Brian Ashcraft

The Year In Kotaku East 

It’s been quite a year. Lots of Kotaku, plenty of East. Let’s take a look back at our favorite stories of 2016. Good times. This year isn’t quite over just yet! We look forward to what the next one brings, and in the meantime, wish you Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year! Kotaku…

The latest entry in the long-running Disaster Report series, Disaster Report 4, will support VR when it’s released on the PlayStation 4 in Japan. Check out some of the demo footage in this clip. 

Meaty Japanese Hamburger Is All Burger, No Buns

While I enjoy a good bun while eating a burger, really, who needs them? Especially when you swap them out for meat patties. This is the “Wild Out” burger. It’s two juicy beef patties, cheese, fixings, and a big slice of tomato. Served up at a Tokyo restaurant called Shake Tree, the staff ask you…

It’s called Dragon Quest The Real Starting March 17, a DQ themed attraction is opening at Universal Studios Japan for a limited time. Visitors get to experience a Dragon Quest style dungeon crawl, complete with monster battles. 

Special Gravity Rush Animation Showing In Japan

To mark Gravity Rush 2‘s release, Japanese TV is showing a special Gravity Rush anime from Hideaki Anno’s Studio Khara. Dubbed Gravity Rush The Animation Overture, the trailer looks great. This one-off anime takes place between the first and second games and will be shown on Christmas night in Japan (no word yet as to…

Sunset. Marsala, Sicily. By Henry Vance [Maybe NSFW]. 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 Japan, There’s A Freaky-Looking Way To Relax

This is called “otona maki” (おとなまき) or “adult wrapping.” The practice is certainly not mainstream, but was recently introduced on Japanese TV.  The idea is that it is supposed to help you relax by wrapping your body tightly, returning you to the feeling you had in the womb, creating a sense of security. After seeing…

Atlus Is Making A New RPG That’s Not Persona or Shin Megami Tensei

Famed JRPG maker Atlus is setting up a new development arm caled Studio Zero to work on a new project. Details are currently scant with more to be revealed later this week, but according to Famitsu, the game is a “fantasy RPG.” Above is the game’s only concept image that has been released so far…

Here’s a look at Ace Combat 7‘s VR play. The game is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and slated for release sometime next year. The VR play looks like it might make some people barfy!

At A Bar Called Buchanan’s. Mission, Texas. By Chris Lopez 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!

The Rise of Japanese Geek Tattoos 

From anime girls to abstract shapes, Japanese tattooing has changed. Or has it? Throughout my book Japanese Tattoos, a wide variety of classic motifs are presented. Some of them are well over a thousand years old, while others are much newer. Japan’s visual vocabulary is not static. Irezumi (Japanese for tattoos) aren’t, either. They’re as…

Here Is The Latest Yu-Gi-Oh Hairdo

Oh, and the protagonist sporting it, too. This weekend, a new Yu-Gi-Oh! anime was revealed. Know what that means? New Yu-Gi-Oh! anime hair. Because previous duelists have had amazing hair, with Yami Yugi, perhaps, having the most amazing.  How do you top this? Easy, you don’t. Though, this was pretty great, too. The latest protagonist…

Dragon Quest XI is coming to the Nintendo Switch! Previously announced for the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo 3DS, it was revealed that the game is headed for the Switch, too. No word yet on a Western release.

The Internet Reacts To The Hollywood Naruto Movie Announcement

This should end well. Over the weekend, it was announced that Hollywood is moving forward with its live-action Naruto Michael Gracey first made his name in visual effects and is currently directing The Greatest Showman with Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman. As ANN points out, Lionsgate secured the film rights to Naruto back in 2015.…

Lambug Beach. Badian, Cebu, Philippines. By Martin Tan. 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: When I Grow Up | Artist: Garbage | Album: Version 2.0 Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

The New Pokémon Animated Movie Looks Like A Reboot

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Pokémon anime. And next summer’s big Pokémon movie looks like it will celebrate that milestone by going back to the beginning. The first Pokémon TV anime aired in Japan in 1997, and the following year, the first feature hit theaters. To date, there have been nineteen Pokémon animated…

Starting late January 2017, Japanese stores won’t get new copies of the PS Vita Kantai Collection title, which debuted this February in Japan. The download version also won’t be for sale starting late next month. The official site apologized but didn’t give a reason for the sudden announcement. 

A Pac-Man Rickshaw Is Coming To Tokyo

This holiday season, a lucky few can ride around one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist spots in a Pac-Man shaped rickshaw. Because nothing quite says Christmas like this? According to Famitsu, the ricksaw will only be in operation from December 23 to December 25. It will take folks on rides around Asakusa, an area of…

Rissin og Kellingin. Eysturoy, Faroe Islands. By Josip Šore 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!