Brian Ashcraft

Here’s What You Get For Beating Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney

Upcoming 3DS game Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney has some special downloadable content available to players once they finish the game. According to a Japanese game magazine leak, the content includes the game’s unedited script, which is written by Ace Attorney lead developer Shu Takumi. There’s also a “Puzzle Solution Mode” and a bonus gallery…

Iconic Anime Director Is Helming His First Live-Action English Language Movie

Mamoru Oshii is perhaps best known for highly influential anime, like Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell (above). He’s directed several live action films before, including the 2001 Polish language flick Avalon, and is now set to direct his first English language film. It’s called The Last Druid: Garm Wars, and here’s the plot summary,…

Bravely Default Is Getting a Download Version in Japan

Retail game Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is getting a download version in Japan. It will hit the Nintendo 3DS eShop on November 1 for ¥5,400. ダウンロードソフト [任天堂]

Soon You’ll Hear Muse’s Tracks In Anime, Too

British rock band Muse is lending one of its tunes, “Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3 (Redemption)”, to the short anime created by Japanese comedian Tekken (yes, he’s named after the game). The flipbook anime, which is titled “Pendulum” (“Furiko” or 振り子 in Japanese), debuted on Japanese television earlier this year, and soon went viral online in…

Apparently Nobody Is Paying for This Great Game

Punch Quest has been downloaded over a half a million times. But RocketCat Games, the indie developers who made it, tells Pocket Gamer that “almost none” of the gamers who downloaded the free-to-play iOS app have coughed up cash. “Free games can usually expect one per cent of people to buy anything,” Punch Quest designer…

The Wii U Gets Its First Fight Stick

For Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition, a Japanese peripheral maker is releasing a Tekken Tag 2 fight stick. It connects via the Wii Remote, and it will be out on December 8 when the Wii U launches in Japan. It’s priced at 7,980 yen. Back when Kotaku saw Tekken Tag 2 at the…

New Dynasty Warriors Slated for the PS3

According to this Japanese magazine scan (via Twitter user kazu4281), there’s a new Dynasty Warriors (aka Shin Sangoku Musou). It’s Shin Sangoku Musou 7 in Japan, which would be, because of the discrepancy in numbering, Dynasty Warriors 8 in the West. Shin Sangoku Musou 7 will be out next year in Japan. そういや無双7も情報きてたわ [Twitpic]

The New Dragon Quest Will Use 3DS Street Pass

Next February in Japan, Dragon Quest VII is headed to the 3DS. The remake will take advantage of the 3DS Street Pass feature to exchange shards and feature new additional characters. Here’s a first look.

Punch Quest, The Latest iPhone Game Everyone is Talking About, Is a Knockout

Whenever starting one of these App of the Day pieces, it’s sometimes good to have a lead sentence that eases the reader into the article. Not this time. I’ll get right to the point: Punch Quest might be one of the most enjoyable iOS games I’ve played all year. I guess the game would fall…

Pundit’s Big Prediction: No More Japanese Porn Censorship by 2050

If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ve probably seen porn at some point. If you’ve spent any time watching pornography, you’ve probably seen Japanese pornography. One thing that’s quickly noticeable is how Japanese adult videos are censored. Mosaics cover genitalia. In the future, says one pundit, that will change. The future being, oh,…

Zombie Maids Want To Make You Omelets

This past weekend, Akihabara maid cafe Schatzkiste morphed from cute to scary. A “Maid of the Dead” event was held, and zombie maids in blood stained aprons staffed the cafe. The undead served special items like eyeball juice and zombie-finger rice omelets. Have a look at the event, with photos courtesy of Akiba Blog シャッツキステでゾンビイベント「Maid…

Foreigners Now Selling Japan’s Most Ridiculous Hostess Game

If you don’t know Dream Club, you apparently don’t know anything about Japan. Or something! (Oh, and there’s a new Dream Club coming out in 2013. Maybe.) クール・ニッポン　～日本のおもてなし「ドリームクラブ」とは～ [YouTube] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from…

Resident Evil Character Turned into a Sad-Faced Japanese Meme

Chris Redfield isn’t Japanese. If you go by his Wikia bio, the character is a white American. But what if he were Japanese? And more importantly, what if he looked like one of Japan’s biggest memes? Japanese actor Shoei first made his name by appearing in super sentai (Power Rangers) show Seijuu Sentai Gingaman, which…

Animal Crossing Will Not Have Paid DLC (Thank Goodness!)

When Nintendo first announced it was going to introduce paid DLC, the upcoming Animal Crossing for the 3DS seemed like a perfect chance to nickel and dime players. Seemed like one, maybe, but it won’t be one, says Nintendo. In a recent financial Q&A, Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata talked about paid DLC and Animal Crossing,…

This PC Case Mod Is Perfect for Space Battles

Iconic Japanese anime Space Battleship Yamato (localized and edited for the West as Star Blazers) comes alive with this special case mod. The mod is on display at Akihabara PC shop, Olio Spec, and it was made with Yamato themed pachinko machine parts to achieve that flashy look. ド派手な「宇宙戦艦ヤマトPC」 [Akiba PC Hotline!] Kotaku East is…

This Could Be the Greatest Halloween Costume of 2012

It’ll be tough to top this! Reddit user rdt156 posted this photo of his friend and his friend’s daughter, dressed for Halloween. Dad is a Work Loader from Aliens, and I’m assuming the daughter is baby Ripley? According to rdt156, the baby “was super content. Loved all the attention and didn’t make a peep. When…

The official site for spring 2013 title Tales of Hearts R for PS Vita just launched.

At McDonald’s in Japan, French Fries Are Causing All Sorts of Chaos

This October, McDonald’s Japan has been running a special sale: all French fry sizes are ¥150 per order. So ordering large sized fries, which are usually much more expensive, is now a bargain. It’s not just a bargain, though. It’s also a French fry frenzy that’s pissing some people off. The French fry sale is…

This Mario Gun Will Shoot You in the Awesomeness

Custom toy genius Kody Koala is back. This time he’s turned a Nerf gun into a Mario gun. According to Kody Koala (aka Donald), “I used a Nerf Nite Finder, Mag lite mini flashlight, a PVC pipe, and an old Super Mario Sound Drop key chain that I had lying around.” Kody Koala is thinking…

Teacher Dresses Up as a Maid to Reward Her Students

It started with a promise: “If the class’ test scores this month are the highest for this grade in school, I will teach in a maid’s outfit,” a teacher in China apparently told her students. According to Xinhua, the teacher stayed true to her word, showing up in a frilly maid outfit and teaching a…