SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

RocketNews24 Japanese

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

game (Page 2)

11-year-old boy cuts off own finger in rage after being scolded for too much smartphone gaming

Master Blaster
Mar 9, 2016
Tweet

A simple squabble over the breakfast table turned into a scene from a horror movie for one family.

China, Games & Tech
(finger • game • self-injury • smartphone • Suzhou)

High school students create amazing musical arcade game for their school festival

Krista Rogers
Nov 8, 2015

Autumn is the season of school cultural festivals (bunkasai) in Japan. Students pour hours and hours of their time into creating the best possible attractions, food stands, and performances and proudly display these efforts of love for the surrounding community to enjoy.

There must be something in the water because, starting with the teacups ride we introduced last month, Japanese students seem to be showing some unprecedented creativity this year. Just take this musical arcade game that was built entirely by high schoolers, and which many stunned guests have proclaimed to be “good enough to be in a real game center.”

Japan
(arcade • bunkasai • Chrono Tone • creative • game • music • school festival • schools)

Gamer completes ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ blindfolded

Audrey Akcasu
Nov 2, 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a classic game that is considered by many as the greatest video game of all time. Needless to say, it’s pretty popular and people play it over and over and over. One gamer in particular, Runnerguy2489, has played it so many times that he can, in fact, beat it with his eyes closed.

Internet
(blindfold • game • Zelda)

“100 Neko” recreates all the fun of filling an alley with scores of cat butts on your iPhone

Master Blaster
Oct 3, 2015

Do you like cats? Do you like video games? Do you believe we all exist in a infinite number of dimensions simultaneously and our consciousness can shift between these coexisting realities depending on the choices we make?

If so, I think I know a game you might like. It’s a fun little time waster called 100 Neko by PDC Okinawa, in which the goal is to lure adorable little cats onto your screen with treats and one of those furry wand things. It’s also quite charming.

Let’s see how it works, shall we?

Internet, Japan
(100 Neko • app • cats • game • iPhone • PDC Okinawa)

Google knows you’re no April Fool, so they offer you Pac-Man playable in Google Maps

Audrey Akcasu
Apr 1, 2015

You may remember Google’s April Fools’ challenge last year, since it was pretty epic. If you missed it, Google came out with a game where you could search for Pokemon on the Google Maps app on your mobile device. It got rave reviews and it’s such a shame that it was only available for a limited time.

This year, Google is reaching out to a slightly older generation of video game lovers, letting us play Pac-Man on real streets of Google Maps!! Of course, being Google and April Fools’ Day, there is a catch, but more or less, you can transform neighborhoods into Pac-Man game screens.

Global
(April Fools' Day • fun • game • Google • Google Maps • pac-man • video games)

Upcoming Australian-made card game battle anime is a confusing mix of genres

Hayashi 'Fang' Hougi
Nov 6, 2014

The worldwide popularity of Japanese anime has certainly served as inspiration for many who aspire to be illustrators or animators in the future. The rise of anime has also influenced big names in good old American animation industry, such as Disney and Cartoon Network. In fact, Cartoon Network Asia will debut an Australian-made anime production in December, titled “Exchange Student Zero“.

The only problem is, they seem to have taken the idea of ‘exchange student’ a little too literally…

SE Asia
(anime • card game • cartoon network • Exchange Student Zero • game)

Live out your secret idol fantasies with Dolly Kanon for 3DS

Fran W
Sep 6, 2014

We’ve seen plenty about virtual girlfriends, fun little apps that provide you with all the charms of an attractive girl (well, almost all) without the inconvenience of having to deal with a real person. Well, what if you’ve been waiting for the crossdressing male version…?!

In Dolly Kanon, the newly announced Nintendo 3DS game from Happinet, you can take on the role of musical producer as you manage your secret cross-dressing boyfriend’s career as a music idol!

Japan
(3DS • crossdressing • Dolly Kanon • game • idol • nintendo)

Flappy bird creator releases his next creation on the world, world productivity plummets

KK Miller
Aug 23, 2014

Nguyen Ha Dong**, creator of Flappy Bird,** has been teasing his second game recently and it has finally been unleashed upon us! The game, called “Swing Copters“, shares many of the same gameplay elements of his first game, but might be even more annoyingly difficult than Flappy Bird! Is Swing Copters going to become the next Flappy Bird? Is it “fun” enough to warrant your time? Find out with some hands-on impressions!

Global
(addictive • Android • extremely hard • Flappy Bird • game • iPhone • Swing Copters)

Sunset Overdrive takes over E3【RN24@E3】

Michelle Lynn Dinh
Jun 13, 2014

Walking through the Los Angeles Convention Center, we can’t help but notice a certain game popping up in all sorts of unexpected places. From the nook in the vaulted ceiling to the women’s restroom, Sunset Overdrive, has taken over E3.

USA
(demo • E3 • game • Insomniac Games • RN24@E3 • Sunset Overdrive • video games)

World’s largest game of tag to be held in Gunma Prefecture

Master Blaster
Oct 7, 2013

Tag is a childhood game loved worldwide although known by different names depending on the region, and Japan is no exception. Here the game is known as oni gokko (demon play) and follows the same rules aside for the “it” person being called oni, which translates to a demon but is probably more akin to an ogre.

If you happen to be in the Gunma area this month and want to relive some childhood fun playing a classic game, Gunma University and J.League soccer team Thespa Kustasu Gunma are working to set up a Guinness World Record breaking game of Oni Gokko.

Japan
(game • oni • sports • tag)

Man Sells the Spoils of his Six Year Gaming Career for Thousands of Dollars

Rachel Tackett
May 7, 2013

The online role-playing game, Final Fantasy XI has garnered tremendous popularity within Japan, not to mention the rest of the world. Love of the game has grown steadily in the 11 years since its Japanese release in May of 2002.

Unfortunately, as gamers grow older and become busy with real-life responsibilities, they sometimes must set aside their virtual buster swords and magical mage staffs and focus on the tangible things in life. Luckily, there’s always a circle of lazy gamers ready to take their places! These impatient players are wide-eyed and eager to buy your character’s levels and loot off of you. Read More

Japan
(Final Fantasy XI • game • Yahoo Auctions)

SoftBank’s White Dog Gets a Free Rap and DJ App for iOS (and It’s Awesome)

Philip Kendall
Jan 16, 2013

Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank is seemingly never out of the news recently. In the past seven days, we’ve seen CEO Masayoshi Son put down a heckler on Twitter, offer his employees up to a month’s pay for mastering English, and now the company comes out with a genuinely wonderful free app for iOS in celebration of being Japan’s most popular telecommunications provider for five years running.

Officially titled 「ラップお父さん」 “Rappu Otousan” (lit. rap dad), the application is essentially a sound board filled with memorable lines uttered by members of SoftBank’s fictional White Family, as seen in commercials. As well as allowing users to annoy friends with one-liners like “Shut it!”, “What’s so funny!?” and even the company CEO’s famous “Let’s do it!” line, users can play and mix a variety of prerecorded rhythm tracks, making this app by far the most wonderful time-waster we’ve discovered so far this year.

Internet, Japan
(app. cool • application • DJ • dog • free • game • iOS • iPhone • rap • Softbank)

Help Pikachu and Pals Fight for Their Freedom! PETA’s Pokémon Parody Sends a Powerful Message

Philip Kendall
Oct 12, 2012

Hot on the heels of its highly successful Super Mario spoof animal fur campaign, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has launched a brand new flash game that centres on kids’ videogame favourite Pokémon, exposing the cruel truth behind the trainer / pocket monster relationship and prompting us all to think a little harder about how we treat animals.

The game, which mimics the style of the hugely popular videogame, has seen thousands of visits since its launch, and asks players to take on the role of captive pokémon as they battle with their abusive trainer for freedom. Read More

Uncategorized
(animals • game • PETA • Pokemon • protest • website)

【TGS 2012】 The Creepiest Game of the Show (So Far): Leg Massaging Action

Philip Kendall
Sep 20, 2012

Tokyo Game Show: home to videogames, freebies, pretty girls and people who love all of the above.

Of all the titles I saw during my visit today, smart-phone game company mobile_one’s Kaikan Ashitsubo Massage (lit. Pleasurable leg massage) definitely wins my award for “Most Borderline Creepy”. Read More