Brian Ashcraft

The Wii U Does Not Come with a Sensor Bar (in Japan)

The Wii came with a Sensor Bar. The Wii U does not. The logic behind this seems to be that Nintendo thinks Wii U customers already have a Wii, so they can use that Sensor Bar with the Wii U. Those customers who do not have a Sensor Bar, Nintendo is more than happy to…

Finally! The Wii U Can Stand Up

Those who do not get the Wii U Premium Set might want to pony up for the various Wii U accessories that the bundle contains—namely, the stands. You can get the Wii U GamePad Stand Set for ¥1,890, and it includes a Wii U GamePad stand and a charger stand. For ¥315, you can get…

Here Are the First Two Wii U Launch Titles

When the Wii U launches in Japan on December 8, both New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land will be available for gamers to purchase. New Super Mario Bros. U, the Wii U version of New Super Mario Bros., is priced at ¥5,985, while Nintendo Land is ¥4,935. Both will also get download versions.

Wii U Goes On Sale In Japan On December 8

Today, Nintendo revealed that its next generation home console will be out in Japan on December 8. There will be two types of Wii U’s on sale: a Basic Set and a Premium Set. They are priced at 26,250 and 31,500 (plus tax). The Basic Set has 8GB of Flash Memory, while the Premium Set…

The Wii U’s Hardcore Controller Gets a Price and a Date

Today, Nintendo also dated and priced the Wii U Pro Controller. It will be available at launch in Japan on December 8. It’s priced at ¥5040. The Wii U Pro Controller was first shown earlier this summer. It sill looks like a pad from one of Nintendo’s competitors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though!…

New Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Headed to the 3DS

According to Japan’s Corocoro magazine, the latest Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magna Gate and The Maze of Infinity will be out on the 3DS this winter in Japan. The Corocoro article calls the game “totally new” and “totally different” from Pokémon games up to now. Have a look at the game—and its 3D…

Sega’s Striptease Images Leak Out Early

As previously hinted at, here is the teaser site for Sega’s “Project Omega”. Under September 13, the Japanese character “de” (デ) is written. It seems like each day a new phonetic katakana title will appear, revealing the game’s name. There’s also a lady in a black dress with an icon on her chest. Not sure…

Tokyo Game Show Map Reveals a Small Square Enix Booth

The Tokyo Game Show organizers released a map of the show floor—helpful for all those who like comparing sizes. Capcom, Sony, Gree, Level-5, Sega, and Konami all have large booths. The booths for Namco Bandai and Tecmo Koei seem smaller—Square Enix’s booth is even smaller-looking than theirs! Not sure how important all this is as…

Purchase the Japanese Z.O.E. HD on PS3 and get a Metal Gear Rising demo code. Purchase the Xbox 360 version and…sorry!

This PSP Dungeon Crawler Lets You…Tweet

This fall, Shiren the Wanderer 4 is headed to the PSP as Shiren the Wanderer 4 Plus. The port will have three new dungeons as well as the ability to select (and send) pre-written tweets. So go ahead, spam your Twitter feeds, Shiren players! PSP『不思議のダンジョン 風来のシレン４ plus 神の眼と悪魔のヘソ』ＰＶ [YouTube] Kotaku East is your slice of…

Tomorrow, Nintendo is giving an online presentation about the Japanese Wii U release date and price.

Destroying Video Games and Controllers Can Look Mesmerizing

Gaming is great fun. But sometimes it can totally piss you off. And you just want to Hulk Smash—but you don’t. This animated gif is from Japanese anime Shinryaku! Ika Musume (aka Squid Girl), and it’s utterly fantastic. You can see what it looks like when a Super Nintendo cartridge is crushed and when a…

Report: Tomorrow, Sega will tease a “totally new game” currently dubbed “Project Omega”.

I Didn’t Know Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris Requires So Much Button Pressing

In 1972, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris faced off in Way of the Dragon. Here, that fight has been reimagined as a Shenmue style quick time event. If you’ve never seen the original fight, do yourself the favor of watching it, sans button icons. Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris QTE – Shenmue [YouTube] Kotaku East…

Here’s To Looking Good in Halo Battle Armor

The world is getting a new Halo game this year, Halo 4. That’s pretty exciting, I reckon! Many gamers love Halo, but some don’t just stop at playing the games. They love dressing up in Halo combat gear. And why wouldn’t they? Here’s a sampling of some—certainly not all—of the finest Halo armor cosplays the…

No, This Man Is Not Slicing a Real Dragon

Goodness! These images have popped up online in China, with people speculating that this gentleman is slicing open a real dragon. He’s not. Know how I know? There’s no such thing as real dragons. I think. Note: This post might contain imagery that dragon lovers find disturbing. Commenters online in China are quick to point…

The Newest Game from Dead Rising‘s Creator Is, Well, a Zombie Game [Updated with First Images]

Keiji Inafune, best known for Dead Rising and Mega Man, is hard at work on a new game. This is unconfirmed, but according to the upcoming issue of Famitsu, the game is called Yaiba. All that’s currently known is that the game is a zombie title. More details, including platforms, are forthcoming. Sit tight. Update:…

Metal Gear Rising Cancelled for Xbox 360 in Japan [Update]

Today, Konami announced that the Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has been slashed, cut, and cancelled. Only the PS3 version will be released in Japan. The studio apologized to those gamers looking forward to the Xbox 360 version, but did not give a reason as to why it had been canned. No…

My, What Enormous Anime Eyes You Have

Revenge of the anime eyes! Earlier this year, models with anime-style eyes stirred up chatter online. The latest one to make waves is Odessa resident Anastasia Shpagina. Anime eyes often appear to be camera tricks or Photoshop; however, Shpagina is also using make up tricks that help make her eyes look abnormally large. If you…

Resident Evil‘s Theme Park Attraction Looks Surprisingly Awesome

This Friday, Universal Studios Japan will be overrun with zombies. The dead will walk the Earth, and Resident Evil will come to life. Universal Studios is once again teaming with Capcom (previously the two did a live-sized Monster Hunter attraction) for “Halloween Horror Night”. Until November 11, the theme park will turn into Resident Evil…