The Kojima Productions has definitely been ‘up to’ something, as can be seen here. The link from my previous article was basically the E3 special site. And rumours proved correct, this time.
FFseries continues on with the announcement of FF XIV.
What was known pre-E3 as Trico now has an official title: The Last Guardian. According to famitsu, Fumito Ueda told their journalist that they wanted to give the fans another source of joy to their lives.
Blood of Bahamut, comes out on 6th August in Japan. The soundtrack is due out on 12th August. An exclusive in-game code is to be attached to the CD, but what that in-game item might be, there has been no word.
A fan-made game trailer of Mega Man can be found here. Kind of like Paper Mario.
Didn’t quite realise how long it really has been. I did intentionally distance myself from this blog for a while due to my needing a break – well you try house-hunting online for hours and hours (even so, my WoW hours were pretty regular, showing how addictive and good that game really is). Hopefully, now that’s over and done with, I can get back to my usual gaming/writing care-free self.
This is the newest promo vid for Monster Hunter 3, coming out on Wii (7,340yen) on 1st August.
Here’s Kojima Productions’ site… and it has this on it. Rumours are rife as to what this teaser site is for. Some fans hope it’ll be the next MGS title.
Here’s a video of 豆うつし (lit. Bean-flick). Kind of something a salaryman would do after work, drinking at a ‘nomiya’ (a pub-like establishment), getting steadily drunk and resorting to some puerile activity. I can almost see my dad doing this and getting competitive about it. Well, it’s available on the iPhone, so getting drunk with your boss isn’t a necessity.
Appliya’s Evangelion vol.5 is out now for $1.99 from the iTunes app store. Follow the link to check out the screenshots and details.
NINJA GAIDEN Σ2 will be released this autumn on PS3, it’s been announced. To enter the site, click はい(one on left). It may take some time to load (I gave up after entering – 5mins is a long time!).
DSi sales have surpassed the 2million mark within Japan, as of 22nd March (5months since launch). There are a wide range of games available over there, and not all are meant for children and non-gamers, like in this country…which probably help to keep Nintendo’s popularity afloat, even amongst hard-core gamers.
空気読み｡DS will be released this spring for 500DSi points. It was so popular as a mobile game that it’s going to be ported to the DS. 空気を読む literally translates to ‘Read the air’ – as in understanding the undercurrents of a situation and act accordingly. In the screenshots, you’re the red guy. Answer 100questions to see how well you can act in social situations. Of course, this is based on Japanese cultural and social situations, but it’s an interesting experiment of sorts, I think. It’s based on a concept that’s very Japanese, and probably would not work elsewhere.
For those of you who are Japanophiles, check out BBCFour on Monday night to get to grips with what Japanese life is about. Mind, the journalist following the ‘Japanese obsession with fish’ (aired a few nights ago) had preconceptions which he did not get rid of. I found him a very condescending sceptic of my culture – very offensive. If only Bruce Parry or Ray Mears can go around Japan – that would make better watching.
Appliya has announced it’s upgraded its features for their sound camera series. Now those constantly moving pets might just be photoed without blurs. Perfect for these.
In other news, Ys Online ～The Call of Solum～ is to be released as a MMORPG sometime this spring, due to its popularity on other platforms.
The most colours sold on the DS series has been confirmed as Crystal White(DSL), with Ice Blue(DSL) and Platinum Silver (DS) following. My Ice Blue, through much use has become quite worn and when ’shut’ can sometimes switch itself off… time to upgrade soon I think.
Reishi Matsumoto is known for classics such as Galaxy Express 999 and his collaboration with Daft Punk. His latest series, Out of Galaxy: Koshika will be available on WiiWare as of 14th next month, for 500points (200points for other instalments). And surprisingly, they’ve done some ‘localization’ apparently for English speakers, so will be available in two languages.
The Professor Layton series came to an end last November, or so it seemed. The series is to get another lease of life in another trilogy, starting autumn this year. A bit like Star Wars, this set of three is to be a prequel, so the story begins with the meeting of Layton and Luke. Here’s some screenshots, courtesy of famitsu. And some screenshots from Oboro Muramasa too (out 9th April in Japan).
DS (original through to the new DSi) worldwide numbers are now past the 100million mark – it took 4years and 3months, apparently. Even the GB series took 11years 2months to reach that (currently at 180million worldwide), of which GBA is 81million.
For the Gundam geek, this news has got to be pretty cool: 18m high Gundam (RX-78-2) to be built (by Bandai Namco) at Odaiba in Tokyo, to be seen for 2months from early July. This year’s the popular series’ 30th anniversary, so other events are being planned. Now let’s hope for their sake that it’s going to be fairly secure and that there are no big earthquakes – Odaiba is built on reclaimed land.
Just to round up, check these out. From 16th this month, Uniqlo will be selling T-shirts that embody Japanese classics (games, of course). Over 20 titles are to be released between April and June. Wonder if Uniqlo branches here will be selling them too.
Check out the screenshots for FF VII Advent Children Complete. Coming out 16th April for varying prices. One set has “Cloud Black”HDD 160GB PS3 and FF XIII Trial version too… of course costing approx. £365, as opposed to £36 normally. Kingdom Hearts 358/2Days will be out 30th May on the DS, and scroll to the bottom of this page, you’ll see a lovely limited edition DSi (£182).
Space Invader piggy bank. Fully playable, apparently, weighing in at 330g (including 3 AA batteries). Approx. £42, out 26th March. A nice idea and all, but think about the strain on your eyes!
Just got this through from the kind folks at Appliya: Evangelion vol.1. For only $1.99 you can frame photos of you and your friends into scenes from the movie.
MGS4 is also making a move into iPhone app territory.
Gametech has made PSP metal covers, as seen here. Perhaps not to be outdone, Nintendo has announced 3 new colour additions to their DSi range (as of 20th March), as seen here. On that press release, it also says DSi will be available first in Oceania (2nd April), Europe (3rd April) and North America (4th April). Available colours will be Black and Blue for the latter, Black and White for former. Actually it’s about time – my poor DS is on its last legs, turning off randomly when closing the lid.
Star Ocean 4 has done well in its first week of sale (166,000+) making it one of the most popular Xbox Japan titles (the highest number sold is still Blue Dragon but that has been out sometime).
Hello Kitty fans rejoice. There’s a PSP game titled ハローキティのハッピーアクセサリー (Hello Kitty’s Happy Accesory), out 28th May. ‘Clear mini-games to colour your PSP Hello Kitty style’, apparently. Scary?
Talking of scary, check this out. It’s one of a range of ’spy gadgets’ – a watch that records videos (comes with 4GB memory). Apparently one of the items that detectives and lawyers sometimes use. Why scary? Think weirdos on trains and under bridges having more gadgets at their disposal for their amusement, on top of what’s already out on the market!
It’s not all bad though. Sanmon (need FlashPlayer 9) has made a mobile game based on that infamous snoring politician (the one that slept at the G7 meeting the other week, who has since resigned). See the screenshots here.
Just got the press release from the guys behing the Evangelion iPhone app. In the email itself there’s a synopsis (for those not familiar with it):
“After a catastrophic event called the Second Impact, the Earthâ�™s
population was halved. All that remains of Japan is Tokyo-3, a city that is
constantly attacked by giant creatures that seek to eradicate the human race,
called Angels. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is summoned by his estranged
father to urgently come to the headquarters of NERV, a military organization
that deals with the destruction of the Angels through the use of giant cyborgs
called Evas. Shinji’s objective is to pilot the Eva Unit 01, while teaming up
with the Eva Unit 00 pilot, Rei Ayanami, and Eva Unit 02 pilot Asuka Langley
Soryu. Together, these three teenagers will battle the Angels, and decide the
fate of the world.”
The guys behind it, “Appliya specializes in the production and publishing of iPhone and iPod Touch
applications. The company has recently partnered with Japanese mobile industry
giant Softbank Mobile Corp. to bring the unique elements of Japanese culture to
an international audience through mobile applications. Their efforts include
exclusive licensing deals with major anime and manga producers. Appliya will
also have collaborations with Japanese artists and photographers, Haraju-ku
fashion related applications, Akihabara otaku related apps, and other
applications focused on more traditional aspects of Japanese culture.”
They have released 2 products so far (on the iTunes Store): no.2 – Clock, no.3 – picture stamp. (No no.1 in evidence.) Check out their Evangelion page for more info.