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10 things Japan does better than anywhere else, according to the international community

Casey Baseel
Jun 5, 2014
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Advertising agency Dentsu recently released the results of its annual Japan Brand Survey, in which it asks people from around the world for their opinion on the country. This year’s study involved 3,600 men and women living in 17 different countries, whose responses were used to compile a list of 10 things they feel Japan does better than anywhere else in the world.

Global, Japan
(anime • culture • food • technology • video games)

North Korea “invents” performance-enhancing drink from mushrooms, Nintendo lawyers remain silent

Mike
Jun 3, 2014

In North Korea‘s latest desperate attempt for attention from the rest of the civilized world, the dictatorship – perhaps tired of tossing missiles around for now – bragged through state media that its scientists have discovered a way to extract enzymes from a certain mushroom grown in the region to create a miracle super drink that makes athletes better, faster and stronger.

North Korea
(funny • mushroom • North Korea • science • video games)

Sturdy enough to survive a bomb and 9 other facts about the Game Boy【Video】

Scott R Dixon
Jun 3, 2014

Approximately 25 years ago the world was blessed with the Game Boy and the ability to play Tetris practically anywhere. And while video game technology has far surpassed the loveable green-and-black display (though Twitter is still fair game), it’s hard not to hold a soft spot in your heart for the humble Game Boy. To celebrate this quarter century-old game system, the trivia masters at DYKGaming/Normal Boots put out a video recently highlighting some pretty interesting facts about the Game Boy. Click below to read 10 Game Boy facts and watch the video about the origins of the portable machine, its creator and how much a gold-plated Game Boy costs!

Global, Japan
(Game Boy • gulf war • nintendo • Trivia • video games)

Getting married? Love video games? Why not hold your wedding at this Tokyo video arcade!

Kay
Jun 2, 2014

Now, I’m sure that to most people, weddings are a big deal. And finding the right venue is surely one of the most important steps in planning a wedding. What, then, would be your ideal wedding location? You may say Disneyland, or if you’re a train fan, maybe a ceremony on the JR Yamanote Line is what you would call the wedding of your dreams.

Well, if anyone out there thinks a video game arcade is the perfect wedding venue for them, then there’s an arcade in central Tokyo that could actually make your dream come true!

Japan
(arcade • Mikado • Takadanobaba • video games • Wedding)

Love sushi? Now you can date it, with this romance simulator available in English!

Casey Baseel
May 31, 2014

Since most sushi is served raw, the flavor can vary wildly depending on the freshness of the fish and even the season in which you eat it. Granted, most of what’s available in Japan is reasonably tasty, but when all the factors line up just right, the mix of surprise, joy, and satisfaction that come from popping a really good piece of sushi into your mouth can be a borderline emotional experience, almost like falling in love.

If you’re a sushi-loving lady looking to take your relationship with the dish to an even deeper level, there’s now a dating simulator that lets you romance handsome anthropomorphized pieces of sushi.

Japan
(anime • food • romance • sushi • video games • weird)

We’re going to E3! What do you want to see?

ロケットニュース24
May 31, 2014

The E3 video games trade event is coming up in less than two weeks and we’re sending a crew out to give you an up-close look! There will be an enormous amount on show this year, but what we really want to know is what YOU want to hear more about. Take our poll and tell us what you’d like to see at this year’s E3!

Internet, USA
(computer games • E3 • expo • video games)

Super Mercedes Brothers! Mario teams up with Benz for new ad, game content 【Video】

Casey Baseel
May 30, 2014

Isn’t it a little weird that whenever Princess Peach gets kidnapped, and ostensibly needs to be rescued as soon as possible, Mario literally runs off to save her? Why is it that when time is of the essence, Nintendo’s greatest hero insists on doing the job on foot? After all, it’s not like he can’t drive, since there are now eight titles in the Mario Kart racing series.

Really, it’s about time Mario got himself some motorized transportation, and a star of his caliber needs a suitably prestigious ride. Something like a new Mercedes-Benz GLA, perhaps.

Japan
(cars • cool • funny • Mario • Mercedes-Benz • nintendo • video games)

Five video games that will never, ever get made (but totally should)

Philip Kendall
May 29, 2014

The E3 video game trade show is now just a couple of weeks away, and gamers the world over are getting excited. Will Rockstar Games come clean about its next project? Will Sony announce a launch date and pricing info for its new streaming service? Will the guys from Valve surprise us all by walking on stage, saying: “Episode 3. November 1,” and dropping the mic? Maybe not, but it’s fun to dream, right?

Sure, we all want to hear news of the games that have been teased over the past few months, but wouldn’t it be fun if a few more games came completely out of left field and blew us all away? With that in mind, we set our creative minds to work and came up with five video games that we wish existed, but are quite sure – perhaps for good reason – will never, ever happen.

Global
(eikaiwa • Salaryman • Super Mario • The Life and Times of Tim • video games • wishlist)

Pikachu soccer jersey lets you represent as a lover of both sports and Pokémon

Casey Baseel
May 29, 2014

In Japan, the national sports teams are officially known as the Nihon Daihyou, literally the Japanese Representatives. And while it’s true that the Japanese soccer team will be getting eve more attention than usual as it competes in the World Cup in Brazil, one could argue that Japan’s pop cultural icons, more so than its athletes, are the most prominent representatives of the country internationally.

Or, you could sidestep the debate by combing the too with a Pokémon soccer jersey.

Japan
(cute • fashion • nintendo • Pokemon • sports • video games)

Newsflash: Microsoft announces Xbox One release date, price for Japan

Philip Kendall
May 27, 2014

Despite underwhelming sales of its previous games consoles in Japan, Microsoft Corporation has remained true to its promise of bringing Xbox One to the Land of the Rising Sun, and has today announced an official release date and price point.

Japan
(Japan release date • Microsoft • technology • video games • Xbox One)

Nintendo tweets out ad for Sony’s PS Vita: jealous workers or inside job?

Scott R Dixon
May 27, 2014

Despite having the full faith of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Nintendo has had some rough years recently with video game fans turning away from the company’s latest home console. So when Nintendo of Europe tweeted out a promo video for Sony’s handheld PS Vita last week, netizens wondered if this was just a mistake or part of a larger, more sinister plan for the video game industry.

Was the tweet promoting the PS Vita just a Freudian slip by a Nintendo employee or was it the result of some nefarious hacker’s work? Click below to read some fan theories about how this “Nintendon’t” made its way to the company’s official Twitter account!

Japan
(3DS • business • mistake • nintendo • PS Vita • Sony • twitter • video games • Wii U)

It’s official! The Sony PlayStation is coming to China

Michelle Lynn Dinh
May 27, 2014

All the rumors are true! Sony has just announced a partnership with Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group to produce and sell PlayStation consoles in China. There have been plenty of knock-offs floating around on the grey market, but this new partnership with Sony marks the first time in 14 years China will allow the sale of consoles.

China
(ban • console • playstation • Sony • video games)

Test your nerdy knowledge with these Nintendo facts

Philip Kendall
May 23, 2014

Think you know your Nintendo? Our pals over at BuzzFeed have just released one of their famous “BuzzFeed Pop” videos which reveals a whole host of little-known facts about the House of Mario.

Join us after the jump to test your knowledge and find out how much of your life you’re wasting indoors.

Global
(BuzzFeed • facts • Mario • nintendo • SNES • video games)

This is probably the best acoustic Super Mario Bros. cover ever 【Video】

Philip Kendall
May 21, 2014

The Super Mario Bros. theme, also known as the “ground theme,” “overworld theme,” or perhaps just “da-da-da-dada-da-da!” is arguably the most well-known piece of video game music in the world. First recorded for the NES game in 1985 by Nintendo’s in-house musician Koji Kondo, the track was designed to fit the action and pacing of the platformer, and added a light, whimsical accompaniment to gameplay that might otherwise have felt entirely different without it.

Thousands of people have attempted to tweak and cover this iconic track over the years, tackling it with a variety of instruments. More often than not, the result is the same – a great track is a great track regardless of the person playing it, after all – but occasionally someone with real talent comes along and blow us all away with a rendition that we almost wish Nintendo would include in their next Mario adventure.

Russian guitarist Igor Presnyakov’s cover of the overworld theme is one such rendition.

Global
(Igor Presnyakov • music • soundtrack • Super Mario Bros. • video games)

Newsflash: Wii U Zelda hack ‘n’ slasher Hyrule Warriors arriving in Japan on August 14

Philip Kendall
May 21, 2014

It may not be the Zelda game that fans of the series are truly craving, but Dynasty Warriors-inspired hack and slasher Hyrule Warriors, or Zelda: Musō (“unparalleled”) in Japan, will reportedly be hitting Japanese shelves on August 14.

Japan
(Hyrule Warriors • nintendo • release date • video games • Zelda)

Put away your textbooks, kids – the key to learning Japanese is Minecraft

Philip Kendall
May 20, 2014

We’ve talked countless times about how to learn Japanese. Heck, we’ve even brought you lists of essential applications and resources to help you in your quest to master the language. But we’ve always maintained that the best way to learn Japanese, or any language for that matter, is to make practical use of it and make it relevant to your own life.

And what better way to use your newly acquired Japanese than making friends all over the world while avoiding being crushed to death by spiked ceilings or knocked into a bottomless pit?

Global
(education • Japanese • Kotoba Miners • language • learning • Mincecraft • video games)

Smartphone game’s virtual tour of Japan lets you win real-world watermelons

Casey Baseel
May 20, 2014

As someone who grew up playing video games that let you throw fireballs, suplex trains, and slay dragons, I’m a little confused by the appeal of some of today’s simple, low-key smartphone games. In particular, any game where you run around having to harvest food baffles me, since I always assumed the best part of farming and agricultural distribution was actually getting to eat something when it was all done.

Thankfully, the makers of the upcoming title Gochipon seem to agree with me, and are rewarding the best players with honest-to-goodness fruit.

Japan
(food • freebies • Smartphones • video games)

The trials and tribulations of Japanese lefties

Casey Baseel
May 19, 2014

I was born a lefty, but apparently somewhere along the way I decided that there must be something to this right-handedness thing, since 90 percent of the world was doing it. I made the switch to using my right hand for most things around the time I started kindergarten, and ever since, the unusual transition has been my go to excuse for never excelling at sports that favor precise dexterity over running into people as hard as you can.

Had I stuck with the cards life had dealt me, though, my daily life might have been different in a number of ways, as shown by this list of troubles left-handed people in Japan run into.

Japan
(culture • food • Japanese language • left-handed • lefty • video games)

The official Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist trailer just made our day【Video】

KK Miller
May 19, 2014

We bring good news and bad news. Remember back in February when we brought you a collection of gorgeous Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist production stills? Well, Machinima, Assassin’s Fist Limited, and Capcom U.S.A. have stepped it up with an official trailer and release date, and the trailer is as awesome as we hoped it would be.

The bad news is, the release date isn’t until May 23! That’s…too many sleeps away!

Global
(Assassin's Fist • cool • Machinima • martial arts • Street Fighter • video games • YouTube)

Nissan’s endurance racing team combines PlayStation training, hybrid power, crazy design

Casey Baseel
May 19, 2014

Most if the time, video games and sports cars are two of the more trivial things in life. That said, sometimes it’s those non-productive luxuries that give us the recharge we need to be industrious in our daily grind. Some people draw energy and inspiration from an afternoon spent with a good book or favorite album, others get it from a few hours working a PS4 controller or rowing through a crisp-shifting gearbox.

Competitive gaming and motorsports are getting another boost in legitimacy this summer, as the first has led to a job for some talented virtual racers, and their team’s car is helping pave the way for cleaner, more efficient engines.