How Japanese Games Dominated Summer News
For one thing, Nintendo's Switch 2 console made its highly anticipated debut just a few days before the weeklong string of showcases, on June 5. It stole part of the news cycle, splitting the gaming audience's attention.
Meanwhile, looters ran riot in the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, close to where many of the visiting media and exhibitors were staying. This all led to a slightly fraught weeklong US work trip for little me.
Still, while all of this was a little distracting, it was a good week for new game announcements. And as the Western game industry continues to struggle with restructuring, layoffs, studio closures, and game delays, once again, it fell on Japan and Asia to provide many of the biggest and most exciting new game reveals this June. Daniel at the Summer Game Fest showcase at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. (©Daniel Robson)
Japan's game industry in particular has been largely immune to the unpredictable economic conditions of the past few years. This is thanks to a general aversion to risky M&As, the weak yen, and strong overseas sales.
While many Western games have been cancelled or postponed due to a post-pandemic slump, Japanese publishers have mostly managed to keep production lines rolling. The sheer ratio of new Japanese announcements vs Western ones was noticeable.
Yes, the newly unveiled Call of Duty game — Black Ops 7 — from publisher Microsoft will be one of the year's biggest sellers for sure. But given the series' annual release cadence, it wasn't exactly a surprise. It seemed to generate a lot less buzz than some of the bigger Asian games.
The highest-impact new announcement at Summer Game Fest, the livestream that has replaced E3 as the de facto largest annual early-summer showcase, was Resident Evil 9: Requiem.
The long-awaited new entry in the legendary survival horror franchise had been heavily rumored. Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley and publisher Capcom played with this expectation with a couple of fake-outs earlier in the two-hour showcase before finally announcing the game right at the end. I was in the room at the YouTube Theater in LA, and the reaction to the trailer and the February 27, 2026, release date was electric.
Other biggies included the re-reveal of Capcom's mysterious and long-delayed action game Pragmata, which I got to play at the SGF-hosted media expo Play Days the next day. The game's high-concept futuristic design is clean and attractive, taking cues from anime and Western sci-fi. Its protagonist Hugh and robot girl Diana are also appealing, while its mix of hacking and shooting makes for an interesting action game.
Sega got a great reaction for its new games Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, for which a bunch of guest characters including Hatsune Miku were announced, and a new game from the Like a Dragon team, newly titled Stranger than Heaven.
Meanwhile, the PlayStation State of Play showcase a few days earlier featured Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, a cool new superhero fighting game from ARC System Works, and Romeo is a Dead Man, a bonkers-looking action game from veteran developer Goichi Suda. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
One favorite demo I got to play was Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, a reboot of Sega's long-dormant 1980s ninja action game, which I loved as a kid. This new version is being made by French developer Lizardcube, who previously worked on modern versions of Sega's classic Streets of Rage and Wonder Boy franchises.
Shinobi updates the 2D side-scrolling ninja action formula set out by the original game with deep and satisfying combat systems. They allow you to build attack combos and unleash flashy special moves, filling the screen with crimson. Most importantly, it feels great in your hands, and the demo left me excited for the full game's release on August 29.
I also enjoyed playing Lumines Arise, a new entry in the puzzle game series by the team behind Tetris Effect. The original Lumines was a music-focused puzzle game that had you clear falling blocks in time with the beat. Arise takes this one step further, with a varied selection of excellent songs by Hydelic, the musician who scored Tetris Effect, and the same trippy audio-visual flair that made that game so unforgettable.
As the ever-evolving animations and effects swirled around the screen, my perspective kept changing every few minutes as the visuals completely refreshed. I just about beat the demo with barely seconds to spare, my embarrassingly narrow victory eliciting gasps from the development team. Daniel explores the venue at IGN Live 2025.
Play Days is the official expo of Summer Game Fest — an invitation-only event where media and influencers can play upcoming games. But during the same weekend in LA, members of the public could check out some new games and more nearby at IGN Live.
Now in its second year, IGN Live was a fun and well-curated two-day event filled with game demos and stage events. Top game developers such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creator Sandfall Interactive were interviewed in front of an audience.
The event also featured several interactive elements. Visitors could play multiplayer games together with their favorite IGN hosts, or try their hand at hosting a news segment live to the camera. There was even an artists' alley where fans could buy handmade artwork directly from the artists, boosting the community feel. This year's IGN Live was markedly bigger and better than last year's first attempt, and left me excited to see what our Stateside colleagues can achieve next year. (From left) Woodkid, Troy Baker, Shioli Kutsuna, Hideo Kojima, and host Geoff Keighley at a special Death Stranding 2 talk event at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. (©Daniel Robson)
Also that weekend, I attended a special talk event hosted by Kojima Productions to celebrate the release of Hideo Kojima's latest opus, Death Stranding 2. Kojima's fans are extremely passionate. As Kojima and other guests including actress Shioli Kutsuna, voice actor Troy Baker, and musician Woodkid talked about the game, every comment was received by explosive woops and cheers from the audience. It was exciting to be in the room and witness that infectious outpouring of love from the fans firsthand.
I had actually arrived in LA the day before the Switch 2 launch, and as I headed back to my hotel that evening after meeting a friend for dinner, we passed huge crowds in the late-night streets of Downtown LA. This was a few days before the protests and riots kicked off, and eventually, I realized they were game fans lining up for a midnight Switch 2 launch event at a local game store.
In this day and age, where so many of us preorder a game console online and wait for it to be delivered to our homes, it was nice to see a good old-fashioned in-person launch event. Mario Kart World headlined the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 this month.
That said, I found the Switch 2 launch to be fairly muted overall. Yes, the console sold a mammoth 3.5 million units in its first four days on sale, making it the biggest console launch of all time. But I had expected to see people playing the new Mario Kart World on every street corner, which I didn't see anywhere in LA, nor upon my return to Tokyo. And with no other big AAA Switch 2-exclusive games besides Mario Kart World released so far, my social media timelines haven't exactly been dominated by it.
Of course, with a new Donkey Kong game due in a couple of weeks, new Pokémon in October, and doubtless more to be announced soon, I'm sure the lineup will grow to a crescendo by the holidays. I'm excited to see what Nintendo delivers in the second half of what will undoubtedly be a record-breaking year for the House of Mario!
Author: Daniel Robson
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Japan Forward
11 hours ago
- Japan Forward
How Japanese Games Dominated Summer News
Another June, another avalanche of new videogame announcements. But the 2025 Summer Game Fest and related showcases were not quite like the others. For one thing, Nintendo's Switch 2 console made its highly anticipated debut just a few days before the weeklong string of showcases, on June 5. It stole part of the news cycle, splitting the gaming audience's attention. Meanwhile, looters ran riot in the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, close to where many of the visiting media and exhibitors were staying. This all led to a slightly fraught weeklong US work trip for little me. Still, while all of this was a little distracting, it was a good week for new game announcements. And as the Western game industry continues to struggle with restructuring, layoffs, studio closures, and game delays, once again, it fell on Japan and Asia to provide many of the biggest and most exciting new game reveals this June. Daniel at the Summer Game Fest showcase at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. (©Daniel Robson) Japan's game industry in particular has been largely immune to the unpredictable economic conditions of the past few years. This is thanks to a general aversion to risky M&As, the weak yen, and strong overseas sales. While many Western games have been cancelled or postponed due to a post-pandemic slump, Japanese publishers have mostly managed to keep production lines rolling. The sheer ratio of new Japanese announcements vs Western ones was noticeable. Yes, the newly unveiled Call of Duty game — Black Ops 7 — from publisher Microsoft will be one of the year's biggest sellers for sure. But given the series' annual release cadence, it wasn't exactly a surprise. It seemed to generate a lot less buzz than some of the bigger Asian games. The highest-impact new announcement at Summer Game Fest, the livestream that has replaced E3 as the de facto largest annual early-summer showcase, was Resident Evil 9: Requiem. The long-awaited new entry in the legendary survival horror franchise had been heavily rumored. Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley and publisher Capcom played with this expectation with a couple of fake-outs earlier in the two-hour showcase before finally announcing the game right at the end. I was in the room at the YouTube Theater in LA, and the reaction to the trailer and the February 27, 2026, release date was electric. Other biggies included the re-reveal of Capcom's mysterious and long-delayed action game Pragmata, which I got to play at the SGF-hosted media expo Play Days the next day. The game's high-concept futuristic design is clean and attractive, taking cues from anime and Western sci-fi. Its protagonist Hugh and robot girl Diana are also appealing, while its mix of hacking and shooting makes for an interesting action game. Sega got a great reaction for its new games Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, for which a bunch of guest characters including Hatsune Miku were announced, and a new game from the Like a Dragon team, newly titled Stranger than Heaven. Meanwhile, the PlayStation State of Play showcase a few days earlier featured Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, a cool new superhero fighting game from ARC System Works, and Romeo is a Dead Man, a bonkers-looking action game from veteran developer Goichi Suda. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance One favorite demo I got to play was Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, a reboot of Sega's long-dormant 1980s ninja action game, which I loved as a kid. This new version is being made by French developer Lizardcube, who previously worked on modern versions of Sega's classic Streets of Rage and Wonder Boy franchises. Shinobi updates the 2D side-scrolling ninja action formula set out by the original game with deep and satisfying combat systems. They allow you to build attack combos and unleash flashy special moves, filling the screen with crimson. Most importantly, it feels great in your hands, and the demo left me excited for the full game's release on August 29. I also enjoyed playing Lumines Arise, a new entry in the puzzle game series by the team behind Tetris Effect. The original Lumines was a music-focused puzzle game that had you clear falling blocks in time with the beat. Arise takes this one step further, with a varied selection of excellent songs by Hydelic, the musician who scored Tetris Effect, and the same trippy audio-visual flair that made that game so unforgettable. As the ever-evolving animations and effects swirled around the screen, my perspective kept changing every few minutes as the visuals completely refreshed. I just about beat the demo with barely seconds to spare, my embarrassingly narrow victory eliciting gasps from the development team. Daniel explores the venue at IGN Live 2025. Play Days is the official expo of Summer Game Fest — an invitation-only event where media and influencers can play upcoming games. But during the same weekend in LA, members of the public could check out some new games and more nearby at IGN Live. Now in its second year, IGN Live was a fun and well-curated two-day event filled with game demos and stage events. Top game developers such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 creator Sandfall Interactive were interviewed in front of an audience. The event also featured several interactive elements. Visitors could play multiplayer games together with their favorite IGN hosts, or try their hand at hosting a news segment live to the camera. There was even an artists' alley where fans could buy handmade artwork directly from the artists, boosting the community feel. This year's IGN Live was markedly bigger and better than last year's first attempt, and left me excited to see what our Stateside colleagues can achieve next year. (From left) Woodkid, Troy Baker, Shioli Kutsuna, Hideo Kojima, and host Geoff Keighley at a special Death Stranding 2 talk event at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. (©Daniel Robson) Also that weekend, I attended a special talk event hosted by Kojima Productions to celebrate the release of Hideo Kojima's latest opus, Death Stranding 2. Kojima's fans are extremely passionate. As Kojima and other guests including actress Shioli Kutsuna, voice actor Troy Baker, and musician Woodkid talked about the game, every comment was received by explosive woops and cheers from the audience. It was exciting to be in the room and witness that infectious outpouring of love from the fans firsthand. I had actually arrived in LA the day before the Switch 2 launch, and as I headed back to my hotel that evening after meeting a friend for dinner, we passed huge crowds in the late-night streets of Downtown LA. This was a few days before the protests and riots kicked off, and eventually, I realized they were game fans lining up for a midnight Switch 2 launch event at a local game store. In this day and age, where so many of us preorder a game console online and wait for it to be delivered to our homes, it was nice to see a good old-fashioned in-person launch event. Mario Kart World headlined the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 this month. That said, I found the Switch 2 launch to be fairly muted overall. Yes, the console sold a mammoth 3.5 million units in its first four days on sale, making it the biggest console launch of all time. But I had expected to see people playing the new Mario Kart World on every street corner, which I didn't see anywhere in LA, nor upon my return to Tokyo. And with no other big AAA Switch 2-exclusive games besides Mario Kart World released so far, my social media timelines haven't exactly been dominated by it. Of course, with a new Donkey Kong game due in a couple of weeks, new Pokémon in October, and doubtless more to be announced soon, I'm sure the lineup will grow to a crescendo by the holidays. I'm excited to see what Nintendo delivers in the second half of what will undoubtedly be a record-breaking year for the House of Mario! Author: Daniel Robson
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Everything you need to know about the 2025 Stampede Parade
The Stampede Parade is the official kick-off of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, and has been since 1912. Article content 'The Stampede Parade has always been about more than just a parade — it's a vibrant tradition that brings our community together in a celebration of Western heritage, creativity and civic pride,' says Stuart O'Connor, president and chair of the board at the Calgary Stampede. Article content Article content Article content The parade prelude performances begin at 7:45 a.m., and the parade itself kicks off at 9 a.m. Seating fills up quickly, though, so many choose to arrive as early as 5 or 6 a.m. to get the best view. Article content More than 80 per cent of the parade route along 6 and 9 Avenues are available for free-of-charge seating. Check out the map below for details on the parade route. Article content Article content Road closures along the parade route begin at 7:30, and parking in the area is restricted starting Thursday at noon. Transit, walking or carpooling are the best ways to get there. More details are available on the parade website. Article content What to bring Article content The forecast is showing perfect parade weather – mostly blue skies, but not too hot – but it's good to be prepared. The parade committee recommends bringing a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. Water refill stations and portable toilets will be available along the parade route. Article content Article content The committee also recommends being prepared with rain gear, but asks that umbrellas be left at home, as they could impede others' view. Article content Safety Article content EMS will be on site in case of any emergencies, but for yours and others' safety, do not cross the parade route at any time, and keep a close eye on children. Dress for the weather and stay hydrated to avoid any heat-related emergencies. Article content What you'll see Article content This year's parade marshal is Canadian country music icon Shania Twain. She's a five-time Grammy award winner, a Canadian Music Hall of Famer and the best-selling female country pop artist of all time – and she'll also be performing on July 5 at the Saddledome. Article content Calgary-born singer-songwriter Devon Cole will be the Stampede Parade Celebrity Judge, so she'll be there to select her favourite parade entry. Keep an eye out for beloved Stampede mascot Harry the Horse, who turns 40 this year. Article content The Stampede Parade the second largest parade in North America, after the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, California. It features more than 100 entries, including 35 floats, nine marching bands, eight mounted colour parties and more than 700 horses.
Winnipeg Free Press
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Say what you will about the Idris Elba-John Cena vehicle 'Heads of State,' but it's surely the first buddy comedy about the fraying bonds of NATO. The potential collapse of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization plays a surprisingly pivotal role in this fitfully diverting, for-background-noise-only, straight-to-streaming movie. Elba plays the embattled British Prime Minister Sam Clarke, while Cena co-stars as the recently elected U.S. President Will Derringer, a former action star. 'Heads of State,' directed by Ilya Naishuller ('Nobody'), is mostly about their relationship, a tense and adversarial one challenged further when an assassination plot leaves them stranded together in Belarus. But that 'Heads of State,' which debuts Wednesday on Prime Video, is such a mild romp makes it all the more surprising to hear a line uttered like: 'If NATO falls, there's backstop against despots and dictators.'not It's a funny time to release a comedy set around international political disconnection and imperiled Western democracy. But if you were beginning to worry that 'Heads of State' is too timely, don't. Any nods to current events here serve more as reminders of how much 'Heads of State' — like most of Hollywood's output — is unengaged with anything resembling our political reality. You could argue that that's not necessarily a bad thing. You could also argue that the greater sin of 'Heads of State' is underusing Stephen Root. (He plays an expert working for the bad guys.) But the vaguest hints of real-world intrigue only cast a pale light on the movie's mostly lackluster comic chops and uninspired action sequences. The best thing going for 'Heads of State' is that the chemistry between Elba and Cena is solid. The 'Suicide Squad' co-stars trade barbs with a genial ease. Most of the time, those revolve around their characters' divergent histories — Clarke was a commando before becoming a politician — in debates like which one of them is 'gym strong' as opposed to 'strong strong.' That's one of the few decent gags in the script by Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec and Harrison Query. But one problem in 'Heads of State' goes beyond the high-concept set-up. The best buddy comedies — 'Midnight Run,' '48 Hrs.,' 'The Nice Guys' — are predicated on opposites thrown together. Elba and Cena have their obvious differences. (Cena's Derringer is exaggeratedly optimistic here, too.) But ultimately they're both beefy dudes in suits. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. As the MI6 agent Noel Bisset, Priyanka Chopra Jones gives the movie a kick. But her scenes are left to the beginning and end of the movie. In between, we're left to wonder where she went, how two political leaders would have such non-existent security and whether a few half-decent jokes are enough to forgive the movie's geopolitical delusions. 'Heads of State,' an Amazon MGM Studios release is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for sequences of strong violence/action, language and some smoking. Running time: 113 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
