dorasu
Latest
Take me out to the panda-suit-wearing cat ballgame
We were already a bit weirded out by the announcement of Hello Kitty being named Japan's "Tourism Ambassador" to China and Hong Kong, despite not existing. But now, seemingly in celebration of the mouthless cartoon cat's new increased visibility in China (or just as a result of weirdly fortuitous timing), she'll "honor" one of China's most beloved national symbols in a series of athletic competitions. Either that or Sanrio and publisher Dorasu just thought that putting Hello Kitty in a panda suit for a whole game would be cute. Which it is. Hello Kitty Panda Sports Stadium features 12 sporting minigames starring cats clad in panda suits, but only judo and baseball have been revealed in screens. But, really, any sport would be made better with the addition of Hello Kitty's blank stare peeking out of the cushy maw of a plush panda head.
Duke Saraie's Healthy Buying Extra Stuff Navi
We were idly browsing Amazon.jp when we happened upon four special-edition bundles for Duke Saraie no Kenkou Walking Navi, the adorably insane walking training game (which, coincidentally, just came up in discussion this afternoon). The Special Duke Set includes the game, two Duke Saraie towels, a zipper pouch, a Dukes Walk wristband, a pochette (basically a little plastic pocket, but pochette is so much more euphonious), and, best of all, a Duke t-shirt. The bundles are divided into "pink" and "gold" versions: the pink version includes a pink shirt and pochette, and the gold version includes a gold pochette and a black shirt.The bundles are further divided into "face" and "torso" versions, which differ in the design on the shirt. The "face" version, featuring Duke's face and an I <3 WALK graphic, is nice, but we prefer the dandy pose and "Beauty Smile DUKES WALK Health Willingly Body" on the "torso" version.These bundles are all available on Amazon for 11,550 yen ($102.45) though they're limited to 100 bundles in each variety. Meanwhile, the standalone game is available at a discount, which leads us to question the wisdom of releasing the expensive bundles.
DS gymnastics game looks too dangerous to try at home
We know that the Wii has the potential to be a fat-burning machine, but what about the DS? First there was yoga, then walking, and now ... gymnastics? That's right, folks. Japan will be seeing a game starring exercise celebrity Hiromichi Sato, aptly titled Hiromichi Oniichan no Oyako Taisou Navi. The game "encourages" kids and their parents to be active by showing them how to do different exercises.We're pretty skeptical about exercise via DS being effective at all, but we suppose it's all a matter of motivation. Still, will children really be tricked into performing these exercises by thinking it's a game? Wouldn't kids prefer to join the baseball team or something?[Via Kotaku]
