Level-5 donates over 20,000 soccer balls to UNICEF for 11 for Africa

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Handhelds, DS & DSi & DSi XL, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 2D, Role-Playing, Sports

Level-5 is helping needy children by giving them soccer balls. Yes, you read correctly. To promote the latest Inazuma Eleven DS games in Japan and support charity, Level-5 started an Africa 11 campaign.

For each copy of Inazuma Eleven: Sekai e no Chousen!! Spark and Bomber sold, 11 yen was donated to UNICEF. While that may seem like a small figure, it resulted in over 20,000 soccer balls being donated to needy schools in South Africa. Besides, over 500,000 copies of Inazuma Eleven 3 were sold in the first week after their release and over 1,100,000 copies of Inazuma Eleven 3 were sold between the launch date and September, 2010.

Level-5’s 11 for Africa promotion began in July 2010, when the two versions of the Inazuma Eleven 3 game was released. It is also part of Hide Nakata’s Take Action Foundation program, which tries to help solve problems around the world with various campaigns, special events and soccer matches. In addition to Level-5’s recent UNICEF donation, there was also a charity auction for Haiti relief efforts earlier this year that benefitted World Food Program (WFP) and the We are the World Foundation and in 2009 there was a CLICK fundraiser with Toshiba to help work with the WFP to get food for 100,000 Kenyan children.

Kudos to Level-5 on its charity work. It’s always nice to hear about a company giving back to help make the world a better place. And it’s nice to know that buying a soccer video game could help a less fortunate child actually get to play soccer.

Read [4Gamer.net (Japanese)] Via [Game Jouhou (Japanese)] Site [Inazuma Eleven (Japanese)] Site [Take Action Foundation]

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PlayStation Plus Update: Defend your tower for discounts (November 30, 2010)

Section: Features, Columns, Japanese Imports, Lists, Nostalgia, Previews, Consoles, PS3, Handhelds, PSP & PSPgo, Gear, Displays, Ads & Media, Web, Advertisements, Other Media, Updates, Playstation-Store

This week’s PlayStation Plus feature is a free mini game called Vector TD for the PlayStation Portable. In this game players must strategically construct towers along a path to attack oncoming Vectoids and keep them away from your base by destroying them before they reach the end of the path. The more successful you are at eliminating the Vectoids the more upgrade and bonus options you unlock to help you defend against the harder Vectoids in the next wave.

Check out Vector TD:

Here’s What Else is New for PlayStation Plus Members

Games

• Shatter (PS3/Free)
• Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus (PS3/Free)
• DYNOGEMS (PSP/Free)
• Japanese PSOne Imports: Arcade Hits: Sonic Wings Special (PS3/$3)
• Japanese PSOne Imports: Money Idol Exchanger (PS3/$3)
• Japanese PSOne Imports: Dezaemon Plus (PS3/$3)
• Japanese PSOne Imports: Blockids (PS3/$3)
• Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (PS3/$3)
• Twisted Metal 2 (PS3/$3)
• Crash Bandicoot 2 (PS3/$3)
• Landit Bandit (PS3/$5)
• Hustle Kings (PS3/$5)
• Crazy Taxi (PS3/PSP/$7.99)
• Dead Nation (PS3/$11.99)

Themes and Wallpapers

• Magic in Technology (PS3/Free)
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Dynamic Theme (PS3/Free)
• Smoke and Mist (PS3/Free)
• PlayStation 15th Anniversary Dynamic Theme (PS3/Free)

PLEASE NOTE: The above offers are exclusive to PlayStation Plus. To participate in these exclusive offers players must be 18 years of age or older and must purchase a PlayStation Plus membership (a three-month subscription package is $17.99 and a one-year subscription package for $49.99.)

Read [PlayStation Plus Announcement Blog] Read [PlayStation Plus Announcement Blog]

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Hot Japanese Imports: 2010 Japanese novelty gift guide

Section: Exclusives, Originals, Features, Columns, Gift Guide, Japanese Imports, Consoles, Wii, Gear, Accessories, Controllers, Figures & Toys, Gear-Other

While buying games and consoles as holiday gifts are an awesome idea, they’re also fairly expected. Besides, what happens if you have a friend or family member that you want to get a gift for, but you don’t want to spend $50 on. Because if you’re going to get any import game, odds are you’re going to be spending at least $45 on them. Time for a Japanese novelty or gadget!

See, with an imported toy or gadget you’re still telling someone you care enough about them to pick out something exotic and have it shipped from overseas, but you probably won’t be spending an excessive amount of money on it. Hot Japanese Imports today suggests eight unusual items that might work as a unique stocking stuffer.

4 in 1 SNES/NES/Genesis/N64 Wii Controller Virtual Adapter
Price? $19.99
Who has it? Japan Video Games
What is it? An adapter that lets you play Wii Virtual Console games with the original controller to provide a more realistic retro gaming experience. It only works with games that would normally have GameCube controller support.
Who would want it? Wii owners who love retro games and have some old console controllers lying around.

Animal Crossing Alarm Clock
Price? $10.50
Who has it? National Console Support, Inc.
What is it? A metal alarm clock with Tom Nook, K.K. Slider or Rosie on it.
Who would want it? Animal Crossing-fanatics. Or people who like cute, anthropomorphic animals.

Fridgeezoo Fridge Pet
Price? Around $22
Who has it? Strapya World
What is it? A Fridgeezoo Fridge Pet looks like a carton of milk with a Penguin, Polar Bear, Seal or Walrus design. When you open the fridge door, the character talks to you. (In Japanese, of course.) They say hello, ask how you’re doing and remind you to close the door.
Who would want it? Maybe someone with young kids. I bet they’d get a kick out of an animal-design milk carton that talks. College students too.

Egg Shaped Kitten
Price? $9.20
Who has it? Strapya World
What is it? An egg shaped kitten. It’s sort of like a Weebles toy. You can hold it in your hand or place it on a flat surface, and it looks adorable. If you touch it, it will meow. There are five different designs.
Who’d want it? Cat lovers. People who are easily amused and like little knick-knacks. Cat owners might enjoy seeing their pets play with it.

Itazura Coin Bank
Price? Around $22
Who has it? Strapya World
What is it? A robotic bank with a kitten or puppy inside. You put a coin on the sensor and the animal will peek up, extend a paw and drag the coin inside the box. It will also meow or bark, depending on which animal is inside.
Who would want it? Animal lovers and kids.

Maywa Denki Otamatone Melody
Price? Around $16
Who has it? AmiAmi
What is it? A keychain shaped like an eighth note. There is a smiling face on the note head. It is available in four colors (white, black, pink, blue) and plays 11 songs in 3 different octaves.
Who would want it? Musicians. Someone with keys who needs a new keychain.

USB Pikachu
Price? Around $35
Who has it? Strapya World
What is it? A little robotic Pikachu. You plug it into your computer’s USB port to make his head bob and his cheeks light up. You can pose him on your desk or clip him onto the top of your monitor. He might also just kind of tilt his head, knowingly.
Who would want it? Anyone who doesn’t mind a miniature pikachu watching his or her every move.

USB X’mas Tree
Price? $9.99
Who has it? Play-Asia
What is it? A miniature christmas tree that plugs into your computer’s USB drive. It will then glow, changing colors every once in a while.
Who would want it? Someone who wants to make their desktop a little more festive without doing a lot of work. You could also probably use it as a small lamp or night light.

Image Source: Strapya World

COMING NEXT WEEK: Hot Japanese Imports reviews KON! Houkago Live! for PSP.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week provided a 2010 import console game gift guide.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Kairosoft bringing Game Dev Story 2 to iOS

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Handhelds, iPhone & iPod Touch & iPad, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, 2D, Sim

Good news if you can’t get enough of Game Dev Story – Game Dev Story 2 is on the way! Kairosoft was pleasantly surprised by how many people loved the English version of its game developer management simulation and has decided to move forward with an English version of the sequel. Be patient though, as it won’t be out for a while.

Kairosoft is working on an iOS port of Game Dev Story 2, but at the moment it’s preoccupied with another iOS app. It is working on a city management simulation right now, so the English version of Game Dev Story 2 will have to wait until that’s done. In a way, that’s good news too, because Kairosoft is hoping to eventually release English versions of all of its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad games in North America. Plus, when Game Dev Story 2 is finally released, it’ll have network features that will allow you to compare your game to your friends’.

This all means you’ll have to make due with the original Game Dev Story for a while longer. It’s $3.99 on iTunes and is playable on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. In case you’re curious what it’s like, check out the adventures of Jeremy Hill’s Game Dev Story company. In the next entry, his original developer starts making handheld games. As for me, I’m off to Kairosoft’s website to pick up a copy of the PC version of Game Dev Story and see if I can give it a try.

Read [Touch Arcade] Also Read [Kotaku] Also Read [Gamertell] Product Page [iTunes] Site [Kairosoft (Japanese)]

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Japan Import: Final Fantasy Trading Card Game coming in 2011

Section: Gaming News, Features, Japanese Imports, Game-Companies, Developers, Publishers, Genres, CCG & TCG, Web-Sites, Official-Sites

When you think about the whole “gotta get’em all” theory, you usually think Pokemon. But soon, that notion will apply to Final Fantasy. Square Enix is currently working on a Final Fantasy Trading Card Game. You still have time to start saving though, as it has only just been announced for Japan, and won’t even appear there until February 25, 2011.

Details are very vague at the moment, and the brand new FF-TCG website doesn’t help much. It will be a standard TCG, where people collect the cards and use them to stage battles and attacks. Summons will be available, and there will be character cards featuring prominent heroes and villains from the Final Fantasy universe. The site reveals a few of the familiar faces we’ll be seeing when the game launches. Right now only Cloud, Sephiroth and Zidane have been officially announced (all three have Dissidia: Final Fantasy under their names), but some of the other character shadows look quite familiar. I spy Aerith (FFVII), a sage (FFIII), Yuna (FFX) and Lightning (FFXIII). I can’t tell who those other two figures are though. Any guesses?

If you’re really excited about the FF-TCG, you may want to consider importing a copy of The 3rd Birthday (PSP). While there isn’t much FF-TCG information on the site, Square Enix did make sure to announce that all copies of The 3rd Birthday will come with an exclusive card you can use in the FF-TCG. I’m tempted to say it’s an Aya Brea card, but I’m not sure there’ll be cross-overs in this trading card game. Perhaps it’ll be a special Lightning card, what with the Aya Brea/Lightning costume swaps.

If you’re in a betting mood, I’d say you could make some easy money by betting that the Japanese copy of Dissidia 012: duodecim will include a FF-TCG card!

Read [Andriasang] Via [Destructoid] Site [Final Fantasy Trading Card Game (Japanese)]

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