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video games (Page 112)

Cardboard arcade cabinets could be the next must-have home furnishing for gamers

Cara Clegg
Oct 27, 2015
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The company that brought us the Danbocchi—cardboard sound proof cubicles so you can karaoke to your heart’s content without annoying the neighbors—is back with yet another crazy cardboard creation we can’t help but find ourselves wanting.

Yes, gamers, now you can actually build a retro arcade gaming table in your own home!

Japan
(arcade cabinets • arcade game • cardboard • Gamebocchi • gaming • video games)

Nintendo taxis?! Peruvian cabs outfitted with Mario Kart 8 setups for rear passengers to play

Casey Baseel
Oct 27, 2015

Japanese taxis are pretty nice. They’ve got those cool doors that swing open and shut at the touch of a button, and the lace doilies they usually have across the rear parcel shelf add a nice touch of class.

Still, we’re finding ourselves feeling a little jealous of taxi patrons in Peru, where one company isn’t just providing swift transportation, but entertainment with a fleet of cabs equipped with Nintendo Wii U game consoles for passengers to play in the back seat during their ride.

Japan, S America
(cool • Mario Kart • nintendo • Peru • taxis • travel • video games)

Don’t be fooled by the rocks they got, the Final Fantasy team needs more from around the block

KK Miller
Oct 23, 2015

It’s hard to say which game is more highly anticipated, Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts 3, but with both of them tentatively scheduled for a 2016 release date, we just might find out. Or not…because a recent tweet about the latest Final Fantasy game is causing us to believe that a 2016 release date could be a pipe dream. Although there has been no delay announced, if the date is pushed back it might be in part due to the rocky situation they are in: they need more rocks!

Global, Japan
(beautiful • Final Fantasy • Final Fantasy XV • nature • pretty • rocks • Square Enix • video games)

Real life Pokémon gym set to open in Japan next month

Casey Baseel
Oct 22, 2015

Despite the famous “Gotta catch ‘em all!” tagline, Pokémon trainers don’t spend every moment of their adventures traipsing through the underbrush searching for new Pocket Monster species. Part of the process of becoming a Pokémon Master is making a pilgrimage to gyms where trainers can strengthen their skills and bonds with their adorable biological arsenal.

Until now, the only places to find these gyms were within the video games and anime of the Pokémon franchise, but next month marks the opening of the first official Pokémon gym in Japan, where fans can meet and train with a variety of Pokémon in interactive and augmented reality attractions.

Japan
(anime • nintendo • Osaka • Pikachu • Pokemon • theme parks • video games)

Splatoon’s squid vs octopus Splatfest asks deep questions, ruins marriages

Cara Clegg
Oct 22, 2015

Video games have the power to change people’s lives, inspiring creativity and bringing friends and couples together.

But they can also destroy relationships. And it turns out that even Splatoon, the cute, brightly colored squid-themed shooter from Nintendo, is a culprit—although not quite in the way you might be thinking…

Japan
(cheating • gaming • nintendo • relationships • Splatoon • video games • Wii U)

Banish your love rivals, fantasize over your crush’s recorder in weird new game app

Krista Rogers
Oct 22, 2015

More than once, I’ve been baffled by characters in Japanese dramas getting excited at the thought of having a kansetsu kisu, or “indirect kiss.” Apparently, the thought of drinking out of the same cup or using the same straw as the object of your affection is akin to kissing them indirectly.

With the release of a new romance simulation mobile game, you too can experience the thrill of a young Japanese schoolboy about to have a kansetsu kisu with the girl of your dreams–but only after you get your hands on the recorder she uses in music class!

Japan
(app • creepy • recorder • That Girl's Recorder • video games • weird)

Konami denies report of Hideo Kojima leaving company

Anime News Network
Oct 20, 2015

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.”

Japan
(denial • Hideo Kojima • Konami • leaving Konami • Metal Gear Solid • video games)

“Yohjo Simulator” lets you wreak havoc as a little girl with a penchant for headbutting【Video】

Mike
Oct 20, 2015

Thanks to the runaway popularity of **wacky physics games with the word “simulator” in the title (yes, I’m looking at you, Surgeon, Goat and **Tabletop Simulator****s), it was only a matter of time before a Japanese developer decided to out-weird their Western counterparts with a distinctly Japanese “simulator” game.

That game is Yohjo Simulator, and of course it’s bizarre and unsettling.

Global, Internet
(simlators • Steam • Steam Greenlight • video games • weird • Yohjo Simulator)

Zelda orchestra provides legendary performance of series’ music on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show

Casey Baseel
Oct 20, 2015

This year marked a huge change for American broadcaster CBS’ Late Show. After 22 years of hosting the program, David Letterman finally stepped down, and the reins of the show were handed to Stephen Colbert, who took over in early September.

The move instantly attracted fans who’d been hungry for more Colbert since the final episode of The Colbert Report aired last December, and as proof that the Late Show is hoping to be more relevant to this younger demographic, the new host recently welcomed the members of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses to perform music from the series live in front of the studio audience.

USA
(music • nintendo • Stephen Colbert • video • video games • Zelda)

If people, not pocket monsters, battled it out in the Pokémon world【Video】

Meg Murphy
Oct 20, 2015

In the Pokémon world, trainers collect and battle their pet monsters against other trainers to gain experience, earn badges, and aim to become the greatest pocket monster master in the world. But what about the Pokémon themselves—do they even get a say in whether or not they want to fight? If trainers want to determine which of them is the strongest, why don’t they just duke it out themselves?

Well, the folks over at Dorkly ran with that clever idea and made it happen, with two guys fighting it out to familiar chip-tune battle music in this all-too-perfect video showing just what it would look like if humans battled it out in the Pokémon world!

Internet
(anime • Dorkly • Game Boy • human pokemon • Pokemon • video • video games)

Expand your Super Mario figure collection with enemy characters

Anime News Network
Oct 19, 2015

Bandai’s S.H.Figuarts line has released several figures from the Super Mario video game series: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and important items from the games like pipes, blocks and coins. Its latest figures expand the collection with iconic enemy characters: a Hammer Bro, Lakitu and Spiny.

Japan
(Anime News Network • figures • nintendo • Premium Bandai • Super Mario Bros. • video games)

Train and transform your hero into a prime beefcake in otome romance game Muscle Paradise

Cara Clegg
Oct 17, 2015

Do you even lift? ‘Cos these macho guys certainly do! While the heroes of otome games, story-based romance games aimed at women, tend to err on the feminine side, the hunks in this mobile game cater specifically to women (or men!) who like their guys beefy. And when I see beefy, I mean ox-on-steroids beefy.

Japan
(Android • app • dating simulator • iOS • otome game • video games)

Do you want to hug a Snow Pikachu? Special Christmas-version Pokémon plushies coming soon

Casey Baseel
Oct 16, 2015

As much as Japan loves Halloween, the country’s favorite foreign-introduced holiday is still Christmas. It’s not hard to see why, since in Japan the December celebration is both the nation’s biggest date night and also its most accepted excuse to gorge yourself on fried chicken. Plus, this year good boys and girls can expect a visit from someone very special at Christmas: Pikachu Snowman plushies, plus a whole stocking’s worth of new winter-themed Pokémon goodies!

Japan
(anime • Christmas • Pikachu • Pokemon • toys • video games)

Just like magic, Japanese Wizard Parka will transform you from mundane to mystic

Casey Baseel
Oct 16, 2015

With Halloween fast approaching, you may find yourself in the market for a cool costume. But if your cosplay activities are confined to strictly on and around October 31, you might not think it’s worth the time and effort to put together an outfit you’ll only wear once, since by the time next All Hallows’ Eve rolls around you might want to dress up as something else.

But now there’s a single piece of clothing that will let you enjoy a little Halloween fantasy while also being a viable fashion option for the reality of the rest of the year, with Japanese clothing brand Itemya’s Wizard Parka.

Japan
(cool • cosplay • fashion • parka • video games)

New Dead or Alive beach volleyball game full of the busty ninjas, steel drums fans love 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Oct 16, 2015

After Sega got the 3-D fighting video game craze rolling with Virtua Fighter in 1993, latecomers had to do something to differentiate their own games in the genre. Namco added accessible controls for its Tekken series, Tamsoft spruced up its Toshinden, and Tecmo added attack reversals to Dead or Alive. Oh, and also large, heaving breasts.

Over the years the supersized busts of Dead or Alive have sort of become the tail that wags the dog, or the bouncing bosoms that lead the torso and shoulders. So after releasing Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, the third upgrade to the fifth game in the main series, publisher Koei Tecmo is taking a break from the fighting and doubling down on the eye candy with a new beach volleyball game, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, starring its female martial artists, and the first gameplay video has just been released.

Japan
(Dead or Alive • Koei Tecmo • video • video games)

Giant collection of 16-bit Nintendo cover art is ultimate coffee table book for old school gamers

Casey Baseel
Oct 15, 2015

Thanks to modern Internet marketing, it’s unlikely that anyone buys a video game without first having seen multiple gameplay videos of it as various stages of production. Gamers didn’t used to have access to so much information, though. In the 16-bit era, the less developed video game journalism sector meant that only major releases would get spreads in print magazines, and for some niche titles the only available visual preview came on the box itself.

As a result, the cover artwork played a huge role in catching customers’ eyes and conveying the mood and style of the game. Like classic movie posters, the best examples are works of art, and many of them are now being assembled in the upcoming book Super Famicom: The Box Art Collection.

Europe, Global, Japan
(art • books • nintendo • Super Famicom • Super NES • video games)

Hold it! New Ace Attorney game will feature BOTH Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice… again

Evie Nyan
Oct 14, 2015

The Ace Attorney series, known in Japan as “Gyakuten Saiban” (turnabout trial) has established itself as a major player in the interactive visual novel market with five mainstream titles and a variety of cool side-stories and spin-offs like Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

The games, while undeniably Japanese in origin right down to the legal framework, have proved extremely popular in the west thanks to some inventive localisation work which has helped smooth down some of those cultural rough edges. Thus, instead of Ryuichi Naruhodo and Odoroki Hosuke, we’re more familiar with their westernised counterparts Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice. And now the upcoming sixth instalment in the main franchise is set to feature both of these protagonists together in a dual lead role!

Global, Internet, Japan
(Ace Attorney • apollo justice • nintendo • Phoenix Wright • video • video games)

Korean criminals take a page from Metal Gear with cardboard box burglaries 【Video】

Casey Baseel
Oct 14, 2015

After a vague yet indiscreet falling out with video game publisher Konami, it seems likely that Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear franchise, won’t be working at the company for much longer. As one of the most famous and respected names in the industry, though, we’re sure Kojima will be able to find employment at one of Konami’s many rivals who are licking their lips in anticipation of landing such a prized free agent.

However, we’re not so sure about the future financial well-being of the characters Kojima has created. This video seems to suggest that Metal Gear protagonist Snake has resorted to a life of crime, as multiple burglaries have taken place in Korea with the culprit using Snake’s trademark infiltration technique of disguising himself with a cardboard box.

Korea
(crime • funny • Metal Gear • video • video games)

Yo-Kai Watch debuts abroad: characters get name changes but songs retain their epic nature【Video】

KK Miller
Oct 14, 2015

Level-5, the game developer behind hits such as Ni no Kuni, Professor Layton and the mega-popular Yo-Kai Watch, are no strangers to success. They’ve even turned their mega-hit Yo-Kai Watch into an ongoing 90-episode anime series. Since then, the popularity of the show, the game and the characters has really risen, especially Jibanyan, who has surpassed Pikachu in popularity. It was only a matter of time before this huge hit would dip a toe into international waters, and on Disney XD it finally happened.

A TV show about spirits based on Japanese folklore would probably have needed a few adjustments when screened for a Western audience, so we were wondering, what did they decide to name their main character in the English version?

Global
(anime • goods • TV shows • video games • whisper • Yo-Kai Watch)

Hardcore gamer refuses to let game save die, leaves his Super NES on for almost two decades

Preston Phro
Oct 13, 2015

Umihara Kawase was released for the Super Famicom (Super NES in the west) in December, 1994, just over two decades ago. It was a popular game that has spawned a number of sequels for a variety of platforms and has won its fair share of fans, including many who loved the original cartridge game. Unfortunately, some cartridge games from the 90s featured a fatal flaw in their storage: the batteries keeping players’ saves alive eventually dies.

While most gamers finally give up and waved goodbye to their progress, lost to the ravages of time, one hardcore fan has refused to lose his save and has simply left his console plugged in and switched on for the last 20 years!