Tag: Japan - Page 19
News Japan Queues For Gran Turismo 5...
Gran Turismo 5 came out earlier in the week in Japan
There were queues at retailers all around Japan. Apparently this car driving lark is popular around the world. </em>
News The 3rd Birthday To Get PlayStation Network Release In Japan, European Date "Coming Soon"
Square Enix has revealed that their upcoming PlayStation Portable shooter, The 3rd Birthday, will get a PlayStation Network release in Japan
The cheers of the country's 22 PSPgo owners could be heard from outside our office in Birmingham, England. The PSN version of the game will set gamers back ¥4,980, while the retail version will cost ¥6,090...
News The PlayStation 2 Is Still Japan's Most Used Piece Of Hardware
The PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable might be out, but Japanese gamers are still in love with their PS2s
That's according to a CESA survey which polled 1,000 Japanese gamers on the final day of TGS. The survey found that the PS2 is still the most used piece of video game hardware in the country. Sony's ancient system stole 70% of the votes...
News Call Of Duty: Black Ops Gets Censored In Japan
Square Enix -- who are bizarrely handling publishing duties on Call Of Duty: Black Ops in Japan -- have confirmed that certain elements of the localized first-person shooter will be cut in order for the title to see release
This includes Nazi references, as well as a particularly brutal interrogation scene. The game's due worldwide next week. Get...
News Start the Party's Japanese Box Art is Truly Amazing
Check out the other updates
Whilst we Western PlayStation owners sometimes get a raw deal when box art makes the trip from Japan – just ask anyone who picked up an American Ico – it's not always a one-day street, as evidenced by this amazing Start the Party! box art from the Far East. The remainder of Move software fares significantly better,...
News PlayStation Move Off to a Good Start in Japan
Four titles in top 20
PlayStation Move launched in Japan a week ago, with some encouraging performances from launch titles. The Japanese chart from the 18th to 24th of October put the PS3 2,000 units down on the previous week, shifting 20,128 across the seven day period, but Move software fared well overall. Beat Sketcher reached the heady heights...
News Ex-Street Fighter Producer Working On New PlayStation Move Title
Ex-Street Fighter producer Noritaka Funamizu has revealed to Famitsu that he's working with Sony's new magic wand, the PlayStation Move
The producer, who worked on most of Street Fighter's 2D releases, didn't drop too many details, but did have high praise for the Move controller. Im actually working on a PS Move game at the moment, he told...
News Making Move Work was Harder than Expected, says Designer
Getting controller in under budget proved tricky
It's not surprising to hear that PlayStation Move went through countless revisions before Sony settled on the design we all hold in our hands today: budget constraints, technical demands and more all contributed to Move's final form. Designer Yoshio Miyazaki, one of Sony's chief designers on the...
News Catherine Delayed Into The New Year In Japan
Catherine was set to hit Japan before Christmas, but Atlus has just announced that the bizarre title is set to be delayed until February 17th
It's hard to be too disappointed by this news (seeing as Catherine doesn't even have a Western release), but we assume some folks in Japan are crying over the lack of sheep-people this Winter. Still, at least...
News Sony Warns Torne Users that Move May Cause Issues
Video recorder has problems
Out in Japan, Sony's Torne video recorder attachment for PS3 has been quite a hit, shifting 500,000 units over the past six months. More advanced than the PlayTV accessory seen in the West, it's about to encounter a major snag, however: PlayStation Move. Sony Japan has issued a statement to warn Torne users that using...
News Yakuza: Of The End Is Almost Certainly Going To Be The Best Video Game Ever Made
We're just sayin'
</em> Yakuza: Of The End - front-runner for game of the forever? We think so.
News Shenmue Sound Designer "Certain" Suzuki Wanted To Bring The Franchise To PlayStation 3
Chalk up the heartbreak, cry a few tears and get over it
Ex-Shenmue sound designer Osamu Murata has claimed he's "certain" Shenmue's creator, Yu Suzuki, wanted to bring the franchise to PlayStation 3 or XBOX 360. Murata's comments followed last week's announcement that the Shenmue franchise was to return on the Japan-only social network...
News Talk About Soon? Valkyria Chronicles 3 Demo Drops Next Month...
It was only mere weeks ago we were demanding the next edition of Valkyria Chronicles come to PlayStation 3
As it happens, Valkyria Chronicles 3 was announced for the PlayStation Portable. People were upset. We're assuming they've got over it now. This week's Famitsu reveals that a demo for Valkyria Chronicles 3 will release on the PlayStation St
News Japan, How Would You Like Another PlayStation 3 SKU?
There's no shortage of PlayStation 3 variants in Japan
The system is already available with different hard-drive sizes in a trio of alternative colours. Now SCEJ has decided to add one more bundle to the PS3's roster. Due out for ¥39,980 ($480) on November 18th, the latest PS3 bundle throws in Sony's popular Torne TV tuner. The DVR's been a big...
News What If You Attached The PSPgo To A DualShock 3 Controller?
The PSPgo allows you to hook up a DualShock 3 controller via Bluetooth and play your handheld games with the added comfort of a traditional controller
Not many people use this functionality because it would be, well, weird. Could you imagine propping your PSPgo up on your lap while playing Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker with the DualShock 3? Nah, us...
News Heavy Rain Scoops Game Designer's Award at Japanese Ceremony
Quantic Dream honoured
The patch to update Heavy Rain with Move controls should be let loose tomorrow, but Japanese body the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association awarded the DualShock 3-enabled version its Game Designer's Award at a recent ceremony. It praised the game's unique sense of storytelling as well as its emphasis on performing...
News Japanese PlayStation 3 Hardware Sales Surpass The Nintendo Wii For 2010
According to the number crunching monkeys at VG247, Sony's PlayStation 3 has passed the Nintendo Wii's hardware sales for 2010
After this week's MediaCreate report the PlayStation 3 had moved 1,017,094 units for the year-to-date, while the Wii's managed just 1,015,513. It actually puts the Nintendo Wii in a shaky position, as the XBOX 360 is poised...
News Inafune: Japanese Developers Are Making "Awful Games"
Dayumm, Capcom's gaffer Keiji Inafune does not hold back when it comes to the Japanese games industry
In fact, he thinks his fellow countrymen are making "awful games". "I look around Tokyo Games Show, and everyone's making awful games; Japan is at least five years behind [the West]," the Mega Man and Dead Rising creator told...
News TGS 10: Colonel Sanders Is Totally In Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity
Japan is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first KFC opening with a SEGA collaboration
Colonel Sanders will show up in Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity, as will other Yum! Brands fast-food outlets. There'll be Pizza Hut box shields and much more. If you think about it, it's kinda neat.
News TGS 10: This Two-Tone PlayStation Portable Is Pretty Awesome
Who cares if developers are already messing around with the PSP2? There are still plenty of original PlayStation Portable games out there; with a few excellent ones still to come
If you're still lagging behind the curve, and are yet to buy a PSP, perhaps you should consider one of these new Japanese models. The blue-and-white two-tone PSP 3000 might...
News Call Of Duty: Black Ops Gets Body Parts Cut In Japan
In Japan, you will not see parts of human beings been blown apart in Call Of Duty: Black Ops
That's because the game's been issued a CERO Z rating (think adults rating) with the "brutal or grotesque portrayal" of limbs removed. Boom. That's the end of that. Of course Japanese lurkers, it's worth noting that the PlayStation 3 is region...
News Don't Expect Motion-Controlled Castlevania on Move
Move cannot do whips or other objects
Move is a versatile piece of kit, with titles lined up that turn the plastic into everything from a beam katana to a lasso, but it seems it has its limitations. Sony recently held a press conference in Japan to explain the controller in more depth, detailing its ability to portray pens, torches, nets and...
News Tokyo Jungle For The PlayStation 3 Sounds Proper Bizarre
The latest game to be born out of Sony's "PlayStation CAMP" initiative is Tokyo Jungle; a bizarre little PlayStation 3 title which sees a futuristic Japan overrun with animals
The game's Story Mode puts players in control of various different animals, including race horses and pets. In these missions you'll discover what happened to make the...
News Sony Make No Mention Of The Last Guardian In Their TGS Line-Up
Despite Team Ico's The Last Guardian being promised for Tokyo Game Show by honcho Fumito Ueda himself, the game's looking more and more like it's going to be a no-show
Well, certainly in playable form anyway. While Sony might well be keeping their biggest release close to their chest — the game's not been mentioned on their TGS line-up. That would...
News It's Bank Holiday Monday, Let's Check Out Yakuza On PSP
Made2Game's just dropped word that SEGA and Japanese site 4Gamer
net</a> have teamed up to release a demo of the upcoming Yakuza title on PSP — Black Panther: New Yakuza Chapter. The demo's all in Japanese and weighs in at minor 200mb (though the site appears to be smashed at the moment, we're only getting a couple of kbps). Still, we'll be...
News Catherine's Not Getting Any Less Bonkers (Nor Suggestive)
This Japanese promotional poster for Atlus' new title, Catherine, says it all really
Check out the trailer for sex and sheep.Kotaku]</em> [via
News That New Atlus Game, Catherine, Is WEIRD!
We thought the concept art that dropped out of this week's Famitsu for Atlus' new PS3 project, Catherine, looked a bit strange
But nothing prepared us for the game's debut trailer. In it, protagonist Vincent wanders through a darkened room surrounded by sheep. Then has sex. Then sees dead bodies. Then has more sex... It's also not safe for work...
News Japan Celebrates Gran Turismo 5 With Titanium Blue PS3 Bundle
Japan seriously gets all the fun
They already have white PlayStation 3s, and now, to celebrate the November 3rd release of Gran Turismo 5 in Japan, they're set to get a "Titanium Blue" console too. The Gran Turismo 5 Racers Pack includes a 160GB blue PS3 Slim and a LE edition of the game for ¥35,980 ($421). The limited edition of the game...
News Yakuza PSP Comes With A Cool Shaving Razor... No, Really, It Does!
If you're lucky enough to understand Japanese, you're probably going to be wanting the upcoming PSP Yakuza title, Black Panter: New Yakuza Chapter
If you're picking it up, make sure you buy it from Bic Camera. They're giving away Yakuza branded razors with the game. Doesn't really get much cooler than that now does it?
It's getting boring: we know you're bored of it too
We're sick of writing about it. How can we keep finding new headlines to say - "Yo, the PSP is the best individual platform in Japan this week". What's more, it's not just the order of the systems that never changes on a week-by-week basis — it's the sales numbers too. The PS3 always...
News The Mighty PlayStation 3 Vs. The Humble Green Onion
This bizarre Japanese advertisement depicts an argument between the PlayStation 3 and green onion (stay with us)
The PlayStation 3 points out that it can do 3D, has motion control functionality and is a high-definition video games system. But the green onion argues that it can be used in a number of delicious dishes. We'll call it a tie.
News Nikkei: Sony To Post Quarterly Profit, Stunning Year On Year Turnaround
Japanese business index, Nikkei, are reporting this morning that Sony are to post an operating profit of 10 to 30 billion yen over the period April through June
It's a dramatic turn-around for the company, who posted a loss of 25.7 billion yen over the same period last year. Nikkei cites strong sales in China, strong performance of new SLR camera...
News Japanese Hardware Sales: PSP Still The Leading System
Technically - because there are about 50gajillion different iterations of the DS platform - it's another Nintendo win on the Japanese hardware charts this week
But the PSP's still faring well against the Nintendo juggernaut, with the Sony portable hitting the top spot in the individual hardware SKU breakdown. Elsewhere, the PlayStation 3 had to...
News Kojima: "The Younger Generation Of Japan Is Losing"
Hideo Kojima has revealed that he believes Japan are in a "losing" battle due to the recent boom of Western games development
The Metal Gear man said that he feels the younger generation of Japanese game developers have lost their motivation. He came to conclusion after watching a TV documentary about foreign exchange students who were passionate...
News Japan, Here's Your PlayStation Move Launch Line-Up
Sony's finally dropped a bomb of details regarding the Japanese launch of the PlayStation Move controller
As was already announced, the controller will arrive in Japan for ¥3,980 ($45), with additional Navigation Controllers selling for ¥2,980 ($34). Sony will also be releasing a Starter Kit Bundle which includes the PlayStation Eye, a PlayStation...
News Japan Moderately Interested In Upgrading To 3D According To Survey
Sony loves 3D
They're pushing it so hard it's almost startling. They've made a bet on this technology, and they're determined to lead with it. While other electronics manufacturers are pushing the tech too, nobody is pushing it quite as hard as Sony. There is risked attached — 3D is clearly in its infancy and Sony are aware of that. But there has...
News Media Create Puts Weekly PlayStation Hardware Second & Third
A revised piece of hardware and a Monster Hunter exclusive saw XBOX 360 sales rise 800% in Japan this week
.. And still fall 2,000 units short of the PlayStation 3 which shifted a comfortable 19k units. The PSP managed a few more, with 23k sold. Sadly it lost out to the Nintendo DS' price-cuts and perve software. Never change Japan. The PSPgo was...
News Surprise: Sony Confirm They'll Be Showing Stuff At TGS
E3's only just finished, GamesCom's on the horizon and then
.. Well, then there's TGS. A partial list of Tokyo Game Show exhibitors has been released, including plenty of familiar faces. SEGA, Square Enix, Capcom, Konami; they'll all be there. As will Sony. Over 138 companies are currently confirmed for the show, with that number certain to rise as...
News Earth-Shattering News: There's Another Yakuza Game In The Works (Honestly!)
We love the Yakuza franchise
Love it. It's consistently brilliant. But with a PSP Yakuza title in the works, we had hoped SEGA would take a break from their annual release schedule and take a bit longer with the next home-console entry in the franchise. They're not — there's a new Yakuza game in development right now for the PlayStation 3. Talk...
News White Knight Chronicles Heads To The PlayStation Portable
The latest issue of Famitsu magazine has revealed that White Knight Chronicles is making its way to the PlayStation Portable
Going by the game's title - White Knight Chronicles: New Project - we're assuming its progress is pretty early. No other details were given. The same issue's also the PS3's White Knight Chronicles 2 a 33/40. That's out in...
News Sony Celebrates PSN Milestone With Sugary Treats, Yum
SCEJ has reached a milestone
There are now five-million PSN accounts in the Japanese wilderness. To celebrate, Sony's sent their publishing partners some commemorative sweets. These edible hard-candies are decorated with PlayStation controllers and PSPs. They were snapped by Shinji Hashimoto, the producer of Front Mission Evolved. Can we have some?
News PlayStation Move Is Cheapy-Cheap In Japan, For Reals
In America you can get a PlayStation Move Starter Kit (that's a Move controller, PlayStation Eye and copy of Sports Champions) for $99
99. In the UK, the same starter kit without Sports Champions is £59.99 (or £49.99 if you do a bit of shopping). In Japan though, the Starter Kit costs just $67 (5,980 yen). You get the same kit as the US version,...
News Ni No Kuni On PlayStation 3 Is Eye-Wateringly Pretty
We dropped the first details of Ni No Kuni just yesterday
The game, which is also coming to the Nintendo DS, is the fruits of a colaboration between anime house, Studio Ghibli, and Professor Layton developers, Level 5. As of yesterday, we could only confirm that the game was coming to the PlayStation 3. Now we have screenshots, of which there are a...
News PlayStation Move Hits The Japanese Wilderness
Sony's put the PlayStation Move in front of Japanese gamers for the first time this Summer at the World Hobby Fair
Sony were offering live demos of both Eye Pet and Machi Suberi (which we know as Slider). Sony also had the full range of Move hardware on display, including the awesome PlayStation Move zapper and charging station. Other titles such as...
News Playstation 3 Firmware Update Brings Three-Dee On June 10th
Sony's announced over-night in Japan that, hey, 3D is coming to your Playstation 3
It's coming June 10th to be precise, alongside a slew of updated content. Games supporting the service out of the gates include PAIN, Wipeout HD and Super Stardust HD, the former of which we posted about yesterday. PAIN will require a ¥300 update in Japan, which we...
News Japanese Hardware Sales Stay Static
Hey valued reader, would you like to play a game? It's called "What came first and second in the Japanese hardware sales this week?" Here's a big clue - look through our archives and you'll note it never changes
So yes, valued reader, you're correct. The PSP was in first, the PS3 second. And right at the bottom? Yup the PS2 and PSPgo. Everything...
News Wild Arms Developer Working On New Playstation 3/Playstation Portable Game
Media Vision, whom are best known for the Wild Arms franchise, are working on a new Playstation 3/Playstation Portable game
That's according to a job listing which notes the project is still early in production, and is expected to be a massive project that will span a long term". Interestingly, the job listing also notes that the game will have...
News Japanese Hardware Charts Look The Same As They Always Look
We used to look forward to sharing all the interesting anecdotes pertaining to Japan's shifting hardware charts
No more. Sony's been doing the ol' weekly one-two with the PSP and PS3 for months now. What's worse, is that the numbers rarely change either. PSP always sells 28k a week. PS3 always sells 25k a week. Feel free to skip this post if you...
News Sony Offers PS3 Hard-Drive Upgrade Service In Japan
It's pretty easy to upgrade your PS3's hard-drive
Honestly, it was designed that way. But if you're frightened about messing with electronics yourself, and you want someone within Sony to handle the pressure - then you can. But only in Japan. For the costly price of ¥18,000 (~$184), Japanese players will be able to send their PS3 directly to Sony...
News Guess What? The PSP's Still Top Of The Japanese Hardware Charts! Uh-huh.
You probably think we recycle this post each week, but the truth is, while people are quick to brand the PSP a failure, that system just keeps on chugging
In fact, it may only be in Japan, but Sony's consistently holding a one-two over the competition with PSP and PS3 constantly passing the 25k units sold. Even the PS2's still chugging with around...