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Kotaku East
Let’s Look Inside a Chinese Factory. A Chinese Condom Factory.
The world has heard about the conditions in the Chinese factories where gaming hardware is made. But what about the factories where, um, condoms are made? They look like this, apparently! Website Buzzfeed is running a series of Reuters images of the Safedom condom factory in Zhaoyuan, China. Safedom is the fourth largest condom marker…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Cosplay Isn’t Just About Costumes. It’s about Shoes.
It’s easy to forget, but shoes can make or break an outfit—especially a cosplay. Good shoes, whether you’re dressing as a soldier or Sonic the Hedgehog, matter. That was evident at the recent Comic World in Busan, South Korea, where some fancy footwear was on display. Comic World is a huge fan-based comic convention held…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Most Frightening Lunch Ever
Most Japanese bento lunches are either cute (for little kids) or boring (for adults). This one is…different. Online in Japan, some are saying it’s based on Detroit Metal City, the popular Japanese manga about heavy metal. However, as Kotaku reader lone_wolf99 pointed out, it’s based on The Evil Dead Lunch has never looked so horrifying.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Spider-Man, Like You’ve Never Eaten Before
Remember when Japan got meat buns shaped like the Slime character from Dragon Quest? Well, now your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is getting his own bun, too. Ditto for Hello Kitty. There will be Snoopy buns with custard in them, instead of meat. Starting March 14, they’ll be available at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Hardcore World of Japanese Tattoos Will Make You Stronger
“I used to be into video games during the PS2 era,” Benny Her says, as he buys a green tea espresso at convenience store in Osaka’s fashionable youth district, Americamura. “But then I started apprenticing and didn’t have any free time.” That apprenticeship was a huge gamble. And Benny Her didn’t look like a gambler.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2012 -
Watch Tim Schafer’s Screw-Ups, Bloopers, and Outtakes
Last month, Tim Schafer took to the internet with a very funny video for a Kickestarter funded game. The video pitch was a smash, and Schafer raised over US$2 million—well over the planned $400,000. This video documents the flubs and bloopers—or as Schafer calls them “acting”! The clip is yet another reason—among many—to love this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
Nom Nom Nom
Dig In | TOKYO, JAPAN: Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi eating food as part of a promotional tie-up for the latest Yakuza PSP game. (Photo: GameWatchImpress) Is This the Star of Assassin’s Creed III? [Update] Well, this is interesting. A Best Buy worker just emailed us two images snapped from their employee news section. One shows that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Let Taiwan Show You What It’s Got
Taiwanese cosplay photographer Znmoon has a fantastic website filled with wall-to-wall cosplay pics. There’s months and months of content to be had here, with photos from a variety of anime, manga, and game events. Lovely pics, lovely costumes. 2號流動攤販 [znmoon 的相簿]
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Was Lunch
No, you are not reading Hideo Kojima’s Twitter (though, I think it’s silly that guy gets heat for posting pics of his food—he should be able to post whatever he wants!) Today I had lunch at my desk. The morning was spent doing an interview for a very cool story I’ll be running tomorrow. It…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Meet The Chinese Guy Who Ripped Off Conan O’Brien
This is Da Peng. He is a Chinese variety show host, and he recently made his American television debut—for ripping off Conan O’Brien. On a recent episode, Conan O’Brien showed how Da Peng’s program, Da Pang Debade, totally copied Conan‘s opening animation. O’Brien then copied some of the silly antics of the Chinese show in…
Brian Ashcraft & Eric Jou Published March 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
One of Japan’s Crappiest Looking Games…Delayed!
No, really. Daisenryaku Perfect: Ruler of the Battlefield looks ugly. The game might be great—the most compelling ever to grace this Earth. It still looks awful. But according to the game’s official site, Daisenryaku Perfect: Ruler of the Battlefield has been delayed. Again. It was delayed last May and pushed to the fall. It didn’t…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
New 3DS Color! New 3DS Bundles! Nintendo Going 3DS Crazy.
And why shouldn’t Nintendo go 3DS crazy? Today, the Kyoto-based game maker revealed a new 3DS color: Cobalt Blue. I quite like it. The new color launches on March 22, but that’s not all Nintendo has in store for this spring. There are two Monster Hunter 3 G start packs that include either Cosmos Black…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Funny, Beautiful Lady Destroyed by an Evil Svengali?
While in college in Kyoto, Tomoko Nakajima was dubbed a beauty. She was even “Miss Campus” at her school’s art festival. But Nakajima wasn’t just a pretty face. Blessed with a quick wit, she was one of the most popular comedians of her generation. That is, until she seemingly lost control of reality and fell…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
A Cat. Watching Star Wars.
This is a perfect storm. It’s as if the internet gods got together and created this just to show what they were capable of. It is, as noted in this post’s title, a cat watching Star Wars—no, a cat sitting up while watching Star Wars Cat is watching “Star Wars” [YouTube via GWen Harlow via…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2012 -
It’s Mass Effect 3. Go Figure.
Effect | TOKYO, JAPAN: As seen at a recent Mass Effect press event. (Photo: azixero | GameWatchImpress) Are These Doom 4 Screenshots? These images, supposedly from Doom 4, have popped up. It seems they were inadvertently spilled by the portfolio of artist Thao Le, a senior environmental artist at id Software (and since taken down).…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japanese Cops Crack Down on Darth Vader
When Darth Vader showed up in Osaka to march about and promote the 3D Star Wars flicks, it was glorious. When he did the same in Tokyo, it was glorious, too. That is, until the cops showed up. This past weekend, Darth Vader and his Imperial Stormtropper, the Japanese Garrison of the 501st Legion, strutted…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
When You Love Games So Much, You Dress Up as Them
Ask cosplayer Motiusagi about her favorite games, and she’ll rattle off titles like Assassin’s Creed, Uncharted, Red Dead Redemption, or her favorite, Final Fantasy XII. Then there’s Persona, Catherine—the list is seemingly endless. “I’ve been playing games since I was four,” Motiusagi, a former bikini pin-up, recently told Kotaku. “My dad was a huge gamer,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
They Say this Earthquake Town Is Haunted
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and ensuing tsunami destroyed the town of Ishinomaki. Nearly a year has passed. Kids might be back at school, reconstruction might be underway, but things will never be the same—not with all those the town lost. “If you know someone who was killed, and the death was so sudden,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012
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