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First Trailer for Skyfall, the New James Bond Flick
007 is back. This fall, Daniel Craig James returns as James Bond, along with Judi Dench, Albert Finney, and Ralph Fiennes. Dubbed Skyfall, the movie takes James from overcast England to the glitz and neon of China. Skyfall hits theaters this fall. The Bond theme starts in your head right now. BOND PLAYS WORD GAMES…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThe Hidden Naked “Lady” of Kirby 2
While 1995 was a simpler time, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a sexier one. Just look at the saucy hijinks Japanese game developers slipped into Kirby’s Dream Land 2. Oh là là! This game’s 5-5 secret stage shows what looks like lady parts in Game Boy pink. Kirby’s Dream Land 2 was re-released earlier this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
China Is Building a One Piece Theme Park
The coastal city of China’s Dafeng will soon play host to One Piece fans across the country—and perhaps, even the globe. See, China is constructing a new One Piece amusement park. The theme park has a budget of approximately US$76 million and will be built on 133-hectare plot of land. According to news reports, this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan Shows the Beauty (and the Craziness) of the Solar Eclipse
This morning in Japan, kids and adults alike paused momentarily. They wore funny glasses and turned their eyes to the skies. This Monday morning, just as a new week started, a solar eclipse was visible. And Japanese television chronicled the whole thing the best way it could: sometimes serious and sometimes anything but. For several…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo’s Strict Poisonous Blowfish License Is Getting Lax
Fugu (blowfish) is a delicacy in Japan. If it’s not prepared correctly, the result is death. Since fewer people have died from fugu poisoning in recent years, the Tokyo government decided that, hey, it should lower the strict licensing required to prepare the fish. You follow that logic? Between 2000 and 2009, there were 338…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Let Chun-Li Kick You in the Face with New Project X Zone Screens
Upcoming 3DS collaboration Project X Zone sure is getting crowded. Here’s a look at the latest screens of the pair-based combat game. From what I’ve seen so far, I quite like the game’s look. Hope I like how it plays. 『PROJECT X ZONE（プロジェクト クロスゾーン）』新たな登場キャラと戦闘システムを紹介 [Famitsu]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
When Sony Products Get Weird, the Weird Go Pro
The craziest product of 2011 meet the craziest workstation of 2012. Computer engineer Shigeki Morimoto’s desk at social networking company Mixi is a mismatch of pulleys, pipes, and rope all designed to support his Sony HMZ-T1 headset. Or something. When Morimoto started using the Sony HMZ-T1 headset at work, he quickly discovered that the headset…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Please, I Beg You, No More Tekken Movies
When the Tekken film was released, it was so bad that Tekken‘s video game producer Katsuhiro Harada publically distanced himself from the project. He might have to do that again. For reasons unbeknownst to man, Hollywood is keen to make another Tekken flick. Crystal Sky, one of the production companies on the first film, is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Married Couple Arrested for Pirating One Piece
One Piece is a very popular manga and anime about pirates. Takuyuki Machida, 47, and his wife were apparently pirates. How fitting. From July 2011 and March 2012, the two supposedly sold 38 pirated DVDs that were procured from a South Korean website. The DVDs were then resold online. According to authorities, the couple made…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Totally Safe for Work Look at that Persona Porno
On May 25, Japanese role-playing game Persona is getting a porno parody called Perofella. The suspense must be killing you. Japanese website Asagawo Blog watched a screener and posted a handful of screen caps on its site. Since, well, Perofella is a dirty movie, many of the screen caps are dirty. Screw dirty! Let’s look…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Beat Takeshi Compares Gay Marriage To Bestiality
One of Japan’s best known creators and comedians, Beat Takeshi, is catching heat for remarks he made about gay marriage. When shown footage of people celebrating President Obama’s recent gay marriage remarks, Takeshi quipped, “Obama supports gay marriage. You would support a marriage to an animal eventually, then.” Um… Takeshi is, first and foremost, a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Japanese Game Developer Apparently Harassed So Much, She Attempted Suicide
In 2009, a twenty-something female joined Osaka-based game developer Capcom. The new employee was assigned to a couple of different games before becoming a member of the team developing Dragon’s Dogma, Capcom’s upcoming big budget title. At first things were good. But by that December, things got awful—really awful. According to a recently released lawsuit,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
My, My, You Certainly Look Different, Ellie
Just as people change, so do game characters. Over the course of development, their appearance is tweaked and altered. Just look how vastly different The Last of Us heroine Ellie looks in the latest trailer The official reason for the change? As Last of Us game designer Neil Druckmann told website IGN, “We decided to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2012 -
Three Teens Arrested for Stealing $400 Worth of Pokemons
On May 11 at a Walmart in Massachusetts, staff apparently saw three men shoplift packs of Pokémon cards and exit the store. Police searched one of the suspects’ vehicle and discovered a large stash of Pokémon cards worth US$442. According to The Sun Chronicle, the three men—David Danforth (19), James J. Davis (18), and Sean…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Face of Underage Diablo III Heartbreak
At a recent StarCraft II match, there was a Diablo III limited edition raffle. The winner was jazzed to get the game. The guy in the white shirt is not that winner on a technicality. A heartbreaking one: his age. Apparently, the guy received a gift card instead of Diablo III due the game’s rating…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
In Japan, Crap Times Means $12,000 Melons
Dark times, I tell you! Just look at what the best Japanese melons in Japan are going for. Dark times. See, every year, top grade Yubari melons fetch astounding prices. The melons are lovingly grown in Hokkaido greenhouses. This year, the prices were somewhat less astounding (but still bonkers). In 2008, two Yubari melons commanded…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Negative Online Retail Review Leads to Threats Shrouded in Death
Think game critics have it bad? A female college student in Wuhan bought a skirt via China’s largest online retail platform Tabao. It didn’t fit, and she wrote a negative review for a seller on China’s largest online retailer Taobao. The college student received a package with a note that read: “You don’t like our…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Let’s Check Out North Korea’s Brand New Website!
Hey, internet people! Did you know that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (aka North Korea) has a brand new website. It’s pretty slick, based on a $15 design, and it replaces North Korea’s previous site, which can be best summed up in one word: medieval. But I guess the same thing can be said…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2012
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