This week, Dainiji Super Robot Wars Z: Saisei-hen, the latest in the Super Robot Wars series, came out for the PSP making it the 64th Super Robot Wars related game in a series that is nearly 21 years old.

The Super Robot Wars series was born from the most basic mindset of any fanboy: "What if my favorite characters from my favorite series met up?" The original game, Super Robot Wars, was released on the Gameboy in 1991 and was a tactical RPG featuring robots from (essentially) 3 different series: Gundam, Mazinger Z, and Getter Robo. From there, the game spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs bringing in different robots and characters from different anime and games together to form a sort of robotic Justice League. If you can think of a popular Japanese anime featuring robots, there's a good chance it shows up in one of the games. Even the robots from Virtual-On made an appearance.

The stories were an amalgamated mess of all the different series involved. The developers at Banpresto did some creative weaving to put together plots from radically different stories, often taking some license and slightly altering things so they would fit. They also played towards fans by allowing things that never happened in original series to happen, like having popular characters who died, survive, or characters who were originally enemies, team up.

Along the way, Banpresto introduced some of their own original characters and robots to allow players to spice things up and allow players to feel more involved with their favorite stories. In fact, they created so many, that they were eventually able to create spin-off games and anime series featuring only their original characters.

The unique nature of the series has proved to be quite successful and allowed it to continue spawning newer sequels for over 20 years. The series has also gained numerous fans outside of Japan, many who yearn for a localized version, or perhaps their own game featuring their favorite characters from their own favorite series.

Sadly, due to the fact that most of the series that appear in the game are owned by different companies, all of which Banpresto had to obtain consent from to use their IP, simply making a single game is a legal nightmare. Considering the costs and labor to translate a game, plus the low potential for sales numbers, localizing one just isn't worth the hassle. If even one company says "no" for any reason, then the entire game is gone.

In regards to a different game utilizing the Super Robot Wars formula, while many Japanese companies gladly give Banpresto their blessing due to the popularity of the series and the money it makes, outside of Japan, few would give anyone the freedom to do the kinds things Banpresto does. In fact, in most cases when different companies share characters in the same feature, oversight from both sides is rigidly strict to almost ridiculous levels. In the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there's a reason that Buggs Bunny and Mickey Mouse have the exact same number of words to their dialogue. In a Marvel DC crossover, there's a reason that characters on either side will give and take the same number of hits in a fight. At present, the closest thing anyone will have to a Super Robot Wars-like game outside of Japan is the Kingdom Hearts series. And that's a joint between only 2 companies.

The Super Robot Wars series will enter its 21st year on the 20th of April, and it looks like it will remain a strictly Japanese game for the foreseeable future.

According to a broadcast on Shenzhen satellite television, a Taiwanese man damaged the cartilage in his finger while playing mobile phone games.

The man would apparently play mobile games for hours and hours on end each day, swiping and tapping his phone. As a result, his hand is now injured, and he cannot bend his finger properly.

A doctor appeared in the news broadcast, confirming that this is supposedly 100 percent possible. The doctor also gave an odd analogy about cartilage and rubber tires, explaining that you can only get so much mileage. Or so much rubber. Or cartilage. Or something.

社会现象新闻观察：男子玩手机触屏游戏上瘾磨光指关节软骨 [Youku]

This week in Weekly Famitsu, Namco Bandai Games CEO, Shin Unozawa sat down to discuss the company's 2011 performance, and some plans for the future.

Despite a shaky start last year, Namco Bandai managed to pull in massive sales totaling ¥440 billion by the end of the fiscal year. Most surprising, Unozawa pointed out, were the numbers for social games. Initially venturing into the untested waters and even offering free content, even if it resulted in increased sales was a foreign concept. "It felt very strange." Unozawa remarked.

As for the future, aside from further expansion into the mobile arena, Unohzawa talked about "Hybrid Discs," Blu-ray discs with both game and video content to allow fans to enjoy certain IP on different levels. For Namco Bandai, a company that owns a whole lot of IP ripe for both animation and games, this is ideal not only from a sales point, but from a creative point as well. "There's a divide between anime creators and game creators, and the two rarely mix." Unomzawa explained. "For us, we invest and sponsor and license both sides equally. By putting both products in the same package with Hybrid Discs, it lets them realize they're sharing the business."

Hybrid Discs allow for much creative interaction, such as allowing the player to watch a movie while playing a video game at the same time so that the player can experience a single scene from different viewpoints.

Namco Bandai has already begun releasing movie/game hybrid packs and more are on the way.

ファミ通.com [ファミ通.com]

During the 1970s, Japan made some amazing grindhouse flicks, like School of the Holy Beast and Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom.

The country's exploitation filmmakers have been going through a Renaissance in the past decade, concentrating on outrageous splatter flicks like Tokyo Gore Police and The Machine Girl. And it does not look like it's stopping anytime soon.

Japanese filmmaker Noboru Iguchi and effects genius Yoshihiro Nishimura have been leading the charge. Iguchi, who started in porn, directs over the top horror films—as well as mainstream TV shows and movies.

To mark the Japanese director Noboru Iguchi's newest flick Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead, here is a collection of ten crazy flicks from the past ten years. These are not the most mental Japanese films of the past decade (I've left out Takashi Miike entirely), but they're pretty damn crazy.

What's so interesting about the flicks is their energy, their outrageousness, and their what-the-fuck-is-this-ness. The Japanese game industry might be wise to look to them for cues.

If you've played SNK fighting game Fatal Fury, you know Terry Bogard's Power Wave. Over the years, it has evolved—into chopsticks, apparently.

Watch as Japanese comedy site Megwin has Terry Bogard takes on some pigeons with the Power Wave.

木製パワーウェイブで鳩を追い払えるか？ [Kotaku Japan]

Namco Bandai's idol simulator is taking the Japanese mobile game market by storm and burning holes in players' pockets.

The Idolmaster game series is well known among Japanese gamers for its cute virtual girls and plethora of costly DLC. Now it seems the mobile phone version of the game, Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, (better known among its users as "Mobamas") is doing a better job than any of its console predecessors at scooping up money from players.

The game basically functions like a collectible card game: Player pay 300 "Mobacoins" (At ¥1 (US$0.012) per Mobacoin) to draw a random idol that they train and compete with. Some idols have better stats than others, if certain specific idols are collected, they form a set with bonuses, and then there are special super rare cards-I-mean-idols that have some players emptying their wallets over.

Recently a couple of videos have emerged showing one player's attempt at obtaining a special rare set. Viewers watch and comment as he ends up spending ¥78,000 (US$949) without success. As generous as his donation to Namco Bandai is, this isn't an isolated case. Some people have even boasted spending over ¥100,000 (US$1,217), proving the game to be highly addictive.

I suppose all that extra cash would be handy for Namco Bandai in case of any lawsuits…

おまえに課金する覚悟はあるかっ！ 『モバマス』コンプガチャに大金をつぎ込んだ実況動画が...むせる...（動画あり） [Kotaku Japan]

A brand new Lupin anime is airing in Japan. Dubbed Lupin the Third: A Woman Called Fujiko Mine, It's centered on Lupin heroine Fujiko.

The show is the first televised Lupin anime series in 27 years—and the first to feature a female director. If the teaser poster, which featured a topless Fujiko, didn't clue you into show's sexy angle, the first episode should.

Check out the above gallery for a look at the first episode. There might be spoilers. And while this anime is appearing on (late night) Japanese network TV, there is NSFW imagery. You have been warned!

And, if you like, you can watch the whole episode online.

LUPIN the Third ～峰不二子という女～ 1話感想まとめ [オタク.com]

A brand new Lupin anime is airing in Japan. Dubbed Lupin the Third: A Woman Called Fujiko Mine, It's centered on Lupin heroine Fujiko.

The show is the first televised Lupin anime series in 27 years—and the first to feature a female director. If the teaser poster, which featured a topless Fujiko, didn't clue you into show's sexy angle, the first episode should.

Check out the above gallery for a look at the first episode. There might be spoilers. And while this anime is appearing on (late night) Japanese network TV, there is NSFW imagery. You have been warned!

And, if you like, you can watch the whole episode online.

LUPIN the Third ～峰不二子という女～ 1話感想まとめ [オタク.com]

Goichi Suda's next game is called Killer Is Dead. The game isn't a sequel to his cult hit Killer7, but it does feature No More Heroes style swordplay.

The concept art does make the title look quite different from his other work. It's like salarymen plus the future plus stabby-stabby.

For more about Killer Is Dead, check out Kotaku's previous coverage.

『KILLER is DEAD（キラー イズ デッド』角川ゲームスXグラスホッパー･マニファクチュア第2弾！ [Famitsu]

Goichi Suda's next game is called Killer Is Dead. The game isn't a sequel to his cult hit Killer7, but it does feature No More Heroes style swordplay.

The concept art does make the title look quite different from his other work. It's like salarymen plus the future plus stabby-stabby.

For more about Killer Is Dead, check out Kotaku's previous coverage.

『KILLER is DEAD（キラー イズ デッド』角川ゲームスXグラスホッパー･マニファクチュア第2弾！ [Famitsu]