Brian Ashcraft

Final Fantasy Legends II Announced For iOS And Android

Final Fantasy Legends II has been announced in Japan, with game creator Takashi Tokita calls the title “rebirth.” The first Final Fantasy Legends, which localized in the West as Final Fantasy Dimensions, debuted in 2010. Currently, the game is running a pre-register campaign, and Square Enix is calling this latest mobile title “a new Final…

Civilization Online, which launched only in Asia, is shutting down in South Korea. According to the developer’s website (via tipster Sang), the studio will attempt to reintroduce Civ Online with a better gameplay focus. For now, its last playable day is December 7. 

Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen, The Death Note Version

Here we have Ryuk from Death Note doing the “PPAP” dance. No, really. Obviously, this is a publicity stunt for the just released live-action film Death Note: Light Up the New World. But does this make you want to see the movie more? Or less? Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing…

Nintendo Denies Wii U Production Is Ending This Week

Yesterday, Eurogamer reported that the production of Wii U consoles was ending this week. Today, Nintendo says this is “not true.” Eurogamer reported that multiple sources confirmed to the site that the final Wii U would roll off the production line this Friday. “Nintendo declined to comment when contacted about this article,” states Eurogamer’s original…

An Enormous Godzilla Made Of Straw Appears In Japan 

Let’s just hope this Godzilla doesn’t fire a beam of radioactive heat from its mouth. That is, for its own sake. To make the fall harvest, over 150 volunteers built this rice straw Godzilla. From design to construction, the whole thing took about four months to finish. JCast reports that the statue measures 7 meters…

Takayama Autumn Festival. Takayama, Japan. By David Hidalgo 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! 

Japanese Idols Dress As Nazis For Halloween [Update]

Sigh. Another year, and another group of pop idols dressed as Nazis. Update – November 1 7:55am: In the wake of the Simon Wiesenthal Center calling for an apology, Sony Music issued a statement on its official site. “We express our heartfelt apology for causing offense… because of our lack of understanding,” Sony Music Entertainment…

It’s Official: SNK Playmore Is Ditching The Playmore 

As of December 1, SNK Playmore’s official name will be SNK Corporation, returning the company back to its roots. Earlier this spring, SNK dropped “Playmore” from its logo. Now we know the corporate name will soon, too. According to Famitsu, the company’s web URL will also change from https://www.snkplaymore.co.jp to https://www.snk-corp.co.jp as well. Company emails,…

Sony announced it has shipped 3.9 million PlayStation 4 consoles in the July-September 2016 quarter, compared with 4 million the same time last year. That brings the grand total to 47.4 million consoles shipped. 

And Now, A Face Pad For PlayStation VR Gaming

We’ve already seen the VR sanitary covers, but now, here is a VR face pad. This is a very good idea! As pointed out on Inside Games, it’s called the VR Cushion Mask for PSVR, and it tries to make the headset a bit more comfortable and, well, cushiony. The pad also absorbs sweat and…

Sony is launching Gold and Silver DualShock 4s in Japan. Each is priced at 6,480 yen (US$62) and will be out December 15. No word on an international release. 

Kid Dresses As Studio Ghibli Character, Becomes Internet Sensation

No-Face from Studio Ghibli anime Spirited Away sure is adorable as a three year-old from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. As noted by TVBS and The Nanfang, little Meng Meng dressed up as the character for her pre-school’s Halloween party. Her outfit looks great! Even if her classmates didn’t fully appreciate it. Folks online, however, did and even…

Nintendo will have a Direct on November 2 for Animal Crossing. Right after announcing this, Nintendo sent out a Japanese tweet explicitly stating that it won’t have info about the smartphone app or the Switch. Noted!

Overpass. Osaka, Japan. By Andrei Stoica. 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: Halloween Theme | Artist: John Carpenter | Album: Halloween Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Don’t expect a Level-5 game for the Nintendo Switch’s launch. Level-5 honcho Akihiro Hino is quoted (via Siliconera) as saying, “there surely won’t be a title of ours on launch, but when we find the way to take advantage of it, we will work with it.”

Halloween Turns Tokyo Into A Giant Street Party

It’s Halloween. And in Tokyo, people are dressing up, people are getting together, and things are getting bonkers. Don’t believe me? Here are a mass of people singing PPAP in Shibuya. Okay, now you believe me. A little over a decade ago, Halloween wasn’t much of a thing in Japan. But now, it most certainly…

Cable Car. Nikko, Japan. By Nathaniel Chan. 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: So What | Artist: Miles Davis | Album: Kind of Blue  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.

Japan’s Prize-Winning Overwatch Fan Art 

Like as in there was a contest and everything.  Kotaku previously reported how Overwatch spawned cool fan art in Japan. And today, we get a good look at some more.   Game publication Famitsu teamed up with Blizzard for an Overwatch fan art competition, with the two grand prize winners getting the Overwatch Collector’s Edition. …