Gai tells the story of what it was like having a full sized arcade game in the house as a kid in the mid 1980s.
Get your Poltergust ready! I translated the Luigi Mansion Arcade game for those who wondered what it was saying. Since then the game was never released in English, so be sure to look for it!
Gai visits a local used game store to show what’s on sale in Japan.
A scene from a kids comic book has a strange similarity to a scene from Super Mario Bros. 3
Gai sets out to be “first in the world” when the Giga Big Mac debuts in Japan.
Gai finds a great a place to eat that serves up food in a fun way!
A look at some fun Rockman (Mega Man) items for sale in Japan.
Gai goes to the recycle shop and finds a chair that costs a fortune.
In 2016, a Japanese company had a crazy idea: make iOS and Android games available as individually sold cartridges! But how would that even work? Could they raise the money in time?
The touring gaming museum “Game On” visits Japan.
A mysterious woman dressed in purple appears with a secret message.
A comprehensive look at the technological Expo known as Yume Kojo, in English, Dream Machine.
Gai bought a Super Famicom 3DS LL, which was not easy to do.
Gai takes a trip to Yokohama and sees the Pokémon Parade.
A walking tour of the Akihabara electric town area.
Gai visits a game center and tries out New Super Mario Bros. Woo Coin World.
Gai visits the Dragon Quest museum, showing everyone what they missed out on.
Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach fight Wart and Catherine, who really is a boy.
An overview of how popular and crazy Kit Kats are in Japan.
A miniature Family Computer makes news in Japan.
An in-depth review of a video game that is better than Zelda, Mario & Metroid combined!
The Subspace theme from Super Mario 2 can be played in the overworld and underworld?? It's true! Let's find out how! There are a few things to notice here. First the music is actually 15 seconds long, which is longer than the time in subspace. That means part of the music will NEVER be heard and trapped in the game forever, until you do this trick. The other thing is the in Super Mario Bros. 2, when you pause the game, the bass line of the music plays while the rest is muted. But in subspace you can’t pause the game. That means there’s yet another version of the music hiding out that you may have never heard before.
March 3rd is a holiday just for girls! There's also one for boys on May 5th. Learn all about it! Hinamatsuri traces its origins to a Heian period custom called hina-nagashi (雛流し"doll floating") in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them. The Shimogamo Shrine (part of the Kamo Shrine complex in Kyoto) celebrates the Nagashi-bina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children. People have stopped doing this now because of fishermen catching the dolls in their nets. They now send them out to sea, and when the spectators are gone they take the boats out of the water and bring them back to the temple and burn them. The customary drink for the festival is shirozake, a sake made from fermented rice.
Paid talking heads aside, I got the FIRST Switch in the world at 10:00am in Japan while the rest of the world was stuck for hours in the cold waiting in line! I also gave an honest review, which means Nintendo didn't pay me... It turns out that anyone who did get a review unit of the Switch (before 3/3) had to read some spiel about how cute the box is and etc., etc., I was happy to get one the honest way and give my real opinion, and predictions. Even if some of those didn't actually come true...
The star of 1-2 Switch commercials in japan is a famous actor who also voices Professor Layton.
Decades before it was "cool" I was making gaming videos! On August 9th, 1990, I did something few people had thought about doing and nobody would see, that is until now. I made a video of me playing Rescue Rangers with the family camcorder. These videos are referred to as “let’s plays” in the 2020s, but in 1990, it was just me playing around with the camcorder. So in celebration of the release of The Disney Afternoon Collection, allow me to present a “let’s play” of one of the games Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers, recorded in my basement on August 9th, 1990 at 1:30 pm!
How can a puzzle game be turned into a comic book?
People ask, "why didn't you record the whole thing?" I had to sneak it and was told to stop recording so this was the best I could do. I did find a second copy at a library but they didn't loan it out saying that they feared someone would copy it and put it on the internet! You can't make this stuff up!!
An in-depth search for answers to the how and why of Atari’s 2600 version of Pac-Man release date being lost, and how it was rediscovered.
A look at the third season of Japanese TV show, Yuusha Yoshihiko, with a top seven episode countdown.
There are words to the music in the Japanese version of Super Air Zonk???
A retelling of the classic Zelda game in manga form.
Learn all about the Guts Pose and the man behind it!
Justin Bailey is a real person? Yeah, well, kind of...
The Super Famicom Mini is finally available for sale in Japan! Released on October 5, 2017 it is the follow up to the Famicom Classic Edition released last year. This version included 21 games from the 16-bit heyday and fixes everyone’s biggest gripe over the Famicom Mini, and that is full size detachable controllers! The SFC mini Follows the western version which was released on September 29th. Wait! Something is coming out in America first? That can't be!
Let's pay tribute to the final form of the TurboGrafx-16!
Pauline from Donkey Kong is named after a 1914 silent film? It seems so!!
Altered Beast, a popular Sega arcade game, later became an album!
JJ & Jeff is based off of a crazy TV Show in Japan! Have you ever actually seen it?
Thirty Years of the Blue Bomber! On December 17, 1987, Capcom released a game known as Rockman in Japan Soon after this game would come to the West as Megaman. You wouldn’t know it then but that one game would be the genesis for one of the best selling series of all time. 30 years later the MegaMan franchise has over a dozen spinoffs and over 100 games overall. To cover all of them would be a little too crazy/but we will take a look at how Megaman the character and the series were created and how the success of these early games laid the foundation for what Megaman has become today.
In December 2017, a well known Role Playing Game series had its 30th anniversary... no, not Final Fantasy! Well ok that one too, but there is another...
Yatta! Green Leaves Explained!
Clues hiding in the background of “My Neighbor Totoro” pinpoint the exact date that events in the movie happened.
Gai asks composer Manami Matsumae (aka Chanchakolin) if ElecMan’s stage music was inspired by Journey or just a coincidence.
Gai visits a museum that features exhibits based on goodbyes from Final Fantasy games.
The co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc. was at one time the Tetris world champion.
Learn all about Kodomo no Hi!
Atari, under three different owners, try to become Big in Japan.
There is a game between Valis 3 and 4 that tells the fate of Yuko!
The Epoch Cassette Vision paved the road the Family Computer walked on.
The First SEGA TV Game was also a computer and debuted the same day as Nintendo!
Sharp created the Famicom in 1979!? It's 100% TRUE!
Kid Icarus has many strange passwords, this one is the weirdest of all!
The Manga version of Super Mario Land gets pretty crazy!
What'cha gonna do brother when this manga runs wild on you?!!
I found a Diet Pepsi Woman Toko Toko Can Helper! What is that?
Pac-Land has some neat glitches and codes you can try out!
A review of how Mega Man box art has evolved over time.
How the greatest game of the 8-bit era came to be, and the legacy it left behind.
A review of various books that chronicled the Sega Mega Drive in Japan.
In 1998 Sega turned a real life executive into a media superstar!
There are words to the title music of Punch Out!!
Were the shortages of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link real or a hoax?
A comprehensive look at the Twinbee series and the legacy it left behind.
Gai visits a Lawson convenience store where they offer an unusual promotion for Final Fantasy XIV
Asking for Megaman light bulbs in Greece can get you in big trouble.
Let's celebrate 30 years of The Great Collapse!
Link returns to Castle Hyrule to learn his true destiny.
Princess Zelda joins Link and Watto on their quest to save Hyrule.
Link searches for the third Triforce to stop a reborn Ganon from destroying Hyrule.
Gai shares a super secret code for Cosmic Fantasy 3 on the PC Engine Cd-Rom2.
Gai discusses the anime and game series Monster Strike and tries some snacks.
The journey of Goemon from mythical folk hero to beloved video game character.
The long strange trip of a very unique knock off.
Fuji Media and Nintendo start a collaborative partnership.
Ten not safe for work comings from Japan starring WWF champion Hulk Hogan.
Gai buys a Sega Mega Drive Mini and reminisces about the good old days, but is also surprised about the hysteria over this new video game.
Monkey Magic by Godiego was a popular song in 1978. It set the stage for Dragon Ball, Alex Kidd and tons of other things inspired by Journey to the West.
The how and why of the naming scheme behind popular video game character, PC Genjin.
3D Dot Game Heroes came and went without much notice, but was an awesome game that paid tribute to its ancestors.
A popular Japanese actor becomes a spokesman for the Sega Saturn.
A manga retelling of the first Mega Man game from 1987!
Popular video game series Gradius makes fun of itself.
Gai orders a TurboGrafx-16 Mini and is overjoyed, but a mysterious new virus from China ruins the fun.
Gai ponders why so many pro wrestlers have ring names that come from something else.
Gai, Ed and Colin visit the Square-Enix Cafe in Akihabara just in time for the new Final Fantasy VII.
The choices made by three generations of royalty determine the fates of their people.
To celebrate 40 years of Pac-Man, Morinaga created some special candy and a fun game.
Donkey Kong Jr. escapes from the circus to reunite with his papa.
Mei resumes her job as a mage after a lengthy maternity leave.
If you knew where to look, you could find one of the strangest and rarest Super Mario and Nintendo collectibles of all time!
July 7th is a holiday for lovers in Japan! Oh, and sometimes its held in August too...
Taito releases a series of online video game and karaoke machines that were active for almost 20 years.
After seeing an online millionaire repeat a well-known fact as a mind blowing revelation, Gai takes on the task of explaining something that has puzzled him for years.
Ten not safe for work comics featuring WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan.
In 1991, a Japanese comedian cashed in on copying M. C. Hammer right down to the letter!
An exclusive interview with the man who developed the TurboGrafx-16 arcade system!!
In 1980s Japan, a young boy named Wataru is transported to another world, where he is chosen as the savior of the world. Meanwhile in 21st Century America, a young man named Keith Courage fights beastly alien dudes.
Sega repurposes their Mark III system into a portable wonder that is a great alternative to the GameBoy.
In 1990, Nintendo broke with tradition and gave The Western World a video game that Japan would never see.
On November 21, 1990 The Super Famicom and Super Mario Bros. 4 were let out into the world!
A manga retelling of the classic NES game Mega Man 2!
Mega Man comes face to face with Dr. Wily once more.
Gai investigates the suspect Warmech Challenge contest from 1990, only to raise the ire of Nintendo for asking too many questions.
The stars align as a young Mexican advertising genius and Japanese marketing man standardize the gaming market in Spanish speaking Latin America
When the evil Medusa imprisons Parutena, princess of light, the youngest member of the Icarus Legion, Pit, comes to her rescue.
A young boy in rural Japan becomes a Kendo master.
A good friend of mine has a favorite curiosity he likes to collect. Family Computer Disk System games on cartridge that were only released in pirated form!
A flyby of all the planets that also just happen to be codenames of various Sega products.
With the threat of Nintendo single-handedly controlling the 16-bit era looming, Sega steps up to create a character that steals the Big N’s thunder.
Gai discovers the truth about Sega’s decision to call the Mega Drive the Genesis in America.
The king of Baron seems not quite himself as he seeks out the elemental crystals that keep the world in balance.
Mario Land is under attack from Wario.
Mario, Luigi, and Peach collect the 6 golden coins needed to fight Wario.
10 more crazy comics starring The Hulkster and friends.
NEC tries to follow up on the PC Engine with a new game machine that excels in full motion video.
Gai discovers a strange trademark for a non-existent trading card company.
In 2021 Oshiri Tantei hit the Nintendo Switch, and the big screen, but there were 10 years worth of games already?
Gai looks at the Game Gear and Master System adventures of most famous hedgehog in the world.
A legion of robots are controlled by a mysterious radio signal.
Dr. Wily and Mega Man join forces to fight a robot rebellion.
On planet Maris in the year 2387, The White Nauts fight off the Noza invasion.
In 1993, Nintendo took its greatest hits and made them even better.
Ken Uston (pronounced "Houston") was a brilliant man with an amazing life story. Learn all about the journey of the first video game celebrity.
Cosmic Fantasy was a groundbreaking series that brought RPGs and anime closer together than ever before.
Cobra, Sayo, Babette and Van help a civilian spaceship that is ambushed by Space Pirates.
Team Algernon discovers the secrets of Zola, while Team Little Fox unleashes the Kilkenny!
The greatest Keirin star of all time kicked off the Keirin game trend in the 1990s. Uh... What's Keirin?
In the era before The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, one Super Sentai series was written with adults in mind. It was also the first Super Sentai to have a video game!
Hogan's Alley was the best Zapper Game around! Take that Gumshoe! Hey, who was Hogan by the way...?
Samus Aran is called into action to clear out the Metroid infestation on SR388 and stop Mother Brain!
Let us never forget the vision, message and purpose of Yume Kojo!
If you ever watched Japanese TV between 2013 and oh.. say 2018, you know exactly what I'm talking about!
In 1989, Atari Corporation had the most powerful game machine around!
10 more not safe for work comics starring Hulk Hogan from the 80s!
In 1988, Sega followed up on Zillion with an all new Media Mix, set in Tokyo in the year 2030.
A famous Japanese restaurant chain once offered PlayStation fans the ultimate challenge...
In 1992, a port of the Commodore 64 game Nebulus made it to Japan. Here’s how it all happened.
Robots wreak havoc in The City for the fourth time! Can Mega Man step up the challenge again?
Roll was planning a birthday party for Dr. Light, but that had to be put on hold as robots once again attacked The City. Dr. Cossack is the man behind all of this, with his intentions of world domination not clearly understood.
On November 24th, 1992, the greatest 16-Bit game of all time was let out into the world, along with a marketing strategy that still exists today.
Final Fantasy V was a great game that differs from the other 16-Bit Final Fantasy games that surround it, both in style and the journey that the game took.
Phantasy Star was Sega’s flagship RPG back in the gold old days. 35 years on, it’s time to celebrate and reflect on the adventures of Alisa Landale and her friends.
It seems like every six months a new version of Street Fighter II comes out! Why not try it out for yourself?
Kirby was already a sleeper hit on the GameBoy, but in 1993 his (warp)star really took off, giving the Family Computer its final platinum game.
In 2013, Nintendo gave its most famous player 2 first billing. How did it all turn out?
Mario and Luigi chase after the stolen golden statue, with the help of...Wario!?
In 1978, Spider Man went to Japan! He came back empty handed, but set the stage for what eventually became the Power Rangers.
In 1993, Capcom reinvented the Mega Man series for the 22nd Century!
In 1989 Sega and Fuji TV (along with Studio Pierrot) created a Media Mix that felt and awful lot like Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2.
Does Mario Show a "Peace Sign?" Or a "V for Victory” in Super Mario World, All-Stars and Mario 64??? The long strange journey that a certain hand gesture has undergone, which also managed to enter the world of video games.
100 years ago, a new word entered the Japanese language. Far from its original definition, Yakyuuken later became the first X-Rated video game in Japan! How'd that happen?!
In 2008, Capcom gave its oldest, greater hero a new lease on life. Let's celebrate 15 years of Mega Man's glorious return!
In 1993, UK games publisher Mindscape released Alfred Chicken alongside a very unique, timely and unusual promotional campaign.
Since 1996 there have been two sets of Mario fans: those who grew up on the NES/SNES and love 2D and those who grew up with an N64 (or later) and love 3D. In 2011, Nintendo finally merged together the worlds of 2D and 3D gaming, and did so in a wonderful way.
In 1993, Sega followed up Sonic 2sDay with a triple threat, delivering THREE games on one day, November 23rd, 1993: Sonic Mania Day!!
In 1993, Sega's flagship RPG series was given the proper finale it deserved!
Proto Man leads another robot rebellion...but, why? Can Mega Man escape Proto Man's Trap?
Mega Man and Rush make it to Proto Man's fortress! Can Dr. Light be saved in time??
In 1994 Sega executed a two-part strategy for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Part one of the plan involved getting up awfully early one winter morning as a longtime local tradition became national.
On January 25th, 2024 the first official English translation of Cosmic Fantasy 1 was let out into the world! Alongside Cosmic Fantasy 2, with some changes. So, how do they rate?? Let's take a look!
In 2022 Morinaga and Sega teamed up for some pretty cool advergames. In 2023 Konami joined in, and brought Takahashi Meiji along for the ride!
After years of playing Super Mario Maker, it got me to think about what we are truly missing out on...
Capcom held several contests for the Rockman series. The winning entries became boss characters. But, what happened to all those who lost?
In 1992, a new face at Nintendo came up with a little ditty and then planted it hard to find places...
On April 2nd, 1994, Square Soft concluded its masterpiece 16-Bit Role Playing Game Trilogy!
The Manga Adventures Mario and Wario! Peach, Yoshi, Luigi and the Fairy Wanda Join the Battle!
In 1989, at the height of Turtle Mania, Konami gave the world TWO TMNT games. Only one was worth playing. Why?
Pac-Man began life with a singular machine at a sole location. So, where was it?