Brian Ashcraft

Why Japan Should Thank Nintendo. And Why It Shouldn’t.

Spend any time on Japanese websites, blogs, and forums, and you’ll eventually see it: ありがとう任天堂. It means “Arigato Nintendo” or “Thank you Nintendo”. “Arigato Nintendo” is a meme in Japan. It first appeared on popular Japanese game site Sinobi in 2009 in a piece that detailed the staggering first day sales of New Super Mario…

This Might Be the Best iPhone Theft Story Ever

A 27 year-old Taiwanese man surnamed Luo befriended a woman surnamed Lin, 21, a resident of New Taipei City. They met in an internet chatroom. And she allegedly made off with his phone. But there’s a twist. According to NOWnews website (via Global Times), Lin visited Hsinchu, a city in northern Taiwan, where Luo lives.…

How a Naked Japanese Man Launched Endless Photoshops

This March, a NSFW thread popped up on 2ch, the country’s largest bulletin board. The thread’s title was “Let’s Gather All the Nude Art Model Pics by Searching Google!”, and it featured an array of nude art models. But something funny happened. An internet superstar was discovered. The original thread from March seems to have…

Nintendo Says the 3DS Is Doing “Weaker” in the West Than Expected

Nintendo really turned things around for the 3DS. For a while, due to a variety of reasons (some out of Nintendo’s control), things did not look good for the handheld. Now, there are a bunch of games, and the 3DS is really starting to come into its own. That doesn’t mean it’s meeting Nintendo’s lofty…

In a recent Japanese magazine interview, Nippon Ichi confirmed that prep work on Disgaea 5 is starting.

World of Warcraft Outfits Look Lovely in Red as well as Purple

Tasha from South Korean cosplay collective Spiral Cats is back with a slew of new cosplay. She and her team are among the best cosplayers in Asia—and the world. Their outfits, in particular, are stellar. Here, via her Facebook page, Tasha tries her hand at World of Warcraft‘s Alexstrasza and Sylvanas Earlier this summer, she…

Lethal Resident Evil Enemies, Eating French Fries and Hanging Out

In Resident Evil, Tyrants are mass-produced bio-weapons. They’re scary! In Akihabara, they’re the bald dudes staring at their fries. Which isn’t so scary. It’s actually kind of cute. To promote the Resident Evil CG flick Resident Evil: Damnation, a trio of T-103 Tyrants roamed the streets, rode public transportation, took escalators, posed for pictures, and…

The Result of Nintendo’s Investigation into Underage Foxconn Workers

From the sound of it, kids as young as 14 could have assembled the Wii U. Last week, Nintendo issued a statement to Kotaku, saying it was looking into the matter. Today, Nintendo offered Kotaku an update on the results of its investigation. According to Charlie Scibetta, Nintendo of America’s senior director of Corporate Communications,…

Report: iPad Screws Up Kid’s Neck

Apple’s iPads are intuitive. Even kids can easily use them! But should they? Like, all the friggin’ time? According to NdDaily (via MIC), a seven year-old boy in China experienced severe headaches and neck pain after spending too much time playing his iPad. The boy spent long stretches of time playing games on his iPad,…

Sexy? Disgusting? This Silent Hill Statue Is Being Called Both

Next February, figure maker Gecco is releasing this 25cm Silent Hill 2 Bubble Head Nurse figure. It’s priced at ¥9,800 (US$123—though, you can find it cheaper). Online in Japan, bloggers and net users are calling the figure “eroguro” (エログロ), which means both “erotic” and “grotesque”. Fair enough, I guess, as that’s what the Bubble Head…

Hideo Kojima’s Iconic Mecha Will Soon Loom Over Tokyo

As part of the Zone of the Enders HD Edition launch, Konami is rolling out a large Jehuty mecha on the rooftop of a building in Tokyo’s geek district, Akihabara. On Thursday, the Jehuty statue will go up on Shimura Musen Building in Akihabara and should be viewable from the main drag until it’s taken…

Modern Warfare Map Returns, Minus the Offensive Imagery

Earlier this month, one of Modern Warfare 2‘s most popular maps, Favela, disappeared. The reason was that the map contained imagery some players found offensive: holy teachings written in a bathroom. As previously reported, in a single room on the map, two paintings had been hung whose frames contained a decorative representation of a quote…

The Racial Politics of a “White Guy” Playing an Asian Bad Guy in Iron Man 3

Ah not a white guy, sighed a Kotaku commenter after seeing Sir Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin in the Iron Man 3 trailer. Kingsley, however, isn’t simply “a white guy”, and this isn’t simply another example of Hollywood whitewashing an Asian character. Quick background: Kingsley was born as Krishna Pandit Bhanji in England to mixed…

You’ll Never Believe What Game Character This Volcano Erupted

When Kyoto resident Clifford Brown was in Kagoshima on vacation this spring, he noticed something familiar in the swirl of volcanic ash in the sky. He noticed Yoshi. On his Flickr page, Brown recently uploaded the photo and titled it, “Yoshi Volcano”, adding that it depicts a “Yoshi shaped eruption from Sakurajima”. Sakurajima or “Sakura…

The Most Amazing Place to Play Phantasy Star Online 2 in Japan

An internet cafe in Tokyo’s Takadanobaba is rolling out a Phantasy Star Online 2 “Arks Briefing Room”, which available for hourly rent. According to 4Gamer, the space is decked out with four, pricey Emperor 1510 gaming chairs, ALIENWARE Aurora ALX computers, and slick displays. Stunning. In case you missed it, here are Kotaku‘s impressions of…

First Look at the Newest World Ends with You. It’s a Social Game.

The World Ends with You is getting a new game for smartphones. It’s a social game called The World Ends with You: Live Remix, and it features songs from the previous game. According to Famitsu, the game uses touch controls, and it’s described as “an easy way” for players to enjoy The World Ends with…

Gotham Overrun with Leather, Latex, and Itchy Plants

Last week, Kotaku took a look at the men of Batman. This week? This week, it’s the ladies’ turn. Brace yourself for the likes of Batgirl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and more. Any one familiar with Batman knows that the outfits—both for both male and female characters—aren’t exactly a snap to pull off—literally and figuratively. They…

The First Iron Man 3 Trailer Is Pretty Damn Great

Next spring, Iron Man 3 will hit theaters. Here’s the movie’s first trailer, which just hit. It looks…just wonderful. Iron Man 3 opens in the U.S. on May 3 and on April 26 in the U.K. Iron Man 3 — Official Trailer Marvel [Marvel@YouTube]

There’s Now a Disney Voltron, and It’s Fantastic

Growing up in the 1980s, Voltron was a big part of my childhood. There was Voltron with the lions and then Voltron with the vehicles. Another big part of my childhood was Disney, and there wasn’t a Disney Voltron. Until now. Today, Bandai announced (via GetNews) that it’s launching a Disney Super Robot next March…

The Unfortunate Naming of Burger King’s Newest Japanese Hamburger

Each year, Halloween becomes a bigger and bigger event in Japan. And more and more companies try to figure out how to make a quick buck off of it. Burger King Japan seems to be the latest, with its new burger. It’s dubbed the “BK Pumpkin”, and it features a dual-slit bun that is supposed…