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Japan getting God Eater sampling platter November 26
We like to consider ourselves open-minded when it comes to new culinary experiences, but we confess that we've never had the occasion to dine upon a god. We've heard that it's a delicious (and sizable!) meal -- in fact, on the latest episode of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain described god-meat as being "light and airy, like aged pork, but with divine properties." Japanese gamers (or PSP owners with a loose comprehension of the Japanese language) will be able to find out for themselves when a demo for God Eater launches on November 26. The demo for the Namco Bandai-developed action-RPG will be fairly substantial, offering 10 missions, character customization and a small sliver of the game's opening story sequence. It will also support four player co-op in the demo's non-tutorial missions. The demo will be added to the Japanese PSN on Thanksgiving and will also be available on the game's official site. Between those two options, we're sure you'll find some way to snack on a few celestial entities later this month.
Bandai unleashes beauty tool to detect the condition, mood of your skin
This is the kind of gadget we'd assume was a joke -- if we didn't know that it wasn't. Bandai -- makers of such useful time wasters as the Tamagotchi and the little doohickey that helps women "understand" men -- has just unveiled a new device which should make you feel even less comfortable inside your own skin. Partnering up with Japanese cosmetics company FANCL, Bandai's Skin Expert is a tiny device which you apparently hold up to your face to receive detailed information on its 'quality' and health. Now, all of the information we can find about this little guy is in Japanese, so excuse us for our mystification on how the doodad works, but we'll tell you this: we're definitely buying it if it shows up on Sephora. The Bandai Skin Expert will be unleashed in Japan on November 30th for ¥3,750 (about $40). There's one more super informative shot after the break. [Via Hobby Blog]
Easy Piano title lets DS Lite users tickle the ivory
We know that DSi of yours is all the rage, but you did hang on to that DS / DS Lite, didn't you? Phew. Starting this November in Europe and other PAL regions, you'll have a remarkably good excuse to bust that unit back out, as this new peripheral looks to require that all-but-forgotten GBA slot. At any rate, the title (which goes by Easy Piano in case you glossed over the headline) will allow players to bang out masterpieces such as Bittersweet Symphony, Every Breath You Take and Pachelbel's Canon on the 8-note, full-octave keyboard accessory. All told, 40 songs will be made available, and there's even a "creation mode" that enables owners to record up to four 3-minute-long jams. Now, if only we had a North American price and release date to pencil in, we'd be all set.[Via Joystiq]
Robot Doraemon travels back in time to shame Japanese children to success
If you're one of those nerds, you're probably quite stoked at the prospect of a real, honest-to-goodness Doraemon in your living room. And even if not, surely we can all agree that this guy is pretty damn cute, right? This ear-less, time travelin' cat features motion, light, heat, and sound sensors that let it react to its environment with a whole slew of facial features and vocal mannerisms that mean nothing to us, seeing as how it's communicating in Japanese. This guy is available from Bandai, starting September 3rd -- in the meantime, check out a few pics snapped at the Tokyo Toy Show below.[Via Tokyo Mango]
Bandai RilakKuma netbook suffers from serious supercuteitis
The RilakKuma is what's known in the business as a money-printing device. It might have the same spec -- Atom N270, 1GB memory and 160GB storage -- as every netbook since the time of Moses, but its killer feature is a set of eyes and whiskers painted on the lid. Having once already cashed in on popular children's characters, Bandai is clearly not shy about exploiting its intellectual assets in peddling outdated 8.9-inch 1024x600 displays to the undemanding youth. Only 500 units will be produced, making this a pretty exclusive item and the price is unsurprisingly steep: ¥79,800 ($862). Integrated WiFi and a 1Seg tuner go some way toward rationalizing the cost, but let's be frank, rationality doesn't play a huge role in a purchase like this.
Hori's Tekken 6 Xbox 360 / PS3 joystick ain't a bad way to burn $150
Got a knack for fighting titles? Have a particular fondness for Tekken? If so, you definitely shouldn't be playing with a stock controller, and that's exactly why Hori has crafted the beauty you're inevitably peering at above. The stick, which will ship as part of a Tekken 6 Wireless Fight Stick Bundle bundle, will be made available soon for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (shown after the break), and according to our pals over at Joystiq, it'll be on sale at a variety of respected retailers for $150. Said MSRP also includes a collectible art book and a pinch of pride, which totally justifies the somewhat steep asking price. Right? Right.
Dragonball: Tenkaichi Daibouken revealed ... and it's a side-scroller
The Wii is seeing a revival of the classic side-scroller -- with 3D trimmings. Siliconera has shed more light on Bandai's latest Dragonball -- Tenkaichi Daibouken -- which follows in the leaping, bounding footsteps of "2.5D" titles such as Klonoa and New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.The game is (to no one's surprise, we'd imagine) cel-shaded -- and looking quite sharp, as the above screenshot implies. It stars young Goku and is based on the earliest pre-"Z" Dragonball material. You can catch a glimpse of gameplay on the game's Flash-based Japanese site (if you don't mind giant kanji characters obscuring some of it). Neither Namco Bandai nor Atari has laid claim to a US release, but that may very well change come E3.[Via Siliconera]
Joyswag: Klonoa (and his hat) [update]
Update: Sorry, folks, but the giveaway has ended. Keep an eye on your email inbox and thanks for playing!Namco Bandai sent us a new copy of Klonoa for the Wii, along with the titular character's hat (Twitterholics, you may have already seen an image of the hat here). If you want to get in on this action, then follow these easy steps below! Leave a comment telling us where you will wear your new hat first You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 2:59 pm ET on Thursday, May 14 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Klonoa for Wii ($30) For a list of complete rules, click here Thanks for reading and best of luck to you all!%Gallery-41365%
Namco unleashes flurry of Klonoa clips
Namco Bandai sent us a slew of new trailers for its upcoming game, Klonoa. The content within each video is pretty much the same: platforming, platforming, and more platforming. Good thing that's something Klonoa fans like most about the series, right? Head past the break to check out 5 more videos from the upcoming Wiimake.%Gallery-33429%
Even The Munchables couldn't eat all of this new media
Namco-Bandai just sent us a bunch of new media for The Munchables, including a pair of trailers and several new screens (you can check them out in the gallery below). Namco-Bandai has described this as Pac-Man meets Katamari Damacy, but we're pretty sure that comparison is inaccurate. Instead, we'd say it has equal parts Pac-Man, Katamari Damacy, and Violet Beauregarde. Head past the break for the second trailer (and more addictive tunes).%Gallery-46714%
Xbox Live's exclusive Tekken 6 trailer
After watching this Xbox Live-exclusive trailer for Tekken 6, we've come to realize a few things. For one, Paul Phoenix is still the most badass dude ever. Don't argue, you'll lose. Second, someone at Namco-Bandai should really proofread subtitles before they dish out a trailer, because there's a pretty hilarious bit of mangled English in the beginning. Finally, this trailer needs more Panda.%Gallery-3634%
Bandai's Project A.i.R. is a $525 blue grid that blows up
Okay Bandai, we get it. After over 50 years of making cheap toys and video games you want to show the world you can make overpriced stuff too. As if your $2,200 Ginza diorama wasn't enough of a statement, now you're producing a $525 box that lights up and blinks like a miniaturized monochrome disco floor. It's called Project A.i.R., or Art In the Room, and it's basically a 5 x 5 grid with blue LEDs covered by some sort of translucent fabric. Inside each square in the grid is a fan that makes the cloth billow, slightly increasing the brightness of that section of the grid. It's an interesting effect for sure, but as you can see in the video below its functionality is somewhat... limited. But is it art? [Via CrunchGear]
Namco Bandai working on Gundam VOD service for PS3
Gundam fans just might have a new way of rewatching the original series. According to Andriasang, Namco Bandai was showing off a prototype Gundam video-on-demand service for PS3 at the Tokyo International Anime Fair. It's called Gundam Viewchives and apparently won't be like any old VOD service, since it will allow users to view specific scenes and "keywords" in addition to whole episodes. The idea behind this is to create some sort of hybrid VOD/encyclopedia where Gundam fans can experience the series in a new way.Users of the service can search through 400 keywords and look up detailed information, which will include a list of individual scenes relating to that keyword. There will be over 800 individual scenes taken from the original 43 episodes. Namco Bandai also plans to make the service a social experience featuring chat options with other fans. Gundam Viewchives is currently still in the "research" stage. If something like this actually gets out the door and becomes a hit, imagine what other anime series could follow next. Perhaps it could spawn a grander initiative for other television series and ilk. We'll keep an eye on this one.
Namco's Klonoa remake releasing to Europe
Eurogamer reports that Namco's Klonoa remake will be making its way to Europe, likely putting a smile on a face or two along the way. Klonoa is an updated version of the original PSOne game, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and features a new control scheme that takes advantage of the capabilities of the Wiimote and Nunchuk, but will also include a classic control method for those who wish to ditch the waggle.Klonoa is currently available in Japan and will make its way to North America sometime this spring. It'll arrive in Europe sometime this year.%Gallery-41365%
Kohjinsha livens up netbook game with shockingly green Gachapin edition
Generally speaking, Kohjinsha is better known for its dabbling in the UMPC / convertible tablet arenas than netbooks, but there's nothing like a retina-searing lime green shell to bring attention to your latest. Reportedly, the outfit has teamed up with famed toy maker Bandai in order to create a Gachapin and Mukku netbook aimed at kids with no sense of style and a simple desire to smile at all times during the day. As for specs, everything's pretty much par for the course, with a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8.9-inch display (1,024 x 600 resolution), WiFi, a 3-in-1 card reader, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and 1GB of RAM. We must say, the inclusion of a 1Seg digital TV tuner is a nice touch, and one we're sure your TV-loving youngsters will greatly appreciate. The bad news is that this rig is selling for a whopping ¥79,800 ($866), so you can be certain those fuzzy cartoon characters are getting some serious royalties.[Via PortableMonkey]
Video: The $2,230 Ginza diorama speaker from Bandai
You're not the only ones wondering how a diorama speaker of Tokyo's Ginza district (circa 1955) could possibly cost more than $2,000. But after watching the video, somehow, it almost seems worth it. Almost. Hey, was that Lady Elaine?
Bandai's Diorama Ginza speaker recreates a place you've never been, at a price you can't afford
Well, it won't help you gals understand men any better, but if you're in the market for an obscure Japanese toy -- and have a couple thou to spare -- this one should be right up your alley. Bandai's Diorama Ginza speaker recreates this happenin' Tokyo district, circa 1955. We don't have any tech specs for this work of art, but we can tell you that it goes on sale in Japan on April 10th for ¥198,000 (that's just over $2,200) and that it's being produced in a limited edition of 200. Personally, we're holding out for "Ginza Street: 2009" featuring the new Vertu store.
Namco unleashes 4 new Klonoa trailers
Namco Bandai shot over some new videos for Klonoa and we must say they look rather good. Even though it's a remake of a PSOne game, we're still excited for this one. It looks like the platforming is going to be as fun as ever, and the updated graphics make it much easier on the eyes. Head past the break for three more videos, if the one above this text tickles your fancy.%Gallery-33429%
Bandai's latest handheld helps women "understand" men
For the longest time now, we were under the impression that it was men looking for miraculous ways of understanding woman. Clearly, we've had the whole thing backwards. Bandai has apparently polled thousands of opinionated males in order to fill its latest handheld with data that woman aged 20 to 30 will pay ¥2,499 ($28) to know. In all seriousness, we can't imagine this thing having a very good search mechanism, so its actual usefulness is definitely questionable. One thing's for sure, though -- handing one of these to your SO / ex-lover with a smirk is guaranteed to get a rise.[Via ShinyShiny]
We Ski and Snowboard and Look at New Screens
Click image for new screens Namco Bandai just sent off a bunch of new screens for Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard. The screens feature everything from splitscreen gameplay down to penguins on skis. If you were wondering, yes, we do approve of penguins on skis. It defintely gets them around faster than walking and, boy, are they cute. Click on the image above or hit up the gallery below for the new screens.%Gallery-33423%
