Like I was going to pass up an opportunity to grab a new vocaloid game while I was in Japan. Especially since it’s a game that we’re being told can never be localised into English. IA/VT Colorful might feature a vocaloid whose popularity by comparison to Hatsune Miku is like…
Read MoreSpend enough time in Japan and you’ll realise quickly that the Japanese do liked their characters. Sanrio – the makers of Hello Kitty – has built an entire business model around developing cute animal characters. The entire reason that Hatsune Miku is a success is that Crypton had the foresight…
Read MoreI’ve been to Japan quite a few times now, and one thing that I’ve wanted to do each time, but never quite got around to, was go to a baseball match. Everyone knows the Japanese love their baseball, and I was interested to see how such a conservative and polite…
Read MoreGosh that’s a killer flight. Anyway, DDNet is now in Japan, where we will be for the next six weeks. Don’t worry, the rest of the team remains at the DDNet towers plugging away at all the good stuff, but now you’ll also be getting daily articles looking at various…
Read MoreAll the major presentations and reveals from this year’s E3 have wrapped up, and while the show itself will go on for a while yet with media getting hands-on time with the various games, that’s it for the show for those of us watching from the sidelines. (Don’t worry, we’ll…
Read MoreDragon Quest is a big deal in Japan. A very big deal. For example, there’s a reason that there’s that popular urban rumour that the Japanese government outlawed the release of a Dragon Quest game on a school/ work day: each new “proper” game in the series really does sell…
Read MoreImageepoch, the developer behind the supremely underrated Time & Eternity, Criminal Girls: Invitation Only, Luminous Arc, and the upcoming Stella Glow, has filed for bankruptcy in its homeland in Japan. The company apparently owes 1.1 billion yen across approximately 43 creditors, while its affiliate company, Smile Online Games owes three…
Read MoreIt’s not often that free-to-play mobile games are truly exciting, but over in Japan (where the market is far more receptive to them, it must be said), there are a range of mobile games that have been worth getting excited for. SEGA’s Chain Chronicle and DeNA’s Final Fantasy: Record Keeper…
Read MoreArticle by Matt S. It’s was second full day in Japan, and this time around it was all about exhausting myself wandering around Tokyo Game Show. With a a record high number of exhibitors (421 organisations from from 32 nations), the sheer scale of Tokyo Game Show was amazing to…
Read MoreFeature by Matt S. So here I am in the middle of Tokyo, all ready for Tokyo Game Show and all the excitement that it entails. My first full day in the city was mostly spent recovering from the flight and acclimatising myself with the humid and warm Tokyo temperature…
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