One of the first things that surprised me when I arrived to Japan was how much of the daily life inside houses happens laying down on the floor. Once you get used to it is nice because you can sit down wherever you want. The fact of not depending on chairs gives you a certain feeling of freedom.
But it can also be uncomfortable if you want to be a long time sitting down in the same position. In this case the best option is to use a zabuton 座布団, or much better: a zaisu 座椅子.
These are pictures of one of the most popular zaisu right now in Japan. It is used by gamers because it has an arm rest designed to hold the weight of your arms when you have your hands facing the screen with the game controller.
We went for a walk to Yokosuka, it is one of those places that don’t usually show up in travel guides. We are a bunch of nerds so we decided to find a good reason to go to this city hidden south of Yokohama where we have never been before.
My friend Antonio is a big fan of the video-game Shenmue, he keeps playing it on his old Dreamcast after more than 15 years. The hometown of the protagonist of Shenmue is Yokosuka and the majority of the action of the first part of the video-game happens in the virtual version of the Dobuita street. We had the perfect excuse to go and spend a day exploring Yokosuka.
The Dobuita street is located near a US naval base. The influence of United States military culture can be seen in every corner, the street is filled with shops and restaurants things in their menus like the Trump burger or Perry curry. In several places they accept US dollars for payments.
I took this pictured and found the same shop in the Shenmue videogame. If you are studying Japanese, can you find the main difference?
Legendary video game developer Hideo Kojima has lost his rights to Metal Gear when he severed ties with publisher Konami. And while the world isn’t expecting new Metal Gear content to show up anytime soon, this new Metal Gear-inspired pachinko game has appeared. In this article, let’s take a closer look at the new Metal Gear pachinko and how it pays homage to one of the best video game titles of all time.
First off, this isn’t the first time that Konami made a pachinko version of one of their successful titles. According to Japan Today, previous pachinko remakes by Konami include the horror game Silent Hill and action-adventure platformer Castlevania.
It’s not surprising considering that creating a spin-off game from a popular title isn’t only inherent to video games. Motion picture films have always spawned numerous game titles. Another famous soldier, Rambo, has lots of games tied to his name including Rambo: The Video Game, which is still getting updates even after several years from its release date as shown by Game Spot. Several TV series have also inspired game developers such as the reality show X-Factor which has games like slots and Slingo that feature the title. Expanding outside a single premise is a path frequently taken in the entertainment industry.
That said, Polygon stated that Konami employed the Fox Engine which was used for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain on the pachinko remake of MGS 3: Snake Eater. Suffice to say, the graphics have been upgraded to more crisp and smooth visuals.
The trailer showed that development, which played the memorable meeting scene of Naked Snake and The Boss. Other characters from the game will also appear, although it’s not definitely clear yet at this point how the actual gameplay will turn out to be.
When it comes to audio aspects, the music was taken from the iconic Metal Gear main theme. The original voice actors of the characters have also lent their voices once again to the game.
Games Radar added that there will also be mini-games inspired by significant chapters from the game. The fight with Ocelot will be included as well as Virtuous Missions featuring chibi versions of the characters.
Here’s a video of the different parts and mechanics of the pachinko games:
Although Hideo Kojima is no longer with Konami, the company said that it still has plans for the franchise aside from the pachinko remake. Fans may be split between amused and annoyed, but one thing’s for sure: given that pachinko machines are big in Japan to the point that they have pachinko parlors, the Metal Gear series will still get the love and attention it deserves, at least in its home country.
