Brian Ashcraft

Kobe, Japan. August 2014. By Brian Ashcraft | Kotaku Screengrabber 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 Final Fantasy XV Demo Reveals Cultural Differences

Square Enix released the Final Fantasy XV demo worldwide. People in different countries think, well, differently! Gamers are no exception. And the reaction to Episode Duscae is proof positive of that. Square Enix has asurveyfor players to give feedback on the demo. In the most recentFinal Fantasy XV Active Time Report, FFXV director Hajime Tabata…

Dragon Ball Is Getting Its First New TV Anime in 18 Years

It’s called Dragon Ball Super. And it’s the first new, original Dragon Ball television anime in nearly two decades. The last Dragon Ball TV anime, Dragon Ball GT, aired from 1996 to 1997. Yahoo News (via tipster Pyke) and Famitsu report that Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama will be handling the new anime’s story. The…

Just Cause 3 Gameplay Sure Looks Bonkers

Are you ready to destroy cars, buildings, and…sunflowers? Here’s our first look at Just Cause 3 gameplay. Hope you like explosions! Just Cause 3 is slated to blow up the PS4, Xbox One, and PC later this year. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft

Katy Perry Didn’t Eat Whale Meat in Japan 

In Japan, you can buy whale. They sell it in some, but not all, supermarkets. You can order in select restaurants. Even Katy Perry came across it recently and has the Instagram photo to prove it. While in Japan this month, the pop singer hung out with sumo wrestlers and visited Tokyo Disneyland. She also…

A Most Famous Naruto Unmasking

Do you want to see what’s under Kakashi’s mask? Do you? For years, fans have wondered what was under the ninja’s cowl. Last year, in an interview with Shonen Jump (via Saiyan Island), Kishimoto was asked if he was going to show the character’s full face. “I want to reveal it,” Kishimoto replied. “I’m just…

Track: Milk Tea | Artist: Ua | Album: Ametora Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

One Piece Meets Waterworld 

This summer, as in the past, Universal Studios Japan will be rolling out a One Piece live-action spectacular. The One Piece Premium Summer 2015 kicks off on July 3 and runs until September 6. As with past shows, this will be more performance (acting, singing, and dancing) based than the stunt-heavy Waterworld show. The One…

Analyzing Japan’s Latest Fetish: Brooklyn

The question started out innocently enough: “Do you know ‘Brooklyn’ is written on your socks?” My wife, an Osaka native, replied, “Yeah, these seemed more casual than the other socks I was thinking of getting.” A quick look around at what people are currently wearing in Japan, where I’ve called home for nearly the past…

People, Don’t Turn Your Dog into Real-Life Minecraft 

If you have a dog, don’d do this! Just. Don’t. Recently, photos have been floating around of dogs that have been groomed into geometric-headed creatures. The original photos date from, at least, last December. The look is supposed to be cute. Some pics show dogs with the fur on their heads trimmed into circles. Others…

Things You Might’ve Missed in Studio Ghibli Anime

Many Studio Ghibli movies have easter eggs, which probably slip by most viewers. Don’t be “most viewers” and see what you might’ve have missed. YouTube user Movie Munchies created this collection of easter eggs. Have a look, so you cannot unsee them the next time you watch a Ghibli anime. To contact the author of…

Himeji Castle, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. August 2014. By Brian Ashcraft | Kotaku Screengrabber 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!

That’s One Fugly Attack on Titan Figure

Isn’t quality control wonderful? In the above comparison, you can see an anime image of Eren Yeager contrasted with an official figurine that is supposed to depict the character. Twitter user Kaorukosandesu recently posted photos of the messed up figure. As you can see on the figure’s site, it’s not supposed to look like this.…

Paid Skyrim Mod Turns Into a Clusterfuck [UPDATE]

Valve has kicked off a new service on Steam Workshop that allows people to sell their mods. It only started yesterday. And today, things are already getting messy. One of the mods Valve is promoting on Steam Communityis for fishing called “Art of the Catch.” However, the modder behind it has already taken it down…

Smash Bros. Creator on “Intolerable” DLC

Sometimes, downloadable content is okay. Other times, DLC is anything but. Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai explains the difference. In his latest Weekly Famitsu column, Sakurai discusses DLC and how he views it—not only in the recent Super Smash Bros., but in general. “Indeed, the phrase, ‘DLC business” is everywhere,” Sakurai wrote. “Having to pay…

Pokémon Artist Creates “2.5D Manga,” and It’s Incredible

Manga is flat. It’s on printed paper. It’s two-dimensional. This manga is somewhat different and totally wonderful. As pointed out by Get News, this “2.5D manga” was created by an artist named Muneo Saito. Besides working as a manga artist on several comics published in Weekly Shonen Sunday and CoroCoro Comic, Saito did the manga…

The Gold Darth Vader Helmet You’ve Always Wanted

The Dark Side of the Force? Oh no. This is the bling side. Tokyo’s Ginza Tanaka has covered a Darth Vader helmet in gold. According to The Wall Street Journal, the jeweler won’t divulge how much it cost to create this glittery Vader and isn’t offering the mask for sale. Instead, as Reuters adds, the…

Kpop Group As Told By Twitter Doodles

The group Exo has racked up a staggering 18 million views for their latest video. It’s not even a month old! No wonder the group has a rabid fan base. It also has some terrific fan doodles. Twitter user ExoDoodles has been doing regular updates of, well, Exo doodles for the past few months, pleasing…

That Awkward Moment When Hideo Kojima Doesn’t Appear

Yesterday, the biggest game magazine in Japan, Weekly Famitsu, held an awards ceremony. In the past, Hideo Kojima has attended the Famitsu Awards. This year, he did not. Many other famous creators were on hand to go on stage and receive their awards. [Photo: Famitsu] Like Level-5’s Akihiro Hino, creator of the incredibly popular Yokai…

Bulgarian Music Video Is Weird Star Wars

The latest video from Bulgarian group Deep Zone Project features some familiar co-stars. Not sure if they’re official ones, though. Yeah… I’ve got a very bad feeling about this. Plus, Star Wars: Kinect flashbacks. The video, which was spotted by Europ Popped, doesn’t even look remotely official. The tune is called “May the Force Be…