Dig In | TOKYO, JAPAN: Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi eating food as part of a promotional tie-up for the latest Yakuza PSP game. (Photo: GameWatchImpress)

Is This the Star of Assassin's Creed III? [Update]

Well, this is interesting. A Best Buy worker just emailed us two images snapped from their employee news section. One shows that Ubisoft will be unveiling Assassin's Creed III on March 5, and that there'll be pre-order bonuses to be had. More »

Why a Colonial Assassin's Creed Makes Complete Sense (and Sounds Awesome)

It's becoming increasingly likely that the next major instalment in the Assassin's Creed series takes place during the American War of Independence.
Which shouldn't be a surprise. More »

Meet The Chinese Guy Who Ripped Off Conan O'Brien

This is Da Peng. He is a Chinese variety show host, and he recently made his American television debut-for ripping off Conan O'Brien.
On a recent episode, Conan O'Brien showed how Da Peng's program, Da Pang Debade, totally copied Conan's opening animation. More »

Is Dragon's Dogma Capcom's Answer To Skyrim?

On Feb. 26th, at the Xbox 360 event in Akihabara, I got a chance to take a look at Dragon's Dogma, Capcom's upcoming game for the Xbox 360 and Playsation 3. More »

A Funny, Beautiful Lady Destroyed by an Evil Svengali?

While in college in Kyoto, Tomoko Nakajima was dubbed a beauty. She was even "Miss Campus" at her school's art festival. But Nakajima wasn't just a pretty face. More »

Turning Dollar Bills Into Works of Video Game Art

Reader Thayer likes to take legal tender and draw all over it. While that's technically illegal, we're going to hold off on reporting him to the authorities, because any man who turns Abe Lincoln into the Dovahkiin is OK in our books.
The shots you see are just some of his more gamey works; More »

Game Informer Accidentally Leaks Another Assassin's Creed III Image? [Update]

Only a few hours after we gave you the first look at what's likely to be Assassin's Creed III's new hero, website Game Informer appears to have accidentally displayed an image all but confirming its legitimacy.
The image, which seems to have gone up a little too early, has since been pulled down... More »

Taiwanese cosplay photographer Znmoon has a fantastic website filled with wall-to-wall cosplay pics.

There's months and months of content to be had here, with photos from a variety of anime, manga, and game events.

Lovely pics, lovely costumes.

2號流動攤販 [znmoon 的相簿]

Originally announced at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Jungle garnered interest for its depiction of a post-apocalyptic human-less Tokyo city overrun by forest and a multitude of animals. The game is an "animal survival" action game where the player can attempt to survive the harsh city as one of a multitude of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

Newly released information shows new features in the game like changing weather and time of day, as well as environmental hazards like heat waves and toxic smog. Players will have to hunt or forage for fresh food alone or in packs while avoiding predators and scavengers in the big city. There is also a rank system that will determine how good a mate you can attract to procreate and pass on superior genes to the next generation.

Yes, it's high time someone made a game that allows you to play as bunnies to screw like bunnies…

Tokyo Jungle is scheduled for release on June 7th.

Tokyo Jungle [Crispy's]

Today I had lunch at my desk. The morning was spent doing an interview for a very cool story I'll be running tomorrow.

It might not look very filling, but I was stuffed after eating this. Next to the glass of tea is package of natto (fermented beans). Natto is quite smelly, but I really like it.

Next to that is ajitsuke nori or "flavored nori". It's very common in Western Japan, where I live.

Today was busy. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to eat at my table—and not my desk.

On hand (aside from the sensibly dressed booth babes) were Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Street Fighter x Tekken, Dragon's Dogma, and Asura's Wrath. For Kinect exclusives, playable demos of Kinect Star Wars, Diabolical Pitch, Kinect Rush A Disney/Pixar Adventures, and the newly unveiled Crimson Dragon (Formerly code-named "Project Draco").

Aside from game demo machines, the event included a raffle, on-stage interviews, and demonstrations for Dragon's Dogma, Crimson Dragon, Diabolical Pitch, Biohazard Operation Raccoon City, and Steel Battalion.

The Xbox has never been the top selling hot-item in Japan, but devoted Xbox fans as well as Capcom lovers arrived in droves to show their support, get the latest news, and wait in line (over 2 hours for some) for a chance at some comfort time with the upcoming titles. The event lasted from 1 PM to 7 PM with, at times, nearly 200 people packed in the 5,370 square foot event hall; a huge turnout considering the Xbox's weak hold in Japan. Despite the somewhat cool weather (around 46 degrees F), staff and viewers were enthusiastic and the event seemed a success for Microsoft.

Emulation of foreign game genres is nothing new. Vanquish and Binary Domain are both recent Japanese adaptations of the shooter genre, so, considering the popularity of the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, a Japanese open world RPG is only natural. Granted, Dragon's Dogma is billed as an "Open World Action" game, but it is far more Oblivion than it is Assassin's Creed. What's more, Hideaki Itsuno, the game's designer, has said he's wanted to make Dragon's Dogma since he was a kid. But video games are not made in a vacuum.

The game features all the staples of the genre: Customizable main character, large sprawling world where the player can go anywhere, side quests galore that have you playing fetch for stagnant non-playable characters with no drive to find their own stuff, an overarching plot/threat with world-changing consequences that can be followed at the player's leisure, etc. Aside from the basic setup, fantasy world, and general palette of browns and grays, Dragon's Dogma follows the Elder Scrolls method of increased attention to certain mundane objects and a high level of interactivity with them. The overall aesthetic of the game is also very reminiscent of games like Oblivion or Skyrim with sprawling detailed landscapes and the look as though somebody sprinkled a layer of dirt onto everything in the world. The demo was just a dungeon, but the footage was Capcom showed vast open spaces—spaces I wanted to get lost in like The Elder Scrolls.

The game also includes features (particularly action elements) that make it feel like a Capcom game. The action is very well balanced and satisfying. Taking a note from Monster Hunter, enemies have damage points that can be broken or sliced off to weaken them. (The chimera in the playable demo was rendered all but harmless once its tail was removed.) There is a cling mechanic where the player can grab onto something. If it's light enough, the player will pick it up, but if it's heavy (like, say, a large monster) the player can cling to and climb up to attack from a better vantage point. This feature also lends itself to one of the more satisfying gaming experiences: being able to literally throw enemies and small animals off of a cliff.

The game feel like it aspires to be Skyrim, but Capcom's developers are also aware that they aren't Bethesda, and many portions feel dumbed down as a result. Character development, which Capcom showed at the event, is limited to only one race (Although you can give your character pointy ears and pretend they're and elf), and player class is limited to the basic three (fighter/mage/rogue). But where the game lacks in intricate detail, it makes up for in system features. There is a party/follower system that allows for a party of four, leading to tactical scenarios. And there is a network feature allowing players to share their customized primary party member with other players.

Overall the game looks and feels solid, (as most Capcom games do) but nevertheless, as with most things, it's what's on the inside the counts. As lackluster sales of Binary Domain have shown, "looking like" is often not enough. By venturing into the open world RPG genre, Capcom is reaching out to the West while simultaneously trying to appeal to an Eastern audience. But will they be able to have their cake and eat it too?

Dragon's Dogma is set for release on May 24th

On a recent episode, Conan O'Brien showed how Da Peng's program, Da Pang Debade, totally copied Conan's opening animation. O'Brien then copied some of the silly antics of the Chinese show in revenge.

Da Peng's program, however, isn't televised. It's an online talk show, which isn't exactly a household name in China. However, it does have its loyal fans, and it does appear on a major Chinese web network. After Conan took the webshow to task, that could change—being called out by a famous American celebrity does mean Da Peng suddenly has more name recognition as this story makes its way through Chinese cyberspace via microblogs and webforums.

In the most recent show, Da Peng removed the intro animation—the one that ripped off Conan. Then he apologized. "At this point I want to the time to say sorry to Mr. Conan on behalf of myself, my show, and our staff," said Da Peng, who then started doing a "sorry dance". He even refers to his own show as "shanzai" or a Chinese imitation.

He's apparently a comedian, so he's trying to be funny. "I hope English majors, translators and American show lovers will help me translate this," Da Peng added. "We will immediately stop using the opening sequence—and will officially apologize again. We'll have to apologize again after apologizing."

Da Peng then went off on tangent (again, he's trying to be funny), saying that the show's name is too hard to pronounce as well as mentioning Jeremy Lin and the U.S. debt.

Online in China, many seem embarrassed by the show's opening and how it copied Conan. "China invented the four great Inventions (gunpowder, paper, paper Printing and the compass)," wrote one individual online. "But that is in the past, and now all we're doing is plagiarizing and copying... Such a tragedy."

Chinese people might feel embarrassed. Though, if anyone "won" in this brouhaha, it's webshow Da Peng. "The guy downstairs selling fruit even recognizes me," he said about his newfound celebrity. "I guess everyone knows about this now.

"My ex-girlfriend sent me a text saying how she regrets dumping me and how she saw me on American television. Now, I'm international." That you are, Da Peng, that you are.

View Da Peng's apology in the link below.

Da Peng Debade [TV Sohu]

But according to the game's official site, Daisenryaku Perfect: Ruler of the Battlefield has been delayed. Again. It was delayed last May and pushed to the fall. It didn't make that release, and now it's supposed to be out this April.

The game is being delayed to "further improve quality."

As previously posted, the game is a port of the incredibly buggy PSP version—a game so buggy that some said it was unplayable.

大戦略PERFECT～戦場の覇者～ [SS-Alpha]

And why shouldn't Nintendo go 3DS crazy? Today, the Kyoto-based game maker revealed a new 3DS color: Cobalt Blue. I quite like it.

The new color launches on March 22, but that's not all Nintendo has in store for this spring. There are two Monster Hunter 3 G start packs that include either Cosmos Black or Fire Red 3DS handhelds. They go on sale March 17 for ¥19,800 (US$246).

Later this month, two Super Mario 3D Land bundles on sale in Ice White and Misty Pink. Pre-installed with Super Mario Bros., they're priced at ¥19,800 and out March 24.

Then there's a Fire Emblem 3DS bundle hitting stores on April 19. It's priced at ¥19,800 and looks quite elegant.

3DS新色「コバルトブルー」が3月22日に登場 [4Gamer]

That is, until she seemingly lost control of reality and fell under the spell of mystic, and her life fell apart.

Nakajima is one half of the manzai group Othello. The duo took the name because Nakajima is tanned, and her partner, Nahomi Matsushima, is pale—thus, they resemble the board game Othello. From the late-1990s and throughout much of the last decade, Othello were regular fixtures on Japanese television.

Nakajima appeared in countless commercials, TV dramas, and she even did voice work for the Cybersix anime.

Then, in around 2005, Nakajima starting living with a spiritual advisor. Initially, she was seeking guidance regarding her love life, but gradually, the advisor seems to have taken over Nakajima's entire life. It's rumored that the comedian doesn't make any decision without counseling this female mystic first.

While Nakajima's famous wit and figure remained unchanged for years—in 2008 she appeared in a revealing poster for charity—she appeared bloated following year. It was overnight. Nakajima blamed everything from her ex-boyfriend having a kid to being jealous of other TV stars. It wasn't simple weight gain. Something was wrong.

She eventually stopped appearing on TV. She was dropped from the shows she appeared on. Worst of all, she eventually stopped leaving her apartment. She stopped paying rent for said apartment.

This week, Japan Today reported, a Tokyo city court ruled that the 40 year-old comedian was evicted from the Shibuya office space she's been renting as a production office. Nakajima not only failed to appear in court; she also did not submit any written statements or documents.

Nakajima landlords are also suing to have her evicted from the apartment she shares with the female who's acting as her Svengali, who is reportedly dictating Nakajima's every move. Every move that seems to be ruining her life.

Outside Nakajima's apartment, a man sells t-shirts that depict Nakajima's head dangled from a hand by strings. It reads (in English), "Get out of the control!"