Japan Gaming Guide

An enterprising seller on Yahoo Auctions decided to put this cute little guy on the market. It seems like the recent Pokemon Platinum has whetted a few appetites, since the closing price for the wee beastie was over 900 billion dollars. That seems a little steep to us, although we’re not sure if it was the Pikachu or simply a Pikachu. That would make all the difference.

Mind you, even super rich Nintendo boss Yamauchi san couldn’t afford to pay that.

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A shrine near Akihabar, Tokyo is offering a blessing service for computers. Shinto priests perform cleansing ceremonies on laptops and other hardware. The blessing offer protection against hard drive failures and other problems. Maybe Xbox 360 owners worried about the dreaded red ring could pay these guys a visit next time they’re in Tokyo?

[Read, via Xorsyst]

Tecmo have rejected a takeover bid from Square Enix for a reported $200 million. Instead they have opened merger talks with Koei. In a joint statement the companies said the proposed merger would allow them to retain their talented employees and maintain and develop their brands.

Employee retention has proved difficult for Tecmo of late following the controversial departure of Team Ninja boss Tomonobu Itagaki in July. Cash-flow is less of a problem with 12 billion yen in sales last year. Koei are looking even better with 29 billion yen in sales for the same period.

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Streetfighter 4 has been out for a few weeks now in Japanese Arcades, so the hardcore players will have got to grips with the subtleties of the new game. Soon they’ll get a chance to prove their skills as Capcom have announced a nationwide tournament.

Heats will take place in arcades across Japan from November 1st to December 7th. There are participation prizes for everybody, but standards are sure to be high, so best get practicing if you want to be in with a chance of reaching the finals in Tokyo.

[Read, via Kotaku]

EngRish Games went to the Comiket 74 show in Tokyo. The comic festival includes a small indie game section. They sold all their games so well done to them!

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So what’s coming out in August?

Xbox 360
7th – Tales of Vesperia
26th – Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
28th – Too Human
31st – Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

PS3
5th – Monster Madness: Grave Danger
26th – Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
28th – Afrika
31st – Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

Wii
19th – Rebel Raiders: Operation Nighthawk

DS
1st – Grid
7th – Fire Emblem: New Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light
7th – Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
19th – Commando: Steel Disaster
28th – Hanshin Tigers DS

PSP
5th – B-Boy
12th – N+

sources:
GameSpark
GoNintendo
Eurogamer

Here’s a big list of onomatopoeia used in anime and videogames. Very useful – especially as some of this stuff won’t be found in a regular dictionary. This site isn’t safe for work (unless you work in a maid cafe).

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Schoolkids in a Tokyo school got hit with the lucky stick recently. The Nintendo DS is being used to teach them English in classes. The whole thing is part of a trial by Nintendo – participating schools get 40 free DS consoles and English training software.

English teaching is a bit patchy in Japanese schools, it’s not uncommon to have teachers with little practical experience of using the language backed up by the occasional foreign kid on a gap year. Anything that gives them a little variety is bound to be an improvement.

The kids say they love it, but teachers have understandably mixed feelings. We think it’s great, there’s loads of potential for using games in schools, and if English teachers can be consigned to the wicked dustbin of history then hurrah!

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Rainy season is in full swing – so why walk to the shops when you can download these:

Famicom (500 points)

Chack ‘n Pop
Donkey Kong 3

Super Famicom (900 points)

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

Master System (500 points)

Space Harrier

Mega Drive (700 points)

Shining Force 2: The Ancient Seal

PC Engine (600 points)

Kiki Kaikai
Darius Plus
Blood Gear

Neo Geo (900 points)

Shin Samurai Spirits
Big Tournament Golf

MSX

Relics (800 points)
Eggy (700 points)

Sega Japan have archived their old newsletter, Joy Joy News. The archives are full of cheerful pics and screenshots from the days of the Master System/Sega Mark III. There’s also a load of info about their old consoles from the SC-3000 through to the Saturn. This is a real nostalgia fest, we found a few long forgotten favourites in here (Thunderblade anyone?). Take a look.

[Sega, via Insert Credit]