Brian Ashcraft

Watch Tetsuya Nomura’s Hatsune Miku in Motion

Last month, Kotaku brought word that famed Square Enix game creator and character designer Tetsuya Nomura had done a version of Hatsune Miku. Now, we can see his take move about. This short clip was created for a Hatsune Miku exhibit in New York City. So, whaddaya think? HATSUNE MIKU × TETSUYA NOMURA [HatsuneMiku@YouTube] To…

Ten Things You Might Not Know about Godzilla

This month is Godzilla’s 60th birthday. So, happy birthday Godzilla! And to honor the famous kaiju, here are ten things you may—or may not—know about the ‘Zilla. The following is gleaned from a Wall Street Journal feature on Godzilla. The whole piece is worth a read. Without further delay, here goes: 1. The first Godzilla…

Hamster Bartenders Are the Best Bartenders

And hamster waiters are the best waiters. By day, Twitter user Kawanabesatou oversees grave sites. And in his free time, he uploads photos of his pet hamsters tending bar, serving sushi, selling tombstones, and relaxing in their hamster homes. The resulting photos are, you guessed it, adorable. The miniature items, which some people collect or…

How the Resident Evil Movie Actors Compare to the Game Characters

There’s another Resident Evil film in the pipeline for next year. So now is as good a time as any to see how the previous films compare to the games. While not brand new, the image below was recently uploaded to 2ch, Japan’s largest internet forum. It’s an excellent look at how the film actors…

Zombie Omelets Are Both Terrifying and Delicious

Rice omelets (オムライス or omuraisu) are one of Japan’s favorite dishes. But you know what makes them better? Zombies, that’s what. This is omurice. [Photo: Logsoku] If you’ve seen anime, you’ve probably seen omurice pop up somewhere. Often, people write messages in ketchup. [Photo: netamichelin] Sometimes the messages are romantic or cute. Sometimes, they’re funny.…

​Super Smash Bros. Glitch Bans Players for 136 Years

That’s a long time, but maybe just wait until the Wii U version comes out in a few weeks? Recently, Japanese Twitter user Zenaorz1 uploaded this image of a 71,582,030 minute ban—which equals 136 years. The image has been retweeted over one thousand times, and Zenaorz1 was left wondering what caused this. [Photo: Zenaorz1] As…

Introducing the Apple iPie 6 Plus

While this isn’t exactly made by Apple, it is made with apples. Sweets shop Taroan, located in the Japanese town of Aizubange, recently introduced its latest desert, the iPie 6 Plus. As reported on J-Town, even the ads were tongue-in-cheek, as was the in-store display. [Photo: cr015963] [Photo: Kazu05726] [Photo: AYAH_UKUF] Here is what the…

Sony Tests Fear with Spit and Science

The Evil Within is one scary game, huh? Sony, apparently, can now prove just how scary it is. All it needs is your saliva. In the following clip, Sony says it gathered a group of fifty people (both men and women) to watch the scariest horror movie as selected by one hundred horror fans. Then,…

Final Fantasy XV‘s World Is Freakin’ Enormous

Tonight, Square Enix showed off some of the world where Final Fantasy XV takes place. It looks huge. As you can see in the video below, you can freely explore the field. If you like, you can can stop at gas stations and rest. When running in the field, your party members get tired and…

A Look at the Tech that Powers Final Fantasy XV

Square Enix just showed off this footage in Paris. It looks impressive. As you can see in the below clip, via YouTube user Mika IIM, the demo shows off some of the game engine’s fancy tech. As soon as it starts going, that dude’s head gets out of the way. Somewhat. You’ll be happy to…

School Tries To Recreate Studio Ghibli Food

A junior high school the city of Mishima, Japan figured out a way to make school lunches fun: Serve Ghibli food. Recently a school flier for “Ghibli School Lunches” appeared on Twitter, racking up 14,000 retweets. Below, you can see the flier, which states that the Ghibli lunches will be served between October 27 and…

Final Fantasy Agito Plus, the PS Vita version of Final Fantasy Agito, was supposed to be out next January in Japan. Its release date is now TBA.

Some of the Best Pumpkin Carvings of This Halloween

Hey! It’s Halloween. Did you carve your pumpkin yet? You better get on it. And if you need some good ideas, here are some terrific carvings. Like this one up here posted on Twitter by @ blue_zoo Granted, these are some—goodness, not all by any means—of the best pumpkin carvings of Halloween 2014. If you…

Drink Hello Kitty Coffee in Tokyo

And, if coffee isn’t your thing, you can always eat Hello Kitty food. From November 14 to December 25, the limited time only Hello Kitty Cafe will open in Shibuya’s Parco. As Momo points out, the establishment will serve an array of Kitty themed eats and drinks. Have a look. This isn’t the only Hello…

The Wild World of Japanese Pepsi Flavors

The world has seen some unusual Pepsi flavors. But the reigning champ for variety and inventiveness is still Japan. Earlier this week, Kotaku reported that Pepsi Pink, a strawberry and milk flavored drink, will soon be available in Japan. That beverage, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Like Doritos, there is a wide…

Arnold Schwarzenegger Impressions Make Assassin’s Creed Better

So imagine if Schwarzenegger, Morgan Freeman, Alan Carr, and David Attenboroughall got together and played co-op in Assassin’s Creed Unity. As our colleagues at Kotaku UK note, Ubisoft roped in impressionist and comedian Terry Mynott to do all four voices. I like the Schwarzenegger impression best. Schwarzenegger, Freeman and Alan Carr Play Assassin’s Creed Unity…

Man Arrested for Selling One Piece Money

A 45-year-old man was arrested in Japan for selling U.S. legal tender with anime characters on it. His crime? Violating the characters’ copyright, reports TBS News. Tomoaki Tanahashi, who works in television in Nagoya, was nabbed for allegedly selling four one-dollar bills with One Piece stickers on them, with each going for between 1,500 and…

People Are Testing Out YouTube’s 60FPS

Yesterday, Kotaku reported that YouTube was finally launching a 60 frames per second option. And now, people are testing it out, like they would anything new. What’s so interesting about these test video is people are posting stuff that they might not usually put on YouTube. Instead, they’re seeing what YouTube can do and taking…

Nintendo’s Newest Hardware Will Monitor Your Sleep

Today, Nintendo announced that it has begun work on a new platform. It’s not quite what you’d expect. Developed with US-based ResMed, Nintendo is working on a new QOL (quality of life) platform that uses sensors and the cloud to monitor people’s lifestyles. For example, the non-wearable QOL sensor can be placed next to a…

Hey Kids! Learn How To Be a Manga Artist in 14 Days

Just fourteen! That’s two weeks. This kit will turn you into a manga artist. All you need is skill. Oh, and a desire to work in a grossly underpaid industry. But hey, this isn’t about money. This is about manga. Dubbed 14 Day Manga Artist Course, the kit is aimed at youngsters and comes with…