Games
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Pikachu and pals go wild: Pokémon theme park opens in Tokyo
From rhino-sized Rhyhorns to worm-like Diglett, visitors to PokéPark Kanto will roam a forest populated by lif…
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Sega co-founder David Rosen dies aged 95
Rosen, who led Sega from the 1960s into the 90s and who died on Christmas Day, was a hugely important figure i…
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‘A force of nature who took no prisoners’: a tribute to Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki
The driving force behind Team Ninja was a game development samurai who almost always won his battlesGame desig…
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Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing review – candy-haired popsters put on a show
A garbled story of metaverse musicians based on a mobile game leaves its audience little to grasp hold ofEven …
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From Street Fighter to Final Fantasy: Yoko Shimomura, the composer who put the classical in gaming’s classics
With a four-decade career beginning at Capcom in the 8-bit era, Shimomura is one of the most acclaimed names i…
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Sony hikes PlayStation 5 price by 25% as Trump tariffs bite
PS5 digital price in UK would rise to £430 and €500 in Europe as Japanese games developer cites ‘challenging e…
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‘It’s been a challenge’: Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the quest to bring feudal Japan to life
From watching classic samurai movies to rendering the unique way light falls on Japan’s mountainsides and mode…
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‘Inside I was doing the Mario jump’ – how one artist became a key player in Nintendo’s story
Takaya Imamura worked at Nintendo for 32 years before leaving to create his own game, Omega Six. He shares ane…
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‘We are not a retro company’: Sega prepares to go back to the future
Sega started as a rock’n’roll breath of fresh air in a Nintendo-dominated world – and America and Europe CEO S…
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Bold, bizarre, brilliant – Metaphor: Refantazio is everything I adore about Japanese RPGs
In this week’s newsletter: JRPGs can be an acquired taste – but fortunately it’s one I can’t get enough of. Pl…
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Pushing Buttons: At Tokyo Game Show, I saw the Japanese games scene I grew up with is still live and kicking
In this week’s newsletter: Konami, cute RPGs, weird but wonderful indie games – everything I saw at Japan’s bi…
- Japan, Games consoles, Museums, Asia Pacific, Nintendo, Games, Culture, Nintendo Switch, Super Mario
Former Nintendo factory in Kyoto opens as nostalgia-fuelled gaming museum
Museum features consoles from 1983’s Famicom to 2017’s Switch, as well as honouring Nintendo’s pre-video-game …
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Pushing Buttons: At Nintendo’s new museum in Japan, I found a nostalgia-laced trip down memory lane – not a history lesson
From playing Super Mario on a giant control to spotting Pikmin hiding in corners, my visit to this delightful …
- Dark Souls 2, Action games, George RR Martin, Japan, World news, Asia Pacific, Role playing games, Games, Culture
‘I have always felt the world was a harsh place’: Elden Ring’s Hidetaka Miyazaki on why he may never stop making games
As Elden Ring’s much-anticipated final expansion is released, its designer gives a glimpse into how he crafts …
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Schoolgirl impresses at Japanese gamer event with win in retro game
Girl of between 12 and 16 was making her first appearance at Evo Japan as contests previously finished past he…
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Pokémon with guns: why Palworld could become 2024’s biggest game
This survival adventure from a relatively small Japanese studio sold 5m copies within three days of its releas…
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Power up: will Chinese financing be the saviour of the Japanese video game industry?
Japan is seen as the home of games, but the sector is struggling – and China is poaching its talent. It’s a po…
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Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator may face jail over alleged insider trading
Prosecutors are reportedly seeking a prison term and a near-£1m fine for ex-Sega developer Yuji Naka One of So…
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Found in translation: how Like a Dragon brings Japan to the rest of the world
The game series formerly known as Yakuza has been an inroad to modern Japan for its legions of overseas fans. …
- Japan, Animal Crossing, Tetris, Wii, Xbox, Life and style, Games consoles, World news, Technology sector, Pokémon, Nintendo, Games, Culture, Super Mario
‘Get something that’s fun to play, then think about the story’: how Nintendo keeps levelling up
With 100m sales of its Switch console, a new Mario movie and even a California theme park, the Japanese tech g…