Awesome Japanese

From the same studio that brought us Full Metal Alchemist, Kurau Phantom Memory’s 24 episodes are available as a DVD box set; you’ll get both English and Japanese audio plus subtitles.

It was every 80s kid’s dream to have a home arcade; you’ll be able to do so on a small scale with the Sega Taikan Collection, which includes five mini cabinets (one is a mystery).

Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi announces Lost Planet 2 in the rather lengthy trailer above; it’s an ice world no more with jungle climes, but we’re most excited by the co-op play.

With February 17th just around the corner, Capcom has dropped Street Fighter IV’s opening cinematic; we’re happy that it features the slick, hand-drawn style seen in earlier trailers.

While the cinematic and gameplay trailers were nothing short of awesome, this narrated GTTV preview for White Knight helps to fill in the blanks for the upcomingPS3 exclusive RPG.

Tokyoflash continues to ply the minimalist and esoteric oceans with the Heko Watch; three rows of LEDs (one visible, two hidden) are all that mar its otherwise smooth stainless steel face.

The calculator is the last thing we’d call stylish, but the Amadana Stick Calculator comes in at a svelte 8mm with an elongated design that (almost) makes doing our taxes appealing.

Hori’s Real Arcade Pro EX SE is as close as you’ll get to the real arcade experience; the Xbox 360 controller is made with parts from Seimetsu, who builds real arcade cabinets.

The trailer above for Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a bit like Final Fantasy meets Mass Effect; word is it’ll be more team-focused with a 4-party system when it drops 2/24 in North America.

We’re still trying to count all the turrets on this monster LEGO replica of Space Battleship Yamato; this classic anime actually bested Star Wars at the Japanese box office in 1977.

Loved the White Knight Chronicles trailer? this gameplay video has it all: a knight in shining armor, a damsel in distress and some four-legged biomechanical cannon thing from hell.

Get your growl on with Puma’s insanely detailed Japanese Monster Pack, styled off of kaiju films from the 50s-70s with wild textures that recall Godzilla, Mothra, Ghidora and more.

Ignoring their obvious phallic properties, these Chubu Mechatrobots by Kazushi Kobayashi are from an alternate reality 1950s; they’re on display at the Tokyo Cultuart shop.

If this Heartbeat Watch’s EKG stops beating the only thing dead is your battery: it spikes according to the time, not your pulse; simply recharge via USB to get the ol’ ticker going again.

Fresh from IMAGI (who brought us the Astro Boy and Gatchman teasers), T-28 is a resurrection of the Tetsujin manga; it hasn’t been picked up by a studio per se, but it sure looks promising.

Coming to theaters January 23, Hajirai Machine Girl is not for the faint of heart; only in Japan would a machine gun emerging from a bikini girl’s behind seem even remotely normal.

This gameplay video for Yakuza 3 is light on any real innovation; it’s just a dude in a suit wailing on victim after victim in street brawls, but with the moves of a UFC/WWF fighter.

A collaboration between the Sapporo brewery and Royce Confections, this Chocolate Beer will be sold starting today in a limited run of 72,000 cans; it’s made with roaster malt and cacao.

Mu Pan’s Origamu paper sculptures make our paper cranes look positively lame; these intricately crafted pieces have a grace and fluidity that improves on traditional origami.

Coming to North America sometime in 2009, White Knight Chronicles is a third-person, full-length 100 hour RPG by Level-5; the trailer above is flat-out, jaw-dropping awesome.

We could deal without the continuous operatic wail in the background, but this trailer for Japanese action RPG Demon’s Souls is an absolute eyeful for medieval fantasy fans.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is out in Japan; this runnin’ / flyin’ / jumpin’ opening cinematic is both gorgeous and torture for North American fans, who will have to wait until mid-year 2009.

Available 12/18 in Japan (Q1, USA), Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 may be the bastard child of two franchises, but hordes of enemies + mecha + tweaked AI = one sexy bastard.