author

 
Menu
Search
 
May 04, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Brian Ashcraft

Meta

Twitter

@Brian_Ashcraft

Brian Ashcraft
Brian Ashcraft is a senior contributing editor at Kotaku and has been writing about video games for The Japan Times since 2007. He is also the author of two books, "Arcade Mania!" and "Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential." A graduate of Cornell University, Ashcraft has called Osaka home for over a decade.
For Brian Ashcraft's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Apr 6, 2011
Postquake, Japan's game companies put titles on hold
Japan is still reeling. The devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11 left thousands dead and many more homeless or unaccounted for. Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the quake the worst crisis Japan has faced since the end of World War II. The earthquake's very real impact has been felt everywhere in Japan — even in the virtual world of video games.
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Mar 2, 2011
The Nintendo 3DS faces stiff competition, and not just from other game consoles
In 2004, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS, a dual-screen gaming handheld that was revised several times over the next few years as the DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL (LL in Japan) and went on to become one of the most popular consoles ever. The Kyoto-based gamemaker is obviously hoping to repeat that success with its new Nintendo 3DS.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Feb 2, 2011
Handheld wars redux
For more than a decade, Nintendo ruled handheld gaming. Challengers, such as the Atari Lynx and the Sega Game Gear appeared, but Nintendo batted them away one by one. Only Sony and its PlayStation Portable could withstand the Nintendo onslaught. And Sony isn't going away anytime soon — launching a new handheld to take on Nintendo's upcoming 3DS: It's 2004 all over again.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jan 5, 2011
The best of last year's games and looking forward to 2011
Last year was a rough one for Japan. China overtook the country as the world's second largest economy, yet another prime minister upped and resigned and the economy was stagnate as ever. Things weren't much better for the game industry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 1, 2010
Microsoft taps schoolgirl idols for Xbox 360 Kinect launch
During the launch of Micosoft's new controller-free motion peripheral, Kinect, on Nov. 20 in Akihabara, Tokyo, a pair of schoolgirl idols stood smiling before a line of about 150 eager gamers — the guy at the head of the line had camped out for two days in a cardboard box with "Xbox 360" painted on it. Lurking among the gamers gathered to buy Kinect were fans of the girl group SKE48, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite idols. The two girls held the shiny black Kinect peripheral and an Xbox 360 and mugged for the assembled press, while Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensui told the assembled crowd that the Kinect was the "beginning of a new era." Microsoft seemed to be hoping that tapping the country's infatuation with schoolgirls and idol groups would translate into yen. So far, it hasn't.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Nov 3, 2010
Video games burst through borders with collaborations between companies
At a press conference last month, Fukuoka-based game studio Level-5 dropped an unexpected bombshell. Its upcoming "Professor Layton" puzzle game would have a very different feature from its previous games: the appearance of Capcom's lawyer sleuth, Phoenix Wright. Fans of the series were reeling.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Oct 6, 2010
Nintendo 3DS features high definition but higher prices
Nintendo has dubbed its new portable device the Nintendo 3DS, which is a nod to its 3-D capabilities. Unlike 3-D offerings from rival Sony, Nintendo's hand-held does not require 3-D glasses, as the screen itself can reproduce the 3-D effect for users. It's a marvel of sorts — and so is the price tag Nintendo has slapped on it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Sep 1, 2010
'Gran Turismo 5' gets Japan release date; Tokyo gears up for games show
Gentlemen (and ladies, too), start your engines. Racing simulator "Gran Turismo 5," has been given a release date. It will be roaring into Japanese retailers come Nov. 3 — a day behind its North American release date of Nov. 2.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 30, 2009
Tokyo Game Show fails to impress
The theme for the 2009 Tokyo Game Show is "Game, it's so energetic!" Ironic, as the energy for this year's show was less palpable than for previous ones.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Feb 25, 2009
Kristen Kreuk: An actress indifferent
Actress Kristen Kreuk is upfront about not being a gamer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Feb 25, 2009
Hollywood's passion for the video game
Video games aren't just for playing. More and more, they're Hollywood's attempt to lure folks off their sofas and into movie theaters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 22, 2008
Xbox 360 steals Tokyo Game Show
The biggest announcement at the four-day Tokyo Game Show 2008 (Oct. 9-12) at Makuhari Messe convetion center in Chiba Prefecture was not for a Japanese title and not by a Japanese company.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 2, 2007
When women wield the DS
Imagine your typical video gamer. Male, aged 18-35, right?
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 26, 2007
Tokyo Game Show misses Nintendo
This year's Tokyo Game Show was supposed to be bigger, but that doesn't mean the industry event was better. It was expanded from three days (one press, two public days) to four days (two press, two public) as Sony, Microsoft and third-party video game publishers played host at this year's Tokyo Game Show (Sept. 20-23) at Chiba's Makuhari Messe. One noticeable absentee? Nintendo. The Kyoto-based creator of popular series like "Super Mario Bros." and "The Legend of Zelda" routinely sits TGS out and instead holds its own Nintendo event during the year.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER