Brian Ashcraft

Last Month in Omura Park. Nagasaki, Japan. By Peter Harder. 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: Nagaku Mijikai Matsuri (Live) | Artist: Ringo Sheena | Album: Nagaku Mijikai Matsuri/Kamisama, Hotokesama Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Palmer Luckey Cosplays As Quiet From Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Where in the world is Palmer Luckey? He’s at Machi Asobi, an annual anime event held in Tokushima, cosplaying as Quiet. And he’s actually wearing shoes. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Donkey Kong, Halo: Combat Evolved, Pokémon Red and Green, and Street Fighter II have been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. They were picked out of twelve finalists that included Final Fantasy VII, Mortal Kombat, Portal, Resident Evil, and Wii Sports. 

Insanely Real Manga Drawings Of Japan

In the manga Yotsuba&!, artist Kiyohiko Azuma draws characters in a stylized, not-so-realistic way. But the backgrounds, however, are insanely realistic. According to Spoon & Tamago, in a2014 interview, Azuma explained this contrast, saying, “I lean toward realism, but at the same time, it’s not like I’m trying to make things actually realistic–what I’m going…

The View From The Plane. Mt. Fuji, Japan. By Kristian M. 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: Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time | Artist: Jarvis Cocker | Album: Jarvis  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Surprise Your Date By Beating Up Fake Bad Guys At Japanese Theme Park 

At Hirakata Park in Osaka, there is an unusual service: You can hire fake bad guys to pretend punch to impress and surprise others. According to website Lmaga, these flashmob performances are akin to quick “threepenny plays,” with you as the star.  It seems you don’t actually walk through the park with the word “shuyaku”…

The long-in-development Gears of War movie has a new writer: Shane Salerno, who’s also penning the four upcoming Avatar sequels for James Cameron. He’s also writing The Cartel for Ridley Scott.

The Top 30 Selling Games In Japan Are Dominated By Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Last week, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was way out in front in the Japanese sales chart, surprising absolutely no one. Some of the entries, however, might catch you off guard. Via Famitsu, here are the top 30 selling games from April 24 to April 30.  30. Final Fantasy XV (PS4): 2,220 copies Total: 975,104 copies…

Wrestling. Singapore. By Shawn Danker 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! 

In Osaka, Pay Money To Smash Plates And Relieve Stress 

If you visit Osaka, there are many things to do: shopping, eating, and sightseeing. These are all rather typical. Know what isn’t? A shop were you can smash plates to relieve stress. Located in Osaka’s Namba, Piat Thor is a unique establishment, outfitted with little booths were visitors can enter and chuck plates at a…

If You Are Going To Play Dragon Ball VR, Please Cosplay Like Vegeta

Because cosplaying as Vegeta makesDragon Ball VR much better. Here is comedian R Fujimoto, whose schtick is that he dresses as Vegeta, playing the Dragon Ball VR game while he’s dressed as…well The result looks awesome. Know what else looks awesome dressed as Vegeta? Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…

Good Morning Mt. Fuji. Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi. By Andrew Holman.　 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! 

Pretending To Be Yoko Taro Is Hard Work 

Is Yoko Taro really going to take off that mask and reveal his face? Nope! That isn’t the mysterious Yoko under the Nier mask, but Platinum Games’ Hideki Kamiya. Yoko helmed Nier: Automata, of course, with Platinum developing the game. Kamiya agreed to appear on the title’s most recent live stream at Square Enix Cafe.…

Nintendo Switch Owners In Japan Polled About How Satisfied They Are 

Wonder about what folks in Japan think about the Switch? Why they bought it? How they feel so far? Weekly Famitsu polled readers, and here are the results. Via Gamekana, here are some of the poll’s results. The reason you decided to buy the Nintendo Switch Because there was a game I wanted to play…

Darksiders III Apparently Leaked Via Amazon [UPDATE: Confirmed]

A new Amazon listing seems to reveal Darksiders III for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Still unconfirmed officially, it appears as a THQ Nordic listing, and its product page is filled with screenshots and info about the game. UPDATE (12:10pm): And now it’s confirmed for a 2018 release thanks to an IGN First reveal. Original…

New Trailer For The New Code Geass

Dubbed Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection, this marks the third entry in the Code Geass franchise. Last fall, it was announced that the Code Geass series was getting a new instalment. Details are scant, but it’s apparently set after several years after the second season, namely in the wake of Lelouch vi Britannia’s “Zero…

Shot On Film. Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. By Warren McKenzie. 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! 

Tokyo Tower Turned Into A Final Fantasy Dungeon

Last Friday, Tokyo Tower was turned into level 50 dungeonCrystal Tower. Typically, it appears an orange-red when lit up, but on April 28, it also illuminated blue to mark Final Fantasy’s 30th anniversary.  Below are images of Tokyo’s one-night only Crystal Tower: A special Final Fantasy 30th Premium Store also opened at the foot of…