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Kotaku East
Nintendo Won’t Make the 3DS Region-Free, But the NX Might Be
People hate Nintendo’s region-locked consoles. While the Kyoto-based game maker says it can’t unlocked current 3DS unit, the upcomingNXconsole could be region free. Nintendo is looking at that right now. No promises, though! During a recent investors meeting, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata wasasked the following question: When you were asked if you would lift the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 15, 2015 -
Russian Military Vehicles Get Inspiration from Playstation Controllers
This is a Kurganets-25. It’s an infantry fighting vehicle. Covered with armor, it’s outfitted with a turret, a canon, and a controller that is inspired by a PlayStation gamepad. Sputnik News (via Popsci) reports that Albert Bakov, the vice-president of the vehicle’s manufacturer, explained to the Russian media why the military vehicle uses controls that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 15, 2015 -
The Indiana Jones Restaurant Seems Like a Letdown
There’s an Indiana Jones restaurant? There will be this fall at the Walt Disney World Resort. But don’t get your hopes up just yet. Actually, don’t get them up ever. Your initial reaction was probably something like this, no? [Photo: Indiana Jones Wikia] [Photo: Indiana Jones Wikia] No, no, no. Instead of an Indiana Jones…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 15, 2015 -
Japanese Man Gets Arrested for Allegedly Selling Video Game Cheats
Thirty-year old Akihide Yamamoto has been arrested for allegedly selling cheats for online shooter Alliance of Valiant Arms According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest paper, Yamamoto was arrested for suspected violation of Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Law. Reports state that Yamamoto, a Himeji City resident, is believed to have apparently sold a hacked character…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 14, 2015 -
Kotaku EastModern Samurai Slices an 80mph… Fried Shrimp
That’s Isao Machii, a master Japanese swordsman. Here, he is battling deadly foes like fresh produce and fried seafood. Machii has appeared on Japanese several times, showing off his amazing skills. This slick ad is for mobile phone carrier Softbank, and a good reminder that when fried shrimp are used as deadly weapons, then Machii…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 14, 2015 -
Kotaku East
How To Ruin Video Game Titles with Crappy Font
The Japanese equivalent of Comic Sans is called “Soueikaku Poptai” (創英角ポップ体). And like Comic Sans, it sure can make cool things uncool. Especially video game titles. Recently, Twitter users in Japan have been uploading photos under the tag #絶対に創英角ポップ体しか使ってはいけないゲーム業界, showing how titles would look if the game industry were compelled to use the awful font.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 14, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Why the Triforce Is On The Grave of the Game Boy’s Creator
The Triforce. It’s an iconic symbol in gaming. And as Kotaku previously pointed out, the original design is part of Japanese culture. It’s also on the grave of a legendary Nintendo designer. Here’s why. Few of us will impact the world like Nintendo’s Gunpei Yokoi did during his life. Whether that was creating the Game…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 13, 2015 -
Kotaku EastFew Artists Can Draw Engines Freehand Like This
Then, there’s the fact that the illustration was done completely from memory. Last year, our colleagues at Sploid showed how Korean artist Kim Jung Gi could create impressive illustrations without prior sketching. While serving in his country’s armed services, Kim was able to work with a wide variety of machines. His art shows a deep…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 13, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Iron Man Plus Panda Is Iron Panda
Nearly twenty-feet high, this marvelous sculpture recently went on display in Shenyang, China. [Photo: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images] Robert Downey Jr. might be cool and all, sure, but he’s not panda cute. Nor is he, as far as I know, twenty feet tall. [Photo: ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images] Beijing artist Bi Sheng created the work,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 13, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Years Later, Revisiting Manga Drawings from Childhood
Toraneko is a Japanese artist and illustrator. When she was a kid, she wasn’t just into video games, but also into drawing manga based on them. Now, as an adult, she can show how far her skills have come. Via Twitter, she did just that. Here is the cover to Pokémon manga she drew when…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 12, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Selfie Level: Expert
You might think you are something else. That your selfie ability is pro level or simply unparalleled. Maybe it is. But can you do this? I’m sure you can if you tried! These no-hand selfie snaps have been appearing on Chinese social networking site Sina. We’ve seen a similar style with the “Caught Me Sleeping”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 12, 2015 -
Kotaku East
The Real Pokémon Theme Park: A Look Back
With the news of a Nintendo collaboration with Universal Studios, many fans are excited for the theme park possibilities. Will there be a Mario Kart ride? How about a Pokémon one? Well, ten years ago, there was an entire amusement park in Japan dedicated to Pocket Monsters. Dubbed Pokémon The Park 2005 (and, like the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 12, 2015 -
The Successor to Castlevania Finally Revealed
Koji Igarashi is best known for work on countless Castlevania games. He’s left Konami and is now ready to work on a new one. It’s not called Castlevania. It’s not for Konami. But it might just be what fans have been eagerly awaiting. The game is Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It’s still quite early,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Where Dragon Ball and Instant Noodles Meet
Do you love Cup Noodles? There’s a new flavor: Vegeta. As in vegetables… and as in Dragon Ball. The packaging is done in orange and red. It reads even reads “Vegeta” (ベジータ) in Japanese, just like the character’s name! This is no accident. According to ASCII, this Vegeta-branded Cup Noodle will feature Dragon Ball’s Vegeta…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 11, 2015
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