Kotaku

Weekend Note: No Place Like Home

To: Ash
From: Flynn
Subject: Tattoos and a Long Snooze

So I'm finally back from Tokyo, got in last night and the jet lag is just starting to get to me. I also got tattooed this afternoon so the mixture of endorphin rush and jet lag is quite a bizarre feeling. That being said I'm going to get to the weekend recap before I fall face first into the keyboard.

• Master Chief gets sex-ay!

• David Hayter's voicing Snake again for SSBB.

Is Grasshopper working on Fatal Frame or not? We demand confirmation!

Alright then, I am going to try and sleep off some of this oncoming jet lag and nurse the poor bleeding pin up girl on my arm. Have a great week and don't forget to trim that mustache (or moustache if you prefer)!

A Personal View of Nintendo In Korea

I'm so behind on games right now after Tokyo that I really shouldn't be buying anything new, but I fear that the siren call of Phantom Hourglass will be too strong to resist. What's on your game purchasing horizon this week?

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Control Link with your stylus as he sets sail for a new adventure in this follow up to Wind Waker.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC)
Take out the Strogg online.

NBA Live 08 (X360, PS3, PS2, WII, PSP)
The latest NBA game from EA.

NBA 2K8 (X360, PS3, PS2)
Ever notice these things always come in pairs?

Project Gotham Racing 4 (X360)
PGR returns for a fourth round of racing action.

RACE 07 - The WTCC Game (PC)
A racing game for the PC. See, I told you they come in pairs.

MLB Power Pros (WII, PS2)
Little big headed people playing baseball imported from Japan.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (X360, PC, PS2, WII, PSP, DS)
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Crash of the Titans (X360, PS2, WII, DS)
Crash Bandicoot spins his way on to the 360 and a possible new career.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (PSP)
Gabe Logan comes out the other side of a Dark Mirror and finds his own Shadow.

Hour of Victory (PC)
World War II gets another workout in this FPS.

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (X360)
We like the cars, the cars that go boom.

The Chosen - Well of Souls (PC)
Defeat the evil wizard and his hordes of monsters. The classics never die.

Battle of Shadows Open Beta Starting Today

Korea's NCSoft at Crossroads?

NES Power Pad Commercial

Indian Game Portal Gunning For Global Launch

What with TGS and a week in Tokyo, this one seemed to slip by me, but hearing it now is very exciting. According to 1Up, Tecmo has hired Grasshopper Manufacture to work on the next Fatal Frame game which will apparently be made for the Wii. Once Grasshopper is done with No More Heroes, they will start full steam on the as yet untitled Fatal Frame.

I am a huge fan of this series, especially Crimson Butterfly and the prospect of having it on the Wii is intriguing. Seeing how much I enjoyed the point and shoot aspects of Wii remote with RE4, controlling a camera with it seems like a perfect fit. And with Grasshopper Manufacture on board, it's bound to be a title worth checking out.

Editor's Note: So, It seems that this story is a bit contradictory to what Suda himself told our own Luke Plunkett at TGS which was that his next project was going to be for the 360. Perhaps a portion of Grasshopper is working on the project but not Suda himself? An email missive has gone out to Suda and we will let you know what's up as soon as we hear back from him.

Tecmo Planning Next Fatal Frame for Wii [1Up]
[Graphic courtesy Asterick]

ZTgame Gets $100 Million in Venture Capital

David Hayter Confirms He Will Voice Snake in SSBB

Kotakuite and avid YouTube comment reader Hunter, found this little juicy tidbit within the comments on Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter's YouTube page. A few months back, Hayter put together a rather funny video to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Metal Gear Solid and posted it on YouTube. Hayter seems to do a good job of answering back to his fans and buried beneath the "OMG are you really David Hayter?!?!" and "Will you sign my covers if I send them to you" comments, ArchdukeChocula01 posed this question:

Hello David Hayter! I have to say that you are one of the greatest voice actors ever, and you do a great job as snake. I was wondering, are you going to voice Snake in Super smash bros. brawl?

To which Hayter eagerly replied:

Archduke Chocula,

I am indeed voicing Snake in "Smash Bros." I've recorded it already, and I believe that fans of both games are going to be extremely happy. It's very cool. That's all I can say.

DH

And before you ask, yes, I have confirmed that this YouTube page belongs to Mr. Hayter as it is linked from the video section of his official website. And if you haven't yet seen the MGS tribute video, you can check it out here.

Regulating China: 'Crackdown or Censorship'?

Blu-Ray Savings Page Lists New PS3 Model

In honor of my trip to Tokyo, I thought it might be interesting to do a little Japan to US comparison Arcade Flyer Art Saturday. This week's choice was a perfect pick since it not only has different flyers for each country, but a rich history of different gameplay as well. So let's dive right into it shall we?

In 1987, Capcom released Top Secret into Japanese arcades and simultaneously released the same game in the US under the name Bionic Commando. The game was a side scrolling platformer/fighter starring Super Joe who had formerly appeared in a previous game, Commando. This time around, Joe had a grappling hook-like bionic arm that would allow him to swing over gaps since unlike most games of the time, he could not jump. His robotic super arm could also be employed to take out various enemies, along with his gun which could be used to collect the bonuses and weapons that would arrive from the sky via parachute. Once the game moved from arcades to consoles however, things got really interesting and the games themselves became more diverse.

NCSoft's UK Expansion

More on 'meet-me', the Japanese Answer to Second Life?

CGS Announces Pan-Asian Finals

Master Chief Gets Sex Change For Charity