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Kotaku East
Nintendo’s Killing Off Another 3DS Color (Sorry!)
Those wanting a “Flare Red” 3DS might want to act soon. Nintendo recently revealed that the color will soon be going out of production in Japan. The color was launched back in July 2011 in Japan. It was the third color launched there, after Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue. With the 3DS XL out (and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 4, 2012 -
Kotaku East
These Burgers Aren’t Just Huge, They’ve Got Puns
As part of its fortieth anniversary, Japanese burger chain Lotteria is rolling out two burger towers: one is a cheeseburger tower, and the other a fried shrimp burger. Where the hell are the puns, you ask. The name of the cheeseburger is actually “Super Cheese Day” (スーパー・チーズデー), which sounds like “Super Tuesday” (スーパー・チューズデー) in Japanese.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Biggest Gamer Idol Isn’t Thrilled with Resident Evil 6, Either
Add Haruna Anno, retro game idol and retro game museum curator, to the chorus of cries saying that Resident Evil has lost the plot. Anno notes how Resident Evil is (er, was) the pinnacle of survival horror, and she seems upset that the series has gone from a survival horror game to a shooting game.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWatch as This Bus Is Covered in Glorious Nerd
You know how hard it is to cover something in stickers? Like how to get the stickers just right, so they are totally smooth, straight, and free of air pockets? This is like that, but bigger. And on a city bus. A fleet of buses is getting “wrapped” for the “Machi Asobi” otaku (geek) event…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku East
It’s Not Everyday Someone Introduces a Love Doll on Japanese TV
Japanese variety show Waratte Iitomo! (“It’s Okay to Laugh!”) is the longest running, continuously hosted live program in the world. It’s a cultural institution in Japan, and its host, Tamori, is iconic—like the Milton Berle of Japan. And today on that show, guest Lily Franky brought a special guest: his girlfriend, a love doll. Lily…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThis Anti-China Protest in Tokyo Looks…Orderly
Last month, rioting broke out in China during a rash of anti-Japan protests. While those protests got plenty of news coverage in Japan, the country’s own protests haven’t. Perhaps the networks are worried footage of such protests would further fan the flames in China… YouTube user Gimmeaflakeman (via Japan Probe) has uploaded footage of a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Hot Pants and Panda Heads: Welcome’s to China’s Mists of Pandaria Inferno
In World of Warcraft‘s latest expansion, Mists of Pandaria, there’s a new race of panda people called Pandaren. Last week in Beijing, there was a flash mob of thirty ladies dressed as Pandaren, reports Xinhuanet. That apparently means hot pants and panda hats. Yes, this was a stunt to promote the expansion pack, with the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Don’t Be Surprised by a Kingdom Hearts 2 HD Remake
At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix announced a high definition remake of the first Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It’s called Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. In the upcoming leaked issue of Famitsu, Kingdom Hearts designer Tetsuya Nomura was apparently asked whether or not there…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku EastDancing Prison Inmates Do Their Best Gangnam Style
The inmates at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in The Philippines first captured the internet’s imagination a few years back by doing dance routines. There was Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, and the Haruhi dance from the Haruhi Suzumiya anime. This time, they’re back, burning up YouTube with their take on “Gangnam Style”. There’s been criticism…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Kotaku EastChinese WoW Players Are Sick of Lies
Think you have it rough? Try being a World of Warcraft player in China. You have to deal with Western gamers who think all Chinese gamers are gold farmers as well as unfair stereotypes at home. And that’s not all of it! Chinese gamers are taking to micro blogging site Sina Weibo to vent about…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Guild Wars Comes Alive with Fancy Outfits
Guild Wars—especially Guild Wars 2—is beautiful. The world is lush and lovely. And the gear? The gear looks great. The lack of subscription fee might pull players in, but the gameplay and general pizazz keeps them around to save Tyria. And of the more dedicated players, some show their fandom by dressing up. That’s what…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 3, 2012 -
Nintendo 3DS XL Coming Out in Black in Japan with Monster Hunter Bundle
On November 1, Nintendo is releasing a black color Nintendo 3DS XL for ¥18,900. The color will also be available as part of a limited edition Monster Hunter pack, Nintendo announced today via YouTube The bundle will include the same black Nintendo 3DS XL, but come with a download version of Monster Hunter Tri G…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
One of the Nerdiest Restaurant Discounts Japan Has Ever Had
Monteroza, which owns a handful of izakaya restaurants like Shirokiya and Wara Wara, is offering a special deal at many of its eateries: If you have the same name as a Neon Genesis Evangelion characters, it will discount your bill. The characters include Rei Ayanami, Shinji Ikari, Kaworu Nagisa, Soryu Asuka Langley, and Makinami Mari…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Even EA Couldn’t Kill This Japanese Dating Game
A few years back, EA (of Japan!) was slated to publish a Nintendo DS game dubbed Hachi Koi in which you touch various girls. It was the least EA game EA was ever to release. But by 2009, EA got cold feet—or something—and the game was shelved. Fast forward to October 1. Hachi Koi resurfaced…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Hironobu Sakaguchi made Blade Guardian because he *hearts* tower defense games.
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Panty Vending Machines: The Unreal Hyperbole (and Honest Truth)
Los Angeles. Summer 1997. There was this guy named Kevin in the office I worked at who was obsessed with the notion of panty vending machines. He even wrote a screenplay about them, complete with, as he explained, a scene at the panty vending machine factory. He said, “Dude, in Japan, they’re on every corner.”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Spiffy PSP Value Pack for You, Japan
Oh, now this is nice! Look at that red. And the black. And that neat little cloth. Like I said, nice! On November 22, a new Red/Black PSP-3000 value pack is hitting Japan for ¥14,800. Note that quantities are limited. M’kay, noted! “PSP「プレイステーション・ポータブル」（PSP-3000）バリューパック” [4Gamer] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
You Won’t Believe How Nice Notch’s Office Is
Well, maybe you will. Mojang, the folks behind Minecraft, is a success story. Great news for them! That not only means Mojang honcho Notch (aka Markus Persson) can afford nicer hats, it also means the studio can afford nicer digs. And boy, look a these digs. The studio recently moved to a bigger pad, MCV…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
It’s Ladies Only at Tokyo’s Dream Party
On September 30, the twice-a-year DreamParty roared through Tokyo. The fall event is aimed at bishoujo (beautiful girl) video games, and it celebrates bishoujo figurines and cosplay. So, if you are hoping to see some hunky male cosplayers in this gallery (courtesy of an array of Japanese cosplay sites), you’ll be disappointed. Sorry! The DreamParty…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012
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