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Kotaku East
This Japanese Popstar Has Truly Insane Gaming Hours
If someone played a video game, any video game, for a couple hundred hours, you’d say, wow, that person must really like that game. If someone played a video game, any video game, for a couple thousand hours, you’d say, woah, that person is hardcore. How about seven thousand hours? Popstar Maki Goto is taking…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japan Lists Its Favorite Studio Ghibli Flicks from Hayao Miyazaki
Do you have a favorite Studio Ghibli film? You know, the anime house behind such wonderful movies as Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky. In Japan, kids and adults alike love Ghibli films. But is there one Ghibli film—rather, Hayao Miyazaki-helmed Ghibli film—that the country likes best? According to Shunkan News,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
In Japan, People Do Not LOL. They wwww.
You see it on Japanese forums. Strings of “w’s”. I often quote individuals as writing “lol”, “LOL”, or even, “lulz”. But let’s get something straight. People in Japan do not laugh out loud. Oh, no. They wwww. Using “w” is not new. Online in Japan, people have been using them for over a decade, which…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Serving Cooked Penis in Tokyo Won’t Get You in Prison
In May 2012, a Japanese illustrator named Mao Sugiyama oversaw an event during which his post-op genitals were served up for dinner. Five people paid money to eat them! And that they did. The event gained international attention. Japanese police began investigating the event, hoping to pin Sugiyama and the event’s organizers for breaking food…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Sony told a Japanese journalist that the PS4 won’t support CDs or Super Audio CDs, like the PS3 did.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
A Badass Samurai Helmet Fit for Mickey Mouse. Yours for $2,600!
Every spring in Japan, families with sons display miniature samurai armor. The armor, called yoroi (鎧), or samurai helmet, called “kabuto” (兜), are for Children’s Day. Families want their sons to grow up strong and healthy. It’s a Japanese tradition. Starting March 1, Disney, never one to shy from merchandising, is offering a “Disney Pure…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Deciphering Pokémon‘s Mysterious Language
The Pocket Monsters anime originally used Japanese writing for on-screen text and signs. A pain in the ass if you need to localize the cartoon into other languages. So the Pokémon folks came up with a solution: a made-up language. A Pokélingo, if you will. Starting with anime series Pocket Monster Best Wishes!, the anime…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Dance Around, Take Off Your Clothes, Make Out Naruto Style
Naruto might be the namesake of manga and anime juggernaut Naruto, but the star of this mesmerizing animated GIF is a dancing Itachi Uchiha and his co-star Kisame Hoshigaki This image originally appeared on a Japanese internet thread called “I also made my own animated GIF lol.” Look at how he snaps off that shirt…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Even Sony Doesn’t Know Yet What the PS4 Will Look Like
Thought it was odd that Sony didn’t show off the PS4 at… a PS4 reveal? Well, you’re not alone! It was odd. But it was also understandable, seeing as how, you know, Sony doesn’t know what the final retail machine will look like, either. In an interview after this week’s unveiling, Hiroshi Kawano, President of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Jimmy Fallon Gets the First PS4 Hands On
On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, talk show host Jimmy Fallon checked out the new PS4 controller and Killzone: Shadow Fall Fallon plays through the Shadow Fall demo as does comedian Anthony Anderson. Fallon shoots up a wall, while Anderson unleashes on a bunch of… air conditioners? PlayStation 4 Demo of Killzone: Shadow Fall [YouTube]
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2013 -
Game Designer Kenji Eno Has Died at Age 42
Kenji Eno, musician and game designer, passed away yesterday at the age of 42. He died of heart failure, induced by high blood pressure, reports The Asahi Shimbun Eno was perhaps best known for the survival horror game D, released in 1995 for the Sega Saturn, and its sequel. He was also famous for his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
The Witcher 3 Is Coming to the PS4. It’ll Be Out Next Year.
Open world role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is headed to the PS4, the game’s developers revealed today. And boy do they seem excited! “We were thrilled when asked, several months ago, to be one of the developers who were granted early access to the PlayStation 4,” said Adam Badowski, head of CD Projekt…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
Kotaku East
For 3DS title Super Robot Taisen UX, Nintendo is releasing a special Super Robot Taisen 3DS XL.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
Fancy PS4 Tech Can Peek Into Your Very Essence
The future is here! It’s tech that beckons you with a piercing gaze. Look. Go on. Do it. Game developer Quantic Dream created this old man head, which really looks like David Carradine, to show off its PS4 capabilities. I’m sold! Very impressive. Just don’t creep me out anymore like this. Cool?
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
So… No Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Huh
There was speculation that Final Fantasy Versus XIII would appear at Sony’s PS4 reveal. Shinji Hashimoto, Versus‘ producer, arrived on stage. Surely, this was the moment. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t at all. Hashimoto, who is also the Final Fantasy brand manager, announced that Square Enix was making a new Final Fantasy. Square Enix, which…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
Kotaku EastListen to Hollywood’s Biggest Stars Speak Japanese
No, I’m not talking about when Hollywood stars try to speak Japanese and end up saying “something something potato.” This YouTube video is a collection of the voice actors who dub for particular stars. Usually, the same voice actor often voices a particular actor in the dubbed versions. The video is 18 minutes long, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
So, I Guess We’re Supposed to Just Imagine the PS4?
Yesterday, I posted a story called “Goodbye Fantasy PlayStation 4s! It’s Been Fun”, thinking that Sony would unveil the PlayStation 4 today. Silly me! Sony did unveil the PS4, but didn’t show off its new console. Because that’s what you do at console reveals these days. You don’t show the console. That’s not true, actually.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2013 -
Sony’s Cloud Gaming Could Bring New Life to Old Games
At today’s PS4 event in New York, Gaikai explained how it’s improved remote play for its upcoming home console. One way Sony was about to do this was integrating Sony’s Gaikai cloud tech into the console, turning the machine into a server and making the PS Vita a client. What’s more, Gaikai boss David Perry…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2013 -
Here’s Unreal Engine 4 Running On The PlayStation 4
At the PS4 event in New York, Sony showed off the Unreal Engine 4 running on the PS4, as well as the new Havok physics engine. Real time, millions of particles, and state of the art hardware. Have a look.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2013 -
PlayStation Memories Are Tearing Up Twitter [Update]
Later tonight, Sony is slated to unveil its successor to the PlayStation 3. Right now, the hashtag #PlayStationMemories is trending on Twitter. What a kwinky dink! A large number of the memories center around PlayStation 2 and original PlayStation games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Crash Bandicoot. These are distant memories! Others are writing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2013
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