Brian Ashcraft

The PS4 or Xbox One? Can You Tell the Difference?

Sony just revealed the PlayStation 4. It’s a black box! Funny, because the Xbox One is a black box, too. What a kwinky-dink. Above, you can see both the PS4 and the Xbox One. Can you tell which is which? Can you? This is incredibly difficult! (Note that Kotaku removed each console’s logo.) To contact…

The Order 1886 is the Newest PS4 Exclusive

Developed by Ready At Dawn and Sony Santa Monica, The Order 1886 is a 19th century PS4 exclusive. The Order 1886 offers alternative look at Victorian London. There’s foggy and factories, but also far more advanced technology. The game follows an ancient order in the fight for mankind’s survival but also allows players to interact…

Once Again, Some Japanese Gamers Dislike the Look of Mirror’s Edge 2

Mirror’s Edge 2 was just announced. Online across the globe, gamers are excited. While many are looking forward to the sequel in Japan, there is a group of gamers there who are not thrilled with how the protagonist looks. This isn’t the first time gamers in Asian have objected to Faith’s appearance. Back in 2008,…

Project Spark Lets You Create Virtual Worlds on Xbox One

Today at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, the company showed off its game creation tools called Project Spark. Here, have a look. Project Spark Demo [IGN@YouTube] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft

Hacker SuperDaE Releases 1.7TB Trove of Gaming Info [Update]

Next gen hacker SuperDaeE, who breached Sony, Microsoft, Epic, Valve, Blizzard and other gaming companies, just released a 1.7TB treasure trove FTP download. The files, however, are apparently encrypted. Previously, SuperDaE vowed he would release said files, which are believed to contain sensitive information about unreleased games, should he be arrested. SuperDaE, whose real name…

Sony Calls The Last Guardian‘s E3 Listing “Pure Speculation” [Update]

E3 website E3Insider.com has a listing for long delayed PS3 title The Last Guardian. But does that mean the game is coming to E3? Kotaku reached out to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and asked if Sony would be showing The Last Guardian at E3. The Sony spokesperson said the E3Insider.com listing was “not true”, adding…

In China, There Are Too Many Giant Rubber Duck Rip-Offs

The world-famous Rubber Duck art installation is spawning a slew of imitators in China. This weekend, at least ten fake ducks appeared across the country in what could only be called a quack up. Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman created the original 54-foot-tall inflatable sculpture, which has been displayed in Amsterdam, Osaka, Sydney, and more recently,Hong…

To help get players interested in Dead or Alive, Tecmo Koei is also releasing Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate as a freemium “base pack”, Siliconera reports. There will be a handful of playable characters and a free online mode included. Story mode and more characters will be available for a fee. To contact the author…

Truly Surreal Paintings of Japanese Celebrities

Forget canvases. Forget dull poses. Forget all that. That’s exactly what artist Hikaru Cho is doing, so you should, too. Here, you are looking at Beat Takeshi—well, a painting of Beat Takeshi. In case you are not familiar with Takeshi, he’s a famous movie director, actor, and comedian. He also starred in a notoriously difficult…

Expect more about Bayonetta 2 in next Nintendo Direct, hints Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya via TwitterUPDATE: Never mind. It turns out this is a generic response Kamiya gives to lots of questions; no news. The next Nintendo Direct kicks off June 11 am at 10am EST.

Popular Plastic Surgery Apps Cause Concern in South Korea

Plastic surgery? That’s an app for that! In South Korea, there are apparently many apps for that. And according to Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun, their popularity is making some individuals worry. As The Economist (via KoreaBang) pointed out last year, South Korea is the most surgically enhanced nation on Earth, passing countries like Greece, Brazil,…

Got a Thousand Bucks? Buy This Rare Nintendo Cartridge…Test

The Famicom Test Cart was used to, well, test Nintendo’s Family Computer. It might be rare, but it’s certainly not exciting. But it is somewhat interesting! And probably more so for hardcore collectors. As Famicom World explains, there were test cartridges for the console itself as well as ones for the controllers. Have a look…

How Band Nerds Hijacked Japan’s Biggest Photo Meme

Earlier this spring, a group of Japanese schoolgirls uploaded photos of themselves imitating anime style attacks. The photos spawned numerous imitators, ended up on television, and spread beyond the country’s borders. And now? Now, band nerds are involved. The original meme initially referred to Dragon Ball and, later, Street Fighter attacks. When it reached Western…

Monster Hunter 4 will be released on September 14 in Japan. There will also be limited edition MH4 themed 3DS XL bundles available at launch. Nintendo Direct [Nintendo] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…

Did One Piece‘s Creator Rip Off This Japanese Art? Or Is It an Homage?

One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has been accused of copying others before. So please don’t be surprised that people online in Japan are doing that today. Above you can see the cover for One Piece Chapter 526, which was titled “Adventure in the Great Prison” and released in 2008. 2008? Goodness. And now years later,…

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron‘s director and character designer, Sawaki Takeyasu, has secured the rights to the game’s IP. Takeyasu’s studio Crim, which he founded in 2007, just announced it negotiated the El Shaddai IP from Ignition Entertainment. “This acquisition entails prequel, sequel and all other derivative rights of the existing game,” the official…

This Japanese KFC Website Might Make You Feel Sick

Nothing like creating fast food websites that can make your customers feel ill! Warning: this post contains imagery that actually might make you dizzy or sick. Are you ready? Here we go: These illustrations are the work of Akiyoshi Kitaoka, who is a psychology professor at Ritsumeikan University that studies visual perception. Above, you can…

First Look at the Kiki’s Delivery Service Movie

In Japan, they’re making a live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service movie. Today in Japan, a photo of Fuka Koshiba, the actress playing Kiki, was released online. The photo was taken on the first day of the movie’s principal photography in front of Kiki’s house in the movie. So, I guess, that means this is the final…

Belgian Man Made His Own Samurai Armor

When Danny was sixteen, he started collecting Japanese swords. But after he saw The Last Samurai as an adult, he knew swords weren’t enough. He wanted his own suit of samurai armor. So, he spent two years of his life making one. Danny, now 42, is getting a great deal of attention online in Japan…

On July 13, Nintendo is releasing a “quick charge” Wii Remote battery set. Priced at 4,200 yen (US$42), it comes with a charging cradle and a battery pack that apparently last longer than standard batteries and charges way faster. A ninety minute charge, for example, gives you 13 hours of play, while a nine minute…