FACE – Rica Matsumoto Interview (Friday the 13th)

(The following is a translation from the 07/26/2018 issue of Famitsu magazine of a recurring feature called "FACE", in which various personalities are interviewed for involvement in games)

Profile for Rica Matsumoto (Voice Actress)

As the voice of Satoshi and performer of various theme songs for the Pokemon anime in Japan, Rica Matsumoto has contributed a lot to the series as both a voice actress and singer. She also is a radio personality and variety show commentator, with a natural cheerfulness and casual conversation style. Her father is also the head of a public theatre group, so she's been heavily involved in theatre as a stage actress since she was young. The survival action game "Friday the 13th the Game" will be released in Japan from Natsume Atari on 08/02/2018. The dubbing for the long awaited Japanese version has had a lot of effort put into it, as it features popular voice actress Rica Matsumoto voicing Pamela (Jason's mother) and Tommy Jarvis. We spoke to Rica Matsumoto herself about her feelings about these roles, as well as the process of recording for them. Continue Reading

Our Nostalgic Games: King of Fighters 2000

Famitsu Translations

(The following is a translation from the 07/26/2018 issue of Famitsu magazine, from a regular column called "ore tachi no natsu gee ~Retro Gamer zadankai~", or "Our Nostalgic Games ~Retro Gamer Round-table~")

Our Nostalgic Games ~Retro Gamer Round-table~ #191

Editors passionately discussing games playable on modern hardware that are just as good as they've ever been!

Arcade Archives Neo Geo (PS4) - The King of Fighters 2000

The 7th installment in the King of Fighters series. It allows for more fierce battles than before, with the introduction of Active Striker characters that can be called into battle at any time. Original Release Year: 2000 Hardware: Arcade Date of Digital Release: 06/21/2018 Maker: Hamster Continue Reading

Our Nostalgic Games: King of Fighters ’98

Famitsu Translations

(The following is a translation from the 06/14/2018 issue of Famitsu magazine, from a regular column called "ore tachi no natsu gee ~Retro Gamer zadankai~", or "Our Nostalgic Games ~Retro Gamer Round-table~")

Our Nostalgic Games ~Retro Gamer Round-table~ #185

Editors passionately discussing games playable on modern hardware that are just as good as they've ever been!

Arcade Archives Neo Geo (PS4) - The King of Fighters '98

SNK's masterpiece fighting game. With the Orochi Saga concluded in KOF 97, this game is a culmination of the series so far, featuring a ton of characters. Original Release Year: 1998 Hardware: Arcade Date of Digital Release: 1/11/2018 Maker: Hamster Continue Reading

Famitsu Feature: The Present State of Shooting Games

Famitsu Translations

A big multi-article feature entitled "The Present State of Shooting Games" which published in the 07/12/2018 issue of Famitsu magazine, centered around the recent release of famed shooter Ikaruga to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 stores. Ikaruga got its own set of articles that I won't be translating, however there were three key articles in the bigger feature that interested me quite a bit as a fan of the shooter (Shmups, whatever you want to call it, just as long as you understand I'm not talking about First-Person Shooters) genre:

- Famitsu's 2D Shooting Family Tree 2018
  - Famitu put together a basic family tree (no it won't have EVERYTHING on it) on the evolution of the 2D shooter as of 2018, which gave me a chance to break out my draw.io flowchart skills for the translation once again!
- Talking with ZUN from the Touhou Series! A Conversation Hell
  - A very interesting conversation between old-school shooter fans, featuring various writers and editors, as well as Touhou Project creator ZUN. They discuss their memories of classic shooters, as well as how the genre led up to Bullet Hell and the formation of Touhou. All of this comes with pictures of them having a lot of fun in a dark izakaya with very delicious looking beer!
- Talking With Minoru Ikeda, Owner Of Takadanobaba Arcade Mikado: The Allure And Future of Shooting Games
  - In perhaps my favorite of the three articles, Famitsu talks to owner/operator of famed arcade Mikado in Tokyo's Takadanobaba area Minoru Ikeda about his history with shooting games and as an arcade operator. It's very interesting to hear about this sort of thing from the standpoint of someone who runs an arcade, and how what he feels it will take for shooters and arcades to revitalize themselves. I'll definitely be stopping into Mikado on my next trip to Japan!

Talking With Minoru Ikeda, Owner Of Takadanobaba Arcade Mikado: The Allure And Future of Shooting Games

Famitsu Translations

(The following is a translation from the 07/12/2018 issue of Famitsu magazine, as a part of a larger feature called "The Present State of Shooting Games".) Now it's time to speak with Minoru Ikeda, the owner of the arcade "Mikado" located in Tokyo's Takadanobaba area. Ikeda was first attracted to arcade shooting games by Xevious. He talked with us about the history of shooting games and arcades from the dark days of shooters to the present, and the allure and future of shooting games from the perspective of the arcade. Continue Reading