Brian Ashcraft

Shinagawa Station. Tokyo, Japan. By Reuben Monastra | IG  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: You’re The Best Thing About Me | Artist: U2 | Album: Songs of Experience Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

One Piece Spoiler Websites Lead To Arrests 

In what’s being called a “first” for Japan, several individuals have been arrested for allegedly uploading One Piece spoilers before the manga officially went on sale. According to ANN, NHK and Sankei (via Anime News Network and Tokyo Reporter), 30 year-old Yo Uehara, 23 year-old Shizuka Nagaya, and 31 year-old Ryoji Hottai were arrested for allegedly…

Smartphone game Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation has been officially announced! Teased earlier this week, the game is being developed by Sega. No word yet about a release date, the game is slated for iOS and Android. The official site doesn’t state whether or not the game is worldwide.

Xbox One S Sold As Ultra HD Blu-ray Player In Japan 

Yes, things are terrible for the Xbox One in Japan. Everybody knows that. But did you know that one major retailer is selling the console as an Ultra HD Blu-ray player? It’s true. The Bic Camera in Yurakucho, one of the biggest electronics stores in Tokyo, is selling the Xbox One S as first and…

Purple. Minneapolis, MN. By Kris Godfrey. 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: Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi | Artist: Puffy | Album: Jet-CD Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Pokémon Boss Thought The Switch Was Going To Be A Failure

The Nintendo Switch is a hit, especially in Japan. But before the hardware was released, Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara told Nintendo it wasn’t going to be successful. When speaking with Bloomberg (via Nintendo Everything), Ishihara recalled what he initially thought about the Switch. “I told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be a success before it…

Thank Japan For Destiny 2‘s Live-Action Dance Trailer

If Destiny or its sequel are ever adapted into a live-action film, the movie better have dance battles like this. As a rule, pre-launch trailers generally suck. This one does not. As 4Gamer points out, Destiny 2’s recently released live-action trailer features a slew of well-known dancers, with the routines produced by famed Japanese choreographers…

People Can Win Crane Game Prizes Without Going To Japanese Arcades 

Taito has unveiled a service called “Taito Online Crane” that allows people to play crane games via their smartphones or computers. Winners get their prizes delivered straight to their homes, free of charge. Players control actual crane games, and, thanks to high speed internet connections, the experience should be lag free. Those who log in…

Holyrood Abbey. Edinburgh, Scotland. By Mateo Vargas. 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: Between The Bars (Live) | Artist: Elliott Smith | Album: Either/Or (This Performance: Lucky Three an Elliott Smith Portrait) Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

How To Spot Fake Japanese Figures

Fakes are a problem in the world of collectibles. That’s why Japanese figure company Good Smile has acustomer support page dedicated entirely to spotting pirated goods. The page updates on a regular basis, showing recent phoney items and how customers can spot them. The differences are sometimes small but noticeable. Other times, they’re big and…

Sega launched a new teaser According to this Japanese site, it’s for a smartphone game called Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation. This is unconfirmed, but obviously expect more once the title is officially announced.

Rain. Osaka, Japan. By Rodrigo Reyes Izquierdo 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!   

Realistic Paintings Of Japanese Snacks And Drinks

Japanese artist Polka has an interesting specialty: Painting acrylic still-life portraits of snacks. Why paint flowers and fruits when there are Calorie Mate and Lunch Pack sandwiches? The timer shows how many hours Polka works on each painting. There are many more clips on YouTube. Here are some highlights. Kotaku East is your slice of…

New PS4 Exclusive Is Perfect For Making Anime Characters

Everybody’s Golf golf features a robust character creator, which can churn out iconic anime and game characters. Kotaku’s Tim Rogers already checked out the character creation and its running animations. They are spectacular. While on Twitter, people have been crafting game and anime inspired avatars: Looks like it’s possible to make just about, well, everybody.…

Japanese Convenience Store Dresses Up In Dragon Quest XI

In Osaka’s geek district Den Den Town, one Lawson convenience stores is covered in Dragon Quest XI The store really went all out. The walls and floors are covered in Dragon Quest with DQXI merchandise and sound effects in the store. Besides the one in Tokyo, there are only two in the whole country that have…

Godzilla Gets The Hello Kitty Treatment

Hello Kitty is famous for being cute. Godzilla is not. What happens when Sanrio has a crack at Japan’s most famous monster? This. With Godzilla: Kaiju Wakusei (Godzilla: Monster Planet) coming out this November, Toho and Sanrio teamed up for a series of cute Godzilla designs, which will be available this fall in Japan. As…

Mario Is Officially No Longer A Plumber

According to Mario’s newly updated, official Japanese-language profile, the iconic character isn’t working as a plumber. This shouldn’t be a total surprise, because the character seems to do everything but plumbing. But doesn’t going down Warp Pipes count? Doesn’t appear so! Here is how the recently uploaded Mario profile explains the character: All around sporty,…