Brian Ashcraft

Hard Off. Tokyo, Japan. By Phil Sinclair. 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!

Japan’s Macho Restaurant Serves Up Real Beefcakes

From the folks that gave us the Macho Cafe, comes this: the Macho Meat Shop. Hope you like your beef lean and muscular! Located in Tokyo, the Macho Nikuya (“nikuya” can mean “butcher” or “meat shop”) is staffed by musclebound men who are prone to flex poses while serving up raw beef. [Photo: namaramuniku] [Photo:…

The number of Korean game companies has dropped by 30 percent in the past few years. This could be related to the country’s sluggish economy, but according to a recent Korean report (via tipster Sang), the country’s gamingcurfew lawis the main culprit. The same report (also via Sang) stated that the number of people employed…

Like Horror Games? Here’s a Creepy One for PlayStation VR

This is Whiteday. And if you’re into scares, this might be for you. As Destructoid points out, this looks to be a remake of the 2001 survival horror game White Day: A Labyrinth Named School Whiteday will be out in 2016 for PlayStation VR in South Korea. It’s also apprently coming to iOS and Android.…

New Dragon Ball Z Figures Look Cel-Shaded 

Damn, it’s like he stepped right out of the Dragon Ball Z anime. According to website Non Solo Hobby, these Master Stars Piece Manga Dimension DBZ figures were revealed at this year’s Lucca Comics & Games in Italy. [Photo: Non Solo Hobby] Let’s get a closer look. [Photo: Non Solo Hobby] [Photo: Non Solo Hobby]…

Down the Staircase. Tokyo, Japan. By J.T. Quigley 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!

Konami Needs Lots of Money for the Next Metal Gear Solid [Update]

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has proven to be a hit, selling five million copies worldwide. According to today’s Nikkei, the Tokyo-based fitness company has began internal talks about the next Metal Gear title. 11/4/15 – 2am Update: Konami has confirmed to Kotaku the Konami LA studio has been closed. Full statement below.…

Track: One Inch Man | Artist: Kyuss | Album: …And the Circus Leaves Town Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Chris Brown’s ‘Zero’ Artwork Sure Looks Familiar

Especially if you’re familiar with the manga City Hunter. Compare for yourself! Twitter user Gregoire Hellot pointed out that “Zero” single’s cover looks like it could be a City Hunter knock-off, adding that on the upside, this was proof of how international the manga has become. Heh. City Hunter ran from 1985-1991 and followed the…

There’s a new Contra game! According to 4Gamer, it’s a side-scrolling-shooter for iOS and Android and aimed at the Chinese mobile market. No word on when this “newest” Contra, a collaboration between Konami and China’s Tencent, will be released.

One-Punch Man Shows Why Manga Will Always Matter 

There’s a One-Punch Man anime, so why even read the manga, right? Right? Um, no. Just no. Anime has a slew of strong points! It brings editing, voice acting, and moving pictures to manga adaptations. Anime is good. We like it. One-Punch Man started out as a webcomic and then was adapted into a brilliantly…

SNK just announced it’s leaving the pachislot (pachinko slot) business. The reason? There’s too much uncertainty. It also added that it will be doubling down on game development. Good news if you like SNK’s games! Bad news if you like pachislot.

Harley on Halloween. Tokyo, Japan. By Pitchawut Virutamawongse. 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!

Think Pixar, But Japanese

This is the closest I’ve seen to a Japanese-made Pixar-style animated short. So, I’m guessing it’ll be the closest you’ve seen, too. This is Tokyo Cosmo. It’s an independent animation made by a small Japanese team. It was entered in Digicon 6 Asia, a short movie contest. I quite like it. Maybe you will also.…

Running Your Own Game Company Seems Exhausting

Maybe you have fantasies of becoming a famous game creator with your own game studio. You should also have fantasies of not sleeping. This is Akihiro Hino. He is the president of Level-5, the studio he founded and the studio behind Yokai Watch and Professor Layton. He writes, produces, and designs games. He also doesn’t…

Nintendo’s Bold Predictions for the Future

Yesterday, Nintendo unveiled its new mobile app Miitomo. Some folks were underwhelmed! They might be counting Nintendo out. Don’t count Nintendo out. In a newly published interview with Nikkei, Nintendo boss Tatsumi Kimishima briefly mentioned some of the Kyoto-based game maker’s ambitious plans. Kimishima explained that Nintendo started first with Miitomo because a communication app…

Down the Alley. Okayama, Japan. By Liam Edwards. 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!

Nintendo’s First Mobile Game Is Called Miitomo, Out In 2016

Today in Japan, Nintendo announced its first smartphone game. It’s a free-to-play title and called Miitomo. “Tomo” refers to “friend” in Japanese. According to The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo said that the app is ideal for players who are reluctant to reveal things about themselves or talk to others. In Miitomo, each player first makes…

Nintendo Introduces a New Account System

Say hello to what’s being called “Nintendo Account.” Today in Tokyo, Nintendo unveiled its new account system, which will connect smartphones, PCs, and Nintendo hardware. Users will be able to make accounts via Twitter, Google Plus, and Facebook, Nintendo Network ID or email. With your Nintendo Account, you’ll also get info and even freebies for…

Conan Anime Erases Japan for South Korea

Literally! See, there’s localization, and then, there’s localization Earlier this year, the anime feature Detective Conan: Sunflowers of Inferno hit Japanese movie theaters. The movie centers around a Van Gogh painting that was believed to have been destroyed during a U.S. bombing raid during the Second World War. (You can read the full plot here.)…