Brian Ashcraft

How a Banana Becomes Art

Back in 2011, Keisuke Yamada became an internet sensation. His art was spectacular. It was also bananas. See, Yamada sculpts using bananas—a material which is very tricky to work with because the color and the texture rapidly changes. Yamada must sculpt quickly. This month, Yamada appeared on Japan’s biggest morning program, showing off some of…

Donate blood in Japan and get Naruto schwag from the Japanese Red Cross.

Someone Made the ‘Gangnam Style’ Video into a Flipbook

You might be burned out on “Gangnam Style”. Even if you are, this deserves your attention. It shows a flipbook of the “Gangnam Style” video. The entire music video. The video was made by Etoilec, who is becoming internet famous for flipbooks. Flipbook STYLE GANGNAM Par Etoilec1 [etoilec1@YouTube via Beijing Cream] Kotaku East is your…

The Chinese government says it’s not considering ending its console ban (via TechInAsia).

Legendary Sega Consoles Turned into Colorful Anime Ladies

In fan art, there is a long, proud history of turning video game consoles into female anime characters. This is not fan art. Sega is releasing a set of downloadable content for its free-to-play PS Vita game Samurai & Dragons. The set of 13 character cards are personifications of Sega’s game consoles. They’re dubbed “Segakko”…

North Korean Gulags Receive Less Than Stellar Reviews

On Google Maps, there are locations of several North Korean prison camps: Gulag 16, Gulag 22, and Chongjin Gulag. Very serious reviews are appearing on Google Plus, and many of them are hardly flattering. This must be worrying as North Korea is apparently opening new interment resorts. No doubt these reviews will hamper expansion plans.…

Even You Could’ve Easily Won This Arcade Game Tournament

Suck at music games? But still want to win tournaments to impress friends and relatives? Well, you might’ve just missed your chance. A Taito arcade in Tokyo’s Takadanobaba recently held a Pop’n Music competition. The event was canned, because nobody showed up. So sad! The tweet from Taito read: “Since there were zero participants at…

The PS Vita Wanking Game Is a Surprise Hit

Card-based PS Vita game Monster Monpiece features monster girls and inappropriate gameplay. In Japan, the game appears to be a monster hit. I cannot understand why! Compile Heart, the folks behind the title, announced on January 26 that the game’s first run of 27,000 copies is already out of stock and that many stores in…

Naruto Is Way More Handsome Than You Think

This is Naruto from…Naruto. He is a ramen-eating ninja with whisker marks on his face. What if he didn’t have those whisker marks? What would he look like? According to 2ch, Japan’s largest bulletin board, he’d look pretty damn handsome. Here are a handful of fan images of Naruto, sans whisker marks and head protector.…

This Woman Cosplays Policenauts Like You Won’t Believe

Omi Gibson, the queen of Metal Gear cosplay, turned her talents towards classic adventure game Policenauts. And, wow, she nails it. Just look at how she brings Jonathan Ingram to life. Forget her costume, it’s those facial expressions that really sell this cosplay. Initially released in 1994, Policenauts was designed by Metal Gear creator, Hideo…

After the Internet Drops Out, Chinese Gamer Allegedly Goes on a Deadly Rampage

While playing his favorite online game at a local internet cafe, a gamer named “Zhao” repeatedly suffered internet disconnections. According to QQ Games (via Tech in Asia), Zhao apparently got incensed and went to the home of the net cafe owner. There, things reportedly escalated. And got awful. The net cafe owner, who was surnamed…

Remember, Your Game Console Might Be a Cockroach Hotel

As many gamers can tell you, bugs can be a problem. No, like bugs—real bugs. Roaches. Gross, you say. That would be correct. But this is a friendly reminder that bug infested consoles are very much a thing This problem is not new. But during this console generation, there have been forum threads seeking advice…

Final Fantasy Blamed for Brutal Murder

A grisly killing in Munich left a 31 year-old woman dead. Katrin M. (last name withheld) was stabbed 18 times with a katana, and now some members of the German press are pointing the finger at Final Fantasy German press, like Munich tabloid TZ, is running photos of the alleged killer, 18 (or 19, depending…

Gyro Controls? Yes, I Need Gyro Controls to Destroy Castles

For the record, I hate the iPhone’s gyro controls. Hate, hate, hate. Make that, hated, hated, hated. As iOS game Catapolt has made me aware, sometimes times, gyro controls are the way to go. The only way. Catapolt is one of many (many) catapult-based iOS games. As the developer told Kotaku, the game is a…

Call Lando, Beijing Is Cloud City

From Silent Hill to Blade Runner, Beijing’s air pollution is helping the metropolis look otherworldly. And this latest batch of photos make Beijing’s skyline look more like Bespin‘s. According to China.org, the smog was especially heavy on January 22 and 23. These photos show Beijing on the morning of the 22nd. Smog is slimy, double-crossing,…

Only the “limited edition” NeoGeo X units are out of production, Siliconera reports

Bad news! Famed Western game import shop, Game Hollywood in Tokyo’s Akihabara, is closing this February.

Here’s One Difference Between Pokémon Games in Japan and the West

In Japan, new Pocket Monster games means new logos. In the West, it does not. And that sucks! As pointed out by a KnowYourMeme user, here’s how the the logos for the Japanese versions and the Western versions of all the Pokémon games compare through the years. That’s right, the Japanese logos continue to evolve…

The Beauty of a Microwaved CD

Do not try this at home. Or at work. Or wherever. Microwaving a CD is dangerous. It’s also beautiful. Via Twitter user @ao_0356 comes this series of photos showing what happens when you fry a CD in the microwave. If the stills are not enough to satisfy your curiosity, here’s a YouTube video showing how…

One thousand Foxconn workers are apparently on strike over salaries and bonuses.