Brian Ashcraft

Artist Fixes Live-Action Sonic The Hedgehog

Edward Pun is a talented artist at Sucker Punch, makers of Ghost of Tsushima, Infamous and more. His quick fix for the live-action Sonic is excellent. Here is how the original and Pun’s reworking compare: I think he nailed Sonic, avoiding the creepy Uncanny Valley of the movie version. Now, if he could fix live-action…

Soldier Arrested After Going AWOL To Watch…Avengers: Endgame

Military professionals are paid to answer the call of duty. However, one soldier in South Korea answered the call of Marvel. According to WowTV (via tipster Sang), eighteen soldiers with the Republic of Korea Air Force 20th Fighter Wing left their base yesterday for public service duty. One of the troops, however, vanished. The military…

Country Road. Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. By Ricardo Mejias. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Track: Paradise Is Under Your Nose | Artist: Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres | Album: Peter Doherty & The Puta Madres Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

This Osaka Tradition Is Dangerous

Pictured is Ebisu Bridge. It’s the most famous in Osaka, and the Dotonbori canal below runs through the heart of the city’s southern district. When people in Osaka are celebrating, inevitably folks start jumping off Ebisu Bridge into the water below. This is called the “Dotonbori dive” (道頓堀ダイブ). Originally, it was baseball fans who jumped…

Here Are The Magic: The Gathering Cards That Caused Cheating Allegations

This weekend, Japanese player and Magic Hall of Famer Yuuya Watanabe was booted from Mythic Championship II in London after judges found markings on his cards’ sleeves. Here are said cards. After the disqualification, Watanabe released a statement regarding the cards and their sleeves. “I honestly don’t know how my Urzatron lands became marked, so…

Mission San Jose. Texas, USA. By Bill Staney | Flickr  JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!  

Track: Sweet Thing (Cover/Live) | Artist: Hozier | Album: N/A (Naked Noise Session)  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Welcome To Itasha Heaven

Itasha (痛車) literally means “pain mobile” and either refers to the pain it inflicts on car owners’ wallets to trick out their rides or how it affects the eyes of those who see these wheels. The Japanese word tengoku (天国) means “heaven.” At this year’s NicoNico Chogai event, there was an itasha tengoku that certainly…

Japan Says Goodbye To The Heisei Era

The current Japanese imperial era ends today when Emperor Akihito abdicates the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is the end of an era. The Heisei Period began on January 8, 1989 when Akihito ascended to the throne. The day prior, his father, Hirohito, had passed away, ending the Showa Era (1926-1989). Traditionally, new eras begin when the…

Jet Set Shinjuku. Tokyo, Japan. By Davide Sasso | Instagram JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Track: Plastic Love | Artist: Tofubeats | Album: Plastic Love Single Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Thomas the Tank mods for every game! The latest one to get the mod is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and is fittingly called “Thomas the Snake.”

After Saying Avengers Endgame Spoilers, Man Reportedly Attacked

People sure don’t like new movies spoiled. One man in Hong Kong found that out the hard way after reportedly suffering a beating for ruining Avengers: Endgame According to Asia One and TVBS (via The River), the incident went down at a cinema in Hong Kong’s Causeway. A man got bloodied up after exiting the…

Tokyo Restaurant’s Logo Is “Da Sh*t”

In Tokyo’s Akasaka, there is a fashionable-looking restaurant that serves up cuisine made with Japanese soup stock called dashi. It looks great. It might even be so good that it’s “da shit”! The establishment’s actual name is “Dashi Plus.” The stylized logo is written in English with a plus mark that inadvertently turns “dashi” into…

Still waters and small café. Taka-Toolo, Helsinki, Finland. By Kimmo Räisänen | Flickr JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!   

Don’t Come To Japan To Make Anime, Says Japanese Animator

Freelance character designer Terumi Nishii is a talent artist (see above) and has an impressive list of anime credits. She’s worked on Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, among others. She has lots experience and some frank advice. Via Game New Flash, here is some real talk for…

Hello Kitty Bullet Train. Osaka, Japan. By Brian Ashcraft | Twitter JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line! 

Track: Hurricane | Artist: Bob Dylan | Album: Desire  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

What’s Japan’s favorite game of the Heisei Period? With a new imperial era around the corner, Famitsu readers voted for their favorite. Here are the top three: Nier: Automata (205 votes), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (209 votes) and in first place, Chrono Trigger (230 votes).