diorama contest has come to a close, and Kotakuland has picked the winners. What to see your favorite dioramas? Winners, please send an email to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom to claim your copy of Arcade Mania. Be sure to include your address and let us know if you'd like your copy signed. Arcade Mania is now available.
What's Nintendo's Year End Tokyo Stock Exchange Ranking? [Japan] (1)
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4 days, 18 hours
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Let's take look back at something very exciting: Nintendo's year end Tokyo Stock Exchange market ranking. What number did the company come in? Oh, the suspense! Here is the 2008 year end Tokyo Stock Exchange market cap ranking: 1. Toyota Motors: 10.160 trillion yen 2. NTT Docomo: 7.915 trillion yen 3. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group: 6.5109 trillion yen 4. Nintendo: 4.7813 trillion yen (US$52,732,987,757.80) 5. Tokyo Electric: 4.586 trillion yen 6. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company: 3.7823 ...
Oddities: Dumb Lady Physically Puts Credit Cards In Wii (23)
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4 days, 19 hours
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There are smart people, and there are dumb people. Here is the story of a dumb person, her credit cards and a Nintendo Wii. Over at game forum NeoGAF, member HUELEN10 told the following tale. We cannot vouch for the validity of it, but here goes: My neighbors which I don't really know to well to begin with, got their kids a Wii for Xmas. They got no games for it, but they did get ...
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Tim Watson said:
I hope that this story is a joke. If not, I fear for humanity.
More SEGA Dreamcast Game Trademark Re-Registering Fun [Chuchu Rocket] (1)
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4 days, 19 hours
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SEGA has re-registered yet another trademark for yet another Dreamcast game. This time, it's puzzler ChuChu Rocket. On December 22, SEGA U.S. re-registered the ChuChu trademark — one of many DC titles to get their TMs renewed. According to game site Siliconera, this year SEGA has re-registered trademarks for following Dreamcast games: Sonic Shuffle, Cosmic Smash, Jet Grind Radio and Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram. Sure, this might just be SEGA protecting these trademarks, or it might ...
Uncharted 2 Also Takes Place In War-Torn Tibet, Has New Love Interest [Naughty Dog] (2)
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4 days, 23 hours
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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has a new game mechanic (stealth) and a new dead famous guy (Marco Polo). Both we knew. What are some things we didn't know about Uncharted 2? Creative Director Amy Hennig tells EDGE magazine, "Our last story was about Francis Drake... Our 'what if' was: what if Francis Drake hadn't died when everyone thought he had? This time we're going with Marco Polo. Our catalyst is this man who catalogued all ...
You Can Stop iDOLM@STER Adult Videos But Not Macross? [Maximum Risky] (1)
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5 days, 21 hours
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Rui Saotome, the actress who blogged about her difficulties dancing in the now cancelled iDOLM@STER porn parody, is back. She now blogging about yet another adult film parody. Dancing, too. This time, Ms. Saotome is appearing as green-haired Ranka in a Macross Frontier send-up. She blogs: Today, TMA filmed the Ranka from XXcross cosplay. I was able to do the dance numbers without any problem thanks to everyone who supported me. It was the first ...
BioShock PS3 Japanese Ad Slightly Frightens US [Clips] (3)
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6 days, 15 hours
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Yes, BioShock, been there done that — even on the PS3. But the game is just hitting Japan this month. Here is the game's official ad. Not sure if it's just me, but it is actually kinda freaky. Is it just me?
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Chris said:
this made me want to play bioshock again!
IBM: World of Warcraft Is Good [Blizzard] (1)
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6 days, 17 hours
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It's a seesaw. Somedays playing World of Warcraft is good, good, good. Somedays it's bad, bad, bad. What about today? Today, David Laux, global executive in charge of games and interactive entertainment at IBM, tells us that WoW makes good human beings. This is in the wake of job recruiters avoiding WoW players. Here are some nice things Laux says about Wow: The game produces tremendous leadership skills among players. It teaches you how to ...
Gackt, Your New Favorite Pachislot PS3 Game Sound Producer [Music] (1)
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6 days, 17 hours
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Japanese musician Gackt in video games? Nothing new. Japanese musician Gackt making game music? New. For PS3 pachislot title Bounty Killer, out this past fall in Japan, Gackt did just that. The former Malice Mizer singer lent his likeness and music to the pachislot title. Check out the Bounty Killer tune called "Justified." You can hear it here. Not a bad song. While Gackt has lent his likeness to games in the past (Dirge of ...
Four Titles Most Likely To Make You Throw Your Controller [Culture] (2)
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6 days, 20 hours
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It's that time of the year. Time for lists. Website Bits, Bytes, Pixels & Sprites has a list of this year's most frustrating titles. They are: HOME: "Having to wait for an arcade game to be unoccupied in order to play it was the final straw, and I quickly logged out before winging my controller in abject shock." Braid: "Braid wants to mock you. It’s a good game, and I do recommend it, but it’s ...
PS3 Production Costs Have Dropped By 35 Percent [Sony] (2)
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6 days, 21 hours
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Do something long enough and you get better at it. Manufacture something long enough, and it gets cheaper. No surprise that Sony has cut the PS3's component cost by 35 percent. According to research firm iSuppli, the first generation PS3 cost a hefty US$690.23, based on mid-2007 component prices. What about late 2008? Based on October 2008 component prices, the PLAYSTATION 3 now costs $448.73. Downside: This means that the console is still sold at ...
PS3 Production Costs Have Dropped By 35 Percent [Sony] (3)
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Do something long enough and you get better at it. Manufacture something long enough, and it gets cheaper. No surprise that Sony has cut the PS3's component cost by 35 percent. According to research firm iSuppli, the first generation PS3 cost a hefty US$690.23, based on mid-2007 component prices. What about late 2008? Based on October 2008 component prices, the PLAYSTATION 3 now costs $448.73. Downside: This means that the console is still sold at ...
Maximum Risky: "We Are Sorry About The Lots of Boobs Set" (4)
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Pure postal embarrassment. Members of erotic game maker AKABEi SOFT2's fan club who ordered a set of boob-shaped mousepads got a surprised in the mailbox. The brown box the ¥15,000 (US$166) set of boob mousepads were packaged in was hardly discreet: The outside read, "Oppai ga ippai set" or "Lots of boobs set" in English. Just the kind of thing discerning customers would want the postal workers or, better yet, their family to see. AKABEi ...
"We Are Sorry About The Lots of Boobs Set" [Maximum Risky] (1)
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Pure postal embarrassment. Members of erotic game maker AKABEi SOFT2's fan club who ordered a set of boob-shaped mousepads got a surprised in the mailbox. The brown box the ¥15,000 (US$166) set of boob mousepads were packaged in was hardly discreet: The outside read, "Oppai ga ippai set" or "Lots of boobs set" in English. Just the kind of thing discerning customers would want the postal workers or, better yet, their family to see. AKABEi ...
Xbox 360 Getting Lots of Shelf Space [Only In Japan] (2)
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Before we start, things to keep in mind: This is at one store in Osaka's electronics district, Den-Den Town. At this same store, something like ten people showed up for the Xbox 360 launch. Japanese otaku blog Ota Road points out the discrepancy between retailer Sofmap's first floor in-store displays for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Both consoles share the same floor, yet the Xbox 360 gets a proper set-up, complete with display hardware, ...
What DS Game Does Magibon Study Japanese With [Ds] (3)
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Ah, yes. Magibon. If you've been on YouTube, you've probably seen her blank, smiling face speaking elementary Japanese. Her vids have gotten millions of views and she's even achieved some sort of online celebrity. PingMag's Jean Snow (who contributed to Arcade Mania) interviewed 22 year-old Magibon about making it big on YouTube. The gaming connection? During the interview, Jean talked to Magibon about her DS playing. Here's the exchange: - I've noticed that in some ...
